Discover the detailed history of the Foreign Legion in Southeastern Europe during the First World War. Learn about the forgotten men and their virtually unknown campaigns, greatly overshadowed by the famous battles of the Western Front. Far from France and North Africa, in the trenches under the scorching Gallipoli sun or in the freezing, snow-covered mountains of Macedonia, these legionnaires also fought bravely for the glory of the Legion and for Allied victory in the Great War.

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L'article en français : Légion étrangère en Orient : 1915-1919
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Introduction

At the end of July 1914, following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria by a Bosnian Serb, Austria-Hungary invaded Serbia, a close ally of Russia. The First World War began. Two coalitions faced each other: the Allies (or Entente, formed in 1907), comprising France, Great Britain, and the Russian Empire, and the Central Powers, consisting of Austria-Hungary and the Germany.

In late October 1914, the Ottoman Empire (modern-day Turkey) entered the war. It secretly signed an alliance treaty with the Central Powers and attacked Russian naval installations in the Black Sea and the Crimea.

In addition, the Ottomans closed the Dardanelles, a natural strait connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Black Sea and separating Europe from Asia. Also known as the Gallipoli Strait, it was the only route at the time that allowed the Allies to supply Russia. In response, the Allies declared war on the Ottoman Empire and planned a campaign in Southeastern Europe to control the Dardanelles.

 

Foreign Legion Eastern Battalion, 1er RMA

For the campaign in the Dardanelles, the French command decided to constitute a new division which was to include a régiment de marche formed in Algeria, in French North Africa: the 1st African Marching Regiment (Régiment de marche d’Afrique, 1er RMA). This would be a task-oriented combined unit comprising Foreign Legion elements and zouaves, soldiers recruited from among the local French settlers.

The regiment was created in early February 1915. A month later, one of its three battalions was organized within the Legion, which had been stationed in Algeria from the 1830s.

The Foreign Legion Eastern Battalion (Bataillon de Légion d’Orient) was activated in Sidi Bel Abbès, the then headquarters of the Legion, on March 1, 1915. It was composed of an HQ and four companies. Two came from the 1st Foreign Regiment (1er RE) and another two from the 2nd Foreign Regiment (2e RE, now 2e REI), the only organic regiments of the Legion at that time. The battalion numbered 1,124 men commanded by Major Louis Geay. Having spent just a few months in the Legion, this officer had previously commanded the Algerian tirailleurs, native riflemen recruited by the French.

The Legion Battalion formally became the 3rd Battalion 1er RMA. For administrative purposes, it remained under the authority of the 1st Foreign Regiment.
 

Foreign Legion Eastern Battalion in March 1915

• Commander: Major Geay
• HQ Staff: Lieutenant Royer
• Machine Gun Platoon: Lieutenant Dumenieu
• 1st Company: Captain Rousseau
• Lieutenant Hamot
• Lieutenant Bouhelier
• 2nd Company: Captain Kelsch
• Lieutenant Gully
• Second Lieutenant Beck
• 3rd Company: Captain Cao-Van
• Lieutenant Chavanne
• Lieutenant Timm
• 4th Company: Captain Bernois
• Lieutenant Bisgambiglia
• Second Lieutenant Voigt

 

 

Movement to Gallipoli

Lieutenant Colonel Desruelles took command of the 1er RMA. For the upcoming campaign, the regiment was attached to the 1st Metropolitan Brigade of General Vandenberg (who had served with the Legion from 1897-1901 and 1912-13), along with the 175th Infantry Regiment (175e RI) under Lieutenant Colonel Forey. The latter had enlisted in the Legion as a sergeant in 1884 and earned his officer rank in Tonkin (Indochina) two years later. Eventually, he would command the 1st Foreign Regiment from 1918 to 1919.

Together with the 2nd Colonial Brigade, artillery, and engineering elements, the 1st Metropolitan Brigade constituted the 1st Infantry Division of General Masnou. For the time being, the division represented the only component of France’s Eastern Expeditionary Force (CEO), led by General d’Amade. The CEO was subsequently placed under the authority of the Allied Mediterranean Expeditionary Force, commanded by British General Sir Ian Hamilton.

On March 2, 1915, the Legion Battalion left Algeria for Gallipoli. It made a stop in Lemnos (a Greek island in the Aegean Sea, between Greece and Turkey) until late March, then in Alexandria in British-controlled Egypt until April 10. While in Egypt, the regiment continued training and received its flag.

On April 11, the Legion Battalion returned to Lemnos. The rest of the regiment, now commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Foulon, followed a week later. A large camp was established there, serving as the rear of the regiment.

That same day, the HQ Platoon (SHR) of the Battalion, consisting of headquarters support personnel comprising men of the 1er RE, left Algeria to join the unit in Lemnos.

From April 24, Allied forces had been concentrated in Tenedos, a Greek island strategically located at the entrance to the Dardanelles. (The island now belongs to Turkey, which calls it Bozcaada.) The Dardanelles Strait was bordered to the west by the Gallipoli Peninsula (still in Europe) and to the east by Anatolia (Asia Minor), both part of Ottoman/Turkish territory.

The Allies – comprising French, British, and ANZAC troops (from Australia and New Zealand, then part of the British Empire) – sought to take control of the Strait. Their plan was to land at Gallipoli, occupy it, and block the Dardanelles, thereby preventing German and Austrian ships from supporting the Ottomans. The Allies then hoped to advance northeast and seize Constantinople (now Istanbul), the Ottoman capital, situated in the Bosporus, the second strait linking Europe and Asia to the Black Sea.

For the record, Gallipoli served as a major encampment for British and French forces during the Crimean War (1854-1856), in which the Foreign Legion participated and distinguished itself. Only the roles of the Ottomans and Russians were reversed at that time: the former were allies, the latter adversaries.
 

 

Gallipoli Campaign

On April 25, 1915, the Gallipoli Campaign (also the Dardanelles Campaign) began. British and ANZAC divisions launched a large-scale landing operation on six beaches along the peninsula. The British were tasked with capturing Cape Helles in the southwest before advancing toward Krithia (now Alçıtepe), a village about 4 miles (6 km) north, and Achi Baba, a strategic height overlooking the southern part of the peninsula, located northeast of Krithia. For the Allies, these were two key objectives of the first phase of the campaign.

Meanwhile, ANZAC forces were assigned to land on Gallipoli’s western flank and establish a bridgehead.

As for the troops of France’s 2nd Colonial Brigade, they launched an attack on the Asian shore of the Dardanelles Strait to divert Ottoman attention from the main landings. The Metropolitan Brigade, including the 1er RMA, remained in reserve.

On the evening of April 27, additional Allied forces landed at Cape Helles, the headland at the southwesternmost tip of the peninsula, near Sedd el Bahr (also Sedd-Ul-Bahr), a village marked by an old fortress.

Finally, on the morning of April 28, the 1er RMA and its 3rd Battalion (Legion Battalion) landed without much difficulty on “S” beach at Morto Bay, northeast of Sedd el Bahr. Their objective was Achi Baba.

Between Morto Bay and Achi Baba lay rising and rugged terrain that assault troops struggled to cross. Four ravines (deres) extended from Achi Baba down toward the bay and the cape. To the east was the Kereves Dere ravine, which flowed into the Dardanelles north of Morto Bay. This sector was assigned to the 1er RMA’s Metropolitan Brigade.

 

 

First Battle of Krithia (April 28 – May 4, 1915)

The Allied offensive to seize the Turkish positions around Krithia and Achi Baba began on April 28 at 8 a.m. (08.00). The British 29th Division was concentrated on the western side of the peninsula. In the French sector, the assault included the 1er RMA’s 1st and Legion Battalions and a battalion of the 175e RI. The French advanced and reached the Kereves Dere ravine by 4 p.m. (16.00), where they encountered heavily fortified Turkish positions supported by artillery and machine guns. A fierce battle erupted. Enemy counterattacks were repelled only through furious bayonet charges, and the casualties quickly mounted. By 8 p.m. (20.00), the fighting had slowed, allowing legionnaires and zouaves to secure their newly conquered positions. On this single day, the Legion Battalion’s losses totaled eight officers wounded, 100 legionnaires killed or wounded, and 42 men missing. The British and French forces progressed only about 2 miles (3 km) at the cost of around 3,000 casualties.

During the night of May 1-2, the Turks launched a counterattack against the sector held by the two French brigades. However, decisive resistance of the legionnaires, reinforced by bayonet charges led by Adjudant-chef Léon (a warrant officer from the 1st Company), quickly stabilized the situation. A renewed French attack pushed the Ottomans back to their original jumping-off positions. On May 2, the Legion Battalion – reduced to a handful of men commanded by Lieutenant Bouhelier, the last remaining uninjured officer of the battalion – cleared the trenches that the enemy had penetrated. Bouhelier was soon wounded as well.

The battles of May 1-2 cost the Legion Battalion another four officers wounded, 190 legionnaires killed or injured, and over 40 missing.

The campaign’s early days brought heavy losses, and the 1er RMA was no exception. Nearly all its officers – including the colonel and battalion commanders – were either killed or wounded; among the wounded was also Major Geay.

Captain Squinet took command of the 1er RMA, now reduced to only four companies. Actually, it was rare for a captain to command a regiment. In addition, the heavily depleted Legion Battalion was now led by Adjudant-chef Léon, the highest-ranking able-bodied non-commissioned officer – another highly unusual situation.

In the following days, the Ottomans’s artillery and infantry fire continued to harass French positions. During the night of May 4, the 1er RMA repulsed multiple counterattacks.

On May 5, Lieutenant Colonel Niéger took command of the 1er RMA.

Meanwhile, Adjudant-chef Léon earned a battlefield commission to second lieutenant and was awarded the Legion d’Honneur, the highest French order of merit. Lieutenant Salomon, arriving from rear (probably from the camp in Lemnos), took command of the Legion Battalion. At that point, these two men were the only remaining officers in the battalion still ready for combat.

