French Foreign Legion information. An online project dedicated to the famous Foreign Legion.
February 9, 2022 marks the first anniversary of the death of Zygmunt Jatczak, most likely the last-known Polish survivor of the First Indochina War (1946-54); he passed away at 97. To honor his memory, an English version of the book with his Legion story has been published.
Read moreZygmunt Jatczak & Krzysztof Schramm: I regret nothing (English version)
75 years ago, on 1 June 1946, a new Foreign Legion disciplinary unit was born in French Indochina. Stationed on an island at Cam Ranh Bay in what is now called Vietnam, the unit’s mission was to reform badly behaving legionnaires who were being deployed to the Far East to participate in the First Indochina War (1946-1954), and who couldn’t undergo the usual punishment within their mother units. Although there is only little information, the new article dedicated to this disciplinary unit provides all currently available info, as well as very rare images that were never published before.
In late September 2020, a new book dedicated to the Foreign Legion and its history was released: Pictorial History of the French Foreign Legion in Indochina, 1927-1945. This pictorial book is another interesting work of Andrew J. Mitchell, an Irish author, amateur historian and a well-known Foreign Legion badge collector.
Read moreAndrew J. Mitchell: Pictorial History of the French Foreign Legion in Indochina, 1927-1945
In July 2020, Krzysztof Schramm, a Polish historian and an honorary member of Poland’s French Foreign Legion Veterans and Friends’ Association released a second edition of memories of Zygmunt Jatczak, most likely the last-known surviving Polish veteran of the First Indochina War (1946-54).
Read moreZygmunt Jatczak & Krzysztof Schramm: Niczego nie żałuję (Je ne regrette rien)
66 years ago, on 13 March 1954, a major confrontation between French troops and the Viet Minh movement began in then French Indochina. The confrontation transformed into a two-month bloody battle that occurred in a remote valley of Dien Bien Phu, situated in northeastern Vietnam. The battle started by a furious assault on a defensive position held by a Foreign Legion battalion. After several hours of severe fighting, the position is overrun… For those interested in this famous battle, see the well-ordered article supplemented with many images and additional information.
Read more66 years ago: A major confrontation with the Viet Minh began
In July 2019, a new book dedicated to the French Foreign Legion and its history was released: The Tigers of Tonkin – The History of the French Foreign Legion in Indochina 1883-1945. This great book is an original work of Andrew J. Mitchell, an Irish amateur historian and a well-known Foreign Legion insignia collector.
70 years ago today, on the 31st May of 1949, the very first airborne unit of the French Foreign Legion was disbanded. Organized and stationed in Hanoi (the then capital of French Indochina) in 1948, the company of no more than 150 legionnaires-paratroopers supported French troops during the first stage of the Indochina War (1946-54). If you are interested in the lesser-known history of the Foreign Legion, see our fully reworked article dedicated to this exceptional unit (une version française incluse).
Read more70 years ago: The very first Foreign Legion airborne unit was disbanded
65 years ago, a decisive battle started in then French Indochina between French troops, including legionnaires, and the Viet Minh. The two-month battle occurred in a remote valley of Dien Bien Phu in northeastern Vietnam. On 13 March 1954, the Viet Minh launched a bloody assault on a defensive position held by a Foreign Legion battalion. After several hours of severe fighting, the position would be overrun…
Read more65 years ago: A decisive battle started in then French Indochina
70 years ago, on October 1, 1948, the 2nd Foreign Parachute Battalion (2e BEP) of the Foreign Legion was established in North Africa. The unit would be shipped to Southeast Asia a few months later, to became the most awarded French battalion of the First Indochina War (1946-54). After having returned back to North Africa in late 1955, its men helped to constitute its famous successor, the 2e REP (Regiment).
Read more2e BEP: 70th anniversary of the predecessor to the 2e REP