Uniforms of the French Foreign Legion, 1831-1981

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On April 30, 1931, during the 100th year celebration of the Foreign Legion, orchestrated by general Paul-Frédéric Rollet, a section (platoon) of the sapper combat company of the 3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment paraded at the head of all parading troops while bearing the emblems of the pionniers, reclaiming the traditions of their predecessors.

The Legion was eventually expanded from a battalion to a regiment and there was greater demand for more soldiers. [1] These made a varied group; some were former United Irishmen who were taken prisoner in 1798-99 and then freed during the peace that followed the Treaty of Amiens (1802–03), some had been impressed into the Royal Navy and deserted, and some were German or Polish. [1] While the Legion was stationed at the Fortress of Mainz in 1806, they were joined by 1,500 Poles [2] and many Irishmen who were sent in 1799 to serve the King of Prussia, [4] Its headquarters was at 's-Hertogenbosch, known to the French as Bois-le-Duc, in what was then the Kingdom of Holland. [ citation needed] PA MAC 50 and PAMAS G1 pistols (Images source: Wikipedia.org) A legionnaire of the 2e REG using a MAC 50 in Senegal ( March 2013)

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Legio Patria Nostra (in French La Légion est notre Patrie, in English The Legion is our Fatherland) is the Latin motto of the Foreign Legion. [76] The adoption of the Foreign Legion as a new "Fatherland" does not imply the repudiation by the legionnaire of his original nationality. The Foreign Legion is required to obtain the agreement of any legionnaire before he is placed in any situation where he might have to serve against his country of birth. Main articles: Jean Olié, Paul Gardy, and Hélie de Saint Marc Marche ou Crève and More Majorum for Legion Officers, Sous-Officiers and Legionnaires of the CEPs, BEPs and REPs of the Legion. [48] Tenue of a Legionnaire of the Saharan Mounted Companies of the Foreign Legion (CSPLE). Often blue or red and worn by all the soldiers of the Army of Africa; the Legion however, officially adopted the Ceinture Bleue (blue sash) in 1882. DLEM: Honneur et Fidélité and Pericula Ludus ( Dangers game – for the regiment To Danger is my pleasure of the 2nd Foreign Cavalry Regiment)

FN Herstal MAG 58 Machine Gun A legionnaire of the 2e REP carrying an FN MAG 58 ( 2018) A legionnaire of the 2e REI operating an FN MAG 58 mounted on a tripod ( 2018) The first officers included members of the Society of United Irishmen who had fled to France in 1797. It also included Irishmen who had been taken during the 1798 rebellion who were freed during the short peace effected by the Treaty of Amiens on condition of exile, and who had sailed for France in June 1802. The treaty broke down in May 1803 with the start of the War of the Third Coalition. As a part of Napoleon's planned invasion of the United Kingdom in 1803–05, the Irish Legion was to provide the indigenous core for a much larger invasion force of 20,000 earmarked to take Ireland, known as the Corps d'Irlande. The mission is sacred, you carry it out until the end and, if necessary in the field, at the risk of your life. a b c d e f g Forde, Frank, Napoleon's Irish Legion (PDF), Napoleonic Association, archived from the original (PDF) on 22 November 2010 , retrieved 13 October 2009 Régiment Étranger de Génie 2 ème REG; Parachute Underwater Demolition P.C.G Teams (Combat Engineer Divers, French: Plongeurs du Combat du Génie), DINOPS Teams of Nautical Subaquatic Intervention Operational Detachment ( French: Détachement d'Intervention Nautique Operationnelle Subaquatique) and Mountain Commando Group ( GCM) in some cases as double specialties. [57]

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Colonization of Africa [ edit ] Monument commemorating the soldiers of the Foreign Legion killed on duty during the South-Oranese campaign (1897–1902). In the early 1960s, and besides ongoing global rapid deployments, the Legion also stationed forces on various continents while operating different function units. Valeur et Discipline. Valor and Discipline. The first long-used motto of the French Foreign Legion. This motto originated from the French Army of the First Empire (1804–1814). The Foreign Legion began using it in December 1848, while a part of the French Army of Napoleon III‘s Second Republic (1848–1851). It was emblazoned on the Legion’s regimental flags. The motto disappeared from the flags after WWI, in 1920, and lost its importance during the Second World War. After the end of the First Indochina War (1946-1954), marked with the decisive Battle of Dien Bien Phu, the Legion ceased using the motto entirely. The old 1885 flag of the 1st Foreign Regiment in late 1918, with the motto Valeur et Discipline. Two years later, the flag would be abandoned for a new one. Honor and Fidelity replaced Napoleon‘s Valor and Discipline. Badge of the 12e REI (created in France in 1940) with the motto Valeur – Discipline. e DBLE: Honneur et Fidélité and More Majorum [77] ("in the manner, ways and traditions of our veterans foreign regiments")

In battle, you act without passion and without hatred, you respect defeated enemies, you never abandon your dead, your wounded or your weapons. The Foreign Legion uses gold coloured chevrons ( chevrons d'ancienneté) pointed downward to indicate seniority. Worn by ordinary legionnaires and non-commissioned officers beneath the rank insignia and regimental emblem only on the left sleeve of the dress uniform, [94] each chevron denotes five years of service in the Legion. Seniority chevrons are not worn by commissioned officers. PVP of 2e REP during a driving-exercise in Corsica ( 2013) PVP of 2e REG during the Bastille Day parade (Image source: Wikipedia) Le Béret vert. The green beret was used for the first time by Foreign Legion paratroopers from Cie Para in Indochina in 1948; the other Legion paratroopers followed. Finally, in 1959, the distinctive headgear of the Foreign Legion airborne units became the prescribed headgear for all legionnaires and has remained so ever since. Until 1959, legionnaires from 13e DBLE wore khaki or brown berets during military operations (to keep traditions from the Norwegian Campaign of WWII), while the men from 1er REC wore light khaki berets, to keep traditions of French armored cavalry units from French Indochina.As of 2008, legionnaires came from 140 countries. The majority of enlisted men originate from outside France, while the majority of the officer corps consists of Frenchmen. Many recruits originate from Eastern Europe [ where?] and Latin America [ where?]. Neil Tweedie of The Daily Telegraph said that Germany traditionally provided many recruits, "somewhat ironically given the Legion's bloody role in two world wars." From 1965 to 1967, the Legion operated several companies, including the 5th Heavy Weight Transport Company (CTGP), mainly in charge of evacuating the Sahara. The area of responsibility of some of these units extended from the confines of the in-between of the Sahara to the Mediterranean. Ongoing interventions and rapid deployments two years later and the following years included in part: Most officers are regulars of the French Army though roughly 10% are former non-commissioned officers promoted from the ranks. [88] Foreign Legion rank While the Foreign Legion historically did not accept women in its ranks, there was one official female member, Susan Travers, an Englishwoman who joined Free French Forces during World War II and became a member of the Foreign Legion after the war, serving in Vietnam during the First Indochina War. [61] Women were barred from service until 2000. [63] Membership by country [ edit ] https://www.sandboxx.us/blog/these-are-the-very-specific-criteria-for-joining-the-french-foreign-legion/