A quick digression for those readers who also can’t count more than 1100 men: these are the official figures. It is possible that part of the Battalion was left in reserve at Lemnos or Cape Helles.
 

 

Battle of Krithia – Kereves Dere (May 5 – July 13, 1915)

1st Attack of Kereves Dere (May 6–9, 1915)

On May 6, Allied forces launched a new offensive against the Turkish positions between Krithia and Achi Baba. The 1st Metropolitan Brigade was tasked with seizing the heights of Kereves Dere. Advancing just 2,000 yards (1,800 m) incurred devastating losses, but the legionnaires managed to capture two additional lines of Ottoman trenches.

That same day, the British progressed only 550 yards (500 m) and suffered 6,300 casualties.

From May 8 to 9, the Allies continued their advance. France’s 1st Division, under General Masnou, reached the Kereves Dere ravine, while ANZAC troops seized the first Ottoman trenches near Krithia.

During these few days of merciless struggle, the legionnaires and zouaves fought with remarkable courage and determination. Unfortunately, almost all the officers and NCOs of the 1er RMA were once again either killed or wounded, leaving many of the heroic acts undocumented.

On May 9, reinforcements arrived to replenish the regiment. The Legion Battalion, now commanded by recently promoted Captain Salomon, received 164 men.

By May 10, the Allies had firmly established their positions on the Gallipoli Peninsula. The 1er RMA units continued to hold their sector along the strait, constantly exposed to relentless enemy artillery fire coming from Achi Baba and the opposite Asian coast. However, the Ottomans took a temporary pause to strengthen their defenses and replenish their losses. The 1er RMA did the same. This lull lasted for nearly three weeks, interrupted only by sporadic shelling.

In mid-May, General Gouraud succeeded General d’Amade as commander of France’s Eastern Expeditionary Corps (CEO).

On May 25, four officers and 350 legionnaires reinforced the Legion Battalion. Captain James Waddell, a New Zealander who had joined the Legion as a second lieutenant in 1900 after leaving the British Army, took command. Did he choose this post because his fellow countrymen were fighting alongside the French on this distant piece of land? We will never know.

Meanwhile, France’s CEO in Gallipoli was reinforced by the 2nd Infantry Division (General Bailloud), including a newly created 2e RMA. On May 29, the 1er RMA’s 3rd Zouaves battalion was replaced by a 2e RMA battalion, drawn from the 4th Zouaves. From that point, the 1er RMA consisted of the Legion Battalion and two 4th Zouaves battalions.
 

 

Attack of Le Gouez redoubt (May 30, 1915)

In late May, the period of relative calm came to an end. The legionnaires, alongside other French troops, occupied the eastern front line along the Dardanelles Strait and the Kereves Dere ravine. They faced formidable Ottoman defenses, reinforced by four redoubts. One of these, Le Gouez, surrounded by three lines of trenches, had recently been captured by French colonial troops.

On the evening of May 31, Captain Salomon’s 1st Legion Company relieved the colonial troops at Le Gouez. Barely in position, the legionnaires endured three fierce Turkish assaults over the course of two hours. Before the company was definitely overrun, Captain Waddell showed up with reinforcements. His men swiftly counterattacked, driving the Ottomans out of the redoubt and its trenches. At midnight, another brutal assault took place. The legionnaires responded with a furious bayonet charge, ultimately repelling the enemy for good. However, 21 of their comrades were killed and 53 wounded.

 

2nd Attack of Kereves Dere (June 4, 1915)

The Franco-British offensive toward Krithia resumed on June 4. This assault, known in British sources as the Third Battle of Krithia, involved around 30,000 men.

Despite suffering heavy losses, the legionnaires advanced but were soon pinned down by relentless Turkish machine-gun fire. That day, the Legion lost 23 men killed and 78 wounded.

By nightfall, the offensive was called off. The Allies had advanced only a few hundred yards. Around 3,000 Ottomans had been killed. The legionnaires, advancing about 165 yards (150 m), spent the night digging trenches to secure their new position.
 

Foreign Legion Battalion in mid-June 1915

• Commander: Captain Waddell
• Machine Gun Platoon: Second Lieutenant Maillet
• 1st Company: Lieutenant Polli
• Second Lieutenant Colin
• Second Lieutenant Falcon
• 2nd Company: Second Lieutenant Beck
• Second Lieutenant Bal
• Second Lieutenant Grégoire
• 3rd Company: Lieutenant Seilaz
• Second Lieutenant Marachelli
• Second Lieutenant Taillantou
• 4th Company: Captain Bisgambiglia
• Second Lieutenant Casanova

 

 

3rd Attack of Kereves Dere (June 21–22, 1915)

On June 21, the French assaulted the Bouchet redoubt (also referred to as “Haricot” in British sources). Colonial troops and zouaves were the first to attack, but they failed to break through and found themselves pinned down.

The Legion Battalion was then called in to renew the offensive. With relentless zeal, the legionnaires stormed and occupied the enemy trenches, cheered on by their colonel. After fierce fighting, the position was fully secured by noon on June 22. Over these two days of intense combat, the legionnaires under Captain Bisgambiglia distinguished themselves, capturing Bouchet at the cost of four officers and 57 legionnaires killed, along with one officer and 130 men wounded.

For its outstanding actions on June 21 and 22, the Legion Battalion earned a citation (mention in dispatches) at the Army level, the highest-possible citation in France:

“Since landing on the Gallipoli Peninsula, it has consistently demonstrated in all battles the bravery, coolness, and resilience that have for many years been the honor of the old Legion. During the assault of June 21, it seized in a single leap the Turkish trenches where we had been stalled since morning, and held them despite a very violent counterattack.”

By the end of June, General Gouraud, the CEO’s commander-in-chief, was seriously injured. He turned over command to General Bailloud.

Meanwhile, France’s 2nd Division launched the 4th Attack of Kereves Dere.

In early July, the Legion Battalion’s company designations within the 1er RMA was modified: the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Companies were renumbered as the 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th Companies, in accordance with the standard numbering system for French infantry battalions and companies.
 

 

5th Attack of Kereves Dere (July 12–13, 1915)

On July 12, the 1st Division was ordered to attack Turkish positions at the lower part of Kereves Dere and advance along its left bank. However, at the very start of the assault, enemy shelling struck the division’s headquarters, killing General Masnou. The attack was postponed.

It resumed that evening under Major Waddell, who had recently been promoted. Commanding two Legion and two zouaves companies, he faced well-entrenched Ottoman defenses. After fierce hand-to-hand combat with bayonets and grenades, Waddell’s determination allowed him to reach the objective. Though wounded by a through-and-through gunshot, he refused to abandon his command, anticipating an imminent enemy counterattack.

Around midnight, the anticipated fierce counterattack came, but the legionnaires successfully repelled it.

On July 21, after suffering heavy losses, the Legion Battalion received reinforcements: five officers and 255 legionnaires. Captain Eugène Homo, commander of the 10th Company and the most senior among the remaining officers, temporarily replaced the wounded Major Waddell. Meanwhile, the battalion’s machine gun platoon was reassigned to the regiment’s headquarters.

In late July, a battalion of Hellenic volunteers (440 men) was attached to the 1er RMA. Nicknamed the “Greek Legion” (Légion grecque), it was commanded by Major Pantelis Karasevdas, a shooting champion from the 1896 Summer Olympics. For administrative reasons, this virtually unknown Greek battalion was assigned to the Foreign Legion.
 

 

6th Attack of Kereves Dere (August 7, 1915)

On the night of August 6, the British launched their final attempt to seize the Gallipoli Peninsula from the Ottoman Empire. Known as the Battle of Sari Bair, the August offensive began with a British landing at Suvla Bay in the northwest, coordinated with the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. In the south, the British initiated the Battle of Krithia Vineyard. Simultaneously, both French divisions along the front carried out shelling, gunfire, and limited attacks, aiming to divert Ottoman forces and support the British effort. The Legion Battalion remained in reserve.

Despite an unopposed landing at Suvla Bay, the British failed to capitalize on their position. In the south, at Krithia Vineyard, they suffered heavy and unnecessary losses. Thus ended the Allied joint offensive at Gallipoli.

On August 15, three officers and 231 legionnaires reinforced the Legion Battalion.

Two days later, Lieutenant Colonel Schneider assumed command of the 1er RMA.

 

End of the Gallipoli Campaign

In September, the Legion Battalion withdrew from Gallipoli to the island of Tenedos for a two-week period of rest. The legionnaires returned to the front lines from September 20.

Meanwhile, the Central Powers prepared to invade the Kingdom of Serbia, a nation whose conflict with Austria-Hungary had sparked World War I. As Serbia’s allies, France and Great Britain decided to send reinforcements to the Serbian army by redeploying troops from Gallipoli. Two divisions were chosen: one British (Irish) and one French (the 1st).

On October 2, the 1er RMA, including the legionnaires, left the peninsula for Greece. For them, the Gallipoli campaign was over. The remaining Allied forces gradually followed, and the complete evacuation was finalized by the end of January 1916.

The little-known Gallipoli Campaign claimed the lives of more than 50,000 British and French soldiers and remains a subject of historical debate. The Allied failure to seize the peninsula and control the Dardanelles led to the resignation of Winston Churchill, then First Lord of the Admiralty and the primary architect of the operation. The future famous British Prime Minister, he was held responsible for its collapse. Nevertheless, the failure at Gallipoli did not alter the overall course of the First World War.
 

