Materiel Regiments and Bases. History and Traditions of the Maintenance Soldiers

A soldier without operational equipment cannot win the war: the crucial role of maintenance personnel, the craftsmen of victory…

Since man has waged war, he has needed to maintain and repair his weapons. Having long been a service, the Materiel only became a branch of arms in 1976. However, maintenance personnel have always existed: from the king's musketeers under Louis XIV to Napoleon's Artillery train, from the Resistance to the Allied landings, from the Algerian djebel to the rice paddies of Indochina… Then came the Gulf, the former Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, and the Sahel.

Supporting all army units, both on national territory and on operations, the Materiel branch knows no respite. Constantly called upon and continually deployed, these men and women working in the shadows provide permanent support in all conditions and all places, sometimes at the very heart of the action and under fire.

Often overlooked, the history of the sons and daughters of Saint Eloi is presented in this thoroughly documented and richly illustrated work.

(Re)discover the origins, battle honours and traditions of the fighting mechanics and civilian technicians of the Materiel regiments and bases!

An officer of the Materiel branch, Captain Guillaume Malkani is assigned to a staff headquarters. He served primarily with the 6e RMAT, where he commanded the Lynx company, specialising in weapons electronics. He has been deployed on multiple overseas and domestic operations. Holder of a Master's degree in the humanities, he is the author of several works on military history.

An officer of the Materiel branch, Antoine-Louis de Prémonville served primarily in Materiel regiments within the ground mobility speciality, both in metropolitan France and on overseas operations. Holder of a doctorate in human and social sciences, he is the author of several works on military history and geopolitics. He is also an associate researcher at Rennes School of Business.