Foreign Legion in the Eastern War. French Foreign Legion: History and Modernity. Heraldry, form and unique traditions

Story

The French Foreign Legion was created on March 9 by King Louis Philippe I on the basis of several predecessor regiments. One of these regiments was Regiment de Hohenlohe under the command of the German prince and French marshal Ludwig Alois von Hohenlohe-Bartenstein (Ludwig Aloys von Hohenlohe-Bartenstein). This regiment fought for the royalists in the Revolutionary Wars and later served under King Charles X of France. As France planned to colonize Algeria, it needed significant troops. At this time, many foreigners settled in France, and especially in Paris. With the creation of the Legion, King Louis Philippe could get the necessary troops and at the same time reduce the number of "undesirable" sections of the population in the country. So he issued a law the next day ( la Loi du 9 mars 1831) that the foreign legion can only be used outside of mainland France. The officers for the new unit were recruited from Napoleon's army, and the soldiers were recruited from Italy, Spain, Switzerland, other European countries, as well as the French, who had problems with the law. At the same time, a tradition was laid - not to ask the name of the recruit.

The day of glory of the Foreign Legion was April 30, 1863, when the Battle of Cameron took place during the Mexican expedition. A company of legionnaires under the command of Captain Danjou was tasked with scouting the outskirts of Palo Verde in anticipation of a convoy with guns, siege equipment, and three million francs in cash destined for the French troops besieging Puebla. Advancing after midnight on April 30, the legionnaires encountered the Mexicans on the morning of the same day. Realizing the undeniable advantage of the Mexicans (1200 infantry and 800 cavalry), Captain Danjou and his people occupied a building in a village called Cameron. To ensure the safety of the convoy, the Mexicans had to be held at all costs. Knowing that they are doomed and only a miracle can save them, the legionnaires gave their word to stand to the end. For more than ten hours they resisted the Mexican army. Despite offers to surrender, the legionnaires preferred death to inglorious captivity. Their self-sacrifice allowed the convoy to reach Puebla unhindered.

Today, the Legion is used where the French state defends its interests within NATO or the European Union, has historical responsibilities (for example, Côte d'Ivoire) or where French citizens are endangered. It is subordinate, as in 1831, to only one person: the French head of state, today the president.

The Foreign Legion took part in wars and operations in the following places:

French legionnaires in Kolwezi (Zaire) 1978

More than 600,000 people from all over the world served under the green-red flag of the Foreign Legion from its foundation until the end of the 1980s. According to a speech by Colonel Morellon, over 36,000 legionnaires fell in action at this time.

Today, the Legion is not used to wage war, as before, but mainly to prevent hostilities within the framework of missions under the auspices of the UN or NATO (for example, Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan), to maintain peace, to evacuate people from war regions, to provide humanitarian aid, to rebuild infrastructure (eg in Lebanon and after the Tsunami in Southeast Asia). Along with this, the Legion is ready to conduct special operations, such as fighting in the jungle, at night, against terrorists and to free the hostages.

Locations

Organization and tasks

Foreign legionnaires can be recognized by their white headdress ("Képi blanc"), which is worn, however, only by the rank and file. The color of the beret in the Legion is green ( Beret vert) and icon ( Insigne beret) are worn, as in the entire French army, on the right. The emblem of the Legion is a grenade with seven flames.

Legion colors are green and red. (Green symbolizes the country, red - blood. If the legion unit is in battle, then the triangular pennant of the Legion is hung so that the red side is at the top: "Blood on the country").

The motto of the legion: "The Legion is our fatherland" (lat. Legio Patria Nostra). For a more complete introduction of this slogan into the consciousness of each legionnaire, his contacts with outside world in the first five years, service is limited and controlled - the Legion really becomes a family and home for a legionnaire.

A feature of the Legion is the song "Le Boudin", which, with the exception of the march, is always sung at attention! Another feature is the typical march pace of legionnaires. While other army units march at 120 paces per minute, the Legion only do 88. This is due to the fact that African deployment areas often had sandy soils, which makes it difficult to march at a fast pace.

Organizations of former legionnaires

Although the number of Germans in the Foreign Legion is now small, due to the significant number of former legionnaires, there are dozens of clubs and organizations of former foreign legionnaires (Amicale des Anciens de la Legionétrangere), which in the majority consist of legionnaires who served in Indochina and Algeria.

They meet regularly, take care of the tradition and go to different holidays in France. Most of these organizations also accept people who have never served in the Legion. Deserters and those expelled from the Legion are not accepted. For this reason, each new member (if it is a former legionnaire) is checked by the union Fédération des Sociétés d'Anciens de la Légion Étrangère.