Foreign Legion Battalion officers killed at Gallipoli

Captain Louis Devirieux
– killed on July 12, 1915

Captain Louis Rousseau
– seriously wounded on May 1, 1915, he died on May 7

Lieutenant Henri de Bonet d’Oléon
– killed on May 11, 1915

Lieutenant Jules Seilaz
– killed on June 21, 1915

Second Lieutenant Pierre Beck
– killed on June 21, 1915

Second Lieutenant Charles Caumer
– killed on June 4, 1915

Second Lieutenant Arcade Dufrene
– killed on April 28, 1915

Second Lieutenant Ferdinand Grégoire
– killed on June 22, 1915

Second Lieutenant Jean Taillantou
– killed on June 22, 1915

 

 
 

From Gallipoli to Salonika

From October 6, the 1er RMA, alongside the 2e RMA, 175e RI, and 176e RI of France’s Eastern Expeditionary Force, regrouped in Salonika (now Thessaloniki), Greece’s second-largest city. A strategic port and naval base, Salonika served as the capital of the Macedonian region in the north of the country, having been transferred from Ottoman to Greek control during the First Balkan War of 1912.

Pro-Allied Greek Prime Minister Venizelos supported the Allies and authorized the landing of Franco-British troops in Salonika, despite Greece’s official neutrality. This decision angered King Constantine I, a Germanophile, who ruled from Athens, the capital located in the south.

Stationed at Camp Zeitenlik, about 2.5 miles (4 km) north of Salonika, the four French regiments constituted the 156th Infantry Division, commanded by General Bailloud and integrated into General Sarrail’s Eastern Army (also the Army of the Orient, AO [1]). By late October, the Eastern Army in Salonika was reinforced by the French 57th and 122nd Divisions coming directly from mainland France.

During their time at Camp Zeitenlik, the battle honors “SEDD-UL-BAHR 1915” and “KEREVES-DERE 1915” were inscribed on the colors of the 1er RMA.

Simultaneously, Major Jean succeeded Captain Homo as commander of the Foreign Legion Battalion. The unit now comprised 18 officers (including several Italians) and 528 non-commissioned officers and legionnaires. The Battalion’s 12th Company transformed into a Disciplinary Company, serving the entire regiment.

1. In French, the term “Orient” is a synonym for “East”

 

Prelude to the 1915 Serbian Campaign

The Kingdom of Serbia had long maintained a close alliance with France. King Peter I (Peter Karageorgevitch) pursued military studies at Saint-Cyr, France’s most senior military academy, before settling in Paris. In 1870, he enlisted as a second lieutenant in the French Foreign Legion to defend France against the Germans during the Franco-Prussian War, where he was wounded.

In 1914, Serbia had successfully resisted Austria-Hungary’s invasion.

Now, a new enemy offensive threatened his country.

Meanwhile, the Central Powers had convinced Bulgaria, a Balkan state bordering Greece to the south and Serbia to the west, to join their impending campaign. Defeated by Serbia in 1913, Bulgaria was promised disputed territories and additional territorial gains in exchange for aligning with Germany and Austria-Hungary. By late September 1915, Bulgaria accepted the offer and began mobilizing its troops.

On October 6, as the first Allied units regrouped in Salonika, the Central Powers launched their second offensive against Serbia. Their aim was to establish a land corridor from Germany through Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria to the Ottoman Empire, enabling German military aid to reach their ally who was fighting against the Franco-British forces in Gallipoli and against Russia in the Caucasus.

Unlike Austria’s unsuccessful 1914 Serbian Campaign, the combined Austro-German forces advanced rapidly from north to south. On October 14, Bulgaria declared war on Serbia, attacking from the east to seize Serbian Macedonia (present-day North Macedonia), located north of Greece. This region, which Serbia had conquered from the Ottoman Empire in 1912, had been successfully defended against Bulgaria in 1913.

To bolster their increasingly desperate ally, France and Britain decided to redeploy their troops from Salonika to Serbia.
 

Foreign Legion Battalion, 1er RMA in October 1915

• Commander: Major Jean
• 9th Company: Captain Laurent
• Second Lieutenant Conte
• Second Lieutenant Denizon
• 10th Company: Captain Homo
• Lieutenant Césari
• Second Lieutenant Finelli
• 11th Company: Captain Chavanne
• Second Lieutenant Riccio
• Second Lieutenant Bringolf
• 12th Company: Captain Canudo (detached)
• Lieutenant Schmidt
• Second Lieutenant Casanova

 

 

 

Serbian Campaign of 1915

Battle of Krivolak

On October 18, 1915, the 1er RMA, including the Legion Battalion, traveled by train 45 miles (70 km) north from Salonika to Gevgelija, a key Greece-Serbia border crossing at the time.

The Allies aimed to halt the Bulgarian advance from the east while securing the vital Salonika-Niš railway, Serbia’s sole supply line from abroad, going along the Vardar River in Serbian Macedonia. France’s Eastern Army, under General Sarrail, and the British Salonika Army, led by General Mahon, sought to link up with retreating Serbian forces via this route.

The 1er RMA advanced 12.5 miles (20 km) north along the Vardar to Strumica-Station, named after the regional town of Strumica, which was another 12 miles northeast beyond local mountains. Near the station was the small village of Hudovo (now Oudovo) where the regiment established its headquarters. The Legion Battalion set up its command post 1.5 miles (2.5 km) east, in Kaluckovo (now Gorna Maala; not to be confused with nearby Kalkovo). Their mission in this vast valley was to protect the Salonika-Niš railway line, including a strategic bridge and the train station, from the rapidly approaching Bulgarians.

Other French units deployed further north along the Vardar, while the British division moved eastward, between the valley and Strumica.

Gradually, the Bulgarians attempted to occupy the ridges surrounding the valley to shell the bridge, the station, and the French positions with their artillery.

The clashes that followed, now known as the Battle of Krivolak, took place along the railway and the Vardar, from Strumica-Station to Krivolak, 22 miles (35 km) northwest.

On October 22, Bulgaria’s 14th Regiment attacked, targeting the rail bridge near the station. Supported by heavy artillery, they struck the 1er RMA and Legion Battalion from several directions. On Hill 328 near Terzeli, 3 miles (5 km) east of the Battalion’s headquarters in Kaluckovo, Captain Chavanne’s 11th Company held firm all day, suffering only seven wounded legionnaires.

The French and Legion units repelled the enemy effectively, prompting the Bulgarians to halt attacks in this sector for two weeks and reinforce their positions instead.

Four days later, on October 26, Major Jean took command of the 1st Battalion 1er RMA following the death of his predecessor on October 22. Jean’s time with the Legion Battalion lasted less than two weeks. Captain Homo resumed command, triggering a minor officer reshuffle within the unit.

Meanwhile, the legionnaires conducted reconnaissance patrols beyond the front line and fortified their defenses.

 

 

On November 3, the battalion received a reinforcement of three officers and 298 men. Major Emmanuel Arqué succeeded Captain Homo as battalion commander. Having served with the Legion since 1896, Arqué briefly led the 2nd Foreign Regiment in Algeria in 1915 when it was reduced to only a headquarters and a rear detachment.

The 12th Company reverted to a combat role. A separate Disciplinary Peloton (PD) was formed instead and attached to it, also serving the entire regiment, legionnaires and zouaves. For the record, in the French infantry, a peloton is a group of two platoons under a single command; in the cavalry, it corresponds to an infantry platoon.

From November 8 to 12, Lieutenant Schmidt’s 9th Company legionnaires captured two Bulgarian-held hills northeast of Ayranli, 3.5 miles (5.5 km) east of the Battalion’s headquarters in Kaluckovo. On November 14, they seized another hill, losing two killed and five wounded.

On November 16, the regiment was ordered to take an isolated hill near Ayranli, dubbed “Two Tree Hill” (Mamelon des deux arbres), often incorrectly referred to as Isolated Massif or Dent de Scie (Sawtooth) in French records. Captain Homo’s 10th Company, backed by a platoon from Captain Colin’s 12th Company, scaled its steep slopes, while the 9th and 11th Companies attacked from Dent de Scie Hill near the village of Veseli.

A combination of strong wind, rain, and snowfall – which had battered the region for some time – made the already steep terrain impassable. Well-entrenched Bulgarians at the peaks machine-gunned the legionnaires, who advanced step by step, despite heavy losses. The fierce fighting ended with the assault’s cancellation. Captain Homo and 18 legionnaires were killed; Second Lieutenant Riccio and 45 others were wounded.

Second Lieutenant Volokhoff, a Russian-born officer who joined the Legion in November 1914 and served as an interpreter at 1er RMA headquarters, replaced the unfortunate captain and took over the 10th Company. He later built a notable career in the Legion and the French Air Force.

On November 17, the Bulgarians attacked the 9th and 11th Companies’ positions north of Dent de Scie. After six hours of intense combat, hand grenades eventually decimated the enemy, killing about 250. The Legion lost 13 killed and 50 wounded.

From November 18, artillery shelling persisted, but a rapid temperature drop to 5°F (-15°C) limited action to routine patrols. The Battle of Krivolak concluded.

 

 

Battle of Kosturino

On November 25, 1915, the outnumbered Serbian army, pressed by Austro-Hungarian, German, and Bulgarian forces, began retreating westward through Albania – then an unstable nation partly occupied by Serbian troops – toward the Adriatic Sea. The Allied fleet would subsequently evacuate over 100,000 Serbians to Greece to undergo a major reorganization and continue the war alongside the Allies.

Amid the Serbian “Great Retreat,” Franco-British forces in Serbia received orders to withdraw to Greece, along the Vardar River. The 1er RMA was tasked with covering the French retreat and holding its positions as long as feasible.

On November 20, the Legion Battalion welcomed another substantial reinforcement of 322 men under Captain Albert Azan, who later became colonel of the 1st Foreign Regiment (from 1935 to 1939). It remains unclear to what extent this very strong group were ordinary fresh troops – who were to replace combat losses, frostbite victims, or the men sent to the fronts in France or Morocco – and to what extent it constituted an unidentified auxiliary unit integrated into the battalion.

As the Serbians retreated, Bulgarian forces intensified their attacks on the withdrawing Allies. Gunfire and shelling along the front line frequently wounded troops, with five legionnaires killed in a Bulgarian assault on December 3. The toughest challenge emerged on the eastern flank, along the Kosturino ridge, held by the British, where the ensuing clashes – now known as the Battle of Kosturino – also involved the French.

