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The French Foreign Legion. La Legion Etranger

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THE FRENCH FOREIGNLEGION

(La Legion Etrangere)

March 9, 2010

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Contents

0.1 Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30.2 History of the French Foreign Legion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

0.2.1 Mexico 1863-1867. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60.2.2 Tonkin 1883. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60.2.3 Madagascar 1895. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60.2.4 The 1” World War 1914-1918. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60.2.5 World War 1939-45 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70.2.6 Indo-China 1940-1954. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70.2.7 Algeria 1953 - 1961. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80.2.8 Kolwezi 1978. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80.2.9 Lebanon 1982 - 1983. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90.2.10 Gulf War 1991. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90.2.11 Mogadishu 4k, Bosnia 1992-96. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

0.3 L’Engagement- Joining. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90.4 Le Langage - The Language Problem. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110.5 Aubugne and the Selection Procedure: (Centre de Selection

et Incorporation - CSI) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120.5.1 Physical Health. (Infirmier - Medicaux - Visite d’Incorporation

- Bilan) (Medical assistant - Doctors - Recruitment ex-amination - Results) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

0.5.2 Psychotechnical Test. (Group D’Evaluation Psychotech-nique) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

0.5.3 Niveau General et Niveau Culturel. . . . . . . . . . . . 150.5.4 Security Clearance. (Beaureau Des Statistiques de la

Legion Etrangere - BSLE) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160.5.5 Physical Fitness. (La Forme Physique) . . . . . . . . . 160.5.6 Interviews. (Les entrevues) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

0.6 Castelnaudary - L ’Instruction - Basic Training. . . . . . . . . 190.7 Vos Instructeurs - Your Instructors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210.8 Les Numeraux - The Numbers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220.9 Les Chants - The Songs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

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0.10 La Presentation - Presenting Yourself. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270.11 Bel Air, La ferme - Bel Air, the fame . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280.12 La Remise Du Kepi Blanc - The Presentation of the white Kepi. 300.13 Le Code D’Honneur. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300.14 A Typical Day. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320.15 Qaurtier Libre - Time off down the town. . . . . . . . . . . . . 340.16 Le Garde - The Guard Duty. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 370.17 La Legion c’est Dur - Mais Gamelle c’est sur( - The Legion is

hard - but food is for sure) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 390.18 Le Raid - Raid March. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 400.19 How Hard? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 420.20 Brutality. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 430.21 Le Contrat - The Contract. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

0.1 Introduction.

There are those in life that dream of doing things and those that turn dreamsinto reality. The French Foreign Legion today, is alive and kicking and asalways, actively recruiting. It is an army surrounded by romance, myth andintrigue, with over a hundred and fifty years of history and a reputationthat’s a tough one to beat. It is one of those things that most people onlyhear about or had a friend of a friend who actually went and did it.

But for some who have bought this book - it will not be enough to justread through, and put down. You will take it upon yourselves to make thedream become a reality. It may be that you are merely in search of adventure- perhaps you are trying to escape your past, or maybe you feel that you arein some real danger. Many people join the French Foreign Legion becausethey think they have a problem and they come to the Legion to overcome thatproblem - it is up to you to decide whether the Legion is the right solutionto that particular dilemma. Sometimes, not an easy decision to make.

And then there are those from the former eastern block countries, or forthat matter absolutely any country in the world, who seek a new life in thewestern world accompanied by the French passport. (On completion of thefirst five year contract). For these people it is a golden opportunity.

