Special Forces, the striking exhibition at the Musée de l’Armée -Our pictures

This exhibition is exceptional in more ways than one: for the first time, the Musée de l’Armée shines a light on the French Special Forces, a discreet military group intervening all over the world. These elite soldiers, their working methods, their equipment and stories are given pride of place from October 12, 2022 to January 29, 2023, in the “Special Forces” exhibition.

From the Second World War to nowadays, this task force has been deployed in many conflicts. These wars are part of the history of the special forces and reflect the evolution of this group related to the land forces, the French navy and the air and space force as well as the French Defense Health Service. The museum also wishes to shine a light on the importance of the special forces’ action and role in military conflicts, as well as in times of peace.

The Musée de l’Armée deciphers the way these men and women are selected, educated and trained as they are part of the army elite units.

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For the first time, the general public will learn more about the operation methods, the specific techniques, equipment and weaponry devoted to the special forces usually working in a very discreet fashion. Some of these gears are revealed for the first time ever!

You will also discover different objects and documents provided by the State services, national French and foreign patrimonial institutions, the halls of honor of the special force units, private collections and from industrials… A rich route paced with surprises likely to fascinate neophytes and those already know a lot on the matter.

A part of this exhibition also wonders about the image of the special forces in cinema, a biased image because of many factors. Reality and fiction are compared in stories brought up by the Musée de l’Armée. This image also alludes to our very conception of war and violence, of what is shown and said, and what is hidden.

This already incredible exhibition is even more compelling thanks to the immersive staging playing with pictures and multimedia processes to take us to the very heart of the matter.

Although the tour unveils the many uniforms, weapons and technical and strategical items, the Musée de l'Armée first and foremost wishes to shine a light on the men and women under the uniforms, present their daily lives, their training, as well as their lives after work, the way they balance dangerous operations and private lives. Exceptional interviews enable to meet these professionals, discover their stories, their feelings.