Between 1939 and 1945, the French Foreign Legion fought on nearly every front of the Second World War – from Norway and France to North Africa, the Middle East, Italy, mainland Europe, and the jungles of Indochina. As a professional force composed almost entirely of foreign volunteers, the Legion served under both Vichy and Free French authorities, endured shifting political loyalties, and suffered heavy losses in some of the most demanding campaigns of the conflict. This article traces the Legion’s complex role during the war, its internal transformations, battlefield engagements, and the legacy it carried into the postwar world.
Foreign Legion in late 1939
On the eve of World War II, the French Foreign Legion – founded in 1831 – stood as one of the most experienced and respected components of the French Army. Known for its toughness, discipline, and mystique, the Legion was above all an elite combat force capable of deploying to any corner of the world. Over the course of a century, it had earned a formidable reputation in French military campaigns across North Africa, Italy, Mexico, France, Indochina, West Africa, Madagascar, the Balkans, and the Middle East. Its prestige reached new heights during World War I, when its consolidated regiment – the famous RMLE – became the most decorated French unit by the end of the conflict in 1918.
Following the First World War, the Legion underwent extensive reorganization. In addition to two new infantry regiments, a cavalry regiment was established, and engineering and even artillery units were added to meet evolving military needs. The legionnaires played a prominent role in completing the pacification of Morocco, a campaign that concluded in 1934.
By 1939, the Legion’s main bases were located in French North Africa, with its headquarters in Sidi Bel Abbès, Algeria. Its structure reflected colonial realities. The Legion was dominated by light infantry regiments, while its once-elite mounted companies equipped with mules were gradually transitioning into motorized units.
By the late 1930s, the Legion numbered approximately 25,000 men from over 30 nationalities. While German-speaking volunteers had made up over half of the ranks a decade earlier, this changed dramatically after Hitler’s rise to power in 1933. By 1939, Germans and Austrians comprised just over 20% of the Legion, while the number of French legionnaires had nearly tripled to more than 30%. The rest came primarily from Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Russia, Italy, and other parts of Europe. Non-European volunteers made up only a small fraction.
Many of these men were veterans of the Great War. Others were adventurers, political exiles fleeing fascism or communism, victims of the global economic crisis of the late 1920s and early 1930s, or men simply seeking a new beginning. Daily life in the Legion was structured by strict hierarchy and iron discipline, with French as the official language.
The Legion in late 1939 was divided into six infantry regiments and two cavalry regiments. A typical infantry regiment consisted of three battalions with about 3,000 men in total. Cavalry regiments fielded three to five squadrons, both horse-mounted and motorized, with 500 to 1,000 troopers. Most units were stationed in Morocco, with others deployed across Algeria, Tunisia, the Levant (Syria and Lebanon), and Indochina. Their mission was to protect French interests, maintain order, and develop military and transport infrastructure – including roads, railways, and bridges. For decades, legionnaires were known as soldats et bâtisseurs – soldiers and builders – in the tradition of their Roman forerunners.
In July 1939, legionnaires paraded in Paris, their white kepis unveiled to spectators for the first time, though they were already commonly worn in Africa. To the French public and the outside world alike, the Legion was viewed as a strange, hardened elite, surrounded by legend. Tales of anonymity, constant combat deployment, and unforgiving discipline made it both romanticized and feared. For some, it was a last refuge; for others, a powerful instrument of French imperial reach. In any case, it was a force deeply embedded in the structure and prestige of the French military – and notably, the only French formation composed entirely of professional soldiers, without drafted conscripts.
With its rich colonial experience, multinational ranks, and strong internal culture, the Foreign Legion entered the fall of 1939 on the brink of a war that would draw its men into battles across Europe, Africa, and Asia – leaving an indelible mark on the military history of the 20th century.
Early Battles in France and Norway (1940)
In early September 1939, Hitler’s forces invaded Poland. In response, France and Britain declared war on Germany. During the general mobilization, thousands of foreign volunteers reported to French recruitment centers, continuing France’s long tradition of enlisting international defenders. Orders were issued to form temporary units composed of these wartime volunteers. For administrative purposes, they were integrated into the Foreign Legion.
A Legion center was established in Sathonay, near Lyon, to manage the recruitment, equipping, training, and administration of these men, known as EVDG (Engagés Volontaires pour la Durée de la Guerre). Nearby, at La Valbonne, two provisional regiments – 11e REI and 12e REI – were formed from these volunteers and Legion cadres.