The Legion, if it does decide to take you into its fold, will provide you witha new identity and will protect you from your past if necessary. Your timeserved with the Foreign Legion will certainly take you on many adventures.From the moment you join, the Legion is your home and from then on it isyour family. (The Legion motto - legion Patria Nostra” means exactly that -The Legion is our home) There are Legionnaires who have served many years

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of service and have only revisited their native country once or twice in alltheir years of service. They find that they are happier and more contentedto spend their time in France. One thing that should be said however isthat it is an experience in life that cannot be explained or learnt from talesrecounted or books read - no matter how many. To understand the ForeignLegion - it has to be done. An ex-Legionnaire with five years service couldsit you down and talk to you for five years and a similar Legionnaire withfifteen years service could sit you down and talk to you for fifteen years -but you still would not really know what it is like until you have actuallybeen there and done it yourself. This book is no different in that respect,but what it tries to do, is to give you the information required to get youinto the French Foreign Legion, to equip you with the knowledge of what toexpect and what not to expect, how best to get along and how to make themost of your time in the Legion. Perhaps how to prepare you for some of thetimes ahead which may lead you to frustration for lack of understanding. Itcan be a bewildering experience learning the ways of the Legion during thefirst year. More often than not though, there is method in their madness.

The decision to join is rarely made on the spur of the moment - at veryleast it has been in the back of the ”engage volontaire ’s ” (recruit’s) mindfor some time - if not many years. The potential Legionnaire has probablyread books about the Legion and talked to people who have been there anddone it. If they do decide to join, they will experience adventures which aresecond to none, meet friends that will last a lifetime. They will travel allover the world and carry with them memories that will stay with them tilltheir last dying breath. Make no mistake however, that serving five years inthe French Foreign Legion is not easy. Rest assured that all Legionnaires atsometime during their contract feel at their wits end, they feel like a prisonerin a cell, they sink to their deepest depths of depression and doom. It willnot be easy - especially from the mental point of view. Few who join theFrench Foreign Legion know what to expect - some find it so hard mentallyto adjust to their new way of life that they try to desert - and some take itto even greater lengths and try to dispose of their life altogether. The longeryou serve in the Foreign Legion - the easier life becomes. With promotionand time served comes it’s just rewards as it does in any army. The onegreat advantage in the French Foreign Legion is that promotion can comerelatively quickly for those that are deserving.

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0.2 History of the French Foreign Legion.

Formation: 9’ March 1831. The French Foreign Legion was formed on the9 of March 1831. It’s authority was signed by Louis-Philippe - the Kingof France. His position as King was weakening and the Legion was read-ily formed in order that Louis-Philippe could maintain his position on thethrone. The oAicers were gathered in from Napoleon’s Grande Armee andthe men were recruited from Italy, Spain, Switzerland and other Europeancountries. There were also some Frenchmen recruits who were trying to es-cape the attention of their local Police.

Sebastopol 1853 - 1856. It was the aim of France to assist Turkey intheir fight to win over free passage of the Black Sea to the Mediterranean.After a brief victory the 1 ere and 2eme RE’s final attempt to win the townof Sebastopol ended in a blockade which lasted a year. After suffering ayear of horrendous weather and illness, the Legion could wait no longer andattempted to take the town but failed badly and took heavy casulaties. Theytried again, but it was not until their third attempt on the 8 September 1855that they succeeded.

Camerone 1863. On the 30 April 1863 the 3eme company of the REin Mexico were given a mission - to ensure the safe arrival of vital suppliesdown the road from Vera Cruz to Puebla in Mexico. This would assist in theblockade of Puebla. Before they had time to arrive at their destination theywere attacked by nearly a thousand Mexican troops. They had just stoppedfor a morning coffee when they were attacked. Capitaine Danjou startedto reposition his men in a derelict building they had passed only minutesearlier. He knew this would afford them some cover from enemy fire. Beforethey could get there, the cavalry were charging. They staved off the attackand continued towards the building. They had barely arrived and a secondwave arrived. There were sixty five Legionnaires to fight the ensuing hoards- numbered at nearly two thousand. Quickly they prepared a hasty defenceand were greeted by a Mexican messenger who offered them an honourablesurrender. On top of the roof lay a Polish legionnaire Sergent who told theMexicans what they could do with their surrender. The cavalry chargedonce more, but the Legionnaires beat them back yet again. Not withoutloss however - the Capitaine Danjou had been badly injured. Before he diedthough, he made all his men promise that they would never surrender.

