Advertisement
| modern french foreign legion: The French Foreign Legion Jean-Denis G.G. Lepage, 2007-12-25 This book gives the reader a straightforward and continuous survey of the history of the French Foreign Legion. By outlining the Legion's vicissitudes, victorious campaigns, epic marches, heroic and sometimes hopeless stands, dirtiest combats and dramatic defeats, but also by briefly placing the Legion back in the historical background of France, and by describing its development, organization, uniforms, equipments and weapons, the author hopes to dispel myths, and try to give a true and accurate picture of what the French Foreign Legion has been from 1831 until today. There are well-researched, detailed line drawings throughout. |
| modern french foreign legion: The French Foreign Legion Douglas Porch, 2010-11-01 The French Foreign Legion is a complete, captivating study of the famed fighting force, from its inception in 1831 to modern times. Historian Douglas Porch chronicles the Legion’s involvement in Spain, Mexico, Indochina, Madagascar, WWI, Vietnam, and Algiers (to name a few) and delves into the inner workings of legionnaires and their captains. Known for draconian discipline and shrouded in mystery, the secrets of the Legion are guarded by those who have gained admittance into its elite society. In this thoroughly researched and impressive account, Porch reveals the mysteries surrounding a Legion of “unparalleled exoticism, pathos, and drama.” |
| modern french foreign legion: Legionnaire Simon Murray, 2007-12-18 “A pleasure to read and nearly impossible to put down.” –Army Times “Embodies an experience that many have enjoyed in fantasy–few in reality.” –The Washington Post The French Foreign Legion–mysterious, romantic, deadly–is filled with men of dubious character, and hardly the place for a proper Englishman just nineteen years of age. Yet in 1960, Simon Murray traveled alone to Paris, Marseilles, and ultimately Algeria to fulfill the toughest contract of his life: a five-year stint in the Legion. Along the way, he kept a diary. Legionnaire is a compelling, firsthand account of Murray’s experience with this legendary band of soldiers. This gripping journal offers stark evidence that the Legion’s reputation for pushing men to their breaking points and beyond is well deserved. In the fierce, sun-baked North African desert, strong men cracked under brutal officers, merciless training methods, and barbarous punishments. Yet Murray survived, even thrived. For he shared one trait with these hard men from all nations and backgrounds: a determination never to surrender. “The drama, excitement, and color of a good guts-and-glory thriller.” –Dr. Henry Kissinger |
| modern french foreign legion: The French Foreign Legion Douglas Boyd, 2010-01 The French Foreign Legion is an extraordinary and unique army, specifically created for foreign nationals wishing to serve in the French Armed Forces, but commanded by French officers. For nearly two centuries, adventure seekers or men on the run from all around the globe have found a home in the Foreign Legion and shed blood for France. In this book, author Douglas Boyd has been given unrivalled access to the Legion to tell its story from its inception in the 1830s, when it was primarily used to protect and expand the French colonial empire during the nineteenth century, but it has also fought in almost all French wars including the Franco-Prussian War and both World Wars. The Legion is today known as an elite military unit whose training focuses not only on traditional military skills, but also on its strong esprit de corps. |
| modern french foreign legion: French Foreign Legion Martin Windrow, 2013-08-20 Men of action and elite soldiers with a young and dynamic spirit, the French Foreign Legion are capable of doing their duty anywhere anytime. Martin Windrow's superb text examines the history of this famous force from the end of the Second World War onward. This first class addition to the Men-at-Arms series not only contains the usual wealth of accompanying photographs and illustrations, including eight full page colour plates by Mike Chappell, but is extended by a further 16 pages, allowing the author to display the full range of his expert knowledge, including 11 pages devoted to uniforms. |
| modern french foreign legion: Life in the French Foreign Legion Evan McGorman, 2010 Forget all your preconceptions about the French Foreign Legion. Many of the legends you grew up with no longer apply, so whatever you've heard probably does not reflect the reality of service today. Evan McGorman explains in detail how to apply to get into this elite corps, what to expect if accepted, and how to make the most of the experience. |
| modern french foreign legion: Fighting for the French Foreign Legion Alex Lochrie, 2013 A rare and graphic insight into soldiering with the famous French Foreign Legion. A contemporary account covering active service with the Legion in Iraq, Bosnia and Chad. |