Films about the Foreign Legion

Artistic

• - "Abbott and Costello in the Foreign Legion" (eng. Abbott and Costello in the Foreign Legion ), director: Charles Lamont, USA ;
• - "March or Die" March or Die), director: Dick Richards, USA / UK ;
• - "The Legion lands at Kolwezi" (fr. La Legion saute sur Kolwezi), director: Raoul Cutard, France;
• - "Adventurers" (fr. Les Morfalous), director: Henri Verneuil, France;
• - "AWOL" (eng. Lionheart), director: Sheldon Lettich, USA;
• - " Legionnaire" (eng. Legionnaire), director: Peter MacDonald, USA ;
• - « Good job"(fr. Beau Travel), director: Claire Denis, France;
• - "Jinns" (fr. Djinns), directors: Hugh Martin, Sandra Martin, France / Morocco;
• - "Foreign Legion", director: Kim Nguyen, Canada;

Documentaries

• - Escape to the Legion Escape to the Legion), host: Bear Grylls, USA;
• - Warriors of the world. French Foreign Legion, director: Roman Kaigorodov, Russia; == http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pfc1z90vF0 ==

see also

Notes

1. A new chance for a new life (Russian). archived
2. Debate unerwünscht (German). Archived from the original on February 18, 2012. Retrieved December 30, 2009.
3. Fremdenlegionäre in Indochina (German). Archived from the original on February 18, 2012. Retrieved December 30, 2009.
4. Bei den Deutschen in der Fremdenlegion (German). Archived from the original on February 18, 2012. Retrieved December 30, 2009.
5. La Guerre d "Indochine (Russian). Archived
6. Simon Jameson French Foreign Legion (Russian). Archived from the original on February 18, 2012. Retrieved January 5, 2010.
7. Foreign Legion (Russian). Archived from the original on February 18, 2012. Retrieved January 5, 2010.
8. Shadursky, V. G. Foreign policy France (1945-2002): textbook. allowance. Minsk: BGU. 2004.
9. Conditions for concluding a contract (Russian). Archived from the original on February 18, 2012. Retrieved December 30, 2009.
10. Admission. In Aubagne. (Russian). archived
11. Richard Luca Honey, I joined the legion (Russian). Archived from the original on February 18, 2012. Retrieved February 6, 2010.
12. Federation des Societes d "Anciens de la Legion Entrangere (fr.). Archived from the original on February 18, 2012. Retrieved February 6, 2010.
13. Zinovy ​​Peshkov: How Yakov Sverdlov's Elder Brother Became a French Brigadier General (Russian). Archived from the original on February 18, 2012. Retrieved February 6, 2010.
14. Khreschatitsky Boris Rostislavovich (Russian). Archived from the original on February 18, 2012. Retrieved February 6, 2010.
15. "Great Defender of the Jews" Petliura (Russian) . (unavailable link - story) Retrieved February 6, 2010.
16. French Foreign Legion on the site "Heroes of the country"

Literature

• Balmasov Sergey Foreign Legion. Moscow: Yauza, 2004. ISBN 5-699-06982-8
• Jean Brunon Georges Manyu: Story elite troops Foreign Legion 1831-1955. - M .: Isographus, 2003.
• Zhuravlev V.V. Everyday life French Foreign Legion: "To me, Legion!" - M.: Young Guard, 2010. - 347 p. - ISBN 978-5-235-03355-9
• Paul Bonnecarrere: Frankreichs fremde Söhne - Fremdenlegionäre im Indochina-Krieg. Motorbuch-Verlag, Stuttgart 2000, ISBN 3-613-01144-1
• Rajko Cibic: Geliebte gehasste Legion - Der abeneuerliche Lebensweg eines slowenischen Fremdenlegionärs. Verlag Lutz B. Damm, Jenbach 1996, ISBN 3-85298-020-8
• Pierre Dufour: La Legion en Algerie. Editions Lavauzelle, Panazol 2002, ISBN 2-7025-0613-5
• Pierre Dufour: La Legionétrangere 1939-1945. Heimdal, Bayeux 2000, ISBN 2-84048-130-8
• Pierre Dufour: La Legion étrangere en Indochine 1945-1955. Lavauzelle, Paris 2001, ISBN 2-7025-0483-3
• Dominique Farale: Mysterieuse Légion Etrangère de 1831 a nos jours. D.I.E. Paris 2005, ISBN 2-914295-16-2
• Peter Hornung: Die Legion - Europas letzte Söldner. Meyster-Verlag, München 1982, ISBN 3-8131-8123-5
• Yers Keller, Frank Fosset: Frankreichs Elite - Legions-Paras und Kommandos, Gendarmerie-Sondereinsatzgruppen GIGN , Kampfschwimmerkommando Hubert. Motorbuch-Verlag, Stuttgart 2001, ISBN 3-613-02103-X
• Peter Macdonald: Fremdenlegion - Ausbildung, Bewaffnung, Einsatz. Motorbuch-Verlag, Stuttgart 1993, ISBN 3-613-01518-8
• Volker Mergenthaler: Völkerschau - Kannibalismus - Fremdenlegion. Zur Ästhetik der Transgression (1897-1936). Tübingen 2005, ISBN 3-484-15109-9
• Eckard Michels: Deutsche in der Fremdenlegion. 1870-1965 Mythen und Realitaten. Schöningh, Paderborn 2000, ISBN 3-506-74471-2
• Guido Schmidt: Der Cafard - Als Fallschirmjager bei der Fremdenlegion. Motorbuch-Verlag, Stuttgart 1997, ISBN 3-613-01795-4
• David Jordan: Die Geschichte der Französischen Fremdenlegion von 1831 bis heute. Motorbuch-Verlag, Stuttgart 2006, ISBN 3-7276-7157-2
• Blaise Cendrars: Wind der Welt. Abenteuer eines Lebens. Suhrkamp, ​​Frankfurt/M. 1990, ISBN 3-518-40262-5
• Friedrich Glauser: Gourrama. Unionsverlag, Zürich 1999, ISBN 3-293-20148-2
• Ernst Junger: Afrikanische Spiele
• Erich Krieger: Wohin führt dein Weg. Books on demand, Norderstedt 2002,

