What is a legion in France? Legion of Assassins
Advice for those wishing to join the French Foreign Legion and serve in it
These tips were written from the words of Russians who served in the legionnaire, and they should greatly help those who decide to become a legionnaire.
How to get into the Legion.
Do not trust travel agencies that promise to make you a legionnaire. Most likely, you will be deceived and, at best, they will take you to France, “ripping you off like a stick.” It is best to prepare your passport in advance and obtain a pre-visa from the French embassy or consulate for an independent “tourist” trip. A visa to one of the European Union countries will also work due to the open borders between them. You can go on a tour of France through one of the travel agencies, but under no circumstances talk about your real purpose of visiting this country. Otherwise, instead of serving in the Legion, you may be subject to the corresponding Article 359 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. If you are not a complete layman, then, of course, it won’t cost you anything to avoid punishment, but still, why such complications? Moreover, you should not believe that some companies will be able to guarantee you admission to the Legion. No one can guarantee this to you except the legion authorities themselves. Some people fall for the offers of other travel agencies, which swear to those who want to become a legionnaire that if he does not arrive, they will take him home at the expense of the money already paid for delivery to Europe. Do not believe this, because enrollment as a legionnaire sometimes lasts up to 3 months, and by this time the travel agency will have already forgotten about your existence. Upon arrival in France, you need to find a Legion reception point. It is best to come to Strasbourg or Marseille. Its large depots are located there. It goes without saying that a person who has never been to these cities himself, without outside help, will not be able to find such points. But this is not a problem: just say or show the phrase written on a piece of paper: “Legion Etrangere” to any taxi driver and they will certainly take you there. If you don’t have money, you can contact the police and then they can take you to the Legion point at government expense, although this is not suitable for everyone and instead of the Legion you can, at best, end up at home. You can try to find the location of a regular French military unit and declare at the reception point the purpose of your visit. To find such a part, you need to pay attention to the signs. If you see: “0uartier”, “Fort” or “Camp”, then you are on the right track. What you should and should not do when thinking about the decision to go to the Legion. Under no circumstances bring any narcotic or narcotic substances with you to the reception center and then, if you are accepted into the Legionnaires. If you are found to have even a small fraction of a gram of the potion, you can say goodbye to the idea of becoming a legionnaire forever. What is important here is not the amount of “stupidity” detected, but the fact that you have a certain tendency towards it. For the same reason, it is not recommended to take any medications with you. They can be determined by their analyzes as belonging to the narcotic group. You don’t have to worry about your health in the Legion: local doctors, unlike the previous times of the Legion, are responsible for you and “will not let you die,” unless this is the specific conditions of the colonies. Before sending to the Legion, thoroughly check with as many doctors as possible, starting with an ophthalmologist and a dentist. This is for your own good. The fact is that otherwise, due to the slightest deviation in health, even such trifles as a hole in a tooth or a scar on the knee, you may be sent back home. This is at best, and at worst, if you managed to hide some serious illness, this threatens you with the fact that you can worsen your health condition and even die if you end up in the desert or jungle. If you have even a hint of some disease, even a seemingly trivial one, it is better not to waste your money and time. Sooner or later it will manifest itself, and it will happen at the most inopportune moment. Before heading to the Legion, it is better to stock up on the most comfortable sports shoes for you, which will be very useful during physical exercise. Be prepared for the fact that you will have to live for a long time, at least up to 3 years, and possibly forever, under a different name, under a different surname, have a different day, month and place of birth, a different nationality and people completely unfamiliar to you as parents.
How to behave immediately outside the gates of the Legion reception point
First, show your official documents to those interrogating you. This could be a foreign passport, driver's license, etc. Even if it is a fake, it can still easily help. Behave as sincerely and decently as possible. At the first stage, no one needs your “coolness” here, and such people are quickly and gladly “broken off”. Some people are trying to pump up their rights from the first step onto the threshold of the Legion reception center, demanding to be let through. Such overly arrogant types are not given the honor of even being listened to. One of the first questions asked of you here may be about your nationality. Don’t hesitate and boldly say that you are Russian, although you will have a better chance of becoming a legionnaire if you are a representative of another, preferably the most obscure, nationality. The fact is that the command of the Legion is pursuing a policy of preventing dominance here by one or another nationality. But Russians are in good standing here, so there is nothing to be afraid of belonging to our nation. Don’t give up if they start telling you that there is an overabundance of Russians here and that they are not accepted now. This is a lie and at the same time a “test of character.” Stand your ground and you will soon be cleared for further testing. Speaking about this, it should be noted that in order to become a legionnaire, you also need luck. The fact is that if a thousand Russians and 20 French came to the reception point, and there were, say, 4 places, at best, 2 Russians and 2 French would take, regardless of their fighting qualities. It would not be surprising if next time 1 Russian and 3 French were selected from this number, so that there would be a ratio in favor of the French, who are recorded here mainly as Swiss and Canadians. The fact is that Western Europeans do not get along here for very long, even against the general background, and the Slavs, mainly Russians, stick around mainly because of the desire to get money or citizenship. Therefore, the number of Russians here is steadily increasing, not decreasing. That is why the legion authorities are forced to “level” the number of legionnaires of different nations. If you want to become a legionnaire, you must remember that the first six months will be continuous physical, mental and moral torment for you. And this is regardless of who you were “in a past life,” even a colonel-order bearer of special forces and a professional soldier. This will be noted when filling out the form and will be registered. However, it will take time for your best qualities to be revealed here, and at first everyone here will look the same. You need to be prepared at first for the most difficult and dirty work - from cleaning toilets to working as a loader. Do not even think about refusing such work, unless, of course, you want to lose your service in the Legion. True, refusal to perform such work can also result in severe beatings, no matter how strong you are. In the Legion, even the “coolest” know how to break off horns,” over the almost 200-year history they have seen all sorts of things here. Remember that order is valued above all else here, and you need to clean the room you are in without warning and especially carefully. Remember that construction here is treated very jealously and any violations are punished quite harshly. So don’t be late for it, don’t even think about talking or making any movements without the permission of your commanders. Otherwise, at a minimum, you are guaranteed to be in a guardhouse and have a bad attitude from your superiors. Much attention is paid to hand-to-hand combat in the Legion. Its system here does not boil down to a long duel, as it used to be in the Soviet Army, but to destroying the enemy with a minimum number of blows. God forbid you, even if you are a master of sports in one of the types of martial arts, show your superiority over the instructors. The legion of self-confident people does not tolerate it, and they will certainly “put you down” by putting up a tougher one or tougher fighters at the same time, you can be sure of that.