Both regiments fought in the Battle of France, which unfolded over May and June 1940. The 11e REI distinguished itself in fierce combat at Inor Wood, Void, and Saint-Germain-sur-Meuse, where its commander famously ordered the regimental flag – the only one officially issued to a volunteer unit fighting for France in 1940 – to be burned to prevent it from falling into enemy hands. This act remains unparalleled in the annals of the Foreign Legion.
The 12e REI earned its place in history through intense fighting at Soissons and during the southward retreat, losing 90% of its men.
Meanwhile, at Camp du Barcarès in southwestern France, three foreign volunteer regiments were also being organized: the 21e, 22e, and 23e RMVE. These units were composed of men from 47 nationalities, including Jewish refugees from Central and Eastern Europe and Spanish Republicans who had fled Franco’s victory in the Spanish Civil War. Though poorly equipped, they fought valiantly in battles in the Verdun and Somme regions, around the Argonne Forest, and near Soissons.
By spring 1940, bolstered by volunteer forces and recalled reservists, the Legion reached a wartime peak of 48,800 men – a number it never surpassed, even at the height of the Indochina War a decade later.
In addition to these volunteer-based units, regular Legion formations also saw early action. In Tunisia, cavalrymen from the 1er REC and 2e REC, together with volunteers from the DCRE, formed a regiment-sized reconnaissance group known as GRD 97. The group fought from the Somme to the Dordogne, suffering devastating losses – including its commander, Lt. Colonel Lacombe de la Tour, the highest-ranking Legion officer killed in this phase of the war. A squadron from the GRD later took part in the defense of Lyon alongside the Legion’s Sathonay Depot Marching Battalion.
Another key unit was the 13e DBMLE (Demi-brigade de marche), formed in Algeria in February 1940. Composed of volunteers from four Legion infantry regiments in North Africa, it was the Legion’s first formation trained for mountain and winter warfare. Initially intended to support Finland in the Winter War, the unit was redirected to Norway, where legionnaires fought with distinction at Narvik and Bjerkvik, contributing to the first Allied victory over German forces in World War II.
However, the German offensive in May 1940 forced the Allies to withdraw from Norway. France fell soon after, as German armor bypassed the vaunted Maginot Line via the Ardennes. On June 22, an armistice was signed. The country was divided into German- and French-administered zones, and the French Army was drastically downsized. The Foreign Legion alone was reduced to around 20,000 men; the 4e REI and 2e REC were inactivated.
The surviving members of the Legion left France and returned to colonial garrisons, where they resumed prewar duties such as maintaining order and building infrastructure. However, they now operated under German and Italian supervision, with regular inspections. German nationals in the Legion were offered the option to transfer to the Wehrmacht – an offer only a few accepted. German and Jewish legionnaires who had joined the Legion before the war to escape Nazi persecution were quietly reassigned to remote outposts. To avoid detection, they were often given false nationalities.
With the dissolution of the EVDG units following the armistice, most wartime volunteers were demobilized. Many, especially Spanish Republicans and Jewish refugees, ended up in forced labor or internment camps, while others escaped to Britain to join Allied forces in the fight against Nazi Germany.
Between Two Flags: Rise of Free France (1940–1942)
In mid-1940, as France collapsed under the weight of the German invasion, French forces that had taken part in the Norwegian campaign – including the 13e DBMLE – found themselves in Britain. General Charles de Gaulle, who had also arrived in London, called on these troops to continue the fight against Nazi Germany under British command. Of the roughly 14,000 French soldiers present, just over 1,000 accepted the offer. Most were legionnaires from the 13e DBMLE, primarily Poles, Czechoslovaks, and Jews who feared reprisals if returned to Axis-controlled France.
Thus, the Free French Forces (Forces Françaises Libres, FFL) were born. Their core was the newly formed 14e DBMLE, while the remainder of the original 13e DBMLE returned to its African garrisons.
Though Free France was meant to show that some French were still willing to fight, reality proved more complicated. France and its army had just suffered a swift and crushing defeat in a five-week campaign. German forces had demonstrated overwhelming superiority in heavy artillery and, above all, mechanized infantry – a tool of a new, fast-moving form of warfare. British forces, criticized by many French commanders for their rapid withdrawal through Dunkirk, only added to the sense of abandonment.
