Andrew J. Mitchell: Collecting French Foreign Legion Insignia – Parachute Units 1948-61

Right in time for Christmas 2022, a new English-written book dedicated to the French Foreign Legion was released: Collecting French Foreign Legion Insignia, Volume III – Part I, Parachute Units 1948-61. This is a new original work of Andrew J. Mitchell, an Irish amateur historian and a Foreign Legion insignia collector.

Collecting French Foreign Legion Badges, Volume III – Part I represents another work for Foreign Legion insignia collectors that covers in detail the history and official insignia of the Legion parachute units during the First Indochina War, as well as the 1st Foreign Parachute Regiment (1er REP) during the war in Algeria. According to the author, this third fervently anticipated volume detours slightly from the path which the previous two volumes took. Insomuch that it delves into the battles undertaken by the paratroopers with the first English language histories of the 1er BEP, 2e BEP, 3e BEP and 1er REP. With supplementary information on the more obscure Legion airborne units and commandos.

Andrew uniquely combines the often fragmented history together with unpublished photos from private collections and documents from the Drago insignia manufacturing company files. Additionally, the most complete array of Legion paratrooper insignia has been laid out for enthusiastic collectors to diligently study, including some of the official restrikes.

It should be noted that the 2e REP (created in December 1955), is excluded from this work; the entire Part II is planned to be dedicated to this unit.

Andrew J. Mitchell is currently the only civilian member of the A.A.L.E.I., the official association of Irish former legionnaires, and serves as their historian. A passionate insignia collector and an owner of rare Foreign Legion photographs, he also administrates the Facebook page called Collecting French Foreign Legion Badges.

His new hardcover book contains 110+ pages, topped off with dozens of rare, never seen in public photos. Here are some samples (click on to enlarge them):

The book is self-published by the author. It is currently available on Blurb. You can find it in the link below, including a nice preview:

Collecting French Foreign Legion Insignia – Parachute Units 1948-61

 
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If you are interested in other works of Andrew J. Mitchell, see our older posts in the following section.

 

Realated posts:
Andrew J. Mitchell: Collecting French Foreign Legion Insignia – 2nd Foreign Regiment
Andrew J. Mitchell: Collecting French Foreign Legion Insignia – 1st Foreign Regiment
Andrew J. Mitchell: Pictorial History of the French Foreign Legion in Indochina, 1927-1945
Andrew J. Mitchell: The Tigers of Tonkin