Be prepared for constant hiking and training.
If in the Soviet and Russian armies many held weapons in their hands only a few times, here you will almost never let go of them, constantly improving your fire training. While hiking, you will constantly spend the night in the open air, cook for yourself, wash clothes, pitch tents or hang hammocks. The legion of white hands will not tolerate this, so be prepared for this. You should also consider whether you can jokingly do 50 push-ups if the sergeant, for example, did not like the way your boots were polished; will you be able to tolerate undeserved beatings and just kicks if the bosses don’t like the pace of cleaning the premises, etc. Remember that physical punishment of this kind in the Legion is not a violation of the regulations. If you come here only for money and for nothing else, then it will be doubly difficult for you to adapt here, and you will not survive here for more than 3 years. In addition, legionary service is contraindicated for “creative individuals.” In this case, the work of a legionnaire will be in conflict with your nature, and you will be forced to stop further service. Contract The future legionnaire needs to know as much information as possible about the details of his imprisonment. It is concluded shortly after coming here, and a 5-year service period begins with it. But the future legionnaire should not delude himself too much: he is not yet in the service. The contract officially comes into force when the legionnaire takes the oath. First there is a preliminary contract of 6 months. During this period, the contract can be terminated by management without any explanation. The reason for this could be anything: you may fail various tests, show poor physical fitness or an inability to adapt to the conditions of the Legion, etc. But even after the expiration of the 6-month period, you should not think that you grabbed God by the beard and that after that you can do anything. The French Ministry of War has the right to terminate the contract with you even after 6 months before the expiration of the 5-year contract, when you are already figuring out how much you will receive for your long-suffering service. The legionnaire himself can easily terminate the contract within the first 4 months. It is more difficult to do this further, citing serious reasons, for example, poor health. The negative thing here is that a legionnaire cannot get married or buy cars for the first 5 years. It should be especially said about how the legion authorities encourage the longest possible service of a simple legionnaire and entice him, given the above-described naturalization procedure. If a person joins the Legion, then if he is determined to make a career as a legionnaire, he must remember that he receives French citizenship after 7 years, and he can apply for a bonus of 30 thousand euros after 8 years of service; he earns a pension of 1 thousand euros after 15 years of service, which, at the request of the legionnaire, will be delivered to any part of the world.
Exams and tests
In Aubagne, a new legionnaire begins a “stripe” of trials and tests that can last 2 months. The most important thing here is the running test. As legionnaires testify, “a person who manages to run 8 standard 400-meter laps at the stadium in 12 minutes has a 100 percent chance of admission. The closer a candidate is to this result, the higher his chances.” In general, be prepared for the fact that you will have to run 15 kilometers here every day. Those who show insufficiently high results in running and other indicators should know that all his efforts upon arrival at the Legion may be in vain and that he may be sent home very quickly without any compensation. The workload here is monstrous, and meeting legion standards even for very well-trained people is quite difficult. Former legionnaires write that even when they were already in the Legion, these loads not only did not decrease, but even increased. So, one day, after such exercises, the legionnaires had to engage in fire training, but they could not fire a single shot, because they fell asleep from incredible fatigue. It is important to pass other tests, the most important of which are the 10 test, the mental ability test, the quick thinking test, and the psychological test. Regarding the first, it must be said that it is better to practice with this type of tests at home, since textbooks with similar tests are available to anyone today. The highest score here is 20, but despite the fact that the level of an “average” person is 9-11 points, 7 or 8 is enough to become a legionnaire, but, as you know, the more, the better. Regarding the psychological test, it’s really “the difference between the two.” There is a selection method here, but, as you know, obvious psychopaths and people with mental disorders in general will not pass this test - you never know how you will behave in battle! But, as mentioned above, the main thing for admission to the Legion is excellent running, and all other tests are looked at through this prism. Even if your level 10 is close to zero and in addition you are a person with manic-depressive syndrome, but if you cover the above running indicators, you can consider yourself a legionnaire. Do not despair if, despite your high performance in tests and exams, you were not accepted and were told to come later, at such and such a time. There is almost 100% confidence that next time you will do it. The second visit will be considered positive for you in the future: the Legion values perseverance and perseverance in achieving a goal. There is another important test, language, but more on that below.