The battle commenced with a major Bulgarian offensive along the front line on December 7. That night, north of Dent de Scie Hill, the 9th and 11th Companies repelled a series of fierce enemy attacks. Twelve legionnaires were killed, Second Lieutenant Blanchard and 61 men were wounded.

The next night, seven more enemy assaults targeted these positions. The legionnaires drove them back with bayonet charges, singing the French national anthem Marseillaise and the Chant du départ (“Song of the Departure”), a revolutionary and Napoleonic anthem revived during World War I. Nine legionnaires were wounded.

Unable to breach the French defenses, the Bulgarians retreated, marking their last major action against the legionnaires in the Serbian Campaign, though minor skirmishes persisted as they harassed the withdrawing Allies.

On the morning of December 9, after six weeks of staunch defense, all positions were abandoned. The Legion Battalion served as the rearguard of the French retreating south along the Vardar.

Two days later, near Cernica (now Grchishte), the 10th and 11th Companies faced heavy shelling, losing five legionnaires killed and 27 wounded.

The battalion pressed on through Gavato to Bogoroditsa, a border village near Gevgelija, crossing into Greece as the last French unit on December 12. On December 18, it reached the camp at Vatiluk (now Vathylakkos), northwest of Salonika. Meanwhile, the Bulgarians stopped at the border so as not to risk Greece entering the war.

The Serbian Campaign concluded with the division of Serbia into Bulgarian and Austro-Hungarian occupation zones.
 

 
 

Establishment of the Macedonian Front

The Allies had joined the 1915 Serbian Campaign too late and failed to prevent Serbia’s defeat. Nevertheless, they succeeded in diverting a portion of the Bulgarian forces, enabling the Serbian king and many of his troops to escape.

Upon returning to Greece, the French and British had begun organizing and reinforcing their positions. The Legion Battalion participated in this effort. Stationed at Camp Vatiluk, the legionnaires fortified positions north of the camp, alternating weekly with the 175th Infantry Regiment.

By late December, three officers and 91 men had arrived to replenish the Legion Battalion.

Among the new arrivals was Lieutenant Bjerring, a Danish officer assigned to the 10th Company. Promoted to captain in late April 1916, he was soon transferred to the 17th Colonial Division. Bjerring later rejoined the Legion and served until 1942, only to be killed by the Japanese in Indochina three years afterward.

A local depot of the Legion was established in the camp at the time. It was a transit point for reinforcements arriving from North Africa, France and Indochina, while providing a recovery area for the wounded and a rest stop for troops relieved from the front, thus replacing (or supporting) the rear base in Lemnos.

On December 31, Major Arqué was promoted to lieutenant colonel and took command of the 175th Infantry Regiment. A week later, Major Geay succeeded him. Geay, the original commander of the Legion Battalion, had been wounded in Gallipoli and, after recovering, was also attached to the 175e RI.

In February 1916, the Battalion had been refreshed with over 200 legionnaires, bringing its total strength to 981 men.

As of March 18, the 1er RMA and the 175th Infantry Regiment had formed the 311th Brigade under Colonel Fillonneau, still remaining assigned to the 156th Division. The regiments departed Camp Vatiluk and moved north. Their mission was to enhance roads and tracks in the sectors of Avret Hisar (now Ginekokastro), Kirec (Chorigi), Gavalanci (Valtoudi), and Kalinova (Soultogianneika), situated east and northeast of Lake Ardzan and (now-dry) Lake Amatovo. They also constructed fortifications and conducted patrols along the line of contact with the enemy, south of Doiran Lake, near the then tripoint of the Serbian, Greek, and Bulgarian borders.

The Allies’ efforts to strengthen and consolidate their positions in northern Greece culminated in the establishment of the Macedonian Front, also known as the Salonika Front. Named after the historical region where it was located – Greek Macedonia, it largely followed the border with then-occupied Serbian Macedonia.
 

Foreign Legion Battalion, 1er RMA in late April 1916

• Commander: Major Geay
• HQ Staff: Captain Azan
• 9th Company: Captain Hamot
• Second Lieutenant Denizon
• Second Lieutenant Conte
• Second Lieutenant Volokhoff
• 10th Company: Captain Bjerring
• Second Lieutenant Finelli
• Second Lieutenant Noleau
• 11th Company: Captain Chavanne
• Second Lieutenant Bringolf
• Second Lieutenant Lemaire
• Second Lieutenant Rosini
• 12th Company: Captain Bruera
• Lieutenant Césari
• Second Lieutenant Casanova
• Second Lieutenant Wimmer
• Second Lieutenant Rubin
• Disciplinary Peloton: Second Lieutenant Saint Pierre

 

 

Crisis in Greece

Political tension in Greece had escalated steadily. Though officially neutral, the nation was divided: King Constantine I favored Germany (in fact, he was the brother-in-law of the German emperor William II), while Prime Minister Venizelos had welcomed the Allies to Salonika before his forced resignation in December 1915. By May 1916, the reconstituted Serbian army had been transported to Salonika. In response, the king ordered the surrender of Fort Rupel – a critical fortress in the northeast near the Bulgarian border, garrisoned by 8,000 men – to German-Bulgarian forces.

The situation in Greece thus deteriorated into a covert civil war. Royalists, hostile to the Allies, held sway in Athens and the southern regions (the old lands), while Venizelos’ supporters dominated the north, particularly Greek Macedonia (acquired in 1912), with Salonika as their stronghold.

In June, the Allies imposed martial law in Salonika and demanded that the Athens government step down, new elections be held, and the army be demobilized.

The crisis, known as the National Schism, reached its peak with a military coup in Salonika in late August 1916. This led to the establishment of the Provisional Government, which governed the north and sided with the Allies, forming its own army.

Meanwhile, north of Salonika on July 31, the British relieved the 1er RMA’s 156th Division on the front line near Doiran Lake. Now under General Baston, the division withdrew west of Lake Amatovo and the Vardar River, encamping in the sectors of Bohemica (Axioupoli) and Celtik (Rizia) until August 21.

Unfortunately, malaria had taken a heavy toll during previous months, and the Legion Battalion had been reduced to 763 NCOs and legionnaires.
 

 
 

Bulgarian Offensive (1916)

In August 1916, the Allied forces in Greece underwent a major reorganization. France’s AO became the French Eastern Army (AFO), led by General Cordonnier. The AFO formed a key part of the newly established Eastern Allied Army (better known as the Allied Army of the Orient, AAO), commanded by French General Sarrail. Alongside the French contingent of about 55,000 men, the AAO included the British Salonika Army (around 45,000 men), the reorganized Serbian army (up to 110,000 men), an Italian division (about 15,000 men; Italy joined the Allies in 1915), and a Russian brigade (some 5,000 men).

The AAO planned a joint offensive against the Bulgarians for late August 1916. However, the Bulgarians outpaced the Allies by a few days and launched their own offensive on August 17. They quickly occupied territories east of the Struma River, aided by the earlier surrender of the region’s primary Greek fortress and orders from the royal government in Athens not to resist. This advance significantly accelerated the aforementioned coup d’état in Salonika.

In the western sector of the Macedonian Front, Bulgarian troops advanced south from Monastir (now Bitola) in then-occupied Serbia toward Florina, a Greek administrative center located about 10 miles (15 km) beyond the border and 85 miles (135 km) west of Salonika. At the same time, part of their forces moved eastward along the region’s only railway, reaching Lake Ostrovo. There, the enemy captured Banica (Vevi) and attempted to reach Chegan (Agios Athanasios).

Despite initial success, the Bulgarian advance soon stalled, thanks to fierce resistance from Serbian forces holding the western section of the Macedonian Front. The enemy offensive was halted on August 27, ten days after it began, and Bulgarian troops were ordered to entrench. During their offensive in the west, they seized a territory along the Serbian-Greek border roughly 50 miles (80 km) long and at least 12 miles (20 km) wide. In the direction of Florina, they advanced as far as Kajilar (Ptolemaida), about 30 miles (50 km) south from the border.

Meanwhile, on August 21, the 156th Division left Celtik and Bohemica to strengthen the western front and halt the enemy’s progress. It was transported by train via Salonika and Vertekop (Skydra) to Lake Ostrovo, where the division disembarked on August 22. Three days later, the Legion Battalion marched through the mountains toward Udzana (Komnina), approximately 25 miles (40 km) southwest, to relieve Serbian troops who had established positions in the area. By August 31, the Battalion reached the destination.

 

Preparation for the Monastir Offensive (1916)

After the Bulgarian offensive was halted, the Allies prepared a counterattack. By September 1916, they had assembled a formidable force of sixteen divisions and one Russian brigade. While the British and Italians held the line in the east – south of Doiran Lake and east of the Struma River, running north to south – the French, Serbians, and Russians were stationed in the west, near Lake Ostrovo. Among them was the French 156th Division, encamped there since late August, including the 1er RMA and the Legion Battalion.

On September 2, the 1er RMA was reorganized. The fourth companies of its battalions were deactivated and replaced by Machine Gun and Infantry Gun Companies (CMC), armed with St. Étienne Mle 1907 machine guns and 37 mm infantry guns. Consequently, the 12th Company of the Legion Battalion was disbanded and replaced by the 3e CMC, made up of non-Legion personnel, zouaves. The displaced legionnaires bolstered the three remaining Legion companies, each now comprising four officers and 200 men, organized into three combat platoons. The Disciplinary Peloton was attached to the 11th Company.

Two enemy aircraft dropped five bombs over the Legion’s camp on September 4, causing no casualties – a stroke of luck. This form of modern warfare, which had emerged in late 1914, was unfamiliar to legionnaires who had not served on the Western Front and had experienced only the Gallipoli campaign or skirmishes with rebel tribes in North Africa.