| modern french foreign legion: The 88 Laws of the Masculine Mindset John Winters, 2018-08-23 Powerful Mindset Principles Combined With Real World Practical Information To Transform Your Life: The 88 Laws of The Masculine Mindset This book is not like other books. It is written and designed to be practical and useful. The Problem with most self-help books is that people get bored and don't finish them. This book can be started at any chapter and can be read as you see fit. The book is a collection of the most important mindset and personal development laws or guidelines for men. The laws are listed from 1-88. The format allows you to load up 88 important ideas into your mind very quickly. This book is designed to be an introduction to all of the most valuable personal development ideas I have used to change and improve my own life. If you had 1 hour to find the most important ideas to change your life, then this book will help you achieve that goal. We live in a world that is out of balance and one big reason for that is the lack of mindset control. Your mindset is the software you load into your mind. If you don't take conscious control over that then you might find yourself ending up at a place you did not want to be. Most people on this planet just go with the flow and have no idea that they are going in the wrong direction in life. They are being affected by outside influences and don't even know it. When you understand and accept this reality then you can change it. You can take your power back. You can start living life on your own terms. So if you want to change your life or improve your current position then this book will help you get there. Inside this book You Will Learn: The Masculine Approach To Living The Most Important Choice Of Your Life How To Take Control Of Your Mind How To Change Your Current Reality How To Start Winning In Life The Things You Have To Change To Become Successful How Your Habits Control Your Life Why You Have To Believe In Yourself How To Live With Purpose How To Transform Your Life How To Live Free Much, much more! |
| modern french foreign legion: Mouthful of Rocks Christian Jennings, 1991 |
| modern french foreign legion: Legion of the Lost Jaime Salazar, 2016-01-19 Revised edition, with a new foreword and afterword from the author. 'From an air-conditioned Chicago office, Mr. Salazar took the express elevator straight to hell. Legion of the Lost is his story, the improbable, very funny tale of a sensitive, bookish child of Mexican immigrants who walked away from a promising career and, for romantic reasons, threw in his lot with a motley assortment of thugs, drunks, drug abusers and desperate refugees from the far corners of the earth. And those are the ones giving orders.' New York Times 'A story of horrifying institutionalised cruelty and incredible suffering, tempered with extraordinary camaraderie and mind-boggling fortitude. Legion of the Lost lays to rest romantic myths about the French Foreign Legion forever.' Google Books 'After about a year in corporate America, Jaime Salazar realized he wanted more in life. He wanted more than a big paycheck and a BMW. Salazar is a born adventurer and romantic and was not content with his job with Siemens in Chicago, where he was part of the technical sales teams. His ideals led him to the French Foreign Legion.' The Purdue Exponent 'A colorful, detailed, and brisk account of the blood, beatings, binge drinking, racism, and occasional satisfaction and pride from his time with the Legion. Salazar's prose marches along like a fit Legionnaire, largely un-ornamented yet getting the job done quickly and effectively, with all the dirt, swearing, and gunpowder one would expect from a military memoir. Legion of the Lost should prompt serious reflection about commitment, discipline, meaning, and purpose in life.' Good Reads No army is more surrounded by mystery, romance, and admiration than the French Foreign Legion. King Louis Philippe II created the Foreign Legion in 1831 as a way to rid France of penniless immigrants and others considered a liability to the French establishment. The Foreign Legion still exists today as an elite army of modern mercenaries from around the world, in the service of la France. Considered a haven for the dregs of society, joining the Foreign Legion was rumoured to be simple, but it wasn't. Getting out of the Foreign Legion, as Salazar soon realised, proved impossible. So what was an engineering professional doing in the Legion of the Damned? For those Dostoevsky calls the insulted and the injured, men of character who seek adventure in the most obscure places, the Legion offers refuge. After surrendering his passport, and with it, any human rights, the Legion gave Salazar a new name and life. Even after finishing four months of what the Legion calls instruction, Salazar realized that his existence wasn't like that of Gary Cooper in Beau Geste. It was more a primitive life of beatings, marches, fanatical discipline, and sadistic NCOs. Idealists looking for a new beginning come to the Legion, but only the toughest, and cruelest are left to wear the Legion headdress, the kepi blanc. Once enlisted, there are three ways to leave the Legion: finishing one's five-year contract, disability, or leaving in a box. While serving a term in Legion prison, Salazar came up with a fourth solution - escape. |
| modern french foreign legion: The Legion of the Damned Bennett Jeffries Doty, 1928 |
