"Arise the Dead"
They merge with those of the Marine Infantry which itself finds its source in the "Compagnies de la mer" created by RICHELIEU in 1622.
By order of May 14, 1831, Louis Philippe created two regiments of marine infantry, the Regiment in Martinique 2nd Regiment in Guadeloupe By order of November 20, 1838, he created a 3rd regiment with a central portion in Toulon. The 1st and 2nd then have their central portion in BREST and ROCHEFORT.
By decree of August 31, 1854, a 4th regiment was created, the Troupes de Marine were reorganized.>
The second, central portion in ROCHEFORT, takes number 3. The 3rd, central portion in TOULON, takes number 4.
Thus the origin of the 3rd RIMa dates back to 183 1. With the current 2nd RIMa, it is the oldest of the "four old ones". ROCHEFORT will remain its garrison from 1838 to 1946.
The 3rd RIMa is one of the units that took one of the most active part in the French expeditions, in the realization of the colonial Empire. Its companies took part
in the Senegal campaign from 1833 to 1835 in the La Plata expedition in 1840 (landing at the island of Martin-Garcia)
to operations in Oceania from 1843 to 1846 (Marquesas Islands)
to the first expedition from Morocco in 1844 (bombardment of Tangier, capture of Mogador) to a second expedition to La Plata in 1850 (taken from Montevideo)
Larger detachments of the regiment are then illustrated
during the Crimean War and
during the Baltic expedition (1854)
during the Chinese campaign (1855-1860)
during the campaigns of Annam, Cochinchina and Cambodia (1858-1868)
during the Senegal campaign (1863)
In 1870, the regiment was part of the famous "BLUE DIVISION" of General de VASSOIGNE which was immortalized in BAZEILLES on September 1. In its ranks fights second lieutenant GALLIENI, future Marshal of France.
From 1871 to 1914, the regiment participated in all overseas expeditions:
New Caledonia (1878)
Indochina (1882-1885)
Black Africa (1882-1894)
Formosa (1884)
New Hebrides (1886)
Diego-Suarez (1898)
Crete (1898)
China (1900)
Morocco (1911-1913)
In 1900, the Regiment took the name of 3rd COLONIAL INFANTRY REGIMENT.
In August 1914, within the Colonial Army Corps, the 3rd R.I.C. takes part in the battle of Rossignol (Belgium) where it is partially destroyed. In September, quickly reconstituted, it was present at the Battle of the Marne and saved the situation to the right of the army corps. In February 1915, the 1st and 2nd battalions counter-attacked with a battalion of the 22nd Colonial and took the Beauséjour fort and then the Pruneau work from the Germans.
At the beginning of 1916, the regiment was sent to the Balkans. He begins by playing bad luck. The boat carrying the corps commander, the flag and 2,000 men of the regiment was torpedoed in the Ionian Sea, only 7 officers and 500 men survived.
Reconstituted, the 3rd R.I.C was immediately engaged alongside the Serbian army and distinguished itself again on December 9, 1916 in battles which earned it a general order from the Mitchich Voivode. He took part in the 1918 offensive and the victory at Dobropolje.
The Great War cost the regiment 4,617 dead in action.
In 1925, the 3rd R.I.C. is engaged in Morocco, in the fight against ABD EL KRIM.
During the German offensive of May 10, 1940, the 3rd R.IC. is engaged in the first D.I.C. He counter-attacked victoriously from May 14 to 18 at Beaumont-en-Argonne the German armored formations. On June 9 and 10, at Beauforten-Argonne, he broke the assault of a German division which left 300 prisoners in his hands.
He then fought in retreat on the Meuse and towards the Vosges where, his numbers being reduced to those of a battalion, he must lay down his arms on June 21 while his companies are still facing the enemy.
Disbanded after the armistice, the 3rd R.I.C. was reborn on November 13, 1944, made up of FFI battalions formed in the Dordogne in June 1944. It occupied the Pointe Grave sector until February 1, 1945, the date of its dissolution.
Reformed on the 1st August 1945 in ROCHEFORT, it set up in the Paris region in 1948. From 1955 to 1957, the 3rd R.I.C. takes part, in the form of marching battalions, in operations in Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria.
Absorbed by other colonial regiments, these battalions will no longer wear the insignia of the 3rd in 1957. On December 31, 1957, the 3rd R.I.C. is transformed into the Training Center of the 3rd R.I.C. which becomes C.1. of the 3rd RIMa, December 1, 1958.
On March 1, 1963, the regiment was reconstituted in Vannes by merging the Armored Marine Infantry Regiment and the 9th Marine Infantry Regiment.
Switched to the "motorized" type since January 1969, fully "professionalized" since 1970, the 3rd Marine Infantry Regiment has, since that date, participated in all external actions, and has been present in all parts of the world where the spirit and know-how of the Troupes de marine had to be expressed.
* 1978 Combat d'Ati
* 1991 Participation in the Iraq War within the Daguet division
* 1995 The 3rd RIMa distinguished itself in the takeover of the Sierra Victor post located near the Vrbanja bridge (Verbania). This action made it possible to get out of the "passive" position of the blue helmets because it was the first time that they responded to hostile actions. Alas, 2 men were killed during this operation and 17 others were injured.
The 3rd Navy has also deployed to Sudan, Rwanda, Central African Republic, Albania....
Based today in Vannes in Morbihan (56), the regiment has two other sites for the training and training of its porpoises:Fort Penthièvre located on the peninsula of Quiberon and the Bourguoin barracks in the forest of Meucon. In addition, the 3rd Marine was the first fully professionalized regiment. He is currently deployed in Ivory Coast.
"in the name of god:long live the colonial"