Five days later, on September 9, an artillery battery with 75 mm guns was temporarily assigned to the Legion Battalion. Both units then left Udzana and advanced southwest to Kajilar (Ptolemaida), then turned northwest to reach Konop (Drosero), where they relieved a small Serbian detachment. They then pressed north, liberating Cor (Galateia) and Rakita (Olympiada), both held by Bulgarian cavalry and Comitadjis – pro-Bulgarian irregular local militias. That evening, the Bulgarians launched a two-hour attack on Rakita, which was repelled. They struck again the next morning, backed by heavy artillery. The Legion’s attached battery returned fire, and the battle raged all day. These clashes cost the battalion eight legionnaires killed and 16 wounded.
 

Foreign Legion Battalion, 1er RMA in September 1916

• Commander: Major Geay
• HQ Staff: Captain Azan
• 9th Company: Captain Hamot
• Lieutenant Conte
• Second Lieutenant Denizon
• Second Lieutenant Rubin
• 10th Company: Captain Canalés
• Lieutenant Finelli
• Second Lieutenant Noleau
• Second Lieutenant Heineman
• 11th Company: Captain Césari
• Second Lieutenant Casanova
• Second Lieutenant Lemaire
• Second Lieutenant Rosini
• Disciplinary Peloton: Second Lieutenant Saint Pierre
• 3e CMC (non-Legion): Lieutenant Bévéraggi

 
 

 

Monastir Offensive: Battle of Florina (1916)

On September 12, General Sarrail, commander-in-chief of the Allied forces in Salonika, officially launched an offensive. He aimed to advance in the west, between Lake Ostrovo and Florina. The British in the east, bolstered by Italians and later the Greeks of the “Provisional Government,” were tasked with diversionary operations around Doiran Lake and along the Struma River to pin down as many enemy forces as possible.

Following a fierce two-day artillery barrage, the main assault in the west began, executed by the Serbian army and joint Franco-Russian forces. The Serbians attacked from Chegan, north of Lake Ostrovo, and forced the enemy to retreat toward Florina. A bitter struggle also erupted north of the lake, on the fortified peak of Kajmakčalan (Kaymakchalan), where the Serbians made an important breakthrough in the Bulgarian defensive line on September 30. The dense network of trenches is still visible there 110 years later.

The Legion Battalion was assigned to join two French divisions and the Russian brigade in liberating Florina, about 20 miles (30 km) northwest. During their advance southwest of Lake Ostrovo, the French divisions had to dislodge the entrenched enemy from the Mala Reka Ridge, roughly halfway to their goal. The legionnaires served as vanguard, marching north through Novoselo.

On September 14, the unit proved the vital role the Legion played within the French army. That morning, General Cordonnier, commander-in-chief of the French Eastern Army, had observed the front and seen multiple failed attempts by the 311th Brigade to seize enemy positions at Gjulunc (Radonas), close to the Mala Reka Ridge. Consequently, he ordered the brigade commander to immediately deploy the Legion Battalion, initially held in reserve with the 1er RMA.

The legionnaires first navigated a dense enemy artillery barrage, crossing a bridge and plain in front of Gjulunc in small teams of three to four. They liberated the village and nearby Eksisu (Xino Nero) to the north. Then, under General Cordonnier’s watch, the battalion launched a major assault on the heights between these villages and the Mala Reka Ridge, driving the enemy into retreat. The victory cost seven men killed and 23 wounded.

Impressed, General Cordonnier congratulated the legionnaires for their bravery, which enabled to occupy the Mala Reka Ridge the next day. He proposed that the 1er RMA lead his army into Florina, but the regiment’s command ultimately declined the offer, citing the alleged fatigue of its men. Instead, the 176e RI liberated the town on September 17.

Meanwhile, the main Bulgarian units retreated north toward Monastir, though their rearguard entrenched firmly from north of Florina to Petorak (Tripotamos) in the northeast, determined to delay the Serbians approaching from the east and Franco-Russian forces from the south as long as possible.

The Legion Battalion advanced northwest from Eksisu through Leskovec (Leptokaries). On September 19, it reached Pesosnica (Ammochori), 4 miles (6 km) east of Florina, losing three men killed and 12 wounded during the march, including Second Lieutenant Saint Pierre. The legionnaires then secured a railway northeast of Pesosnica.

The French command sought to clear enemy positions northeast of Florina before pushing toward Monastir. On September 21, the battalion moved northeast, relieving the Serbians in Boresnica (Palaistra). It now faced well-fortified Bulgarian defenses between Petorak and Vrbeni (Itea), about 1.25 miles (2 km) to the north.

Two days later, the legionnaires dug two trench lines overnight, setting up jumping-off points for two Legion companies. On the afternoon of September 24, the Legion Battalion was ordered to assault Bulgarian positions at Petorak. The 9th and 11th Companies were chosen. They attacked bravely under intense fire from artillery, machine guns, and rifles. However, the enemy’s first line of barbed wire and trenches, untouched by a 30-minute French artillery barrage, blocked swift progress to the second line in the village. The command halted the assault to limit losses, though 15 legionnaires were killed, and Second Lieutenant Finelli and 46 others were wounded.

Until late September, the Battalion’s positions between Boresnica and Petorak endured constant shelling by the enemy artillery, far superior. It claimed 11 legionnaires killed, while Captain Azan (deputy commander) and 21 men were wounded. French artillery returned fire, aiming to destroy enemy defenses.

On September 29, a reinforcement of 51 men arrived in the Battalion.

By October 2, the tide shifted. Pressed by Allied troops, the Bulgarians abandoned their positions near Florina and withdrew further north toward the Greek-Serbian border, pursued by the Allies.

 

 

Battle of Monastir (1916)

On October 3, the Legion Battalion left its positions near Florina and advanced through Kalenik (Kalliniki) to the border, reaching Negocani (Niki). This Bulgarian-held village was liberated the following day. Subsequently, the 1er RMA – with Russians on its left and the 2e RMA on its right – attempted to seize the Bulgarian defensive line stretching between Medzidli (Medzhitlija) and Kenali (Kremenica), about 2 miles (3 km) northeast in what was then Serbia. The enemy, however, was well prepared, and the attack faltered. The 1er RMA held its ground at Negocani.

For two days, enemy artillery shelled the Battalion’s positions, killing one legionnaire and wounding 18 others.

A renewed effort to capture the Bulgarian trenches occurred on October 6, with the same formation. After a fierce eight-hour battle, Second Lieutenant Léo Denizon and nine legionnaires were killed, while Captain Canalés, Lieutenant Noleau, and 44 legionnaires were wounded. Yet this push to breach the enemy line also failed.

A week later, an assault by French colonial troops met the same fate. Following this setback, the front remained static until mid-November. Still, relentless Bulgarian artillery fire killed six legionnaires and wounded 32 more.

In late October, the Battalion was reinforced by a detachment of 138 legionnaires under Lieutenant Pla. Meanwhile, General Leblois assumed command of the AFO.

On November 3, Major Geay, recently detached outside the regiment, was succeeded as the Legion Battalion’s commander by Major Henri Rivet. A veteran of the chasseurs à pied – light infantry “hunters” excelling in marksmanship, Rivet had served with the 2e RMA and briefly led a French-organized Bosnian Battalion, disbanded in September 1916.

Though Franco-Russian troops had failed to pierce the Kenali front, the Serbians on the right flank advanced north toward the Crna River (Black R.) bend in Serbian territory. In response, the Bulgarians abandoned the Medzidli–Kenali line and retreated toward Monastir, roughly 10 miles (16 km) northwest. The Franco-Russian forces, including the Legion Battalion, pursued them through Zabjani (Zhabeni) and Bistrica.

On November 19, the Allies reached Monastir, a regional administrative center. Numerous fires over the city signaled another enemy withdrawal. A platoon from the 9th Company Legion Battalion, led personally by Captain Hamot, was among the first Allied units to enter, conducting reconnaissance. The legionnaires surprised an enemy rearguard and, with support from Serbian cavalry and 57th Division elements, drove them out, securing Monastir.

After the capture, the enemy retreated partly northeast. However, their main force entrenched in two mountain ranges flanking the city, from north to northwest and west to south. Firmly dug in on slopes and peaks, the Bulgarians shelled Monastir daily.

 

 

Monastir Front: November 1916 – March 1917

Gorno Orizari and Dolno Orizari

The 1er RMA was stationed northeast of Monastir, facing the enemy’s front-line trenches. The Legion Battalion concentrated in Gorno Orizari and Dolno Orizari, where a large French military cemetery stands today. Despite persistent shelling, the legionnaires constructed fortified defenses. Patrols and reconnaissances beyond enemy lines often sparked firefights. Every four days, companies rotated south to Pozdes (now Poeshevo), a fortified village with the 311th Brigade’s headquarters, for rest and refitting. By late December, the fortifications were complete, reinforced with barbed wire entanglements extending about five yards (meters) deep. Over these five weeks, the battalion lost seven legionnaires killed and 40 wounded.

In December, two reinforcements arrived, including Captain Jumancourt and 214 men. That same month, Captain Hamot, now deputy commander, was evacuated. As a lieutenant, he comprised part of the original Battalion in March 1915.

Meanwhile, on December 2, General Sarrail’s troops occupied Athens after fierce clashes with Greek forces loyal to the king. The political crisis persisted until June 1917, when the king abdicated, allowing Venizelos’ provisional pro-Allied government to relocate from Salonika to Athens and assume official control of the country.
 

 

Baba Massif and Crvena Stena

On January 2, 1917, the 156th Division left its positions northeast of Monastir and relieved an Italian brigade – previously bolstering the Allied line – on the Baba massif slopes (also Baba, Baba Mountains, or Pelister Mountains), which flanked Monastir from west to south. The 1er RMA’s headquarters and part of the regiment, including the Legion Battalion, were based about 2 miles (3 km) southwest of the city center, in and around Lahce (Lavci). Other units shifted northwest to Brusnik, while the 156th Division’s headquarters settled at Bukovo, southwest of Lahce.