| modern french foreign legion: Beau Geste Percival Christopher Wren, 2020-09-28 In the first place, there was the old standing trouble about the Shuwa Patrol; in the second, the truculent Chiboks were waxing insolent again, and their young men were regarding not the words of their elders concerning Sir Garnet Wolseley, and what happened, long, long ago, after the battle of Chibok Hill. Thirdly, the price of grain had risen to six shillings a saa, and famine threatened; fourthly, the Shehu and Shuwa sheiks were quarrelling again; and, fifthly, there was a very bad smallpox ju-ju abroad in the land (a secret society whose secret was to offer His Majesty's liege subjects the choice between being infected with smallpox, or paying heavy blackmail to the society). Lastly, there was acrimonious correspondence with the All-Wise Ones (of the Secretariat in Aiki Square at Zungeru), who, as usual, knew better than the man on the spot, and bade him do either the impossible or the disastrous. And across all the Harmattan was blowing hard, that terrible wind that carries the Saharan dust a hundred miles to sea, not so much as a sand-storm, but as a mist or fog of dust as fine as flour, filling the eyes, the lungs, the pores of the skin, the nose and throat; getting into the locks of rifles, the works of watches and cameras, defiling water, food and everything else; rendering life a burden and a curse. The fact, moreover, that thirty days' weary travel over burning desert, across oceans of loose wind-blown sand and prairies of burnt grass, through breast-high swamps, and across unbridged boatless rivers, lay between him and Kano, added nothing to his satisfaction. For, in spite of all, satisfaction there was, inasmuch as Kano was rail-head, and the beginning of the first stage of the journey Home. That but another month lay between him and leave out of Africa, kept George Lawrence on his feet. From that wonderful and romantic Red City, Kano, sister of Timbuktu, the train would take him, after a three days' dusty journey, to the rubbish-heap called Lagos, on the Bight of Benin of the wicked West African Coast. There he would embark on the good ship Appam, greet her commander, Captain Harrison, and sink into a deck chair with that glorious sigh of relief, known in its perfection only to those weary ones who turn their backs upon the Outposts and set their faces towards Home. Meantime, for George Lawrence--disappointment, worry, frustration, anxiety, heat, sand-flies, mosquitoes, dust, fatigue, fever, dysentery, malarial ulcers, and that great depression which comes of monotony indescribable, weariness unutterable, and loneliness unspeakable. |
| modern french foreign legion: French Foreign Legion Paratroops Martin Windrow, Wayne Braby, 1985-09-26 The decision, in Spring 1948, to form two battalions of Foreign Legion paratroopers was prompted by the requirement for enlarged airborne forces in the First Indochina War (1946), and the healthy recruitment then employed by the Legion. There were some initial doubts. The Legion were known to be magnificent heavy infantry, but were felt by some to lack the flexibility and agility demanded by independent airborne operations. In the Legion itself there were some misgivings over the possible clash between the self-consciously exclusive 'para mentality', and the Legion's own very marked ésprit de corps. Over time, however, all these doubts evaporated with experience. |
| modern french foreign legion: With the French Foreign Legion in Syria John Henry Harvey, 1995 |
| modern french foreign legion: The French Foreign Legion Martin Windrow, 1971-06-15 It is arguable that no group of fighting men in the history of European arms has been so misrepresented by ill-informed publicity as the French Foreign Legion. Though initially conceived in 1831 as a means of drafting recently discharged foreign soldiers to Algeria, the Legion has developed into a sophisticated force of motorized infantry, airborne troops and light armor. In this book, acclaimed French Army expert Martin Windrow examines the history and uniforms of the French Foreign Legion, from its service in the Carlist War of 1835-36 to World War II and beyond, debunking many of the prevalent myths surrounding this formidable force. |
| modern french foreign legion: Voices of the Foreign Legion Adrian D. Gilbert, 2010-04-06 The French Foreign Legion has established a reputation as the most formidable of military forces. Created as a means of protecting French interests abroad, the legion spearheaded French colonialism in North Africa during the nineteenth century. Accepting volunteers from all parts of the world, the legion acquired an aura of mystery—and a less than enviable reputation for brutality within its ranks. Attracting recruits from all over the world, these new soldiers explain in their own words why they submitted themselves to such brutal training. Voices of the Foreign Legion looks at how the legion selects its recruits, where they come from, and why they seek a life of incredible hardship and danger. It also analyzes the legion’s strict attitude toward discipline, questions why desertion is a perennial problem, and assesses the legion’s military achievements since its formation in 1831. Its scope ranges from the conquest of the colonies in Africa and the Far East, through the horrors of the two World Wars, to the bitter but ultimately hopeless battles to maintain France’s imperial possessions. |