IN that day, the French legion went to fight against the USSR.
This infantry regiment, formed in France and taking part in the fighting on Eastern Front World War II on the side of Germany consisted of volunteers and consisted of about 3,000 soldiers and 181 officers. Orders in the legion were given in French. Like the subsequently created French SS division, the legion fought under the banner of France. The official name in the Wehrmacht is the 638th Infantry Regiment. The fact that more French fought against the USSR than against Hitler - no doubt, that's only 10 times more or not, that's the question. The French left for the front solemnly, joyfully with flowers and flags. And clearly no one obliged them to write these inscriptions on the cars. I'm talking about the photo below, in which the French are leaving for the front near Smolensk. They were not expected there, but they were met with dignity ...

On the sleeves of the German uniform, the French wore a patch of national colors, usually German or, in some cases, French production. Some also placed a tricolor shield on their helmets.

In July 1942, the Vichy government established the Legionnaire's Military Cross (Croix de Guerre Legionnaire) to reward French volunteers. This bronze award was the same shape and size as a regular Military Cross, but it lacked crossed swords, instead of which a laurel wreath was placed.

In early November 1941, the 1st and 2nd battalions of the 638th Infantry Regiment arrived in Smolensk. In early December, the French fought against the Red Army, but suffered heavy losses from Soviet artillery and suffered from frostbite. As a result, the regiment was decided to withdraw back to Poland and reorganize.

The commander of the II battalion, Major Andre Girardot, and a propaganda poster calling on the French to sign up for the SS division.

One remarkable myth is also connected with the history of the 638th Infantry Regiment: allegedly Field Marshal Günther von Kluge turned to the legionnaires on the Borodino field, after which the French fought with the Red Army at Borodino and were completely defeated. The myth appeared in the mid-1950s and has its roots in The Fatal Decisions, in which General Günther Blumentritt distorted the history of the French regiment. The book was translated into Russian, and subsequently the mistake was repeated many times Soviet military leaders and historians. This episode was even reflected in the film by Yuri Ozerov "Battle for Moscow". In reality, the French could not fight on Borodino, if only because this battle in 1941 took place in mid-October, while the legionnaires arrived in the USSR only at the beginning of November.

The 638th Infantry Regiment was the only foreign unit in the Wehrmacht that advanced on Moscow in 1941.

After the defeat near Moscow, the French were sent to Belarus to fight the partisans and were used separately with various security divisions of the Wehrmacht. Subsequently, both battalions were subordinated to the 286th security division.

Postage stamp with the "Legion of French Volunteers" and dedicated to the 130th anniversary of the battle of Napoleon near Borodino. Issue April 20, 1942. Artist - Pierre Gandon (speaking surname ...)

At the end of February 1945, the Wehrmacht command threw the French to plug a gap in the area of ​​​​the Polish city of Charne, after which the division (or rather, what was left of it) was transferred to Berlin, where its combat path ended in May 1945. At the same time, according to the recollections of the Germans, the French fought to the last, defending the Reich Chancellery together with the Danes and Norwegians from the Nordland SS division and were proud that they prevented the Russians from taking it for the May 1 holiday, no matter how hard they tried.

Many French fought against the USSR. The number of French prisoners of war in captivity of the USSR in 1945 reached 23136 people, which is three times the number of the Charlemagne division.