The legionnaires established a tent camp at Lahce amid harsh winter conditions. The Italian positions, inadequate for defense, had to be rebuilt.

The 1er RMA and the Battalion had a strictly defensive role, ordered to hold ground at all costs. They also manned a regularly relieved front-line post at Nizopole (Nižepole), lying westward, in a small valley beyond Brusnik.

The front had stabilized. Thus, the enemy infantry showed little activity, mostly repelling reconnaissance patrols. Bulgarian artillery, however, relentlessly shelled roads, camps, and French defenses, occasionally aided by machine gunners.

From January 20, heavy snow covered the region until March. In the mountains, the temperatures ranged from -13 to -22 °F (-25 to -30 °C), making work tougher.

On January 21, Captain Grabot, from outside the Legion, joined the Battalion as deputy commander. Days later, Captain Césari of the 11th Company was evacuated, replaced by Captain Pignatelli di Cerchiara. An officer of Italian origin, he came from the Western Front where he served with the Legion’s famed RMLE, formed in late 1915 (now 3e REI).

On February 7, the Legion Battalion relocated from Lahce to Brusnik. A week later, the Disciplinary Peloton completed a Bukovo-Nizopole supply track through the mountains, built over weeks in snow and extremely cold weather to prevent Bulgarian shelling of supply columns. That month, the 1er RMA battalions’ CMC companies became simple machine gun companies (CM), their 37 mm infantry guns forming a separate Infantry Gun Peloton under regimental headquarters.

On March 7, a battalion of Albanian volunteers, led by Lt. Colonel Geay – former Legion Battalion commander – was administratively attached to the 1er RMA and stationed at Lahce.
 

Foreign Legion Battalion, 1er RMA in mid-March 1917

• Commander: Major Rivet
• HQ Staff: Captain Grabot
• 9th Company: Captain Masson
• Second Lieutenant Genet
• Second Lieutenant Breney
• 10th Company: Captain Jumancourt
• Second Lieutenant Bertini
• Second Lieutenant Tisné
• Second Lieutenant Taillemite
• Second Lieutenant Rosini
• 11th Company: Captain Pignatelli di Cerchiara
• Second Lieutenant Casanova
• Lieutenant Sac
• Disciplinary Platoon: N/A
• 3e CM (non-Legion): Lieutenant Bévéraggi

 

 

 

Battle of Monastir (1917)

Battle of Crvena Stena (March – May 1917)

In March 1917, as weather improved, the Allied forces aimed to regain the initiative. General Sarrail planned a major spring offensive against German-Bulgarian troops at the Crna River bend and near Lake Doiran in the east.

On the Monastir Front, Sarrail sought to neutralize or drive off Bulgarian artillery dominating the Baba massif and Hill 1248, a peak northwest of Monastir, to halt its bombardment of the city.

In the Baba massif sector of the 156th Division, Bulgarian troops held the ridge forming the western edge of the Nizopole valley, known as Crvena Stena (Red Wall, often misnamed Trana Stena in French records). They also occupied Trnovo and Magarevo, villages concealed behind the ridge’s head.

From early March, the 1er RMA fortified defenses at Nizopole and a French bridgehead dubbed Fort National, located northwest of Dihovo – a village at the Nizopole valley’s entrance, beneath its left ridge. Perched on a steep wooded slope of Crvena Stena, Fort National lay just dozens of yards below Posen, a Bulgarian elaborate trench network linked to nearby Trnovo.

The Legion Battalion’s companies prepared artillery emplacements at the Col de Déjeûner, the eastern ridge’s peak overlooking Nizopole at about 4,900 ft (1,500 m). The legionnaires also hauled large artillery pieces up to the peak, via the track that the Disciplinary Peloton had recently built.

On March 14, fighting erupted around Monastir. At Crvena Stena, it became trench warfare, characterized by close-range combat, frequent bayonet charges, and the enemy’s use of flame-throwers. On March 15, the 175th Regiment captured part of the Posen trenches. On the night of March 17–18, the legionnaires, held in reserve at Dihovo, relieved the French at Fort National and the occupied section of Posen amid heavy Bulgarian shelling. By the afternoon of March 19, they successfully advanced at Posen, gaining about 150 yards (140 m) toward Trnovo. Zouaves relieved them the next day. Over the two nights spent on the front line, nine legionnaires were killed, with Second Lieutenant Tisné and 28 others wounded.
 

 

On March 24, Lieutenant Colonel Schneider stepped down from command of the 1er RMA due to health issues, succeeded by Lieutenant Colonel Geay, the Legion Battalion’s original commander. He also retained command of the Albanian volunteer battalion.

That evening, the legionnaires returned to the front. Soon after, a 9th Company platoon at Posen took an enemy shell, killing Sergeant Faubourg and wounding 13 legionnaires. Later, Adjudant-chef J. L. Ramaeckers, a Dutch warrant officer with nearly 15 years in the Legion, now detached to the 1st Machine Gun Company 1st Battalion, fell during an enemy assault at Posen.

March 26 stood out as a key action for the Legion Battalion at Monastir, avenging prior losses. Supported by the 11th Company and a 155 mm battery, Captain Jumancourt’s 10th Company assaulted southwest from Posen toward the adjacent Munich trenches, gaining nearly 900 yards (800 m). Five enemy officers and 166 soldiers, stunned by the bold strike, surrendered without resistance. The legionnaires seized three machine guns, six trench mine throwers, and other materiel. Despite this great success, the losses also mounted: Captain Pignatelli di Cerchiara and three legionnaires were killed, Second Lieutenant Rosini and 14 wounded.

Over the next two days, the Bulgarians launched five fierce counterattacks to reclaim their positions, all repelled by the Legion’s stubborn defense. The attacks and relentless artillery fire claimed nine legionnaires killed and 62 wounded.

Among the gravely injured was another long-serving legionnaire, Adjudant Henri Naumann of the 10th Company, who lost an eye while thwarting a Bulgarian counterattack on March 28. Already honored with the Military Medal in 1916, Naumann became the first non-commissioned officer of the French Eastern Army – and the Foreign Legion from 1914-18 – to receive the Legion d’Honneur, an honor typically reserved for officers. For the record, Adjudant-chef Léon earned this highest French distinction in Gallipoli after a field promotion to officer rank, while the legendary Adjudant-chef Mader of the RMLE in France would received it for the actions that would take place three weeks later, in April 1917.

Two other legionnaires also stood out on March 26, earning personal Army-level citations from the AFO’s commander-in-chief. Adjudant-chef Theissen of the 10th Company, with his platoon, conquered enemy trenches and captured 70 prisoners. Corporal Kéradouche, also from the 10th, single-handedly attacked an enemy position and took 30 prisoners.

The legionnaires were relieved on the night of March 28. Their bravery and effective actions over these three days secured the Legion Battalion its second citation at the Army level:

“Part of the French Eastern Army since April 28, 1915. Has consistently proven its military valor, determination, and courage. Distinguished itself in the Dardanelles on April 28, May 2, 4, and June 21, 1915. Fought relentlessly in Serbia from October 20 to December 8, 1915. Since resuming the offensive in Macedonia, engaged the enemy on September 9, 1916, and never let up. Brilliantly captured the Mala Reka position on September 14 and played a key role in the September 24 battle near Florina. On March 26, 1917, it notably excelled by seizing a formidable position and holding it against enemy counterattacks.”

The Crvena Stena front quieted until April 12, when French positions endured day-and-night shelling. On April 17, bombardment surged to 500 rounds per hour, signaling an imminent assault. At 6 p.m. (18.00), Bulgarian troops, led by flamethrowers, launched a heavy attack on French-held Posen. The 2nd Battalion’s zouaves couldn’t hold, and Posen fell. Two days later, on April 19, battalions of the 2e RMA and 1er RMA, backed by the Legion’s 10th and 11th Companies, counterattacked. The French prevailed, recapturing the stronghold, while the retreating enemy abandoned 62 prisoners and several wounded.

From April 20, the front stabilized, except for May 16, when French diversion attacks near Monastir distracted Bulgarian attention from a Serbian offensive at the Crna River bend, about 40 miles (65 km) northeast.

The Battle of Crvena Stena, a segment of the 1917 Battle of Monastir, concluded. The French partially occupied the Baba mountains and Hill 1248 northwest of the city. However, despite Allied efforts, some enemy units remained in their well-entrenched, hard-to-reach positions. Monastir stayed under artillery fire until September 1918, half-destroyed by over 20,000 shells.
 

 

Monastir Front: May – August 1917

Though Bulgarian shelling stayed intense, offensive actions had halted across the front line, giving way to the static trench warfare typical of the Great War. Until July 1917, Legion Battalion units rotated between Posen, Fort National, Dihovo, and Brusnik.

On May 31, a reinforcement arrived to fill the ranks of the Battalion, depleted by fighting and artillery fire. It was led by an old Alsatian officer with a full beard, Captain Harburger, a former legionnaire. A lieutenant in the Battalion in March 1915, he rejoined his former superior, Lieutenant Colonel Geay, and served as his adjutant until the end of the war.

In June, Major Rivet shifted his headquarters to Nizopole, accompanied by part of the Battalion. The rest stayed at Dihovo under deputy commander Captain Grabot, tasked with improving the fortifications at Posen and Fort National.

On June 29, after the Greek king’s resignation and exile, the Venizelos government took power in Athens, and Greece formally joined the Allies.

A Bulgarian attack on July 9 shattered the calm in the Nizopole valley, targeting Legion positions at Posen. It killed five legionnaires and wounded 12. Injuries were also among the 3e CM zouaves, including Second Lieutenant Baudez, who lost his right arm.

Two weeks later, Lieutenant Colonel Geay went on leave. Major Rivet took command of the regiment, while Captain Grabot temporarily led the Battalion.