| modern french foreign legion: Marching with the Devil David Mason, 2011-09-27 `Since its creation in 1831, the French Foreign Legion has become the stuff of myth, fiction and dreams... Anyone thinking of joining up would be well advised to read this book first? - The Sun Herald A real-life boy's own adventure, Marching With The Devil is an account of David Mason's five years in the infamous French Foreign Legion. David Mason graduated from the Australian National University with a law degree and an honours degree. Like those around him, he could easily have settled for a life of share portfolios, good suits, new cars and big houses. But David wanted more ? he wanted a challenge, an adventure, something beyond the ordinary that would test him physically and mentally. He looked around to see what he could do. Working in an open-cut mine . . . done that. Running a marathon . . . hmm, not hard enough. Climbing Everest . . . maybe? Joining the French Foreign Legion . . . perfect! Marching With The Devil is the gripping true story of what happened when an Australian lawyer left his comfortable existence and joined the legendary French Foreign Legion. He stayed for five years and served time in the elite Parachute Regiments. With the motto 'March or Die', the legion has a history of pain, grief and glory. David Mason takes us behind the myth to reveal exactly what happens: the adventure, the danger, the drinking, the fighting and the lies that sustain the legend.fore the final choice must be made. `Remarkable... It's hard not to think it a shame that a man of such obvious gifts should have wasted them on the legion, just so as not to have to feel like a quitter, even if this book was the result? - The Age `Marching with the Devil quickly turns into an insightful and honest account of an unpretentious Aussie's experiences in one of the most ramshackle and soul-destroying military organisations on Earth? - Courier Mail `A strangely compulsive read about one man?s quest for self knowledge? - Men's Health Magazine `Mason left a comfortable life in Australia to test himself in the crucible of the legion, and he writes about it 20 years after his service time necessary to give himself the distance and context he needed to write about an extraordinary and painful experience? - Sunday Mail Brisbane |
| modern french foreign legion: French Foreign Legion 1831–71 Martin Windrow, 2016-12-15 Concluding his bestselling series on the French Foreign Legion, Martin Windrow explores the formation and development of the Legion during its 'first generation'. Raised in 1831, the Legion's formative years would see it fight continuous and savage campaigns in Algeria, aid the Spanish government in the Carlist War, join the British in the Crimean campaign and fight alongside the Swiss in the bloody battles of Magenta and Solferino. With the ever-changing combat environments they found themselves in, the Legion had to constantly adapt in order to survive. Taking advantage of the latest research, this lavishly illustrated study explores the evolution of the uniforms and kit of the French Foreign Legion, from their early campaigns in Algeria through to their iconic Battle of Camerone in Mexico and their role in the Franco-Prussian war. |
| modern french foreign legion: French Foreign Legion Operations, 1990-2000 Yves Debay, 2000 The French Foreign Legion is one of the most famous military organizations in the world. It jealously guards traditions rooted in an extraordinary fighting reputation gained on battlefields all over the world since its formation in the 1830s. |
| modern french foreign legion: Nationalizing France's Army Christopher J. Tozzi, 2016 Winner of the Walker Cowen Memorial Prize for an outstanding work of scholarship in eighteenth-century studies. |
| modern french foreign legion: French Foreign Légionnaire 1890–1914 Martin Windrow, 2011-08-20 As France emerged from the Franco-Prussian War she embarked on a period of active colonialism, acquiring territories in South-East Asia and Africa. By the turn of the century much of north, west and central Africa was under French control. In order to police all of these territories, the French needed an army and so the French Foreign Legion was born. In this book, world-renowned Legion expert Martin Windrow analyses what it would have been like to be a member of the French Foreign Legion and how the experience, equipment, tactics and training of the Legion developed in the 80 years between their foundation and the outbreak of the First World War. He investigates their glory years in North Africa and Indochina, and draws extensively on memoirs from two British legionnaires, peppering the text with extraordinary first-hand accounts of the French Foreign Legion. |
| modern french foreign legion: Transnational Soldiers N. Arielli, B. Collins, 2012-11-28 Warfare in the modern era has often been described in terms of national armies fighting national wars. This volume challenges the view by examining transnational aspects of military mobilization from the eighteenth century to the present. Truly global in scope, it offers an alternative way of reading the military history of the last 250 years. |
| modern french foreign legion: In the Foreign Legion Erwin Rosen, 1910 |
