Who Is The Foreign Legion – The Historical Divisive Military Corps

The Foreign Legion is not unfairly considered one of the toughest corps army of the world, as it may not have brought any historic victory on the battlefield, but to become a member, one must pass a inhuman educationwhich essentially reprograms him, physically and mentally.

Usually few people manage to cope with the demanding exercises that are done in both France as well as in countries abroad, which were former French colonies, with its soldiers causing fear, as in case they are “let go”, they can become really dangerous.

But how did the Foreign Legion come to be, which has earned its name through hard training and is not unfairly considered the military corps that requires the most effort to join?

The fall of Napoleon and the rise of nationalism

After the final removal of Napoleon from French power in 1815, it has created a huge vacuum, which extends to the army, as the French general had restructured the army, while he had placed several of his confidants.

Thus, the French elite wanted to create a military body loyal to it, resulting in the establishment of the Legion on March 9, 1831;which happened with decree of the French king Louis-Philippe. Yes, it consisted of foreign volunteers, so that there was no possibility of rebellionas the French were disillusioned with civil life.

So next year, followed by the baptism of fire at Maison Carre in Algeria, while from 1835 to 1839 he fights in Spain on the side of Queen Isabella against the Basque followers of the pretender to the throne Don Carlos. Then he gets it its emblem “Honneur et Fidelite” (Honor and Faith)but of the 5,000 legionnaires, only 500 people survive, resulting in its definitive reorganization.

Until the end of the 19th century he will take part in all the great wars of Francewhile will mainly active in the colonial wars and conflicts in Africaas with the rise of nationalism, armies composed of native inhabitants of each country fight mainly on homelands.

The 20th century and Vietnam

Nevertheless, the Foreign Legion actively participates in both World Wars, but the turning point is the war in Vietnam and the fortress of Dien Bien Phu. Specifically, in this military corps former SS members who have defected to the West and are collaborating with the French state find refuge.

As soon as the conflicts in Indochina begin in the early 1960s, the Legion is accused of a series of crimes against the local population, while the propaganda of the time disparagingly mentions that its members were at the Dien Bien Phu fortress and instead of fighting, they preferred to surrender to the Ho Chi Minh’s Vietnamese guerrillas.

This period can be considered dark for the Foreign Legion, since it was then that it began to gain an international negative reputation, but at the same time it also gained strength. Then, the first colonial movements begin and succeed, with European countries unable to send the national army to quell rebellions, while there are still no organized mercenary groups.

The Foreign Legion therefore fights in several conflicts only on behalf of the French state, however acquires the nickname “Legion of Mercenaries”, which is considered very derogatory by its members.

The present day

With the arrival of the 21st century the Legion is one of the few military corps that not only always finds members, but has organization and experience. Thus, it establishes itself in the international spotlight, especially since it maintains high morale and organization, with France not participating in international conflicts.

Now, it accepts members from all countries, though a basic condition is that they learn basic French and commands in French during their training. In fact, all the commanders have French citizenship.

However, former members and journalistic investigations denounce the Foreign Legion and report that it takes in criminals, whom it markets after training as other people.

The Legion denies the accusations, but it has been established that a large number of its members are usually people who have been rejected by the military or the police, because of delinquent behavior or criminal activities.