By late July, the 156th Division had achieved its mission in Monastir and withdrew to Greece. A combined French division – two French regiments, two Russian regiments, and one Greek regiment – relieved it.

 

Camp Gradobor

The Legion Battalion left Monastir on August 6, as the last unit of the division. The men marched to Petrsko (Petres), east of Florina, where the 1er RMA was to assemble. Passing through Negocani, the legionnaires paid tribute to their comrades killed and buried there in October 1916. The Battalion arrived in Petrsko on August 11.

On August 20, the legionnaires reached Eksisu, near the Mala Reka Ridge, where they had distinguished themselves and impressed General Cordonnier in mid-September 1916. The next day, they boarded a train eastward, arriving at Gradobor (Pentalofos) on August 22. There, the 1er RMA separated from the 156th Division and came under the command of General Sarrail, whose headquarters was in Salonika, about 10 miles (15 km) southeast.

Once tents were pitched, the men organized the camp and began training. They conducted exercises, marches, and practiced shooting and grenade-throwing.

Lieutenant Colonel Geay returned from leave in mid-September, allowing Major Rivet to resume command of the Battalion.

On September 21, General Sarrail decided that the Legion Battalion was entitled to a fourragère – a braided cord – for its two Army-level citations. Absent from French uniforms since 1870, fourragères returned during the Great War in 1916.

However, alongside this honor came a grim organizational shift, likely driven by demands on the Macedonian and Western Fronts. The Legion Battalion, a key force in the Gallipoli, Serbian, Florina, and Monastir campaigns, faced a sharp reduction in personnel. It was reduced to a single unit, the 11th Company. Major Rivet and Captain Grabot were reassigned to the divisional rear detachment at Camp Zeitenlik near Salonika.

Concurrently, the 2e RMA was transformed into a new 3rd Battalion 1er RMA, absorbing the Legion Battalion’s 3rd Machine Gun Company, staffed by zouaves.

The 1er RMA’s Foreign Legion Eastern Battalion ceased to exist on September 30, 1917.

 

 
 

Foreign Legion Company in Southeastern Europe

On October 1, 1917, the 1er RMA’s Foreign Legion Company (Compagnie de Légion) was established at Camp Gradobor in Greece. It comprised five officers, 32 non-commissioned officers, and 318 legionnaires – totaling 355 men – organized into three combat platoons and one disciplinary peloton. Among the officers was Second Lieutenant Léon, a hero of the 1915 Gallipoli Campaign. Captain Charles Conte, a second lieutenant with the Legion Battalion in Serbia in late 1915, assumed command.

The Legion Company – whose strength corresponded actually to half a battalion or two reinforced infantry companies – remained at the camp, continuing its work and training. On October 16, the unit, led by its military band, visited “its depot” about 8 miles (13 km) west at Camp Vatiluk. This camp had housed legionnaires from late 1915 to early 1916, and the Legion rear likely remained there ever since.

Later that month, Second Lieutenant Bedel joined the unit, which then reorganized into four combat platoons and the disciplinary peloton.

On October 30, 1917, the Legion Company received the Fourragère in the 1914–1918 War Cross colors (green-red). Lieutenant Colonel Geay personally awarded the cord to Captain Conte, who in turn pinned it to his officers, while NCOs attached this award to their men. The 1er RMA battalions then paraded before the legionnaires guarding the regimental colors.

The next day, General Sarrail ordered the 1er RMA be assigned to the 122nd Division under General Castaing and transferred to the subsector north of Karasouli (now Polykastro), a village 25 miles (40 km) northwest of Gradobor, between Bohemica and Lake Ardzan. There, it relieved the 78th Brigade of General Colin’s 26th British Division.
 

Foreign Legion Company, 1er RMA in October 1917

• Commander: Captain Conte
• 1st Platoon: Lieutenant Zanchetta
• 2nd Platoon: Second Lieutenant Noleau
• 3rd Platoon: Second Lieutenant Léon
• 4th Platoon: Second Lieutenant Bedel
• Disciplinary Peloton: Second Lieutenant Lemaire

 

 

 

Karasouli Subsector (November 1917 – March 1918)

On November 8, the 1er RMA assumed control of its assigned subsector, stretching from the Vardar River on the left to the Selimli ravine on the right. It encompassed the villages of Oreovica (Pefkodasos), Bajalca (Platania), Smol (Mikro Dasos), and Makukovo (Evzonoi). The sole road from Salonika to the Bogoroditsa border crossing – familiar to legionnaires from the 1915 Serbia campaign – ran through these villages, with Makukovo just 2.5 miles (4 km) south of the border.

At that time, Bulgarians occupied the entire area facing Makukovo.

The first line of fortified French trenches extended south of Makukovo from west to east; a second line lay between Bajalca and Smol – the subsector’s only village off the main road. The Subsector Command headquarters, under Lieutenant Colonel Geay, was located between Smol and Oreovica in the Happy Valley ravine – a name retained from prior British use. The Legion Company’s camp was set 220 yards (200 m) further south in the Glen Smol ravine.

Until mid-March 1918, the legionnaires, organized into two pelotons of two platoons each, rotated between their camp and the front line’s far-right section, notably Piton Brun (Brown Hill, also K6) and Piton des Guetteurs (Observer Hill, also AK6). Supported by two machine gun platoons from the 2e CM, these pelotons relieved each other every two weeks.

The Karasouli front remained largely quiet, as the Bulgarians had entrenched a few-mile-wide buffer zone along the border within Greek territory, adopting a defensive stance. Shelling was intermittent, and numerous French reconnaissance patrols into no man’s land saw no major clashes.

On December 4, shelling injured four Legion Company men.

Four days later, two sergeants and 27 legionnaires reinforced the unit.

On December 14, General Sarrail relinquished his command of the AAO to General Guillaumat. In late December, the AFO’s command also shifted, with General Régnault succeeded by General Henrys.

 

 

Camping in Gorgop (April – May 1918)

As of March 19, 1918, the Karasouli subsector mission concluded. The 1er RMA and the Legion Company were relieved by a British brigade and shifted to the rear – first to Amatovo (southeast of Karasouli; the village no longer exists) and then, on March 28, to Gorgop (Gorgopi), arriving March 31.

During this march, a fierce snowstorm struck the regiment, freezing five zouaves to death. For the record, a similar storm had decimated a Legion company a decade earlier at the Algeria-Morocco border near Forthassa Gharbia in early 1908. Perhaps among the Legion Company men bound for Gorgop was someone who recalled – or even survived – that disaster? Who knows.

The legionnaires established camp north of Gorgop and alternated between training and repairing roads in the region, remaining there for nearly two months.

On May 24, the 1er RMA departed Gorgop, marching via Kupa (Koupa) to the sectors of Osin (Archaggelos) and Borislav (Periklia). Allied troops – three Greek divisions and the 1er RMA’s 122nd Division – prepared a new offensive east of Borislav, targeting the Skra Di Legen massif.

 

Skra di Legen (May – July 1918)

While the regiment and Legion Company stayed behind the front, the 1er RMA Infantry Gun Peloton supported the Greek Archipelago Division in its frontal assault on Skra Di Legen.

The region had faced a Franco-Greek offensive in May 1917, repulsed by well-entrenched Bulgarians. However, the time had come for another attempt.

This launched at dawn on May 30, following intense artillery bombardment from May 29. The Allied forces attacked Bulgarian positions, with Franco-Greek troops charging boldly, soon breaking enemy morale. They overran the Bulgarians’ formidable concrete fortifications – a maze of machine guns and lookouts – to a depth exceeding 1,650 yards (1,500 m).

The 1er RMA battalions and Legion Company trailed the Greeks, securing the captured positions, clearing remaining resistance, and bracing for a potential counterattack. Yet none occurred.

The Second Battle of Skra di Legen marked a vital Allied propaganda triumph. It highlighted Greece’s first major, successful role in the First World War and shattered Bulgarian lines after a year of failed efforts.

The Archipelago Division excelled, with Colonel Manganaras – its commander – citing the 1er RMA at the divisional level for its critical support, especially from the Infantry Gun Peloton, in clinching this victory.

The regiment remained in the Skra di Legen sector, fortifying the captured positions until July 15, when the legionnaires and zouaves were relieved by three battalions of the French 16th Colonial Division and returned to Gorgop.

 

 
 

Florina and Monastir (August – September 1918)

In June, General Franchet d’Espèrey took command of the Eastern Allied Army in Salonika.

Meanwhile, in mid-July, the Allies – bolstered by American reinforcements – seized the initiative on the Western Front, counterattacked German forces, and shifted the war’s tide.

Thus, a general offensive against the Bulgarians was prepared on the Macedonian Front in summer 1918. Franchet d’Espèrey adopted his predecessor’s plan, ordering new roads and railways built to supply artillery and ammunition to the front. He also initiated cartographic surveys for detailed maps and set up modern communication networks, including telephone and wireless telegraphy.

During these efforts, the 1er RMA and Legion Company moved from Gorgop to Florina, familiar from September 1916. The legionnaires spent four days in Armenohor (Armenochori), east of Florina, before shifting to Pisoderi in the Verno mountains, 10 miles (17 km) west, on July 30. There, they became bâtisseurs – builders – in line with their tradition of combining the role of brave, tough soldiers and skilled, reliable workers, assisting French military engineers with road construction in rugged, mountainous terrain.

Concurrently, the regiment advanced toward Monastir, except the 1st Battalion – briefly an instruction unit for the 2nd divisional group – and the military band, which stayed in Florina. The 1er RMA established its headquarters at Kanino, south of Monastir.

On August 18, Lieutenant Léon and Second Lieutenant Bedel completed their tour of duty and were repatriated.

A week later, the 1er RMA, minus the Legion Company, relocated north of Monastir to the Esterel subsector between Rastani and Krklino. Initially attached to the 76th Division, it joined General Borius’s 156th Division on September 6.

