) to climb on those vehicles and even take place at the driver seat or the gunner's machine-gun.This is one of the goal of the Bastille Day Parade: keeping alive the bond between the Army and the people.
Incidentely, I leave one block from the Place de la Nation, so I spent some times this afternoon taking pictures of modern French equipment. Most of the units which paraded today were from units which had been fighting in Mali this year.
P4 jeep, the one which replace Wargame's M201.
http://imageshack.us/a/img515/2080/j1yt.jpg
Leclerc tank, this one very aptly named:
http://imageshack.us/a/img19/5108/wv8e.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img841/3886/d8l5.jpg
Armoured supply trucks:
http://imageshack.us/a/img16/2180/tj02.jpg
This second one being maned by the Air Force, as their not-so-well camouflaged hat proves it:
http://imageshack.us/a/img836/1283/4eco.jpg
CAESAR (standing for CAmion Equipé d'un Système d'ARtillerie) ... some Légionnaires passing by on the second picture.
http://imageshack.us/a/img5/981/8g4i.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img197/3135/paoq.jpg
Real Hussards hiding in the shade (it was a hot day today). In the foreground, on the right, you can see three Flecktarn-uniformed soldiers: they are German Jägers whom have paraded with the Hussards as part of the French-German Brigade.
http://imageshack.us/a/img801/1259/85vn.jpg
Mines-dispenser truck:
http://imageshack.us/a/img96/302/cy75.jpg
Engineers' truck with equipment to quickly improve a road for heavy vehicles:
http://imageshack.us/a/img17/9019/q54g.jpg
There was plenty of VABs of every sort:
- 120mm mortar carrier:
http://imageshack.us/a/img841/453/2pwf.jpg
- ULTIMA, equiped with wave-scrambling antennas to prevent IED from being activated by cell-phone when the vehicle passes by (and again, Légionnaires on the way):
http://imageshack.us/a/img694/5027/lrkj.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img199/7483/ndrj.jpg
- VAB crews start training very early:
http://imageshack.us/a/img845/9044/26tt.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img835/1883/1rj4.jpg
My favorites (wheeled combat vehicles, of course
):- VBL armored jeeps: http://imageshack.us/a/img89/9541/m2jv.jpg
- AMX-10RCR: http://imageshack.us/a/img194/3599/q8mv.jpg
- VBCI: http://imageshack.us/a/img560/492/w7kr.jpg
SAM launchers and radar or guidance vehicles:
http://imageshack.us/a/img4/9408/ddlm.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img39/2933/y0m2.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img9/3219/em2p.jpg
They weren't in Mali but they are Army too:
http://imageshack.us/a/img21/617/av0x.jpg
Well, defense budget are always cut short, so the Army has to find new ways of moving its troops around:
http://imageshack.us/a/img809/7867/v9wh.jpg
And plenty of Légionnaires everywhere, from the 2e Régiment Etranger de Cavalerie (2nd Foreign Cavalry Regiment):
http://imageshack.us/a/img811/7837/3x8v.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img713/2016/gs0e.jpg
Some officers are taking the "Cavalry" part a bit too seriously. Some had horse boots and spurs!
http://imageshack.us/a/img819/3379/12xr.jpg
The band playing all the Légion's songs & marches (including the famous Boudin):
http://imageshack.us/a/img17/5101/wwe7.jpg
Close-combat demonstration:
http://imageshack.us/a/img43/9026/cpnf.jpg
And behind, for the foreign tourists inebriate by the glory of the French Army (or any other substance), the Légion Etrangère recruitement office.
And as always, when you've got a lot of Army personnel on leave in one place ... and especially Légionnaires: the Prévôté militaire.
http://imageshack.us/a/img856/1711/r1zt.jpg