After the war, the French did not hesitate to write memoirs. "The Last Soldier of the Third Reich" was not written by a German, the author of this book is the Frenchman Guy Sayer, who very colorfully described his "exploits" near Stalingrad, on Kursk Bulge, in the battles for Poland and East Prussia. This book is interesting for Sayer's attitude, who even in 1943 firmly believed that France fought against the USSR together with Germany in World War II. http://militera.lib.ru/memo/german/sajer/index.html

The French government handed down a number of death sentences and prison terms to members of the Legion. The first commander of the regiment, Colonel Labonne, was sentenced to life imprisonment, and Charles Lesca, a member of the central committee of the legion, was sentenced to death penalty in May 1947 by the Supreme Court in Paris, but despite requests for extradition from France, was never extradited by the Argentine government.

It is not surprising that the Nazis were surprised at the signing of the surrender that they fought against France)))

France entered the blog of the Anti-Hitler coalition solely thanks to Stalin, who hoped in this way to ingratiate himself with de Gaulle after the war.

Infa (C) internet. One of the sources:

Mercenary has been known to mankind since ancient times. Paid foreign soldiers were part of the troops
 Egyptian pharaohs in the third millennium BC
 era. Mercenary troops existed in the Babylonian kingdom and Ancient Rome, from the Persian rulers and in Carthage.

The most cruel and merciless mercenaries served
 bodyguards of ancient Greek tyrants. During the formation of centralized
 feudal states are in full bloom mercenaries.

Selling warriors were widely used
 kings to strengthen their power, were running
 goods at the courts of Spain, Italy, France, who could not imagine their existence without military campaigns.
 So, for example, the Prussian
 King Frederick the Great. Soldier for sale willingly
 supplied from among their serfs the feudal lords poorer
 from Scandinavian countries, Germanic kingdoms and duchies. From German language came into common use and the most common name for a hired soldier - "Landsknecht".
For almost two centuries in France there has been a = military unit that is part of the French ground forces - the Foreign Legion, or as it was called in the countries of Africa and Asia - the Legion of Assassins. The high white caps of the legionnaires terrified the inhabitants of these regions.

He is still called that in Western Europe by decent people today when faced with the arrogance and slyness of recruiters into the legion, which brings up professional killers.

Under the slogan "Down with the legion of murderers!" Thousands of workers took to the streets of Paris to protest against the bloody atrocities of the legionnaires thrown into the Zairian province of Shaba (formerly Katanga) to suppress the popular uprising that broke out there in April 1977 against the reactionary regime of General Mobutu.

So what is the French Foreign Legion?

Let's remember the past. 1831. France. King Louis Philippe decides to seize the wealth of the countries of North Africa. But the French generation was still alive, destroying the stronghold of feudal violence - the Bastille prison in Paris. The ideas of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity of the Great French Revolution continued to live among the masses. These masses did not want to serve the imperial plans of Louis Philippe. Then the idea was born to throw a rabble of mercenary soldiers from different countries.

The ashes of peaceful cities and villages remained after the first operations of the legion on Algerian soil. In 1855, the legion participates in the war of Turkey, England, France and Sardinia against Russia for dominance in the Middle East. 1863 The foreign legion is trying to bring recalcitrant Mexico to its knees and put a protege of Napoleon III on the imperial throne there.

In 1871, legionnaires could be seen among the executioners of the Paris Communards. 1884. With fire and sword, the legion passes through Indochina, putting its rich lands at the feet of the owners of the Third Republic.

1914 The trenches of the First World War. The weapons of the legionnaires are directed ... no, not against the troops of the German Kaiser, but at the back of the French soldiers in order to prevent their retreat.

Later - the years of bloody expeditions to Syria and the French colonies in Africa, rising to the struggle for independence. The Legion had to return to the once conquered countries, when the foundations of the French colonialists staggered in them. In 1948, the imperialist circles of France again threw the legion into Indochina. But these were not the old days. Six years of dirty war and atrocities ended in the defeat of the imperialists.

Then there was Algeria again. Here the legion was going to firmly establish itself. Forever, as his bosses planned. Before the victory of the Algerian people, as it turned out in reality...

IN different years different roads led to the legion. At first, it was formed from the remnants of the defeated Napoleonic armies. After 1917, it was replenished at the expense of the White Guard rabble and other enemies. Soviet power thrown out by the revolution.

After the Second World War, unfinished SS men, Nazi criminals, who hid from retribution for their atrocities, poured here. They made up the majority of the legion. Criminals from different countries, people who did not have the means to live in the "free world" found their place in it.

Adventurers and the destitute, crushed by life people get here. There are scandalous cases of recruiting young people from Belgium, France and other European countries into the legion, with the help of blackmail and deceit, wine and drugs. Entangled in the tenacious networks of recruiters, they turned into a tool of those who needed to kill the rebellious Algerians, Vietnamese, Guyanese ...