"Legend-biography"
Among those dreaming of becoming legionnaires, there is a widespread false belief that in order to be admitted to the Legion, one must invent some kind of beautiful “miracle legend.” As mentioned above, it is better not to lie and tell it like it is, unless, of course, you are a drug addict, a suicidal person or an international criminal. According to Russian legionnaires, there is no need to show that you are too smart. People like them here, as indeed everywhere else, are not very popular. It is better to seem like a kind of “hillbilly”, but a capable person, from whom you can mold everything that the legion authorities need. There is no need to hide the fact that you have already served in the military before. This is another erroneous opinion that those who have already passed the army are not accepted into the Legion. Another thing is that the combat experience you have already gained may not be in demand here, especially when fighting in urban conditions. The method of urban combat in the Legion has been worked out to the smallest detail, and it involves different methods of action than, for example, in the Russian army. On the other hand, a military man’s experience in everyday matters will undoubtedly help you adapt here better. Language In order to quickly adapt to the Legion, a legionnaire needs to learn the French language better and faster, and it is better to come to the legionnaires with its knowledge. Otherwise, he will be in big trouble and will not get promoted, which could lead to him being sent home early. We must also remember that communication between legionnaires in a language other than French is punishable here. Firstly, for the benefit of the legionnaire himself, so that he knows the language better, knowledge of which can subsequently, in combat conditions, save his life, and secondly, for reasons of tact. After all, it’s quite unpleasant when, in front of you, your partners, or even subordinates, deliberately speak a language that others do not understand. You need to get used to the fact that if your French is weak or “not at all”, then you will be given a French partner, a “binom”, with whom you will learn the language together, doing everything together. He will teach you “colloquial vocabulary”. Remember that in the Legion there is an incentive to “learn, study and study some more.” The better you have improved your language score from the moment you studied to the new testing using a 5-point system, the better off you are. This indicator will be included in the sum of the overall grades, and if your scores from the graduation are among the best, then you, among the lucky few, will be able to choose your place of service and 1 of the 10 regiments of the Legion. In general, it must be said that the Legion has a well-developed system for stimulating the work of a fighter. Here you have to be, if not the first, then among the first. Being last here is not only shameful, but also “harmful” for yourself, because then all the “bumps” will fall on you. Here it is better not to squint from exercise, otherwise you will lose your shape and become the last one. You must remember that people who lag behind here, in the very unit where you are located, are not liked. The fact is that there is constant competition between individual units of the regiment to achieve the best results. This is interesting and financially profitable, since the winning unit will go on a 4-month trip outside of France, and the salary will be raised during this time from 1.5 to 3 times. One of the most desirable trips may be a business trip to Gabon, where legionnaires actually relax. This approach to training personnel is fully justified, since it is a powerful incentive for self-improvement.
Relationships with superiors
Mainly, you will have to deal not with officers, but with non-commissioned officers. It must be said that over many decades, the legionary leadership has done a lot of work in order to bring the command and rank and file personnel as close as possible, between which in other armies there is an impassable gap. But what remained unchanged was that a sergeant in the Legion is still “king and god.” This is a serious and positive difference between the Legion and the Russian Army, where often, if you are physically stronger, you can “neglect” the sergeant, “send” him or even punch him in the face. It would be suicidal to do so here. At best, you will simply find yourself in civilian life without having time to understand what happened. At worst, you may simply be maimed or even left in the Legion, but after that your whole life here can turn into hell. In the Legion there is a powerful layer of non-commissioned officers, consisting of 5 “categories”: corporal, sergeant, major, adjudan, senior adjudan. To become a non-commissioned officer yourself, you need to serve at least 1 contract, after which you can be sent to non-commissioned officer school. To do this, you must have a high level of intelligence and you must be respected by your colleagues and superiors. It is thanks to this powerful non-commissioned officer layer that intensive and high-quality training of legionnaires is successfully carried out, which is not the case in other armies of the world. Despite the fact that interaction between ordinary legionnaires and non-commissioned officers occurs constantly and the latter do not let the barracks go unattended for a second, we must remember that asking “extra” questions during training and in general is not accepted here, so as not to tire the authorities.
Relations between legionnaires
As in any army, there are frequent clashes between ordinary legionnaires. But, since everything is under the control of non-commissioned officers, such conflicts are quickly extinguished. That is why there is no hazing here. It should also be noted that strong friendships often develop between legionnaires of different nationalities, which often later serve as the basis for joint business projects.
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About motivation
- the first ones are those who came to earn money, to get a French passport if possible, without planning to connect their lives with LE for a long time, those who do not have any special illusions about the service, who came for their 5-year contract and moreover;
- the second type includes those who love the army lifestyle, who are attracted to adventures, travel and various kinds of adventures (in the good sense of the word), who would like to see themselves in the French Legion as a “Soldier of Fortune”, to be a “Peacemaker”, helping people all over the world, and for this type of recruit, money is not a top priority;
- and others who have problems with the law in their home country and for them the French Foreign Legion truly becomes a refuge, since first of all, if you are allowed into the recruiting station, your first and last name will be changed, which you have the right to keep for yourself even after the end of the contract . It is clear that it will be much more difficult for law enforcement agencies to find such a person to bring to justice.
In my observation, it often happens that a recruit cannot be classified into any one category. So, many come to the Legion, including the author of the article, on the one hand, to get a job and a decent salary, and on the other, to satisfy the thirst for adventure and change, which is far from the least important in the recruit’s motivation.
Many come to the Legion for money, but subsequently stay there for the sake of length of service or, as they say, career, as well as French citizenship, and for them the Legion becomes a second home. Some flee to LE from persecution of the law, but subsequently realize that the Legion suits them in spirit, that this is their element.
It happens differently. Oddly enough, many recruits cannot clearly answer why they came to the Legion and what they expect from the service. As a rule, such weakly motivated young people who do not have clear goals make up a large percentage of refuseniks - those who refused to serve in the Legion of their own free will and left with the consent of the Legion leadership while still in the city of Aubagne - second place (after the recruitment point) to select future recruits, or refused, having already signed a preliminary 5-year contract while in the Castelnaudary training camp.
Often it is from such young people, who left the service for various reasons in the first months, but want to justify their departure, that you can hear heartbreaking stories about the difficulties and even horrors of serving in LE.
What will be noteworthy here is the fact that the bulk of the “deserters” are those who “broke down” in their studies or left before the end of the first year of service. They are less likely to leave in the second and third years of service - due to family problems at home, due to health problems, or simply being disappointed in the service, when what is expected from service in LE, supported by strong motivation, does not correspond or goes against reality.
