In some branches of the French Army and in the French Gendarmerie Chef d'escadron ("squadron leader") is the officer rank above captain and below lieutenant colonel. It is the first superior officer rank and corresponds to (Major) in most English-speaking countries. It is spelled with an s (Chef d'Escadrons) in units traditionnally part of the mounted troops (troupe à cheval = mounted cavalry)[1] The other branches of the mounted troops that are not cavalry troops (Transportation and Artillery) write Chef d'escadron (without s).
The equivalent rank in other branches of the French Army that are note mounted troops (mostly Infantry and Combat Engineers) is Chef de bataillon (battalion leader). In the administrative and support branch of the Gendarmerie, the equivalent rank is Commandant.
Chef d'escadron is also in use in the armies of many former French colonies such as Niger[2]),
Somehow confusingly, Chef d'escadron is also a title (not rank) sometimes used for the commanding officer of a squadron, (usually a capitaine in the Army but either a captain or a chef d'escadron in the Gendarmerie)[3].
Finally, the French Air Force also has squadrons but does not use chef d'escadron as a title (and uses commandant as a rank).
See also
Chef d'escadre - the ancien Régime equivalent of rear admiral rank.
Sources
- ^ Before 1815, a French cavalry squadron was formed by assembling two companies. In 1815, cavalry companies were renamed as squadrons and - a few years later - what used to be called squadrons before the reform of 1815 became squadrons groups (Groupes d'escadrons) so the rank of the commanding officer of a squadrons group became chef d'escadrons (with an s) the French cavalry.
- ^ (in French) "Niger : le chef d'escadron Salou Djibo, "président" du CSRD", Agence France Presse, February 19, 2010
- ^ The Gendarmerie uses more frequently the title Commandant d'unité (CDU), probably to avoid confusion