The French Foreign Legion Hardcover – May 15, 2006

There have been few books that I got from Amazon that I found hard to put down, this was one. The author did an outstanding job in doing his research for the book. I found that portion dealing with Viet Nam after World War II very interesting, since I was there in 1965-66. I remember two points that are applicable here: first the 1st Cav Div was based initially at Ankhe. I and two other NCOs and about twenty Vietnamese were sent over to the airfield to get it ready for our Mohawk aircraft that were going to be based there. During our initial sweep the Vietnamese started bring us unexploded ammunition, I don't mean small arms, I am talking about artillery rounds. I had been trained while in France to know what we were seeing and I told my Company commander we needed EOD people fast. He got them over there and it took over a week to clear the area. What we had found was a French ammunition dump dating back to when the French were there. I have no idea if they were Legion or not. Later while in a convoy going to Pleiku I saw burned out vehicles down the side of the mountain road that had been there a long time and I believe were from the French Mobile 100 that was ambushed on that road, again I don't know if they were Legion or not. My point is the author while not referring to these two examples covers very well what the Legion did there.The other point I bring up, as I mentioned I had some EOD training in France, when we had troops there. I also happened to be there when the Generals revolted and for us it was a very scary time. I was at Metz, which is French military town and we Americans had no idea what was going on or how it would effect us. Now I can see how the Legion was effected by the revolt and better understand what was really taking place.His coverage of the overall history of the Legion is very outstanding. After finishing the book I told my wife that I was glad I did 20 years in the American Army as opposed to 5 years in the Legion. I recommend this book to anyone interested in the real Legion as opposed to the Hollywood version.

I was surprised to read about all the desertion that took place especially when the deserters ended up fighting their former comrades.The makeup of so many Germans, especially at the end of WWII, was also a surprise but I guess they had no where else to go and really had no other skills other than being a soldier.The Legionaires of today are probably better trained and more professional than many of those in the first years.

Comprehensive but a bit cluttered about the Legion. Lots of personal detail, but could have focused more on political and strategic overview. Seems like text has been translated from French, although author is English. Fans of the Legion will enjoy this book nevertheless.

Great book. I had a hard time with all the acronyms (RPLE, etc.), but enjoyed reading about the development of the myths and identity of the Legion. The book could have focused more on the post-WW2 period: Indochina, Guyana, North Africa. Otherwise, it was a very readable book.

There have been dozens of books written about the French Foreign Legion, and probably hundreds of novels, but many of those nonfiction books were as accurate as their fictional counterparts. In Boyd's book, we have a well-written, well-researched examination of the Legion, from its inception nearly two centuries ago to the present. Anyone wanting to know the facts behind the myths and legends will not find a better resource than this book.

An eye-opener - I didn't realise the extent of their service in recent times.

Interesting account of the legion and the dirty jobs they were assigned by the French gov't over the years. Story is sad and full of heroes and villains. All leading us to the modern legion , a professional army on par with the US Seals and the SAS.

Interesting book. A bit long winded at times, but very insightful.

Covers the long history of the Legion from its beginning to the present very well. Perhaps a little slow in places, but overall a good read.

A good quick historical oversight of the Legion....warts and all.Recommended reading for military history buffs.The author should be proud of his work...too short is my only complaint.

This is the most useless history of the Legion I have ever read. Superficial, terribly edited, very poor writing construction, it is a tough read for little gain. Hugely padded with expansive amounts of French history with only passing attention given to the remarkable characters, personalities, and stories of the Legionaires themselves. This was a waste of money. I have an extensive library of Legion related books and can only be glad I bought in a Kindle version where I can push delete and not a more expensive hardcover. If the author knows anything at all about the colourful and unique history of the Legion as an entity, he didn't demonstrate it here.

Mention the Foreign Legion to most people, and an image will flash into their mind. A dogged soldier, almost certainly running away from his past, in a dark uniform, kepi on his head, linen curtain hanging down over his neck at the back, marching through the deserts of North Africa. Think Beau Geste (or even Carry on, Follow that Camel!). Although this image is partly true, the reality was different for most foreign legionnaires.The legion was created for a number of reasons, but for good or ill, it has been used over the years to do a lot of work where France was unable or unwilling to use regular forces.Surprisingly, it is quite difficult to find authoritative books about the legion. A bit like the British SAS, there is a plethora of works purporting to be informed and accurate, but most are either imagined memoirs, or largely fictional boy's own stuff. There are reasons for this. The Legion has a secretive ethos; the silence helps to maintain the myth. There is also the simple fact that the Legion is actually not as special or mythical as many think it is.This book is a very mixed bag. It is also very hard going. It has a lot of detail; far too much in fact. Campaigns are often described in minute detail, almost platoon by platoon, naming officer replacements, and routes taken, village by village. If you need a reference work about the Legions history and campaigns, then this would be useful.If you are looking for a readable, general history, then this is not it. The constant stream of units, officers, places and actions becomes tedious and repetitive very quickly. I found myself reading it in very small doses. Each time I tried to continue, I was soon lost in the various units; impossible to remember them all, and, ultimately, unnecessary.The author has clearly done a huge amount of research, and given that many books on the Legion appear to be re-hashes of other works, that is hugely to his credit. Unfortunately, for me, he has not then asked the right questions. There is little higher level analysis; little thought given to strategic considerations. And no thought at all to the readability of the narrative.I'm sure there is a good general history of the Foreign Legion out there - or waiting to be written. One that looks at the Legion's place in French history, and at its ethos and myths. But for me, this isn't it.

It's no wonder the Legion are proud of themselves; they've survived the most awful battles in France's overseas troublespots and regular despoiling of their honourable name.Throughout their history they've done their duty to the utmost while being dumped on by French politicians of every shade and era. After reading this excellent account, I wonder how they - like so many politicians - can lie straight in bed.