| King and country | Fighting legends | The modern force |

King and country

A mention of the French Foreign Legion conjures up romanticised images of Beau Geste heroically staggering through the desert. Either that or comical scenes from Carry On Follow That Camel of people being buried up to their necks in the sand. Although such sand burials did happen in the show, there's nothing humorous or romantic about the Foreign Legion. The reality is that life in the Legion is a harsh and brutal training regime, deliberately designed to be so tough that even sworn enemies are compelled to join forces and work together in order to endure it.

The Foreign Legion was established in 1831 by Louis Philippe, King of the French, to help reduce the loss of French blood during his war in Algeria. The principle was simple, to create a legion of soldiers from pretty much anywhere other than France; contracting them for a minimum of five years to fight for France. In return they would be given, in effect, a new identity and no questions would be asked about where they had come from. They would lay down their life for France and France would give them a new life.

Because of this it is perhaps not surprising that the Legion attracted all sorts of men from out of the shadows; from wanted criminals and out-of-work mercenaries to disgraced Etonians, as well as men just looking for adventure. It is because legionnaires came from such varied backgrounds that the training was made so tough. Coming from so many different countries, the legionnaires lacked a common culture or sense of nationalism. So to make them gel as a fighting unit they were forced to accept a new way of life, one of extreme discipline, requiring both physical and mental fortitude.

Two of the Legion’s mantras help capture the spirit: 'Don't think, just do,' and 'Pain is just weakness leaving the body.' Then there is the running. The Legion runs everywhere, even in the blistering desert, says Sergeant Glen Ferguson who served with the Legion for five and a half years in the early 1990s. 'We used to run every single morning, 8 kilometres before breakfast.' In addition to this were the 'aperitifs' – 10 pull-ups before every meal and the notorious 'march canard' a punishment involving marching in a squat position while making a quacking sound. 'It’s 90% mental and 10% physical,' says Glenn Ferguson, one of the ex-legionnaires who trained Bear’s team in Morocco.

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Fighting legends

In the early days, legionnaires were looked down upon by other French forces. And, because their code of honour is to never surrender arms, they were often quite literally used as cannon fodder, explains Ferguson. Yet despite this level of devotion to France, foreign legionnaires were forbidden from stepping on French soil. In time, however, this would change.

In Mexico, during the Battle of Camarón on 30 April 1863, the Legion’s reputation for being a dispensable unit of undesirables was suddenly elevated to its now highly respected status as a fighting force to be reckoned with. A small infantry patrol led by Capitane Danjou was attacked and besieged by three battalions of the Mexican infantry and cavalry. Danjou’s men were forced to make a defence in the Hacienda Camarón near Puebla. It was 62 legionnaires and three officers against more than 2000 Mexican soldiers.

Legend has it that despite being hopelessly outnumbered, the legionnaires kept the Mexicans at bay for more than a day, refusing to surrender. When the last of the men had run out of ammunition, they fixed bayonets and charged their enemy. When asked to surrender again, the legionnaires demanded to be allowed safe passage home and to take with them the French flag and the body of their fallen capitane. Out of respect for their courage, the Mexican commander agreed to their terms, commenting 'These are not men, they are devils.'

The battle, the name of which now adorns the Legion’s flag, remains symbolic of their vow never to give up arms. It was, according to Glenn Ferguson, the turning point for the Legion. Camarón Day, celebrated every year on 30 April, is a special day for the Legion, when the wooden prosthetic hand of Danjou is taken down from its place of honour and displayed, as the men remember their fallen heroes.

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The modern force

In contrast to its reputation for taking anyone who applies, these days the Legion is a lot pickier. The idea that escaped convicts can sign up and avoid a prison sentence or a worse punishment may have been true in the early days but not anymore. Identification is now required when signing up and the Legion will check it against Interpol’s wanted list and call the police if necessary. Many people on the run don’t realise this, says Ferguson. 'It’s like a giant international mousetrap.'

Another way the Legion has changed is that Frenchmen are now allowed to join, provided, like everyone else, they are aged between 17 and 40, unmarried, fit and mentally strong enough to pass the entrance tests. But an unusual quirk of this move towards modernisation is that in order to keep with other Legion traditions, French nationals must assume a false identity when joining the Legion.

The promise of a new identity that once attracted all sorts of men from across the globe now only stands during their service in the Legion. On completing their contract they must reassume their original identity, and few men stay on much longer than five years, says Ferguson.

Until 1962, the Legion headquarters were in Sidi-Bel-Abbès, Algeria. Today they are based at Aubagne, near Marseilles, and train in Castelnaudary. Although they are no longer based in north Africa, there is still one regiment stationed there and it remains the Legion’s spiritual home.

While traditions remain strong in the Legion, it has been steadily transformed into a modern fighting force of 8500 men, equipped with the latest weaponry and equipment. In its time, the Legion has performed vital roles in Mexico, the Franco-Prussian War and Indochina. It is a highly respected fighting force which acts like a special forces unit, usually being deployed in crisis situations, as they were in the first Iraq war and in Kosovo. But like most forces these days, the Legion has also had to find a place for itself in preventing conflicts and so recently the Legion has been deployed on peacekeeping operations in the Ivory Coast.

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