Bastille Day Paris 2024, France
In the 18th century the French government and her citizens grew further and further apart. The citizens, shopkeepers and craftsman became poorer and poorer while King Louis XVI had absolute power and lived with part of the nobility in luxury. In 1789 the people revolted and forced their way into Hotel des Invalides, where the king’s weapons were stored, while the gunpowder for the weapons were in the Bastille wherever many political prisoners were imprisoned. This gave plenty of reasons to storm the Bastille, which happened on the 14th of July 1789 and the citizens demanded the surrender of the military leader of the prison, Bernard René Launay, and the prisoners were freed. It was the first time that citizens revolted against the king and the king couldn’t do anything. That’s why this liberation is the most symbolic moment of the French Revolution. After this the citizens went to Versailles where King Louis XVI and his wife Marie-Antoinette lived. The king, his wide and members of the court were beheaded.
The Bastille was build to protect the east side of Paris during the Hundred Years war between France and England in the 14th century. Originally the Bastille was a castle with walls of 30 meters high and 1 meter thick, during the reign of Louis XIII it became a prison were citizens who were seen as enemies of the king were imprisoned. The storming of the Bastille is so important because the monarchy living in luxury had fallen!
Paris, the city where the storming of the Bastille took place, is the center of attention during the important Bastille day. The day begins with a military parade down the Champs Elysées towards the Arc de Triomphe and the Place de la Concorde. The military parade contains about 4.000 soldiers from the Air Force, Navy and Army, police officers and firefighters. This parade is the largest and oldest military parade in Europe. The army vehicles and the Gardes Républicaines on horses and in traditional uniforms make this event very impressive. After this parade there is a fly-past of military aircraft and helicopters ending with the jets of the Patrouille de France with plumes of red, white and blue smoke.
Formation 1: 1x Fokker 100, 1x Beech 350 and 2x Atlantique
Formation 2: 3x Tiger HAD
Formation 3:3x NH-90TTH
Formation 4: 1x AS-532UL, 2x AS-555UN and 2x PC-6
Formation 5: 2x EC-725
Formation 6: 1x NH-90NFH, 1x H-160 and 1x SA-365N
Formation 7: 2x EC-135, 2x EC-145, 1x H-145 and 1x AS-350BA
Formation 8: 1x A-400M
Formation 9: 1x A-330, 1x A-400M and 2x Rafale C
Formation 10: 1x E-2c and 5x Rafale M
Formation 11: 1x KC-135RG and 4x Rafale B
Formation 12: 1x A-330MRTT and 2x Rafale B
Formation 13: 1x A-330MRTT and 4x Mirage 2000D
Formation 14: 1x E-3F, 1x Rafale C and 2x Mirage 2000-5F
Formation 15: 1x Typhoon (RAF)
Formation 16: 8x Alpha Jet – Patrouille de France