| modern french foreign legion: Our Friends Beneath the Sands Martin Windrow, 2010-04-29 The gripping true story of the French Foreign Legion in the Sahara. Ever since the 1920s the popular legend of the French Foreign Legion has been formed by P.C. Wren's novel BEAU GESTE - a world of remote forts, warrior tribes, and desperate men of all nationalities enlisting under pseudonyms to fight and die under the desert sun. As with all clichés, the reality is far richer and more surprising than this. In this book Martin Windrow describes desert battles and famous last stands in gripping detail - but he also shows exactly what the Foreign Legion were doing in North Africa in the first place. He explains how French colonial methods there actually had their roots in the jungles of Vietnam, and how the political pressures that kept the empire expanding can be traced to battles on the streets of Paris itself. His description of the Berber tribesmen of Morocco also reveals some disturbing modern parallels: the formidable guerrillas of the 1920s were inspired by an Islamic fundamentalist who was adept at using the world's media to further his cause. Martin Windrow's previous book THE LAST VALLEY received fabulous reviews across the English-speaking world. This unique book, which is the first to examine the 'golden age' of the Foreign Legion has followed suit. |
| modern french foreign legion: Hidden Soldier Padraig O'Keeffe, Ralph Riegel, 2013-08-16 Pádraig O'Keeffe joined the elite and secretive French Foreign Legion at the age of twenty, seeking a challenge that would absorb his interests and intensity. He served with the Legion in Cambodia and Bosnia, then returned to civilian life, but military habits would not allow him to settle. His need for intense excitement and extreme danger drove him back to the lifestyle he knew and loved, and using his Legion training, he became a 'hidden soldier' by opting for security missions in Iraq and Haiti. In Iraq he was the sole survivor of an ambush in no man's land between Abu Ghraib and Fallujah, the most dangerous place on earth. An intense, exciting and vivid account of extraordinary and sometimes horrific events, Hidden Soldier lifts the veil on the dark and shadowy world of security contractors and what the situation is really like in Iraq as well as other trouble spots. This bestseller also includes photographs taken by Padraig O'Keeffe while he was a Legionnaire and when he was in Iraq. |
| modern french foreign legion: The White Kepi Walter Kanitz, 2017-06-28 Heroic figures galloping across the loose sands of the Sahara, their flowing white kepis a symbol of the highest romance and adventure...or murderers and human derelicts, rejected by society and hunted by the police, seeking escape from prison in the ranks of the Légion Étrangère? Neither picture—so commonly held by the general public—is even partially accurate, writes Walter Kanitz. During World War II, Walter Kanitz fought with the Foreign Legion in Africa. He has done a vast amount of research and reading about the Legion, and has made every possible effort to check his facts. His book represents the first comprehensive and objective history of the French Foreign Legion since its inception in 1831 by the royal decree of Louis Philippe. For the better part of its history, the Foreign Legion, remote, fascinating, somewhat sinister, has been shrouded in mystery. It has been called everything from “Desert Carrion” to the “Legion of Beggars.” It was often said that “dogs bark when the Legion passes.” Yet, in battle, the Légionnaires are famed for a courage and heroism that knows no fear of death. They are considered by most professional soldiers to be, as a unit, the best fighting force in the world. When a new recruit applies for enlistment, he is made to wait 24 hours to reconsider his decision. The ranks are made up of men of all nationalities—Germans, Poles, Czechs, Slavs, Spaniards, Americans. It is the only army in existence today made up of mercenaries who have voluntarily signed to serve five years for the government of France. The discipline is harsh and the pay meager. The call to battle has taken Legion units from Mexico to Norway, from China to Morocco. Outside of battle, life consists of infinite boredom broken only by alcohol and an occasional woman. And yet, says ex-Legionnaire Kanitz, “Qu’importe, quand la Légion passe, que les chiens viennent aboyer après d’elle! Vive la Légion!” |
| modern french foreign legion: The French Secret Services Douglas Porch, 2003-11 Chronicles the development of the French secret services in the modern era, asks some fundamental questions about what France expected and expects from them, and offers a assessment of their role and influence in the state and the military. |