Over time, the Foreign Legion turned into the main reserve of the most terry reaction, into a hotbed of fascism not only in Algeria, where mercenary camps settled, but also in France itself.

The legion played a sinister role in the attempt of French imperialism to stifle the national liberation struggle of the Algerian people that broke out in 1954. The Legion became the main card of the reactionary Algerian generals and colonels, who in the middle of 1961 created the secret armed organization OAS, which set itself the goal of preventing the granting of independence to Algeria and establishing a military-fascist regime in France itself. The Osovites acted by methods of mass terror. To commit murders, explosions, they recruited "activists" mainly from the mercenaries of the Foreign Legion. And when the Franco-Algerian negotiations on a ceasefire began, the reactionaries saw in the legion a force capable of disrupting these negotiations.

Incited by the leaders, the paratroopers of the Foreign Legion announced their readiness to "land on Paris." They were waiting for the signal in their barracks in full combat readiness. Transport planes stood at the airfields - with running engines, and from the windows of the barracks the drunken voices of paratroopers roared, yelling the then popular song "I do not regret anything."

They were waiting for the order of General Salan, the leader of the fascist conspiracy against the French and Algerian peoples, to fall like an armed avalanche on the mother country, to deliver a decisive blow to its republican system. And when a single mass action by French workers thwarted an attempted fascist coup in the country, and the terrorists from the SLA began their "bomb festival" in France and Algeria, it was from the legionnaires that the most active combat groups of the SLA were made up, it was the legionnaires who became the "heroes" of numerous trials of murders from around the corner, assassination attempts, arson, explosions.

Terror did not help, and mercenaries did not help either. In March 1962, the Evian agreements on a ceasefire and self-determination of Algeria were signed, and two months later Algeria celebrated the victory of its independence. And the Foreign Legion had to get out of the country on whose land it was created more than a century ago and where it shed the blood of peaceful, innocent people.

The legionnaires tried to settle in "French" Guiana, but the attitude of the country's population towards the mercenaries was so hostile that this intention had to be abandoned.

Then professional killers chose the island of Corsica. This is where their camps were set up. It was said that such a neighborhood would "give impetus" to the flourishing of the island's economy. "Impulse" was not slow to appear. But what! With the advent of "white caps" peaceful Corsicans were literally terrorized. In collaboration with local bandits, legionnaires began to systematically commit robberies, violence, and murders. The "fame" of their atrocities began to scare away foreign tourists, whose visits were one of the significant sources of income for the inhabitants of the island.

Later new base The legion was established in Djibouti, the capital of French Somalia. Violence, robberies, executions of civilians, the construction of prisons and concentration camps - that's what the soldiers of the Foreign Legion were doing in this country.

There is a gloomy symbolism in the fact that after the expulsion of the French colonialists from Algeria, the Foreign Legion set up one of its bases in the small town of Auban near Marseille, where Hitler's army was stationed during the Second World War. concentration camp- "death camp", as they were called throughout Europe. There they tortured and destroyed prisoners, among whom were many French patriots - members of the Resistance movement. Today, the methods of Hitler's monsters are being studied and adopted by mercenary warriors.

The Legion exists. IN to no small extent this is facilitated by the legal status of mercenaries in France, although it is not customary to talk and write about the legion there. Visit the legionnaire camp stranger can only be with the permission of the Minister of War of France.

The legion, in the ranks of which there are about 8 thousand mercenaries, although the name is French, but in composition is more like a foreign one. In addition to the French, who make up about 40% of legionnaires, the British, Irish, Portuguese, Italians, Greeks, Arabs, Swedes, Americans and people of other nationalities serve here. They all live and operate under false names.

The mercenary signs a contract for service in the legion for 5 years, after which he can retire, with false documents and under a false name. There are mercenaries in the legion who have decided to stay in it for life. Such people usually make a tattoo on their arm - “The Great Unknown”. There is no need to talk about the greatness of a professional killer, but as for the "unknown", that's for sure. A legionnaire loses his name all his life, the names of his father, mother, loses his nationality, loses his homeland. How terrible it must be for a person to remain unknown among people all his life!

As a rule, those who are morally mature for this profession enter the legion. Many legionnaires can hardly meet the deadline set by the contract. There are many who, having decided to put an end to the trade of hired killers; fleeing camps and combat formations.

To return deserters to the barracks of the legion in a number of countries Western Europe there is an extensive network of recruiting offices. They were created in Marseille, Düsseldorf, Hamburg. Deserters are found. They are not asked to return. They say briefly: “They don’t just leave us like that. At best, to the next world ... "

Over half a million lovers of military gain have passed through the French Foreign Legion during the years of its existence. Tens of thousands of them laid down their lives in the name of the predatory, colonialist interests of their masters.