Therefore, to summarize the above, I would like to point out some facts from the life of a legionnaire that you need to know and remember when preparing to enter the French Foreign Legion.
So, about the salary.
On average, a legionnaire in France receives from 1,100 to 1,700 euros, depending on rank, location, length of service, etc. However, as practice shows, it is very difficult to save something in the first years of service - a lot of money is spent on entertainment, items household items, rental housing (allowed to live outside the barracks after three years of excellent service), some uniform items, cigarettes, booze, etc., etc.
A few manage to accumulate more than 20 thousand euros during the first contract. And then, this is if you limit yourself in many ways. I quote the words of a current legionnaire on this matter:
«… We won’t take the castel (meaning that in the first months all your salary goes towards your own support – author’s note). From the 5th month of service, your salary is about 1100 euros.
So you:
— you spend the weekend in a unit (during your vacation, you also don’t go anywhere);
— you don’t drink beer (why, if there is water in the tap);
— you don’t buy anything for food (you eat exclusively in the canteen);
- don’t smoke (that’s right, smoking is harmful);
- the telephone, computer, iron and other appliances are not of interest to you;
— based on the above, you don’t use the Internet either.
But even with all this, you will spend about a hundred euros on soap, toothpaste and other personal hygiene items. You can, of course, “shoot” or steal all this (then you’ll be screwed)…»
or here's another one:
«… The main mistake of guys planning to join the legion is that they don’t take the legionnaire’s salary and multiply it by the number of months spent in the legion - from this you get a mythical amount that supposedly can be saved during service... The first couple of years in the legion are typical for EVERYONE , I emphasize - FOR EVERYONE - that money is spent very powerfully... You still don’t know France, and Europe in general, on your first vacation you still don’t know which hotels are best to stay in, which modes of transport are best to travel, and many other important things, in short - a complete mess...
Someone, of course, will say - “well, I’m not like that, I’m the smartest, I won’t get caught like that...” but this is all empty talk. I had a friend here in the parachute. He was - in the sense that he is now in another regiment, in Aubagne, he fell under the annual distribution from Corsica to other regiments and left for 1 RE. I remember sitting with him in a room in Djibouti, drinking tea, and I told him how I got rid of it after my first tournant in Kosovo... (And this trip in 13 DBLE was his first tournant, so he had yet to go through his “first "Vacation.) The only negative, I say - I arrived after vacation, went into the room, threw my bag on the floor, turned out all the pockets and poured out the change on my bunk - everything that was left after the vacation.
Naturally, he made such a clever joke, it was written right on his forehead - “well, I’m not like that, I won’t waste my hard-earned money like that - I need to save something for life, so to speak...”. We arrived from Djibouti, spent a week of guard duty in Calvi and left on vacation. I meet him after this vacation, and he returned from it exactly like I did from my first - with coins in his pockets. They went to Spain with a boy who was of the same draft as him. There are a lot of memories, but not a lot of money. But how you swore…»
Thus, if you spend practically nothing, you are left with about 10,000 euros per year or about 1,000 euros per month. Let everyone decide for themselves whether this is a lot of money or not. But it is difficult to imagine a contract soldier who does not allow himself to “let off steam”, who regularly deposits all the money he earns into a bank account or sends it to his relatives.
Of course, being in combat or other extreme conditions, a legionnaire receives much more. But, firstly, during the first 5 years of the contract you may never go on a long business trip, much less to hot spots (few people ever get there). Secondly, extreme conditions can mean loss of health and even life; is it worth talking about money in this case?
Secondly, regarding travel and the desire to see the world.
The French Foreign Legion sends its combat units (meaning outside France) to the following areas:
- firstly, these are places known to everyone with unsuitable conditions for life (climate plus flora and fauna hazardous to health), if not unsuitable, where your main activities will be daily grueling training, passing standards, exercises, tournants (long trips abroad) - so to speak, the routine of legionary life, and not at all sightseeing. Some, after such “travels,” end up straight in hospital beds;
- the second place where a legionnaire can end up is, naturally, any place where hostilities are taking place. And in this sense, the Legion may not be the best way to travel and see the world.
Third, it is reliably known that the Legion does not want to accept citizens who have committed serious crimes in their homeland
(high probability of relapse) and especially those wanted by Interpol. I haven’t personally encountered this, but there are rumors that a person who is in the Interpol database, after being recruited and having his passport checked, goes straight to the local police commissariat. Long gone are the days when murderers and robbers were accepted into the Legion. Therefore, the only way to escape justice in LE is to hide your criminal history upon admission, which is not so easy, given the cross-examination system during selection in the city of Aubagne.In conclusion, I would like to note the following. It may seem that I am exaggerating and portraying the LE service in a light that is favorable to me. Believe me, this is not true. My personal legionary history became a good school of life for me, given my young age at the time of recruitment.
Firstly, I learned from my own experience to accept the inevitable (meaning the ban on serving). In addition, about two years of physical training (more on this in the next article) were not in vain, physical education and running became partly a way of life for me, which prompted me to first quit smoking and then give up alcohol.
Secondly, today I can easily express myself in conversational French (before the story with the Legion, I only knew phrases like “bounjour monsieur, not manche pas si jour” and other similar phrases. Therefore, I do not hold any grudges against the Legion. And I have nothing to take revenge on him for, if this expression is appropriate in relation to the Legion.
Thus, the information that I offer in this article is not the final authority, it is just my personal view of events. And if future recruits read this article - if, of course, there are any - I want to wish them clarity in their motives and expectations from visiting LE, so as not to waste either their own or others' time and money.
