French Foreign Legion information. An online project dedicated to the famous Foreign Legion.
40 years ago, in late June 1984, one of the largest companies of the then-French Army, CRTRLE, was disbanded. A road building unit comprising legionnaires, it was transformed the following day, July 1, into an engineer regiment, first Foreign Legion regiment to bear this designation. The new regiment quickly distinguished itself during deployments in Chad, Iraq, Cambodia, and the former Yugoslavia.
Read more40 years ago: Foreign Legion’s first engineering regiment was activated
With the conflict in Ukraine, a long-neglected component of Western armies, artillery, has once again stepped to the fore. It might come as a surprise to many Foreign Legion enthusiasts that a 1920 law allowed the Foreign Legion to establish, along with a cavalry regiment, also a separate artillery regiment. Equally surprising might be the fact that, in 1941, the legionnaires probably served in as many as 11 artillery batteries at the same time. The last of these units were disbanded 80 years ago, in 1944.
Read more80 years ago: Foreign Legion’s last artillery batteries were disbanded
Knowing about some nice Foreign Legion images in my archive, or in archives of my friends, I decided to share them with you here, from time to time. Although they may not be the most beautiful pictures of the Legion you’ve ever seen, I hope you still enjoy them.
See a freshly reworked article dedicated to history of an exeptional Foreign Legion unit. This unit became the only Foreign Legion regiment to be ever established in the Middle East. To be more precise, in the Levant, which means current Syria and Lebanon. Nicknamed Regiment of the Levant, the unit was born in early October 1939, not long after the Second World War had started. In 1941, its legionnaires took part in the little-known and sad Syria–Lebanon campaign. They faced an invasion of British troops, their former Allies, supported by a small number of French elements fighting within the British Army, including former legionnaires. Because of this campaign, the regiment would be seen as a controversial unit representing the old French Empire of the 19th century, which came to an end in November 1942.
Read more80 years ago: In Syria, a Foreign Legion regiment was born
Syria, Homs, Damascus. Names we are hearing regularly in these days of 2012-13. It is very interesting to discover the French Foreign Legion and its legionnaires were serving at these places for decades. In 1939, the Legion units serving in Syria were transformed into the 6th Foreign Infantry Regiment and just based at Homs and Damascus. In 1941, it was the only Foreign Legion regiment which remained loyal to the French Vichy regime (cooperating with Hitler). See the very little known history and some photos of the 6th Foreign Infantry Regiment.
Read moreFrench Foreign Legion in Syria – the 6th Foreign Infantry Regiment