The ('11th shock parachute regiment'), often called , was an elite parachute regiment of the French Army. It used to serve as the armed branch of the SDECE, France's external intelligence agency between 1944 and 1982. Its insignia, designed by lieutenant Dupas, features Bagheera in the moonlight and a golden wing. The motto is ('who dares wins'), in continuation of the tradition of the British Special Air Service.

History The was meant from the start to constitute a reserve of soldiers available to the French special services. The was initially composed of one single battalion, the . From 1 September 1946, it was stationed in Mont-Louis.

In the aftermath of the Second World War, an "action service" of the SDECE was created by Jacques Morlane. It grouped veterans of the Second World War having served in the of 1936, in the (founded in 1943), or as SOE agents, as well as veterans of the Indochina wars.Minister of Defence, Service historique de la défense, Département de l'innovation technologique et des entrées extraordinaires, Bureau des témoignages oraux, Histoire orale. Inventaire analytique de la sous-série 3K , tome III, par Sébastien Laurent, Hervé Lemoine, Marilyne Morais, Stéphane Simmonet, Guillaume Zeller. Château de Vincennes, 2005. p.137

In spring of 1947, Morlane sent R. Mautaint in Mont-Louis to train the new unit. Mautaint had authored numerous reports on SOE training that inspired that of the French services.Minister of Defence, Service historique de la défense, op.cit., p.210

In July 1947, as the complement of the grew, Morlane nominated Paul Aussaresses to replace Mautaint. Aussaresses described his mission as "perform what was by then called 'psychological warfare', wherever it was necessary, notably in Indochina ... I trained my men for clandestine operations, airborne or otherwise, that could range from building demolition to sabotage or elimination of enemies".Interview with Marie-Monique Robin, quoted in Escadrons de la mort, l'école française, 2008, chap. IV, p.49 From 1952, elements of the were sent to Indochina to lead and train the (GCMA), though the did not take part in the conflict as a unit.

Back from Indochina in 1952, Aussaresses was tasked to assassinate supporters of the FLN. Morlane "was convinced that a Soviet invasion was imminent, and had been busy constituting secret weapon caches all over the territory so that, when time would come, a resistance could be organised".Paul Aussaresses, Pour la France : Services spéciaux 1942¯1954, Editions du Rocher, 2001, p.257

On 1 October 1955, a was created. It was stationed in Calvi and Corte, in Corsica. Together, the 11th and 12th Battalions were the (),"" is a term dating back to the French Revolution that designs a regiment-strong unit. The term was crafted to remove the ancien régime connotation of "regiment", which was traditionally associated to nobility. also formed on 1 October. The insignia of the featured an eagle and a star on a parachute background.

In late October 1956, elements of both battalions took part in the Suez Crisis.

The was disbanded on 30 April 1957 and immediately re-created as the . Its insignia featured a dagger with a map of France as background, and its motto was ('at the tip, always'). From 1 May 1957, the was thus constituted of the 11th BPC, the 1st BPC and the (BIS, 'specialist training battalion'), based in Calvi, Corté, Collioure, and Mont-Louis.

During the Algerian War, the 11e Choc at first deployed a (GLI, 'light intervention group'), and later a (GM 11.DBPC), as well as local antennas of the "action service", and a specialised detachment called DS 111.

The did not take part in the Algiers putsch of 1961, but some officers did sympathise towards the putschists. The unit was disbanded on 31 December 1963 and its standard handed over to the National Commando Training Center at Mont-Louis.

In 1985, general René Imbot, director of the DGSE, re-created the as the (). In 1988, elements took part in the Ouvéa cave assault.

The restructuring of the French Intelligence and Special Operations organs following the Gulf War entailed the disbanding of the on 31 December 1993.

Commanding officers

1946–1947: CNE Mautaint 1947: CNE Rivière 1947–1948: CNE Paul Aussaresses 1948–1953: CBN Yves Godard 1953–1955: CES Pierre Decorse 1955–1957: CNE Bauer 1958–1960: CNE Erouart 1960–1961: CBN Crousillac 1961–1962: CBN Mouton 1962–1963: CBN Dabezies 1963: CBN Barthes

1955–1961: COL Pierre Decorse 1961–1963: LCL Albert Merglen

References

Erwan Bergot, , Presses de la cité, 1986