French bitterness toward Britain deepened after the Royal Navy bombarded the French fleet at Mers-el-Kébir, near Oran in Algeria, in early July 1940 – just two weeks after de Gaulle’s appeal. Nearly 1,300 French sailors died, and three battleships were destroyed or disabled. The attack reignited centuries-old rivalries between the two nations. For many in France, joining the British was now seen as treason. At the same time, those in Free France viewed loyalists to Pétain’s Vichy regime as collaborators with Germans. These mutual resentments – particularly among military professionals – would cast a long shadow over the rest of the war, and well into the postwar years.
This tension shaped early Free French operations in Africa. Lieutenant Colonel Magrin-Vernerey, the original commander of the 13e DBMLE and briefly of the 14e DBMLE, resigned in protest, refusing to lead his legionnaires against fellow French troops.
In late August, now under Lieutenant Colonel Cazaud, the 14e DBMLE left England for West and Equatorial Africa. They first sailed to Senegal, participating in the failed naval Battle of Dakar. They then moved on to Cameroon, which voluntarily joined Free France, and finally to Gabon, where they saw their first combat against other French soldiers. Later, the unit dropped the word “marching” and reverted to its original number, becoming the 13e DBLE.
The 13th Demi-brigade then joined British operations in East Africa and the Middle East. In early 1941, the unit fought with distinction in Eritrea, notably at Keren and Massawa, against Italian forces allied with Germany. From there, the 13e DBLE deployed to the Levant, where it faced French colonial troops – including legionnaires of the 6e REI – during the British-led invasion of Syria and Lebanon (June–July 1941).
Though poorly equipped for modern warfare, the 6e REI fought fiercely against Commonwealth troops, primarily Australians. The legionnaires engaged in major actions at Jezzine, Jadra, Damour, and especially during the Battle of Merdjayoun on June 19, where dozens of Australian soldiers were captured. In Palmyra, the regiment’s 15th Company held off British assaults for nearly two weeks despite being greatly outnumbered.
Regardless of their courage, the 6e REI legionnaires eventually suffered heavy casualties and were forced to withdraw. After a mid-July ceasefire, the regiment was transferred to Algeria, where it was reorganized in early 1942 as the 1er REI.
Meanwhile, defections by captured soldiers, including 6e REI men, enabled the single-battalion 13e DBLE to expand into a three-battalion structure. In 1942, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Dimitri Amilakvari, the unit fought in the Libyan campaign, helping to halt Rommel’s Panzer Group Africa at Bir Hakeim in May–June. The 13e DBLE’s fierce resistance there became one of the most celebrated actions in the history of Free France.
In October 1942, the demi-brigade took part in the decisive Second Battle of El Alamein in Egypt – the first major Allied offensive against Axis forces since the beginning of the war. Although the victory was significant, it came at a high cost. Lieutenant Colonel Amilakvari, a respected leader, was killed in action.
In a striking twist, Amilakvari’s older brother Constantin, a 13-year Foreign Legion veteran, had joined the Legion of French Volunteers Against Bolshevism (LVF) and fought alongside the Germans on the Eastern Front. He was wounded and died in 1943 – at a time when the LVF was led by a former Foreign Legion officer and included other ex-legionnaires.
North Africa and Reorganization (1942–1943)
In April 1941, in Sidi Bel Abbès in Algeria, the Foreign Legion buried its first “Father” – the popular General Paul-Frédéric Rollet – who shaped its modern identity.
Otherwise, the situation in French North Africa remained relatively calm until November 1942, when the United States launched Operation Torch – its first major combat engagement of World War II – with the goal of invading this key Vichy-controlled territory. Legion units – including the 3e REI and artillery batteries – were among the French defenders. A 1944 U.S. Navy report analyzing the landings noted that “the professional soldiers of the Foreign Legion” were the only French forces to put up stiff resistance. Although other French units also fought bravely, the Legion’s actions stood out.
The success of the landings reshaped the political landscape. French authorities in North Africa soon joined the Allies and prepared for the upcoming campaign in Tunisia, where Axis forces had retreated after their defeat in Egypt.
The campaign, launched in early 1943, marked a decisive shift in the war, with significant involvement from various Foreign Legion units. Among them was again the 3e REI, one of France’s two most decorated regiments, which suffered severe losses during intense January fighting at Oued El Kebir, near the Djebel Mansour range, against the mechanized Afrika Korps of Field Marshal Rommel. Fighting alongside them, the 1er REC’s Autonomous Motorized Group also sustained heavy casualties in battles at Foum El Gouafel and on the Mausoleum plain.