| modern french foreign legion: Tomorrow to Be Brave Susan Travers, 2000 Susan Travers dreamed of an adventurous life, but had little chance of it until the Second World War destroyed her cafe society world and freed her from the bonds of her privileged but stifling upbringing. Leaving her peripatetic, party-girl lifestyle behind her, she drank a last cocktail at her friend Gladys's chateau, locked the door behind her and walked into history. Here for the first time, the life story of the only woman to fight for the French Legion is one that few dare to even imagine. Born to a life of privilege, Susan spends her childhood longing for excitement. After being expelled from finishing school for being too interested in men, she signed up with the Free French in 1940 and sailed to Africa where she traveled the country fighting the war and taking on lovers, eventually becoming a driver to General Koenig of the Foreign Legion. He was to become her lover and the man for whom she would risk everything. A military leader of Olympian detach, he was in private a sensitive soul, sharing poetry with Susan, including the piece from which the title of the book is taken, Tomorrow To Be Brave. He was also the man who helped change the face of Rommel's North African campaign. At the great siege of Bir Hakeim, the general's troops were surrounded for fifteen days by Rommel's Panzer division. Susan refused to leave the General's side and evetually, at the wheel of his car, led the convoy of vehicles and men across the minefields as part of a daring mass breakout. Hailed as the heroine of the night, Susan was rewarded with the love and loyalty of the legion with whom she served as its only official female member ever. In 1997 in a simple ceremony attended by the few remaining survivors of the corps with which she fought, the Legion presented Susan Travers, now a frail 88 year old, with the Legion d'Honneur--their highest award for bravery. She lives quietly to this day in a modest nursing home outside Paris where only a very few know what circuitous and fantastic a path led her there--until now. |
| modern french foreign legion: My Camp J. R. Lawrence, 2017-07-14 Follow the story of a young man, who, through a chance encounter in prison, leaves his life of crime and joins the ranks of one of the world's toughest fighting forces.J. R. Lawrence served in the 3rd company of the parachute regiment (2REP) from 2007 - 2011.The author served in the Foreign Legion during the War on Terror period and the book includes a chapter on the war in Afghanistan. |
| modern french foreign legion: The French Foreign Legion Douglas Porch, 2010 The French Foreign Legion is a complete, captivating study of the famed fighting force, from its inception in 1831 to modern times. Historian Douglas Porch chronicles the Legion's involvement in Spain, Mexico, Indochina, Madagascar, WWI, Vietnam, and Algiers (to name a few) and delves into the inner workings of legionnaires and their captains. Known for draconian discipline and shrouded in mystery, the secrets of the Legion are guarded by those who have gained admittance into its elite society. In this thoroughly researched and impressive account, Porch reveals the mysteries surrounding a Legion of unparalleled exoticism, pathos, and drama. Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Arcade imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in history--books about World War II, the Third Reich, Hitler and his henchmen, the JFK assassination, conspiracies, the American Civil War, the American Revolution, gladiators, Vikings, ancient Rome, medieval times, the old West, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home. |
| modern french foreign legion: Yankee Fighter Cpt. John F. Hasey, Joseph F. Dinneen, 2017-07-19 This is the true story of Jack Hasey, an American captain in the Free French Foreign Legion during the Second World War, who was critically wounded during the Battle of Damascus in June 1941. His bravery earned him the Order of the Cross of Liberty, the Croix de guerre 39-45 with four citations, and the Insignia for the Military Wounded. He became a Knight of the Légion d’honneur and received France’s highest World War II honour of all when he was named Companion of the Ordre de la Libération. |
| modern french foreign legion: Soldiers of the Legion John Bowe, 1918 |
| modern french foreign legion: The Armenian Legionnaires Susan Paul Pattie, 2018-08-30 Following the devastation resulting from the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire beginning in 1915, the survivors of the massacres were dispersed across the Middle East, Europe and North and South America. Not content with watching World War I silently from the sidelines, a large number of Armenian volunteers joined the Legion d'Orient. They were trained in Cyprus and fought courageously in Palestine and Cilicia alongside Allied commander General Allenby, eventually playing a crucial role in defeating German and Ottoman forces in Palestine at the Battle of Arara in September 1918. The Armenian Legionnaires signed up on the understanding that they would be fighting in Syria and Turkey, and, should the Allies be successful, they would be part of an occupying army in their old homelands, laying the foundation for a self-governing Armenian state. Susan Paul Pattie describes the motivations and dreams of the Armenian Legionnaires and their ultimate betrayal as the French and the British shifted priorities, leaving their ancestral Armenian homelands to the emerging Republic of Turkey. Complete with eyewitness accounts, letters and photographs, this book provides an insight into relations between the Great Powers through the lens of a small, vulnerable people caught in a war that was not their own, but which had already destroyed their known world. |