In August 1985, teleprinters carried the message, soldiers of the French Foreign Legion carried out an armed raid on the city of Kourou in Guiana, that overseas department of France, located in the northeastern part of South America.

Legionnaires were sent to Guiana, ostensibly to protect the rocket and space center, located next to Kourou. The city was also raided by legionnaires in 1984. Then there was only one explanation - to prevent, they say, the threat of an attack by local residents on the rocket and space center. This time, the legionnaires broke into the city, destroying everything that came across the road, killing people.

After the raid of legionnaires on the Kura, a mass protest rally took place in the city. The participants decided to create a committee, which they called so: "French Foreign Legion - get out of Guiana!"

General Massu rewards Lieutenant Le Pen.

In early 1985, a scandalous story shook France. The largest newspapers, television, radio published materials about how in 1956-1957, during the Algerian colonial war, the lieutenant of the Foreign Legion, Jean-Marie Le Pen, tortured independence fighters, members of the National Liberation Front, using the most barbaric means.

The exposure of Le Pen caused a great resonance when it became known that the fanatical lieutenant of the Foreign Legion and the leader of the current neo-fascist National Front are one and the same person.

Today Le Pen led the movement of the most reactionary forces in France. He is an ardent anti-communist. Today he is one of the leaders of the National Front and the father of Marine Le Pen.

Jean-Marie Le Pen, 86, is known for his scandalous statements justifying the actions of the Nazi regime in Germany, as well as for his openly racist ideas. The hired killer became a terry fascist. This is natural. His family, at the head of the ultra-right movement, is rushing to the European political arena is alarming.

And earlier, in the 80s of the last century, the progressive public of France and other European countries, in which the French Foreign Legion is pulling its tentacles, repeatedly demanded to disband the legion of murderers, liquidate its camps, and stop recruiting young people. But the legion is alive. He lives because he is needed as one of the strike forces of NATO to maintain the positions of the builders of mutual capitalism in those countries that until recently were the object of the usual colonial robbery for the European powers.

Tips for those who want to get into the French Foreign Legion and serve in it

These tips are written from the words of Russians who have served in the legion, and they should in many ways 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, will be taken to France, “teared like sticky”. It is best to prepare a passport in advance, get a pre-visa at the French embassy or consulate for an independent "tourist" trip. A visa will also work for one of the EU countries due to the openness of the borders between them. You can go on a tour of France through one of the travel agencies, but in any case, do not talk about your real purpose of visiting this country. Otherwise, instead of serving in the Legion, you can “rattle” under the corresponding 359th article of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. If you are not a complete layman, then, of course, it will not cost you anything to avoid punishment, but all the same - why such complications? Moreover, you should not believe that some firms will be able to guarantee you admission to the Legion. Except for the legion authorities themselves, no one can guarantee this to you. Some "peck" on the proposals of other travel agencies, which swear to those who want to become a legionnaire that in case of non-receipt, they will take him home on account of the money already paid for delivery to Europe. Do not believe this, because enrollment in legionnaires 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 the Legion reception point. It is best to come to Strasbourg or Marseille. There are its large depots. It goes without saying that a person who has never been in these cities himself, without outside help, will not be able to find such points. But this is not a problem: it is enough to say or show the phrase written on a piece of paper: “Legion Etrangere” to any taxi driver and you will certainly be taken there. If there is no money, you can contact the police and then you can be taken to the legion point at public expense, although this is not suitable for everyone and instead of the Legion you can be at best 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. Do's and Don'ts when thinking about going to the Legion Under no circumstances should you bring any drugs or narcotic substances. If you find even a small fraction of a gram of the potion, you can say goodbye to the idea of ​​becoming a legionnaire forever. What matters here is not the amount of “dope” found, but the fact that you have a certain inclination towards it. For the same reason, it is not recommended to take any medications with you. They can be identified by their analyzes as belonging to the drug group. You don’t have to worry about your health in the Legion: local doctors, unlike the old days of the Legion, are responsible for you and “will not let you die”, unless it is the specific conditions of the colonies. Before sending to the Legion, carefully check with the maximum number of doctors, ranging from an ophthalmologist and dentist. This is for your own good. The fact is that otherwise, due to the slightest deviations in health, even such trifles as a hole in the tooth or a scar on the knee, you can be turned back home. This is at best, and at worst, if you managed to hide some serious illness, it threatens you with the fact that you can aggravate your health and even die if you find yourself in a desert or jungle. If you have at least a hint of some, even at first glance, a trifling disease, 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 leaving for the Legion, it is better to stock up on the most comfortable sports shoes for you, which will be very useful at the time of 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 the interrogators official documents. It can be a passport, driving license, etc. Even if it is a fake, it can still easily help. Be as sincere and respectful as possible. No one needs your "coolness" at the first stage, and such people are quickly and with pleasure "break off". Some people are trying to download rights from the first step to the threshold of the Legion's reception point, demanding to let him through. Such too impudent types are not honored even to be heard. One of the first questions asked of you here may be a question about your nationality. Do not hesitate and boldly say that you are Russian, although you will be more likely to become a legionnaire if you are a representative of another, preferably the most obscure nationality. The fact is that the command of the Legion pursues a policy of preventing the dominance of one or another nationality here. But the Russians are in good standing here, so there is nothing to be afraid of belonging to our nation. Do not give in if they start to assert to you that there are an overabundance of Russians here and that they are not being accepted now. This is a lie and at the same time a "test of character." Stand your ground, and soon you will be admitted to further tests. Speaking of this, it should be noted that in order to become a legionnaire, you need luck. The fact is that if a thousand Russians and 20 Frenchmen came to the reception point, and there are, say, 4 places, they will take, at best, 2 Russians and 2 Frenchmen, regardless of their fighting qualities. It is not surprising if another time 1 Russian and 3 French are selected from this number, so that there is a ratio in favor of the French, who are recorded here mainly as Swiss and Canadians. The fact is that Western Europeans here do not get along for very long even against the general background, and the Slavs, mainly Russians, hold on mainly because of the desire to get money or citizenship. Therefore, the number of Russians here is steadily increasing, not declining. Therefore, the legionary 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 a continuous physical, moral and moral torment for you. And it's no matter who you were 'in past life”, even as a colonel-order-bearer of special forces and a professional warrior. This must be noted when filling out the questionnaire and taken into account. However, it will take time for your best qualities to be revealed here, and at first everyone here will be “on the same face”. You need to be ready at first for the most difficult and dirty work - from cleaning toilets to the work of a loader. Do not hesitate to refuse such work, unless, of course, you want to lose your service in the Legion. True, refusing to perform such work can also cause severe beatings, no matter how strong you are. In the Legion, even the “coolest” know how to break off the horns”, for almost 200 years of history, everyone has been seen here. Remember that order is valued above all else and you need to clean the room in which you are located without warning and especially carefully. Remember that the construction here is treated very zealously and any violations are punished quite harshly. So do not be late for it, do not try to talk or make any movements without the permission of the commanders. Otherwise, at least the outfits and the guardhouse and bad attitude bosses are provided to you. Much attention in the Legion is also paid to hand-to-hand combat. His system here does not boil down to a long duel, as it used to be in Soviet army, but to the destruction of the enemy the minimum amount blows. God forbid you, even if you are a master of sports in one of the martial arts, to show your superiority over the instructors. The legion of the self-confident does not tolerate, and you will certainly be “lowered”, putting up a tougher or tougher fighters at the same time, you can be sure of that.