/Andrey Verenitsky, specially for Army Herald/
Instructions
Almost everyone is accepted into the French Foreign Legion. Practically, because there are still exceptions:
age from 17 to 40 years
In order to enlist in the French Foreign Legion, you need to arrive at one of the recruitment points in France with identification. It is impossible to recruit outside France, so you should choose a recruitment point that is easiest for you to get to. Today there are 17 recruitment centers in France, each of which accepts volunteers around the clock.
You can get to the recruitment point by choosing any of two options: on a tourist package to France or on an invitation visa from one of your French acquaintances. At any recruitment point, a guard is posted that allows applicants to enter the territory of the recruitment center as soon as they indicate their desire to join the ranks of the Foreign Legion. Having passed the gate, all candidates, without exception, will be subject to a comprehensive examination for three long years.
Candidates for Legionnaires undergo quite complex and multi-stage psychotechnical and medical tests, as well as a level of physical fitness. In addition, while volunteers are being tested and loaded with public benefit, the Foreign Legion security service checks the candidate’s identity using Interpol databases.
Finding out details of the volunteers’ past lives that are of interest to the security service also occurs during a personal conversation. In total, testing a candidate for compliance with all the requirements of the Foreign Legion lasts about three weeks. At the end of this period, the lucky ones will sign a contract for five years, will be shaved bald, and sent to the Training Center in a brand new uniform.
Recruits of the French Foreign Legion are provided with everything necessary to successfully serve the interests of France, receive fairly substantial cash payments, and can qualify for a lifetime pension and French citizenship. However, the Legionnaire will be able to appreciate all these positive aspects a little later, but for now the newcomer will face the harsh everyday life of a soldier.
note
Service in the French Foreign Legion falls under the article “Mercenarism” of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.
According to paragraph 3 of Article 359 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, June 13, 1996 N 63-FZ, “Participation of a mercenary in an armed conflict or hostilities is punishable by imprisonment for a term of three to seven years with restriction of freedom for a term of up to one year or without it. A person is recognized as a mercenary acting for the purpose of obtaining material compensation and is not a citizen of a state participating in an armed conflict or hostilities, does not reside permanently on its territory, and is not a person sent to perform official duties"
In the first third of the 19th century, France planned an invasion of Algeria. An expeditionary force was needed for a military operation. King Louis Philippe decided to create a new formation with the involvement of foreigners, of whom there were in abundance in the capital at that time. Thus, the government got rid of undesirable elements, including those who had problems with the law. From then on, it became a custom not to ask a new recruit’s name. The officers were appointed from Napoleon's former army. On March 9, 1831, the monarch decreed that the French Foreign Legion could only be used outside mainland France. Despite the fact that the unit is part of the French ground forces, in emergency cases it is subordinate to only one person - the head of state. The government can dispose of fighters without the approval of the National Assembly, which turns the Legion into a universal tool for achieving political goals.
Legendary Unit
Over the one hundred and eighty-four years of the expeditionary force's existence, about 650,000 people served in it. More than 36,000 of them died in battle. The unit was not spared by the colonial operations of France and not a single significant warrior in the world. The French Foreign Legion participated in two world wars and more than thirty local armed conflicts in Europe, Africa, the Middle and Far East, and even in Mexico. He also happened to fight on Russian territory: in November 1854, the Legion took part in one of the episodes of the Crimean War - in the battle of Inkerman. It had its largest numbers at the beginning of the First World War - almost 43,000 fighters of more than fifty nationalities.
Elite armed forces of Europe
Over the decades, the French Foreign Legion has evolved from a gang of cutthroats and renegades into an elite unit of constant combat readiness. The personnel from 140 countries of the world includes 5,545 privates, 1,741 non-commissioned officers and 413 officers. 11 units of the Legion are deployed both on the territory of France itself (continental, on the islands of Corsica and Sardinia) and in overseas possessions. Among them:
- Kourou (French Guiana) - the European space center is located here.
- Mururoa Atoll in the Pacific Ocean is a nuclear weapons testing site.
- The island of Mayotte (Comoros archipelago) is an overseas department of France.
- UAE - protection of oil refining industry facilities.
Regiments are also deployed in Afghanistan, New Caledonia, Cote d'Ivoire and Djibouti. The French Foreign Legion carries out tasks to restore and maintain peace, and also carries out special operations in the interests of the state's foreign policy (fighting in the jungle, neutralizing terrorists, releasing hostages). Personnel are recruited to provide humanitarian assistance. The command is located in the city of Aubagne, 15 km from Marseille.
The unit is equipped with the most advanced combat and engineering equipment and small arms. The standard weapon is a French-made Famas G2 automatic rifle with a caliber of 5.56 mm. The fighters have at their disposal 81-mm and 120-mm mortars, effective sniper systems, guided anti-tank missile systems, automatic anti-aircraft guns, and armored personnel carriers. According to many analysts, the combat training of the foreign corps is significantly higher than that of similar formations in other European countries.
Heraldry, form and unique traditions
The emblem of the French Foreign Legion is a stylized 19th-century graphic of the rising flame of an exploding grenade. This unique coat of arms is also depicted on the formation’s standard. The flag is a diagonally divided vertical rectangle. The upper green segment means the new homeland of the legionnaires, the red one means the blood of the warrior. During the battle, the flag is turned over - blood is in the homeland.
The motto is the exclamation: “Legio Patria Nostra” (The Legion is our homeland). The uniform of the French Foreign Legion contains some extravagant attributes that at first glance have nothing to do with military affairs. Legionnaires marching in a ceremonial carriage are dressed in gray trousers. The waist is intercepted blue scarf made of sheep wool. Its length is exactly 4.2 meters, width - 40 cm. Legionnaires began to use scarves in 1930 in Algeria in order to protect the lower back from hypothermia in the sands at night. Headdress - a classic French cut, snow-white caps, protection from the merciless African sun. For decades, the boots of the French Foreign Legion have remained an unchanged attribute. The shoes are made of nubuck. Despite the apparent massiveness, they are very convenient for use in the desert. They are made in two standard colors: black and chestnut. The badge on the cap depicts the same a grenade explosion with seven flashes of fire.But that's not all.