In February, a battalion of the 1er REI (ex-6e REI) was also engaged in Djebel Mansour, where its 2nd Company was nearly annihilated. After a brutal engagement against an entire German regiment, only 14 able-bodied men survived.
Due to mounting casualties, the Legion was forced to consolidate. In March 1943, the 2e REI – the oldest serving Legion regiment – was disbanded to reinforce the shattered 3e REI.
In April, the 1er REI battalion was merged with the two-battalion 4e DBLE, which had been serving under the banner of the inactivated 4e REI in Senegal since late 1941. Together, they formed the 1er REI de Marche (1er REIM). This marching regiment was soon engaged in some of the fiercest battles of the Tunisian campaign – in the Djebels Mansour, Rhian, and Alliliga, at Sidi Abd El Kerim, and most notably in the the Pont de Fahs plain. The regiment also saw action in the Djebel Oust and Djebel Zaghouan, where German and Italian forces ultimately surrendered en masse.
Fighting alongside them were the men of the reformed 3e REI, operating under the title 3e REIM, who also played a role in the final clashes in the Djebel Zaghouan.
Foreign Legion support elements were active throughout the campaign. These included two Saharan artillery batteries (BSPL), the Saharan Motorized Company (which would later become the 1re CSPL), and the 1re CMP, a semi-autonomous motorized company of the 1er REI. Their mission was to guard the Algerian–Tunisian border and prevent Axis forces from escaping westward.
In early May, the 13e DBLE battalions – recently reorganized and redeployed from Libya – joined the fight and seized the Djebel Garci. By May 13, 1943, Axis defenses across Tunisia had collapsed. All remaining German and Italian forces surrendered, bringing the war in Africa to an end.
The cost of victory, however, was high. With manpower severely depleted, the Foreign Legion underwent major reorganization. By mid-1943, the 1er REI and 3e REI were officially disbanded, following the earlier dissolution of the 2e REI. In their place, the Foreign Legion Marching Regiment (RMLE) was created – a single, consolidated fighting force that carried the name and legacy of its highly decorated World War I predecessor.
As of July 1, 1943, the active strength of the Legion stood at no more than 10,000 men. Most served with the RMLE and 1er REC in Morocco, the DCRE in Algeria, and the 5e REI in Indochina. In addition, Morocco was home to the Foreign Legion Autonomous Artillery Group (GAAL), three semi-autonomous motorized companies, and the last two mounted companies still using mules. All these units were grouped administratively under the rear base of the 3e REI in Fez. Although the regiment had been formally disbanded, its name and traditions lived on, including these legionnaires wearing the regiment’s prestigious double fourragère.
In the Algerian Sahara, other Legion elements remained active: the 1re CSPL, the Disciplinary Company, and the two BSPL batteries. However, these batteries were officially disbanded later in 1943.
Back to Europe: Corsica, Elba, and Italy (1943–1944)
After the final Axis surrender in North Africa, the Allies turned their attention to Europe. French North Africa now served as a staging ground for the liberation of the continent. To prepare for this, the United States and Britain began reorganizing French military forces stationed in the region. Among the new formations created were elite airborne units.
The first of these was the Bataillon de Choc (Shock Battalion), established in May 1943. It was composed of volunteers and modeled on British SAS commandos. The unit was commanded by Major Gambiez, a former Foreign Legion officer. A detachment of about forty legionnaires was among its earliest members, marking them the first legionnaires-paratroopers. They played a crucial role in shaping the battalion’s identity and capabilities.
Later that year, the battalion helped liberate Corsica, a strategically vital Mediterranean island. It became the first French department to be freed by the Allies.
In 1944, these commando-trained legionnaires participated in the Italian Campaign, contributing to the capture of Elba Island, situated between Corsica and mainland Italy.
Meanwhile, the 13e DBLE – again operating as a two-battalion unit – was also deployed to Italy. As part of the French Expeditionary Corps, it fought heavily between Naples and Radicofani, a hilltop fortress north of Rome. Their combat operations took place primarily from May to June 1944.
At the same time, the first official drafts from Legion headquarters in Algeria began arriving to reinforce the 13e DBLE. This transfer marked an important recognition: the demi-brigade was now fully embraced as a formal part of the Foreign Legion.