| modern french foreign legion: Napoleon's Mercenaries Guy C. Dempsey, 2016 This superb and comprehensive book details the foreign units which formed such an important part of Napoleon's forces. It examines each non-French unit in turn, giving an overview of the unit's origins, its organizational and combat history, its uniforms and standards, and details of the unit's eventual fate. Colorful accounts, taken from contemporary reports and memoirs, emphasize the qualities of the unit and throw light on what life was like for many of the foreign soldiers recruited into the Grande Armée. In total more than 100 different foreign units that served in the French Army are investigated in detail in this ambitious publication. Some foreign units fought and flourished throughout the Consulate and Empire, whilst others lasted for just a few months. Covers Polish, German, Swiss, Italian, Spanish, and other units in the French Army and presents a combat history and details uniforms for each regiment. Napoleon's Mercenaries is the best single-volume study of this aspect of Napoleon's army and a vital reference for every Napoleonic enthusiast. Little can be found on the foreign units that were an integral part of the French army ... For a long time a gap has existed, but now Napoleon's Mercenaries fills this gap. Robert Burnham, Napoleonic Series |
| modern french foreign legion: , |
| modern french foreign legion: Devil's Guard George R. Elford, 1995-03 |
| modern french foreign legion: The Naked Soldier Tony Sloane, 2006 This powerful look at the French Foreign Legion exploresnbsp;the authors'nbsp;experiences with the brutalities, adventure, destruction, danger, and criminal encounters over his five years of service in this dehumanizing regime. Well known as the most notorious, bloody, and ruthless band of mercenaries in the world, in 1998 the Legion accepted Tony Sloane at the age of 18, inviting him as an elite member of this secret and mysterious fighting force. The legend and the myths of the Legion captivated Sloane and he quickly learned that life as a legionnaire was not just about physical training, but also about pledging mind and soul to the missions and operations. |
| modern french foreign legion: The French Foreign Legion Jc Reardon, 2025-04-14 The French Foreign Legion (in French: Légion étrangère) is one of the most legendary and storied military units in the world. Founded in 1831, it has earned a reputation for toughness, loyalty, and mystery. Here's a deep dive into what makes it unique: ________________________________________ What Is the French Foreign Legion? The French Foreign Legion is a military unit of the French Army that allows foreign nationals to enlist and serve France. While it is a part of the regular French Armed Forces, it maintains a separate and distinctive identity. ________________________________________ Key Features Foreign Recruitment - Originally created to incorporate foreign soldiers into the French military without affecting national politics. - Open to men from any nationality; many legionnaires have no prior military experience. - Some join for adventure, escape, a second chance, or to disappear. Reputation for Toughness - Famous for its brutal training and discipline. - Known for a no-questions-asked enlistment policy (although this is now more myth than reality-modern vetting does exist). - Emphasis on teamwork, brotherhood, and discipline over individual identity. Anonymity and New Identity - Recruits can enlist under a declared (new) name, though in recent years, true anonymity is less common due to stricter identification protocols. - After serving honorably, legionnaires can request to reclaim their real identity. ________________________________________ Structure & Service Length of Service - Standard contract is 5 years, though other durations are available. - After 3 years of honorable service, one can apply for French citizenship. Regiments The Legion has several regiments, including: - 1er Régiment Étranger (1st RE) - Admin and training. - 2e REI - Infantry. - 1er REC - Cavalry. - 2e REP - Paratroopers. - 13e DBLE - Light armored brigade. - 1er REG and 2e REG - Engineers. ________________________________________ Combat History The Legion has fought in nearly every French military conflict since 1831: - 19th century: Algeria, Crimea, Mexico (Battle of Camarón - April 30, now Legion Day). - World Wars I & II: Played critical roles, with heavy casualties. - Indochina War: Including the disastrous Battle of Dien Bien Phu. - Algerian War of Independence. - Modern deployments: Africa (Mali, Chad), Middle East, peacekeeping, and counterterrorism. ________________________________________ Culture & Traditions Esprit de Corps - Fierce loyalty to the Legion, sometimes even above France itself. - Emphasizes honor and fidelity (Honneur et Fidélité). - Marches slower than the rest of the French army (88 steps/min vs. 120). - Iconic uniform includes the white képi (kepi blanc). Songs and Symbols - Legionnaires sing chant de marche (marching songs), such as Le Boudin-the official anthem. - Regimental insignias and medals are sacred and symbolic. ________________________________________ Modern-Day Legion - Recruits today must pass background checks, health screening, physical tests, and interviews. - Still considered an elite force, frequently deployed in dangerous international missions. - Approx. 8,000-9,000 legionnaires from over 140 countries. ________________________________________ Why Join? Some motivations: - A fresh start in life. - A sense of adventure and challenge. - A path to French citizenship and integration. - Camaraderie and a strong brotherhood ethos. ________________________________________ Did You Know? - Over 35,000 legionnaires have died in service to France. - The Legion has its own code of honor, followed strictly by members. - The |