By mid morning the Legionnaires were almost out of ammunition. Theyhad no food and no water. Again the Legionnaires refused to surrender. Bylate that afternoon there were just twelve Legionnaires left and no more am-munition - It then turned to hand to hand fighting and soon there were justfive Legionaires who remained to face two thousand. The Legionnaires ad-

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vanced towards the enemy. Two of the five were shot down as they advanced.At that point - the Mexican Colonel arrived and saw the situation - he againoffered a surrender. The Legionnaires agreed - but only if they could keeptheir weapons. The Mexican Colonel agreed saying ”I can refuse nothing tomen like you”. The Legionnaires had indeed achieved their mission - theyhad made safe the passage of supplies to Puebla by alerting nearby troops ofthe hoarding Mexicans and had occupied the enemy for nearly a full day.

Every year, on the 30 April, in every quarter of the French Foreign Le-gion - this day is remembered and is known simply as Camerone Day. It iscelebrated with great zealousness and pride. At Aubagne, the wooden handof Capitaine Danjou is paraded before the Regiment and all its privilegedguests.

0.2.1 Mexico 1863-1867.

The Legion continued fighting in Mexico for a further four years before be-ing ordered back to France to deal with more pressing matters at home.The Mexicans were now being backed by the Americans and there was littlechance of victory. Besides, France’s security was threatened and that wasfar more important than any foreign soil. The Legion had however made aname for themselves and so assured their own future existence - All was notlost. Had it not been for the war in Mexico - perhaps the Legion would notbe here today.

0.2.2 Tonkin 1883.

Tonkin was a French Protectorate in Indo-China overrun by pirates. TheFrench Commander, Admiral Courbet attacked the Fort Son Tay and FortBac Ninh and then had the task of defending the Fort Tuyen Quang. Fornearly two months the Legion held out against constant attacks from theChinese but eventually help arrived - The Legion had however lost a third ofits company strength. To the North a battle was going on but came swiftly toa close and a treaty was signed on 1” April 1885. From thereon the Legion’srole was to promote peace and tranquility and rebuild the damage done.

0.2.3 Madagascar 1895.

Following a disagreement between the Queen of Madagascar and the FrenchRepublic, an expeditionary force was sent to Dahomey and then on to Mada-gascar. The Legionnaires immediately started to build a road from wherethey docked to the objective - a place called Tananarive. A distance of 250

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miles. They built and fought their way to the objective and when they finallyarrived, after three and a half months, the enemy gave up without a fight.

0.2.4 The 1” World War 1914-1918.

In 1914 the II/1” RE saw action at the battle of Artois where heavy losseswere taken. (nearly two thousand in all). They were reformed and one monthlater were again heavily defeated at Givenchy. They were finally defeated sobadly that they had to be disbanded in September 1914. As a result of thisthe RMLE was formed (French Foreign Legion Marching regiment) whosejob it was to precede any troops into battle. The RMLE took part in manybattles around France and took many thousands of casulaties. Their mostmemorable was the skilful soldiering which took place in the trenches ofRheims. They cleared over four miles of enemy trenches, with just theirrifles, bayonets and grenades. The next great feat was in the Verdun sectorwhere the Legion succeeded in its mission of recapturing many of its oldpositions. This they did in double quick time and with few losses. Swiftly,the Legion was shifted to Amiens where they again took heavy casualtiesand were forced to retreat. It was not long before they were again divertedto hold shut the passageway to Paris. Again they succeeded - but only aftermuch blood letting of it’s own men. In July 1918 the French made theiroffensive and despite still further heavy losses, much progress was made. Fornearly two weeks the Legion battered, clawed and fought their way throughthe Hindenburg Line. For their efforts in the first world war the Legion hadbecome highly decorated.