Pioneer March
During parades and other special events, you can watch an exclusive sight: marching soldiers in strange ammunition. By the way, the pace of the legionnaires is original, slow: 88 steps per minute - one and a half times less than traditionally accepted. This emphasizes the privilege and special mission of desert soldiers on distant frontiers. You can't really march on the sand. There is also a unique category of warriors called pioneers. The Pioneers of the French Foreign Legion are an elite unit that marches at the forefront of any parade. These warriors look terrifying: over their uniform they wear an apron made of buffalo leather with one strap, and a 1.5-kilogram ax rests on their shoulder.
But in reality there is no bloodthirstiness in this appearance. Pioneers are sappers, those who ensure the advancement of military units in any situation. They clear roads and build crossings, and take care of logistics. The sappers of the foreign corps are the only unit in the French army that has preserved the tradition of the procession of warriors with axes unchanged since the 18th century. Although there is still a hidden subtext: the French Foreign Legion is always ready to clear the way for the regular units of the French army following behind.
Where do they recruit?
The personnel is recruited from men aged 17 to 40 years. If anyone is interested in the question of how to get into the French Foreign Legion, then you should know that recruitment centers are located only in France. There are fifteen bureaus in major cities, including Paris. Embassies, consulates and the Legion itself do not provide any assistance in issuing migration documents. Moreover, a recruit intending to cross the threshold of a mobilization point must be in the country legally. We must not lose sight of the fact that mercenarism in many CIS countries is prosecuted by law, but there are legal loopholes. You can go on a tourist visa to one of the Schengen countries, and then take a train or bus to any recruiting point. The central filtration camp is located near Marseille, in the city of Aubagne. From collection points in French cities, volunteers are sent here once or twice a week.
Recruit trials
The requirements for recruits are simple: endurance and health. The candidate will undergo a physical fitness test, a standard general medical examination and psychological tests. The physical fitness exam consists of a cross-country race: you need to run at least 2.8 km in 12 minutes. You need to do pull-ups on the bar at least five times. Press press - at least 40 times. If the candidate is physically prepared, then the next step is a standard medical examination procedure to determine the absence of diseases or their complete cure. Medical records must demonstrate good health. The absence of 4 teeth is allowed, but the rest must be healthy. If you are not rejected at this stage, then you will then have to undergo a series of psychological tests, including mental stability and attentiveness. A volunteer who passes all three types of selection is offered a five-year contract. Knowledge of French is not required. The selection lasts for two weeks. After concluding the contract, the recruit’s identification documents are confiscated and in return they are given a so-called anonymous ID - a metric with a fictitious name, surname and place of birth.
Material reward
Service in this unit is very prestigious. All hired personnel (from privates to corporals) are provided with food, uniforms and housing. The Elysee Palace has long abandoned universal conscription. The recruitment of the armed forces is based on a contract basis. One of the highest paid military units of the armed forces of the Fifth Republic is the French Foreign Legion. Salary depends on many components. Recruits receive a monthly salary of € 1,040. Allowances are given for length of service, service in an airborne unit, in difficult climatic conditions of overseas departments, participation in foreign business trips and combat operations. The approximate range of material compensation after a year of service is as follows:
Military personnel are entitled to 45 days of vacation per year. After 19 years of conscientious service, legionnaires are awarded a lifetime pension in the amount of € 1,000. A former legionnaire can receive pension payments in any region of the globe.
Career growth
The first fixed-term contract is signed for five years. Upon completion, the serviceman, at his discretion, can extend the contract for a period of six months to ten years. Only persons with French citizenship who have graduated from military educational institutions can be officers in the Legion. During the first five years of service, a distinguished legionnaire can be awarded the rank of corporal, and after three years he is given the opportunity to request French citizenship or obtain a residence permit. In 1999, the Senate passed a law according to which a legionary who was wounded during combat has the right to obtain citizenship regardless of the length of service. The awards of the French Foreign Legion are the same as in other formations of the armed forces. As in any professional army, they do not provide any benefits. Statistics show that every fourth legionnaire reaches the rank of non-commissioned officer. In addition, if desired, military personnel can acquire civilian specialties: from crafts (mason, carpenter) to high-tech (system administrator).
Only chance
The principle of recruiting rank and file from foreigners continues to this day. For many residents of third world countries, service in the French Foreign Legion is the only chance to break out into the world. A third of the personnel are from Eastern European countries, a quarter are from the Latin American world, and the rest are French who want to start life from scratch. After five years of service, natives of the country are given the opportunity to change any two letters in their surname and receive new documents.
Our compatriots in the Legion
Russians first appeared in the French Foreign Legion in 1921, when the First Cavalry Regiment was formed from the remnants of Wrangel's defeated army. At the same time, the career of Ya. M. Sverdlov’s elder brother and M. Gorky’s godson Z. A. Peshkov began. Zinovy Alekseevich rose to the rank of lieutenant general. From 1917 to 1919, the future Marshal of the Soviet Union R. Ya. Malinovsky served in the 1st Moroccan Division. Nowadays, according to various estimates, the Legion numbers about a thousand people from the CIS countries, including several hundred Russian speakers. Our compatriots are in good standing, many have real combat experience.
