Meunier, Pascal Les voitures de la gendarmerie nationale

The French National Gendarmerie is the focus of this book, edited by Pascal Meunier and his colleague Laurent Jacquot. The emphasis is particularly on its vehicles, which are essential for the successful execution of its duties in many respects. This informative and educational work shines a spotlight on this elite unit, which has been ensuring public safety for decades. Thanks to a wealth of documents and photographs, the reader can discover all the vehicles of this prestigious institution, which has been under the authority of the Ministry of the Interior since 2009. Trucks, cars, armored vehicles, motorcycles, and even boatsall means of transport are described in detail in this richly illustrated book. Undoubtedly, the National Gendarmerie, whose primary task is traffic enforcement, has perfectly adapted to the changes of each era and equipped itself with vehicles renowned for their performance, enabling it to fulfill its duties to the best of its ability. The history of the French National Gendarmerie is inextricably linked to the history of French highways, as it was in the 1960s that they first deployed the famous Matra Djet, a racing car best known for its participation in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Consequently, the National Gendarmerie needed a vehicle suitable for highway patrol, which led to the later acquisition of the Alpine A110, renowned for its impressive speed of up to 215 km/h. Given its potential role in combating crime, particularly drug traffickers who use high-speed vehicles for their operations, the French National Gendarmerie is obligated to equip itself with a fleet of vehicles capable of thwarting their criminal activities. As we see in the book, in 2006 they took this a step further, acquiring around sixty Subaru Impreza WRX vehicles, ideally suited for any highway patrol duties, as this Japanese car can reach 250 km/h in just 5.8 seconds. Another change occurred in 2010 when the French Gendarmerie introduced a French vehicle, the Renault Mégane III RS, which is in no way inferior to its Japanese predecessor. In short, the book traces all the vehicles that have contributed to the glory of the French Gendarmerienot only domestically but also internationallyand highlights the most significant changes during these two centuries of its history.