Formed in Syria in April 1942, the 2nd Free French Brigade (2e BFL) comprised over 3,000 men, most of them coming from Sub-Saharan Africa. The brigade experienced its first baptism of fire during the Second Battle of El Alamein in October 1942.
Reinforced by a unit of skirmishers from Djibouti, it took part in the Tunisia Campaign in May 1943. In April 1944, the battalion fought in the Italian Campaign with the 1st Free French Division. The 1st Division and its March Battalions (BM) took the towns of Montefiascone, Bolsena and Monte Rado, on June 1944,
often with heavy casualties.
In August 1944, the Brigade landed in Provence, distinguished itself in Toulon, and later on in the Vosges. In November 1944, the skirmishers were replaced by volunteers 
serving in the French Forces of the Interior (FFI) who continued the struggle in the Battle of the Colmar Pocket and the Front of the Western Alps.
In May 1945, the 2nd Free French Brigade (2e BFL) became the 2nd Colonial Infantry Regiment (2e RIC). 92 soldiers of the 2nd Colonial Infantry Regiment (2e RIC) and the regiment were awarded the Cross of the Liberation.
Credits : © the Musée de l’Ordre de la Liberation / All rights reserved
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