A Brief History
On March 10, 1831, King Louis Phillipe of France established the world-famous Foreign Legion (Légion Étrangère) to help with the pacification of Algeria.
Digging Deeper
Commanded by French officers, the troops are made up chiefly of foreigners, although French citizens are also allowed to join. (As of 2007, French citizens make up approximately 25% of new recruits.) Current members come from around 140 different countries!
Though women have been allowed to join the Legion since the year 2000, a woman has yet to do so.
An elite fighting corps feared and respected world wide, the Legion puts its men through a regimen of tough physical and psychological training to ensure particularly tough and resolute fighters. Their esprit de corps ranks among the best, and other countries have attempted to copy the Foreign Legion model for their own purposes.
The French Foreign Legion (FFL) is often used as a first resort and throughout its existence, has seen extensive action in Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East and even Mexico. It also played roles in the two world wars, in the latter of which, it was involved in the Norwegian campaign.
Normally highly successful with a reputation for fierceness, in 1954, the Legion suffered horrendous losses in the debacle at Dien Bien Phu in Viet Nam (then still French Indo-China) and later was brought virtually to the breaking point by the incessant fighting during the Algerian War of Independence which raged from 1954 to 1962.
Despite being nearly disbanded after the so-called “Generals’ Putsch of 1961” when some Legionnaires participated in an attempt to overthrow the government of Charles DeGaulle, during the 1960s, the Legion developed into France’s rapid-response force and has served in that capacity since.
Equipped as light infantry, the Legion consists of about 7,700 men today, and its mottos are “The Legion is our Fatherland,” “Honor and Fidelity” and the unofficial but famous “March or Die.” Current deployments include participation in the War on Terror in the Middle East.
The Legion is often depicted in literature and movies as an organization for desperate criminals on the run, who join under false identities, but in reality, most who join are young men seeking adventure and challenge. Movies depicting the Legion include Beau Geste (1939), starring Gary Cooper and March or Die (1977), starring Gene Hackman and Catherine Deneuve.
Of interest to gun enthusiasts, the main battle rifle of the Legion is currently the FAMAS F1 5.56mm caliber bullpup-style assault rifle which is capable of firing at a cyclic rate of about 1,000 rounds per minute. Normal magazines are 30-round capacity, although later models can use all normal M-16/AR-15/M-4 type magazines. Although specs for the ammunition are similar to those used by NATO 5.56mm ammo, the FAMAS has to use special French-built steel-case ammo because the blowback action (unlike gas operation usually found in assault rifles) could rip apart brass-cased ammo. Also, standard NATO ammunition can overpressure the FAMAS and cause malfunctions. Another interesting quirk of this weapon is the 1 in 12 inch rifling, a much slower rate than the 1 in 7 inch rifling of the US M-4, meaning the FAMAS has trouble stabilizing the bullets, which hurts long range accuracy, but can actually enhance lethality.
Give your Mom a fit and tell her you are off to join the Foreign Legion!
Question for students (and subscribers) to ponder: Have you ever wanted to join the French Foreign Legion?
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Porch, Douglas. The French Foreign Legion: A Complete History of the Legendary Fighting Force. Skyhorse Publishing, 2010.