Be prepared for constant hikes and exercises.

If in the Soviet and Russian armies many held weapons in their hands only a few times, then here you will almost never let go of it, constantly improving your fire training. You will constantly, while hiking, spend the night in the open air, cook for yourself, wash clothes, put up tents or hang hammocks. The legion of whitehands will not tolerate it, 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 how your boots were polished; whether you can endure undeserved beatings and just kicks if the authorities do not like the pace of cleaning the premises, etc. Remember that physical punishment of this kind in the Legion is not a violation of the charter. If you come here only for money and for nothing else, then it will be doubly difficult for you to adapt here, and then you will not survive here for more than 3 years. In addition, legionary service is contraindicated " creative people". 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 term of service begins with it. But the future legionnaire should not be deceived much: he is not yet in the service. Officially, the contract comes into force with the oath of the legionnaire. First comes a preliminary contract of 6 months. During this period, the contract can be terminated by superiors without any explanation. The reason for this can be anything: you can fail various tests, show a bad physical training or inability to adapt to the conditions of the Legion, etc. But even after the expiration of the 6-month period, one should not think that you grabbed God by the beard and that after that you can do everything. War Department France 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 estimating how much you will receive for your long-suffering service. The legionnaire himself can easily terminate the contract within the first 4 months. Further it is more difficult to do this, motivating it with serious reasons, for example, poor health. The negative here is that a legionnaire cannot marry and buy cars in the first 5 years. It is necessary to say especially about how the legionary authorities encourage the longest possible service of a simple legionnaire and lure him, given the above-described naturalization procedure. If a person got into the Legion, then if he firmly decided 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 1,000 euros after 15 years of service, which, at the request of a legionnaire, will be delivered to any part of the world.