Meanwhile, the legionnaires finished their work at Pisoderi and, on September 4, moved to Velusina, midway between Florina and Monastir. They spent eight days there, building roads, then rejoined the 1er RMA at Rastani, just hundreds of yards west of Gorno Orizari. The veterans could rediscover the fortifications they had built here in late 1916, but their task now was roadwork, easing Allied artillery’s path to the front.

 

 

General Offensive (September 1918)

In August, the Battle of Amiens began in France, dubbed “the black day of the German Army.” It started the Allied Hundred Days Offensive, which ultimately ended World War I.

Five weeks later, in mid-September 1918, the Allies struck in the Balkans. To the east of the Macedonian front, British and Greek troops launched an assault around Doiran Lake toward Serbia and Bulgaria. In the center, French and Serbian forces advanced via Dobro Pole, quickly seizing their objectives.

In the west, diversion operations unfolded in the Monastir sector to aid a French cavalry brigade’s push north to seize Uskub (Skopje). This key city in then-Serbia’s Vardar Macedonia – now North Macedonia’s capital – housed the Central Powers’ regional military headquarters.

However, enemy forces in the region – Germany’s 11th Army under General von Steuben, mostly Bulgarians led by German officers – avoided direct combat, withdrawing northward on September 21.

The French, flanked west by the Italian Cagliari Brigade, pursued them. The legionnaires, likely frustrated, stayed behind to finish road work.

The 1er RMA led the French column, engaging in minor clashes at Cernobok (Crnobuki) on September 24, then chased the 11th Army through the mountains north of Monastir to Velmevci, arriving September 29.

That day, the French cavalry captured Uskub, a strategic triumph. The next day – September 30, 1918 – Bulgaria signed an armistice.

Meanwhile, the Legion Company left Rastani on September 27, moving through the same mountains to rejoin the 1er RMA in Kicevo. This was a city 40 miles (65 km) northwest of Monastir, where the French had discovered a major enemy supply depot. The legionnaires arrived there on October 4 via Lopatica and Pribilci, and set up a camp south of the city, at Bigor Dolenci. The 1er RMA bivouacked in nearby Srbjani.

 

 

End of the War and Return to Salonika

At Bigor Dolenci, the legionnaires took charge of the enemy depot, sorting materiel and organizing convoys to French regional depots. The task lasted until October 19. Then the Company organized instruction for its NCOs and men until November 6.

Meanwhile, the Ottoman Empire signed an armistice with the Allies on October 30, followed by Austria-Hungary on November 4.

On November 7, the 1er RMA and Legion Company left Kicevo for Monastir, stopping five days at Lisolaj. There, the men learned of Germany signing the November 11 Armistice with the Allies, which marked the end of the First World War.

On November 16, the 1er RMA and Legion Company left Monastir by rail for Naoussa, a Greek city between Florina and Salonika. Southeast of Naoussa, near Rupan (Stenimachos), the units rested and refitted for three weeks, until December 7. The 3rd Battalion 1er RMA was disbanded during this time, except for the 3e CM.

On December 11, the legionnaires and zouaves arrived in Salonika at Camp Franchet d’Espèrey – formerly Camp Zeitenlik. However, two days later, their final mission began.

 
 

Odessa in Russia (December 1918 – April 1919)

In 1914, the Russian Empire under Tsar Nicholas II entered war against Germany and Austria-Hungary to aid Serbia, its ally. Russians battled Germans in East Prussia and Turks in the Caucasus. In 1916, four brigades of the Russian Expeditionary Force deployed to France and Salonika. Yet war’s unpopularity sparked a revolution in March 1917, forcing the Tsar’s abdication. Russia turned republic, then faced the Bolshevik Revolution in November. In March 1918, the Bolsheviks signed the Brest-Litovsk peace treaty with Germany.

A civil war erupted, pitting the Bolshevik Red Army against anti-Bolshevik White Armies. In response, an Allied intervention in Russia was organized in late 1918 in support of the Whites. It took place from different directions. The French decided to intervene mainly by the Black Sea, with the forces stationed in Salonika.

The 156th Division, including the 1er RMA – 54 officers and 1,650 men – and the 176th Regiment, joined this effort, embarking for Southern Russia on December 13, 1918. On December 15, passing Gallipoli, Lieutenant Colonel Geay gathered his men to honor the legionnaires and zouaves who had fallen there in 1915. Veterans could see Morto Bay, Krithia, and the Kereves Dere ravine one more time.

The Division landed in Odessa – present-day Ukraine – on December 18. This was an important Black Sea port with French ties and regional capital. Bolsheviks hadn’t seized it, but anarchy and chaos reigned. Since December 14, the anti-Bolshevik Directorate of Ukraine had ousted the German-backed Hetmanate, established in April 1918. German and Austrian troops were still present in the city, avoiding to be engaged in the civil war. There were also White Army escapees, Ukrainian nationalists, anarchists, Bolsheviks, and other factions, deepening the city’s disorder.

French units took on maintaining order. The 1er RMA encamped at the Artillery School, guarding two train stations and nearby areas. The Legion Company, with a 3e CM machine gun platoon, held checkpoints around the Cathedral of the Transfiguration until December 24.

After Christmas at the Artillery School, the Legion Company shifted to guard the Radio Station from December 30 – their final World War I task in Southeastern Europe.

On January 21, 1919, the 1er RMA – minus the Legion Company and 3e CM – left Odessa for operations north in the countryside. The 3e CM rejoined the regiment on February 16, leaving the Legion Company as the 1er RMA’s sole unit in Odessa.

 

 

Return from the Balkans and Dissolution (April 1919)

In April 1919, Red Army advances, White Army mutinies, and local hostility forced General Franchet d’Espèrey to halt the southern intervention and withdraw Allied troops – French and Greeks.

Thus, on April 2, the Legion Company abandoned the Radio Station for the Artillery School. During the last months, its strength had been considerably reduced to two officers, five NCOs, and 38 legionnaires. Disarmed and marked for repatriation, they departed Odessa that evening, stopped 32 hours in Constantinople, and reached Salonika on April 7.

On April 14, 1919, the Foreign Legion left the Balkans and Southeastern Europe for good, after nearly four years, almost to the day.

Under Lieutenant Zanchetta, an Italian officer, and Second Lieutenant Papoutzopoulos, a Greek, the Legion Company landed in Tunisia, part of French North Africa, on April 19. After a brief rest, this small detachment of 45 men moved to Algeria, arriving in the Quartier Viénot in Sidi Bel Abbès – the then Foreign Legion motherhouse – on April 26.

The 1er RMA’s Foreign Legion Company was officially disbanded on April 28, 1919, and its fanion, awarded with the Fourragère, was deposited in the Legion’s Hall of Honor. The unit’s odyssey was over.

 

Conclusion

The Allied campaigns in Southeastern Europe during the First World War remain largely unknown and often neglected by historians, overshadowed by the importance of the Western Front. Yet the men who fought in the Balkans suffered as much as their comrades in France – enduring static trench warfare and relentless artillery shelling, under Gallipoli’s blazing sun or in Macedonia’s snow-covered mountains. However, they missed regular rest in French modern cities with friendly populations, pleasant women, and good wine. Instead, the soldiers in Southeastern Europe were deployed to a poor, less developed, and unstable region on the brink of civil war – a place where part of the population had no sympathy for the Allied troops.

Thirteen Legion officers and over 330 legionnaires died in Gallipoli, Serbia, Greece, and Macedonia, with many more succumbing to wounds, dysentery, or malaria – the latter striking 30,000 French troops in Greece in 1916. Among the fallen were new war volunteers, as well as seasoned veterans of the fights with Berbers in North Africa.

The 1er RMA stayed in Southern Russia until its deactivation in June 1919. Lieutenant Colonel Geay, who led the Legion Battalion from March 1915, left the regiment in April 1919, later again commanding Algerian tirailleurs, this time in the little-known Franco-Turkish War (1919–21) and Levant operations from 1920–22.

As a matter of interest, several virtually unknown units comprising local volunteers were formed in Southeastern Europe during World War I and administratively assigned to the Foreign Legion’s Algerian headquarters, including Greek, Cretan, Bosnian, and Albanian battalions.

Two others merit note as well. First is the Orient Legion (Legion d’Orient), whose identical title led to the minor name correction of the Legion’s Eastern Battalion. (Actually, it still causes misunderstandings today.) Created in 1916 with Armenians and Syrians to fight Ottomans in Anatolia and Syria, it split in 1919 into the Armenian and Syrian Legions. Like the previously mentioned volunteer formations, also these units were assigned administratively to the Legion and had some Legion officers.

Second is France’s Foreign Legion North Russia Battalion, constituted in late 1918 with Russian anti-Bolshevik volunteers, as part of the Allied North Russia intervention forces. The battalion served near Archangelsk until 1919, also assigned to the Foreign Legion headquarters in Algeria. (An article covering this unit will be published in coming weeks.)

Legionnaires returned to the Balkans in the 1990s, serving in Bosnia and Kosovo into the 2000s, first as peacekeeping forces under a U.N. mandate and then as part of NATO. In 2024, the legionnaires returned to Bosnia, this time as part of a European Union mission.

 

 
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Main information sources:
Képi blanc magazines
Légion étrangère magazines
L’Illustration magazines
War Diary: Foreign Legion Battalion (1915 – 1917)
War Diary: Foreign Legion Company (1917 – 1919)
War Diary: 1er RMA (1915 – 1919)
War Diary: 156th Infantry Division (1915 – 1919)
Les tirailleurs (Fr)
Mémorial Gen Web (Fr)
Google Maps
Wikipedia.org

 
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Learn about other Foreign Legion units:
Hohenlohe Regiment (1815-1831)
1863 Battle of Camerone
Franco-Prussian War 1870-1871
Second Franco-Dahomean War 1892-1894
Foreign Legion in Madagascar 1947-1951
1954 Battle of Dien Bien Phu

 
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The page was updated on: March 15, 2025

 

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