In July 2019, a new book dedicated to the French Foreign Legion and its history was released: The Tigers of Tonkin – The History of the French Foreign Legion in Indochina 1883-1945. This great book is an original work of Andrew J. Mitchell, an Irish amateur historian and a well-known Foreign Legion insignia collector.
Andrew J. Mitchell is the very first English-speaking author to map thoroughly an initial history of the famous Foreign Legion in Indochina. Since the Legion’s arrival in 1883 until 1945, when the original units faced the blooded Japanese coup d’état and had to fight their way to China, before their final repatriation to North Africa in late 1946. The author presents the Legion’s battles against the Chinese and local rebels in the late 19th century and military actions against pirates, rebels, nationalists and communists in the 20th century, ending with the sad destruction of the original 5e REI.
He also covers the important pacification and construction works in French Indochina conducted by legionnaires. As well as their daily life in the then “paradise”, so different from the hot, inhospitable desert places of North Africa campaigns. The book is supplemented with more than 70 rare, unpublished photos from the author’s archive.
Andrew J. Mitchell is the only civilian member of the A.A.L.E.I., the official association of Irish former legionnaires. As he stated, he had waited for a long time for such a book, before sitting down and writing it himself during the last three years. He hope to write other books dedicated to the Foreign Legion. An owner of very rare Foreign Legion photographs and a passionate insignia collector, Andrew J. Mitchell is the administrator of the page called Collecting French Foreign Legion Badges.
The book is self-published by Andrew J. Mitchell. Readers interested in the less-known history of the Foreign Legion in Indochina before 1945, they can get it here:
The Tigers of Tonkin – French Foreign Legion in Indochina 1883-1945
Realated posts:
Knut Flovik Thoresen: Norwegians in the Foreign Legion from 1831 until 2017