Exams and tests

In Aubagne, for the newly-minted legionnaire, a “streak” of trials and tests begins, which can last up to 2 months. The most important thing here is the running test. As legionnaires testify, “a person who managed to run 8 standard 400-meter laps in a stadium in 12 minutes has a 100 percent chance of entering. The closer the candidate is to this result, the higher his chances.” In general, be prepared for the fact that you have to run here every day for 15 kilometers. Those who do not perform well enough in running and other indicators should know that all his labors upon arrival in the Legion may be in vain and that he can be sent home very quickly without any compensation. The loads here are monstrous, and the fulfillment of legion standards is quite difficult even for very well-trained people. Former legionnaires write that, even when they were already in the Legion, these loads not only did not decrease, but even increased. So, once after such exercises, the legionnaires were supposed to engage in fire training, but they could not fire a shot, because they fell asleep from incredible fatigue. It is important to pass other tests, especially important of which are the test for 10 - for mental abilities and for quick thinking and a psychological test. Regarding the first one, 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. Highest mark here 20, but, despite the fact that the level of the "average" person is 9-11 points, 7 or 8 is enough to enter the legionnaires, but, as you know, the more the better. Relatively psychological test- this is “how it will lie on an eagle”. It has its own selection methodology, but, as you know, obvious psychopaths and people with mental disabilities in general will not pass this test - you never know how you behave in battle! But as mentioned above, great running is key to Legion admission, and all other tests are looked at through that lens. Even if you have a level 10 close to zero and in addition you are a person with a manic-depressive syndrome, but if you cover the above indicators in running, you can consider yourself a legionnaire. Do not despair if, despite the high performance in passing tests and exams, you were not picked up and told to come later, at such and such a time. There is almost 100% certainty that next time you will do it. The second visit will be credited to you in the future on the positive side: the Legion appreciates perseverance and perseverance in achieving the goal. There is another important test, the language test, but more on that below.

"Legend-biography"

Among those who dream of becoming legionnaires, a false opinion is widespread that in order to be admitted to the Legion, one must invent some beautiful “miracle legend”. As mentioned above, it’s better not to lie and tell it like it is, unless, of course, you are a drug addict, a suicidal person and an international criminal. According to Russian legionnaires, you don't have to show that you are too smart. Here, as elsewhere, they are not very fond of. It is better to seem like a sort of "hillbilly", but a capable person, from whom you can fashion everything that the legionary 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 the Legion does not take those who have already passed the army. Another thing is that the combat experience you have already gained here may not be in demand, especially when fighting in urban conditions. The methodology of urban combat in the Legion has been worked out to the smallest detail, and it implies other methods of action than, for example, in the same Russian army. On the other hand, the experience of the military in domestic matters will undoubtedly help you adapt better here. Language In order to quickly adapt to the Legion, the legionnaire needs to learn French as soon as possible and better, and it is better to join the legionnaires with his knowledge. Otherwise, he will be in big trouble and will not get a promotion, which may lead to premature sending home. 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 is quite unpleasant when your partners, or even subordinates, speak in a language that others do not understand on purpose. 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 “binoma”, 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 "study, study and study again." The better you improved your score in the language from the moment you studied to the new test on a 5-point system, the better you are. This figure will be included in overall ratings, and if your scores from the release are among the best, then you, among the few lucky ones, will be able to choose your own place of service and 1 of 10 Legion regiments. 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 the last here is not only shameful, but also “harmful” for oneself, because then all the “bumps” will fall on you. Here it is better not to mow from physical exercises, otherwise you will lose your shape and become the last one. It must be remembered that here, in the very unit where you yourself are, they do not like those who are lagging behind. The fact is that between the individual units of the regiment there are constantly competitions for achieving the best results. This is interesting and financially beneficial, since the winning unit will go on a 4-month trip outside of France, and the salary will be raised from 1.5 to 3 times during this time. One of the most desirable trips can be a business trip to Gabon, where the legionnaires actually have a rest. This approach to preparation personnel fully justifies itself, since it is a powerful incentive for self-improvement.

Relations with superiors

Basically, you will have to deal not with officers, but with non-commissioned officers. I must say that over the long decades, the legionary authorities have done a great job in order to bring the command and rank and file as close as possible, between which there is an impassable abyss in other armies. But what has remained unchanged is that the 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, then you can “score” on the sergeant, “send” him or even punch him in the face. Doing it here is suicidal. In the best case, you will simply find yourself in a "citizen" without having time to understand what happened. At worst, you can 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, ajudan, senior ajudan. 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. For this you must have high level intelligence and you should be respected by your colleagues and superiors. It is thanks to this powerful non-commissioned officer layer that the 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 the interaction between ordinary legionnaires and non-commissioned officers takes place constantly and the latter do not miss the barracks without attention for a second, we must remember that it is not customary to ask “extra” questions during training and in general here, so as not to tire the authorities.

Relations between legionnaires

As in any army, clashes between simple legionnaires are not uncommon here. But, since everything is kept 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 friendship is often established between legionnaires of different nationalities, which often serves as the basis for joint business projects in the future.