| modern french foreign legion: The Modern Mercenary Sean McFate, 2014 Sean McFate lays bare the opaque world of private military contractors, explaining the economic structure of the industry and showing in detail how firms operate on the ground. As a former paratrooper and private military contractor, McFate provides an unparalleled perspective into the nuts and bolts of the industry, as well as a sobering prognosis for the future of war. |
| modern french foreign legion: Mouthful of Rocks Christian Jennings, 1990 An account of the author's experiences in the French Foreign Legion. He was attached to the Amphibious Warfare Company in East Africa where he deserted before being recaptured by native bounty hunters and jailed. Returning to Europe in 1986 he deserted again, this time reaching Britain.;Christian Jennings is one of 11 children, is now in his mid twenties, and is a freelance journalist. |
Modern Optical
At Modern Optical, we believe all families deserve fashionable, affordable eyewear. Founded in 1974 by my father, Yale Weissman, Modern remains family-owned and operated as well as a …
MODERN Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster
The meaning of MODERN is of, relating to, or characteristic of the present or the immediate past : contemporary. How to use modern in a sentence.
MODERN | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary
MODERN definition: 1. designed and made using the most recent ideas and methods: 2. of the present or recent times…. Learn more.
Modern - Wikipedia
Modernity, a loosely defined concept delineating a number of societal, economic and ideological features that contrast with "pre-modern" times or societies Late modernity Art
Modern - definition of modern by The Free Dictionary
Characteristic or expressive of recent times or the present; contemporary or up-to-date: a modern lifestyle; a modern way of thinking. 2. a. Of or relating to a recently developed or advanced …
MODERN definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary
modern is applied to those things that exist in the present age, esp. in contrast to those of a former age or an age long past; hence the word sometimes has the connotation of up-to-date …
Modern Muse Salon | Collierville TN - Facebook
Modern Muse Salon, Collierville, TN. 434 likes · 31 talking about this · 99 were here. Luxury hair salon located in Collierville at the corner of Poplar & Houston Levee!
What does modern mean? - Definitions.net
Modern typically refers to the present or recent times as opposed to the past. It commonly relates to developments or characteristics regarded as representative of contemporary life, or the …
MODERN Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com
Modern means relating to the present time, as in modern life. It also means up-to-date and not old, as in modern technology. Apart from these general senses, modern is often used in a …
Modern Definition & Meaning - YourDictionary
Modern definition: Of, relating to, or being a living language or group of languages.
Modern Optical
At Modern Optical, we believe all families deserve fashionable, affordable eyewear. Founded in 1974 by my father, Yale Weissman, Modern remains family-owned and operated as well as a …
MODERN Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster
The meaning of MODERN is of, relating to, or characteristic of the present or the immediate past : contemporary. How to use modern in a sentence.
MODERN | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary
MODERN definition: 1. designed and made using the most recent ideas and methods: 2. of the present or recent times…. Learn more.
Modern - Wikipedia
Modernity, a loosely defined concept delineating a number of societal, economic and ideological features that contrast with "pre-modern" times or societies Late modernity Art
Modern - definition of modern by The Free Dictionary
Characteristic or expressive of recent times or the present; contemporary or up-to-date: a modern lifestyle; a modern way of thinking. 2. a. Of or relating to a recently developed or advanced …
MODERN definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary
modern is applied to those things that exist in the present age, esp. in contrast to those of a former age or an age long past; hence the word sometimes has the connotation of up-to-date …
Modern Muse Salon | Collierville TN - Facebook
Modern Muse Salon, Collierville, TN. 434 likes · 31 talking about this · 99 were here. Luxury hair salon located in Collierville at the corner of Poplar & Houston Levee!
What does modern mean? - Definitions.net
Modern typically refers to the present or recent times as opposed to the past. It commonly relates to developments or characteristics regarded as representative of contemporary life, or the …
MODERN Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com
Modern means relating to the present time, as in modern life. It also means up-to-date and not old, as in modern technology. Apart from these general senses, modern is often used in a more …
Modern Definition & Meaning - YourDictionary
Modern definition: Of, relating to, or being a living language or group of languages.