French Foreign Legion. Reviews. Service
Those who have dedicated many years of their lives to the Legion speak of a special atmosphere of military brotherhood. This spirit is cultivated in the first months of service by merciless drill. All concepts of a past life are mercilessly eradicated from the recruit. It is not for nothing that this squad is given unflattering comparisons: “a legion of lost souls”, “the grave of Europeans”. However, such psychological selection is quite natural for any special forces unit, which in essence is the French Foreign Legion. Reviews from mature and morally strong people are filled with different rhetoric, calling it a legion of honor, in which officers share with the soldiers all the hardships of service. Severe disciplinary measures are designed to instill iron will, devotion to the state and the dignity of a warrior. One of our compatriots said that here foreigners are given a great honor: to prove their loyalty to France by dying for it. The result of psychological treatment is best reflected by the anthem of the French Foreign Legion:
"A knight's share is honor and loyalty.
We are proud to be one of those
Who goes to his death."
At the same time, the military leadership pays enough attention to the recreation of legionnaires. The formation has its own hotels for organizing leisure activities. There is also a home for the disabled for lifelong examination of those who have received severe injuries.
The French Foreign Legion is perhaps one of the most romanticized military formations. The many books and films made about the Legion have firmly established its reputation as a place where any man can escape his past and start life anew.
When on March 9, 1831, King Louis Philippe I of France signed a decree on the creation of a new military unit, he hardly thought that he was creating something iconic and romantic. His goals were more pragmatic: France needed soldiers to protect its interests outside the country itself, for example, in Algeria. It was unprofitable to send respectable sons of the fatherland there, so volunteers from among the natives of Italy, Spain and Switzerland were recruited into the new formation. Also, any Frenchman who had problems with the law and wanted to atone for his debt to society could get there. This was very beneficial for the king, because many criminals had good combat experience, which in case of popular unrest they could use against the current government. Therefore, by signing the relevant documents, the king killed two birds with one stone: firstly, under the command of loyal Napoleonic generals, he sent soldiers abroad whose lives no one in Paris cared about; secondly, it cleared the country's streets of undesirable elements, and thirdly, it gave France a sufficient number of soldiers to protect its interests in Algeria. Time passed, rulers changed and old borders were redrawn, but the French Foreign Legion continued to exist as a stronghold of loyalty to the country and its interests abroad. Although the traditions of the Legion were formed from the customs of various armies of the world, it itself was always united and did not distinguish between nationalities.
Composition of the French Foreign Legion. Today the Foreign Legion consists of 7 regiments with a total strength of approximately 7,500 people. The training of legionnaires allows them to conduct combat operations at any time of the day or night, on any terrain, regardless of meteorological conditions. However, today the Legion’s priorities are to evacuate civilians from conflict zones, provide humanitarian assistance and prevent armed clashes, although it is no secret that sometimes the Legion still takes part in NATO anti-terrorism operations in the Middle East. A key feature of the French Foreign Legion for more than a hundred years has been the low number of heavy weapons and armored vehicles.
The main standard weapons are the FAMAS rifle, AA-52 or FN MAG machine guns. Snipers are most often provided with French FR-F2 rifles, although sometimes they also issue the American large-caliber Barrett M82. To combat enemy armored vehicles, the Milan ATGM and the 120-mm MO-120-PT mortar are used. From armored vehicles: AMX-10R infantry fighting vehicle, AMX-10RC wheeled tank and VAB armored personnel carrier. Perhaps, from the point of view of the military, there is no need to spend a lot on legionnaires, because every soldier there knows the rule “A legionnaire dies, but fulfills it.” This is also very beneficial for politicians, because while defending the interests of France abroad, foreigners or less desirable elements die. So, from their point of view, it looks like this: “The legionnaire performs and dies.” In practice, all this translates into a rather sad picture: if you send 100 legionnaires on a mission, they will cope with it, but only 30 people will return. 30% – this is exactly the indicator that appears in survival statistics.
Dislocation and selection rules. Today, the permanent locations of units of the French Foreign Legion are considered to be the island of Mayota, in the Camoros Islands, Djibouti in Northeast Africa, the city of Kourou, located in French Guiana, and the island of Corsica. There are also several units stationed on the territory of France itself, but all of them are primarily engaged in the selection of volunteers and staff work. Due to the fact that in the vast majority of countries around the world, service in the Foreign Legion falls under the article on mercenaries, recruitment centers are located exclusively in France. There are nine of them in total, but the most popular ones are located in Paris and Strasbourg. The volunteer must get to the place of submitting documents on his own. In this regard, the Legion does not provide any assistance in obtaining visas. However, if a candidate is rejected after being sent to training camp, he will be paid a return ticket to the place where he applied and given a small amount of money. The first thing they do with a candidate after arriving at a recruiting office is to “study” him. The newcomer is thoroughly searched, his teeth, eyesight, hearing are examined, and his weight and height are measured. If there are scars, then they ask to tell about the history of their appearance, the same with tattoos. All this is carefully recorded. Lastly, they ask you to tell the reason for your desire to serve in the legion. If at this stage the candidate is not rejected, then all personal belongings and documents are confiscated. His head is shaved and he is given a sports uniform. After that, he is placed in a room where several more people will live. Volunteers live according to a strict regime: they get up at five in the morning, wear their outfits around the cafeteria and do various physical work. By the way, all commands in the legion are given in French.
Multi-stage selection. The selection camp in Aubagne is the last point before heading to the Pyrenees Mountains, where the training base is located, where ordinary people are turned into legionnaires. There, each candidate is subjected to a series of tests. Medical tests determine susceptibility to certain diseases, because a legionnaire is a man of steel who should not be killed by a common cold. Physical tests follow. All of them are related to running, because a legionnaire does not march or run unless he is dead. Those who have passed the medical criteria and passed the necessary standards undergo a psychological test: the legionnaire must have nerves of iron and must not have mental disabilities. Those who did not drop out will face the “Gestapo” - that’s what they jokingly call an interview with Legion security officers. Here the future soldier is interrogated and their results are compared with those obtained at the recruitment point. The interview takes place in three stages. At all of them, the same questions are asked in the candidate’s native language, but at the first stage they are in one sequence, at the second stage in another, and at the third stage they are asked by a French officer through an interpreter. After passing the Gestapo, the volunteer receives rouge (red) status. This is due to the fact that previously those who passed all checks had to wear red bands. “Red candidates” are given a military uniform, all the necessary accessories, as well as a new name, surname and a short biography.