Liberation of France and the End of the War (1944–1945)
After months of reorganization and rearmament with modern American equipment, French forces in North Africa – including the RMLE and 1er REC of the Foreign Legion – prepared for the Allied invasion of mainland Europe. Their mission was Operation Dragoon, the Allied landing in southern France, launched in August 1944, two months after the D-Day invasion in Normandy. For the Legion, the liberation of France had begun.
The 13e DBLE was among the first French troops to land. In the weeks that followed, Toulon and Marseille were liberated, followed by Avignon, Lyon, Autun, Dijon, and other key cities. In October 1944, the regiment’s 3rd Battalion was officially reactivated.
Meanwhile, the RMLE and 1er REC landed in Provence and advanced northward. The three-battalion RMLE, operating under the regimental colors of the 3e REI, served as a motorized infantry regiment within the 5th Armored Division (5e DB) of the French 1st Army. The six-squadron 1er REC acted as the division’s reconnaissance regiment. Together, they pushed up the Rhône Valley toward Alsace in the northeast.
From November 1944 to January 1945, the Legion units fought brutal engagements in the Vosges Mountains under harsh winter conditions, mainly around Belfort. German forces mounted constant counterattacks, but the legionnaires advanced steadily and drove the enemy out of French territory.
In late December, the 13e DBLE was redeployed across France to the Atlantic coast to assault the German stronghold at Pointe de Grave.
From mid-January to early February 1945, all three Legion units helped reduce the Colmar Pocket, a major German holdout in central Alsace.
In April 1945, the RMLE and 1er REC crossed the Rhine River into Germany and advanced toward Karlsruhe and Stuttgart, capturing towns such as Pforzheim, Freudenstadt, Tübingen, Reutlingen, and Sigmaringen. On April 29, a single platoon from the 1er REC’s 2nd Squadron secured the surrender of 1,200 Axis soldiers in Friedrichshafen.
In early May, both units advanced into Austria, crossing the Arlberg mountain pass while facing fierce resistance from SS troops. On May 5, Legion elements of the 1er REC captured Minister von Neurath, along with Generals von Mackensen and von Bosch.
At the same time, the 13e DBLE was fighting further south in the Authion massif, a rugged mountain range along the Franco-Italian border. There, the unit engaged German and Italian troops entrenched in a series of fortified peaks. The final assault brought the demi-brigade across the border into Italy, where they were halted only by Germany’s unconditional surrender on May 8, 1945 – marking the official end of World War II in Europe.
Among the many honors awarded to Legion units during the European campaign was the U.S. Distinguished Unit Citation, presented to the RMLE with the inscription “Rhine–Bavarian Alps” for its role in the final Allied advance.
By mid-August 1945, all three Legion units had returned to North Africa. The RMLE, stationed in Fez, Morocco, was redesignated as the 3e REI once more – continuing its legacy as the second most decorated unit in the French Army. The 1er REC also returned to Morocco, while the 13e DBLE was stationed in Tunisia. In the following months, they began rebuilding their ranks, a solemn reminder of the heavy cost of liberating France.
Indochina: Isolation, Collapse, and Retreat (1939–1946)
The French Foreign Legion had a long-standing presence in Southeast Asia well before World War II. Its involvement in Indochina began in 1883, when the first legionnaires arrived in Tonkin (now northern Vietnam) to support French colonial campaigns. Over the following decades, Legion units took part in military operations against insurgents and bandits, secured the border with China, and built roads, outposts, and other infrastructure across rugged jungle terrain.
After World War I, the Legion’s role in French Indochina (Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos) was strengthened once again, leading to the creation of the 5th Foreign Infantry Regiment (5e REI) in 1930. Known as the “Regiment of Tonkin,” the unit was composed of seasoned legionnaires rotating from North Africa on two- to three-year tours, finding service in the region more favorable than the harsh deserts of Morocco or Algeria.
When World War II broke out in Europe in September 1939, the 5e REI remained active in northern Vietnam, tasked with building fortifications and maintaining order. But by June 1940, the collapse of France and the establishment of the collaborationist Vichy regime dramatically altered the political landscape. It was in this tense and uncertain context that the 5e REI was drawn into the Second World War.
In September 1940, Japanese troops – Nazi Germany’s allies – entered Tonkin and occupied Lang Son. Initial clashes with the regiment’s 2nd Battalion were limited, but a political agreement permitted Japan to station tens of thousands of soldiers across the colony, effectively curtailing France’s sovereignty.
