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France: Gendarmerie unit pennants

Last modified: 2016-04-02 by ivan sache
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Description of the Gendarmerie unit pennants

The pennants of Gndarmerie units, as prescribed by Instruction No. 26600/DEF/GEND/OE/ORG relative au patrimoine de tradition des unités de la gendarmerie nationale, 18 October 1993 (text), must be rectangular (50 cm x 40 cm) for:
- units in the size of a groupement (roughly a battalion), with a fringe of 3.5 cm;
- units called groupes d'escadron and bataillons, with a fringe of 3 cm.
For elementary units (escadrons, compagnies, groupes de pelotons mobiles, GIGN, GSPR), they must be 40 cm x 30 cm. The fringe is generally silver, except for the gendarmerie mobile, the Republican Guard, the gendarmerie maritime and the compagnies d'élèves gendarmes, which have a golden fringe.

The colours must be:
- Navy blue for gendarmerie départementale;
- for groupements de gendarmerie mobile, the obverse is Navy blue while the colour of the reverse indicates the position of the unit inside its légion: Navy blue for the 1st groupement, red for the 2nd, daffofil for the 3rd, and green for the 4th;
- for groupes d'escadrons de gendarmerie mobile and bataillons of the Republican Guard: red for the 1st group, daffodil for the 2nd, and green the for the 3rd;
- for elementary units, the pennants are bicolor divided: diagonally (1st to 4th units), vertically (5th to 8th), horizontally (9th to 12th). The colour of the upper part (or the one near the hoist) is the one used on the reverse of the groupement's pennant (see just above), the colour of the other half indicates the position of the unit inside the groupement: Navy blue (1st, 5th and 9th units), red (2nd, 6th and 10th), daffodil 3rd, 7th and 11th) and green (4th, 8th and 12th);
- for school units, the pattern is almost identical, except that the first half of the pennant is always Navy blue;
- any other unit has a plain Navy blue pennant.

The obverse bears a golden or silver (it follows the same pattern as the fringe, see above) eight-flame grenade high of 20 cm (15 cm for elementary units) and the name of the unit. The reverse bears the escutcheon of the unit high of 20 cm (15 cm for elementary units).
The homologation number is embroidered in the upper hoist, in the same colour as the field. The finial is a copper pike and similar to the ones used on national or regimental flags. The pike is 12 cm long, 9 cm for elementary units. The staff is 2 cm wide and 50 cm long, 1.5 cm wide and 40 cm long for elementary units.
A pennant cannot receive military honours, cannot escort a flag or be escorted. Every pennant must be approved by the General Direction of Gendarmerie.

Corentin Chamboredon, 29 August 2015


Unit pennants of the Republican Guard

The colours of the units of the Republican Guard are:

1st Infantry Regiment
- Navy blue for the motorcycle squadron and compagnie de sécurité de la présidence de la République (Èlysée Palace security);
- diagonally Navy blue and white for the 1st security and honour company;
- diagonally Navy blue and red for the 2nd security and honour company;
- diagonally Navy blue and daffodil for the 3rd security and honour company.

2nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Batallion
- diagonally red and Navy blue and red for the 1st security and honour company;
- diagonally red and white for the 2nd security and honour company;
- diagonally red and daffodil for the 1st Parliament security company

2nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Batallion
- vertically daffodil and Navy blue for the 3rd security and honour company;
- vertically daffodil and red for the 4th security and honour company;
- vertically daffodil and white for the 2nd Parliament security company

Cavalry Regiment
- plain Navy blue for the hors-rang squadron (mounted band, veterinary, farriers);
- diagonally Navy blue and white for the 1st squadron;
- diagonally Navy blue and red for the 2nd squadron;
- diagonally Navy blue and daffodil for the 3rd squadron.

Corentin Chamboredon, 29 August 2015