Features of the contract. After completing training in a training camp, which, by the way, few can endure, a contract is signed with the volunteer, according to which the signatory must undergo military service in the ranks of the French Foreign Legion for a period of five years. After the first five-year period, during which one can achieve the rank of corporal, the legionnaire can extend the contract for a period of six months to ten years. After signing, a person must forget about what it means to think. For him there is only an order, he is the property of the legion. All communication within the legion is only in French; if a conscript does not speak it, they will teach him. All movements are only by running. The salary of an ordinary legionnaire in the first five-year plan does not exceed $900 plus allowances for participation in combat operations. Also, after the first contract, you can apply for a permanent residence permit in France, after a few more years of service, a legionnaire can receive citizenship, and a pension after 17 years of service or as an incentive for valor. The funerals of the dead legionnaires are carried out at the expense of France.
No gender equality. Despite the fact that the Legion of the Twenty-First Century still maintains the secret of identity, those with a criminal record are no longer accepted here. Also, the road here is closed to all married people. There is even a joke about this: “the legion only shoots blanks.” Despite the fact that in many armies of the world women now serve on an equal basis with men, the Legion always remains an exclusively male formation. There are still women here, but exclusively as civilian employees and mainly at selection points.
National composition. Officially, a legionnaire has no nationality. As their motto says, “Legio Patria Nostra” - “The Legion is our Fatherland.” Over the almost two-hundred-year history of this formation, many people who had previously served in various armies of the world passed through it, which, in turn, left a unique imprint on the local traditions and orders. For example, after World War II, many German SS soldiers found refuge here, which was reflected in the legion’s anthems. For the most part, they are all slightly modified songs of the SS legions. There is also a saying in the Legion: “When things are really bad in Russia, the Legion begins to speak Russian.” This is not just an unfounded statement: over the past hundred years there have been three large waves of Russian-speaking recruits into the Legion: 1914, 1920 and 1993. Now approximately a third of all legionnaires come from Eastern Europe and the CIS countries, and about the same number are natives of South America, Africa and Southeast Asia. The rest are either residents of French-speaking countries, such as Belgium, or French who have changed their citizenship.
Attitude towards apostates. The Foreign Legion is still perceived by many as a stern military brotherhood whose slogan is “March or Die!” and where for desertion they are buried up to their necks in sand and left to be devoured by animals. Now this is not entirely true. If a legionnaire is absent from the evening roll call without a valid reason, he is marked as “absent.” This entails a severe reprimand, an extraordinary assignment, deprivation of leave or a penalty. If the absence lasts for more than seven days, the legionnaire is declared a deserter and in this case he faces up to 40 days in the Legion prison. If all this happened during a military operation, then the deserter faces two years of imprisonment in a French civil prison, but only after 40 days in legionary prison. Those who run away with weapons will have the least luck. In this case, many people will go in search and it is unlikely that such a fugitive will even live to see trial.
Unity of the Legion. Despite the fact that from the outside the French Foreign Legion resembles a multinational cauldron, into which people of different religions and beliefs go, there are no conflicts based on racial hostility. From the very first days, through serious psychological and physical stress, and also, to be honest, through pain, recruits are forced to understand that from now on their nationality, race and gender are legionnaires. Therefore, when one of them hears the famous cry for help: “The Legion is coming to me!”, he will definitely come to the rescue, and it will not matter to him where this cry will sound: in the desert, the jungle or in a local bar. For the same reason, during the Bastille Day parade, which is held annually on July 14 on the Champs-Élysées, while all units march in several columns, the Legion marches in one. Legionnaires are never divided and always remain together, and it does not matter whether in battle, peaceful life or a street brawl - legionnaires are always together.
A shameful stain on the Legion's reputation. 1961 is a black page for the Foreign Legion. Despite the fact that throughout the history of the existence of this formation they have repeatedly tried unsuccessfully to disband it, it was in 1961 that the Legion itself disbanded one of its regiments, declaring them traitors. The infamous 1st Foreign Parachute Regiment was formed during the Indochina War. This unit was tainted by its participation in the so-called “Algiers Coup of the Generals”, which was launched by the far right after France promised independence to the colony. The legionnaires themselves prefer not to remember this day, since then their brothers betrayed what the Legion had always lived for - unquestioning service to France and its government.
The ideal private military company. Thanks to the fact that foreigners serve in the Legion, the French government can successfully deny its involvement in certain operations in the territory of such hot spots as, for example, Syria - it simply states that there are no French citizens in this state. It is reliably known that in the same 2011, it was the soldiers of the French Foreign Legion who destroyed several bases intended to supply Gaddafi’s troops with fuel and food. In Al-Zawi, it was the legionnaires who, at the cost of their lives, broke through to the city center and provided free access there for the rebels from Benghazi. Also thanks to this military brotherhood, France can successfully pursue even the most aggressive policy without getting its hands dirty or asking permission from its NATO allies.
At the same time, approximately 9,000 legionnaires are part of the UN peacekeeping force in Côte d'Ivoire, where France has its own historical interests. These soldiers, in addition to their conflict prevention duties, also carry out operations under orders that come directly from Paris, bypassing the international community. Thus, in modern society, the Foreign Legion performs tasks to protect the interests of its country in those areas where only foreigners can do this. In fact, legionnaires, from a legal point of view, have most of the advantages of PMCs, but at the same time they are always faithful to their duty and will never seek benefits or ask unnecessary questions.