Soon after, the regiment faced an additional threat. In January 1941, its 1st and 3rd Battalions fought in Cambodia during the brief but intense Franco–Thai War. In the pivotal Battle of Phum-Preav, the 3rd Battalion resisted a Thai assault supported by tanks and aircraft, earning high distinction despite heavy casualties.
From late 1941, the 5e REI operated in relative isolation under Vichy authority, with no contact with Legion headquarters. A British naval blockade prevented the 5e REI’s men from returning to Africa. At the same time, the unit was cut off from new reinforcements and supplies. The regiment lived in forced self-reliance – training, maintaining garrisons, and policing the territory under increasing Japanese oversight.
This uneasy calm collapsed in March 1945, when Japan, seeing the situation in Europe and fearing a possible French uprising, launched a coordinated coup d’état across Indochina. The 5e REI’s positions were overwhelmed in bloody assaults at Lang Son, Ha Giang, Hanoi, and Vinh, where entire Legion units were destroyed with unprecedented brutality. In Tong, several senior officers – including the deputy commander – were killed or wounded.
Under the leadership of General Alessandri, who had commanded the regiment between 1941 and 1943, surviving 5e REI legionnaires undertook a desperate retreat through the jungle toward China. Over the course of 93 days and more than 800 miles, constantly pursued by the Japanese, they endured combat, disease, and starvation. On June 30, 1945, the decimated regiment was officially inactivated in Tsao Pa, China.
In a largely forgotten chapter of the regiment’s history, the Americans supported the creation of a small Legion parachute platoon in China in 1945, comprising 5e REI survivors. If these men had earned parachute badges, they might have become the first officially recognized parachute unit of the Legion. However, although fully trained, the war ended before they could make their first jump.
Surviving elements formed two provisional battalions – BM 5 and BFC 5 – which briefly resumed operations after Japan’s surrender in September 1945, marking the end of World War II. These units supported France’s attempt to reassert control over Indochina by confronting a rising local insurgency demanding an end to French colonial rule – laying the foundation for what would soon become the First Indochina War.
By late 1946, the provisional battalions were dissolved. In January 1947, almost two years after World War II had ended in Europe, the last veterans of the 5e REI left Southeast Asia and returned to North Africa. Their long odyssey – spanning jungle warfare, massacres, and the longest fighting retreat in Legion history – had finally come to an end.
Conclusion
During the Second World War, the French Foreign Legion found itself torn between two Frances – one that had surrendered, and one that chose to resist. Its men fought not only against external enemies but sometimes against fellow Frenchmen, caught in the moral ambiguity of civil conflict under the shadow of occupation and collaboration. Despite these contradictions, the Legion never ceased to be what it had always been – a professional force, whose men served with honor and fidelity, fulfilling their missions even at the cost of their own lives.
In the greatest conflict in modern history, where thousands of legionnaires had fallen and entire regiments had been lost, the Legion preserved its identity and fighting spirit, even when the politics surrounding it were fractured and unclear. At the end of the war, its legionnaires marched triumphantly through Paris, cementing their legend as the elite pillar of the French Army. But for these men, the fighting was far from over. A decade of fierce struggles in Indochina loomed on the horizon.
———
Main information sources:
Képi blanc magazines
Vert et Rouge magazines
J. Brunon, G.-R. Manue, P. Carles: Le Livre d’Or de la Légion (Charles-Lavauzelle, 1976)
Henri Le Mire: L’épopée moderne de la Légion 1940-1976 (SPL, 1978)
Pierre Dufour: La Légion au combat 1939-1945 (Jean Pierre Taillandier, 1990)
P. Cart-Tanneur, Tibor Szecsko: Le 4eme Etranger (Editions B.I.P., 1987)
P. Cart-Tanneur, Tibor Szecsko: La vieille garde (Editions B.I.P., 1987)
Pierre Montagnon: Histoire de la Légion de 1831 a nos jours (Pygmalion, 1999)
Douglas Porch: The French Foreign Legion: A Complete History (Skyhorse Publishing, 2010)
Wikipedia.org
———
———
Learn more about the Foreign Legion history:
Legionnaires paratroopers in WWII
1863 Battle of Camerone
Second Franco-Dahomean War 1892-1894
Foreign Legion in the Balkans: 1915-1919
Foreign Legion in Madagascar 1947-1951
1954 Battle of Dien Bien Phu
1978 Battle of Kolwezi
———
The page was updated on: May 24, 2025