The Red Line teams were exceptionally able to attend a full-scale training of new recruits of the Chad marching regiment, one of the most in demand in the French Army with regard to military operations abroad.
Anticipate the return of war to the borders of Europe. While since March 2022 Russia's invasion of Ukraine marks the reappearance of high-intensity conflicts on the continent, the French army, until now mobilized mainly on anti-terrorist missions such as in Mali, must once again adapt to new geopolitical realities.
“It’s a hell of a maze.”
While the world celebrates this Monday, November 11, the armistice which marked the end of the First World War, in Alsace, the army is training its young recruits to fight in trenches, as the Poilus did between 1914 and 1918.
On Air Base 132 in Colmar-Meyenheim, new recruits of the Chad Marching Regiment, an infantry regiment of the French Army, are confronted with an endless maze of tunnels dug into the ground.
“It’s impressive, there are a lot of nooks and crannies, it’s quite a labyrinth, we always have to stay on our guard,” says initial volunteer Guillaume to BFMTV.
In a larger-than-life setting, apprentice soldiers learn new combat techniques while using, for the time being, blank cartridges. Among the main precepts learned here, a strong solidarity which must be linked between all those involved during this training.
“It’s a good surprise, it allows us to rally behind what our elders were able to do. I think of myself, with my teammates, because we are here for our lives and that’s it,” adds the volunteer. initial Guillaume.
“There is a risk”
On February 26, the President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron affirmed, “nothing should be excluded” regarding the sending of Western soldiers to Ukraine. If this exit had provoked the ire of several NATO member countries, the tenant of the Élysée had, a few days later, said “to accept” his remarks, while affirming that France will not “conduct an offensive ” herself.
In fact, the French army is indeed preparing for a potential conflict which could pit it against a larger army, as is the case with the tens of thousands of Russian soldiers mobilized on the Ukrainian front, now supported by a large North Korean contingent.
“Yes, there is a risk of finding ourselves faced with armies that have a very significant volume capacity. But we will be able to respond,” promises Colonel Florian de la Tousche, commander of the Marche du Chad regiment.
At the end of this new type of training, the new contenders will finally join this regiment of 1,200 men, which is one of the most in demand in the French Army with regard to military operations abroad.
The new election on November 5 of Donald Trump as President of the United States casts further doubt on the short and medium term destiny of Ukraine. In recent hours, the American press has reported on a meeting between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, which the Kremlin ultimately denied.
On numerous occasions during the electoral campaign, the then Republican candidate criticized the amounts of American military aid to kyiv. He had also, without really saying how, assured that if elected, he would resolve this conflict in the space of just one day.
Jérémy Normand and Clément Granon with Hugo Septier