0.2.5 World War 1939-45

In June 1940 the 11 REI was almost entirely wiped out by a German divisionin Verdun. The remaining men were captured but nearly all of them managedto escape to fight again. The Regiment was however disbanded. In the sameyear the 13DBLE was sent to Norway to ultimately capture Narvik from theGermans. On the way to Narvik they caused much damage and destructionto German forces and aircraft. Due to German advances towards Paris, theLegion had to quickly re-deploy and assist in the defence of the Parisienquarter. It was not long after the troubles had been quelled in the Parisianregion, that the Legion’s services were again required. It was this time theItalians in Eritrea, Africa who required their attention.

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0.2.6 Indo-China 1940-1954.

Thailand attempted a takeover of Cambodia in 1940 but were briefly pre-vented from doing so by the Legion. The Legion’s efforts were wasted how-ever, and as a result of conciliation Cambodia was handed over anyway.There was really only one unit of the Legion that was now based here, thatbeing the 5REI. Again the Legion avoided combat in the South, due to fur-ther negotiation - but this was not to be for long and the Legionnaires basedat the garrison at Ha Giang were soon massacred. Two battalions remainedand started a death march towards China. Before arriving in China the warhad ended but was quickly replaced by another, this time with Ho Chi Minhand his communists. This war would last nine years. In 1945 the 5REI leftto be replaced by a long line of legion Regiments - The 2 REI, 13DBLE, 1REC and the 3 REI. In the meantime the 3REI remained to fight in otherareas. In 1948 they too suffered heavy losses. In 1950 access to the borderwith Indo-China was granted to the Chinese People’s army. In 1950 the 3REI were ordered to move location but were caught up in a massive ambushwhich almost completely wiped out the French forces in the region. The13DBLE had more luck however and saw many victories during 1951. The3REI which had also been reformed saw victory also in 1952 at Strongpoint24. Soon afterwards the 1BEP jumped into Dien Bien Phu and took thearea and quickly installed a garrison. They were attacked and despite sup-port provided by the 2 BEP, were all but completely wiped out. For theLegionnaires in Indo China the war was now over.

0.2.7 Algeria 1953 - 1961.

Before they could so much as go on Permission, they found themselves back inAlgeria, ready to fight another war. This time against the Algerian NationalLiberation Army. Although the Legion had deployed nearly twenty thousandmen to the region they were to come across little more than enthusiasticskirmishes in the years that followed. These were to deteriorate to pettyguerilla tactics after not too long. Let down by the politicians, the Legionwere ordered home in 1961. There losses amounted to little more than athousand men. Feeling let down - there was a mutiny and the 1 REP was,as a result disbanded.

0.2.8 Kolwezi 1978.

As a result of an attempted takeover by Angolan Tiger Rebels, Kolwezi inZaire, was seized. They violated the town, raping and pillaging wherever

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they pleased. There were many Europeans caught up in the crisis - sometaken hostage. A distress signal was sent out requesting help from Europe,to which the 2 REF was activated. After a lightning deployment, the 2 REPdropped in after only fifteen hours. After a solid week of fighting and closequarter battles the Legionnaires had all but wiped out the Tiger rebels andfreed the petrified European hostages. This was one of the Legion’s mostsuccessful missions which earned them recognition all over the world.

0.2.9 Lebanon 1982 - 1983.

It was again the 2REP who were chosen in this peacekeeping role, accom-panied later by the 2REI, 1RE and the 1 REC. Like many peacekeepingroles it was not an easy job, but one which, as usual, the Legion carried outmeticulously and without complaint.

0.2.10 Gulf War 1991.

In September 1990 the 2REI, the 6REG and the 1 REC were sent to the Gulfin anticipation of Saddam Husseins threats against the world. After six longmonths waiting and a build up of world forces which had not been seen sinceWorld War Two, the war began. The air offensive was won first - this tookfour weeks, after which the coalition forces penetrated deep into Iraq. It wasreferred to as a Blitzkrieg (Lightning war) and only three Legionnaires died.Al Salman airport was taken by the Legion forces with little resistance. TheLegion’s task was then to safeguard any retreat by the Republican Guardeto the West. Very light casualties were taken and after one hundred hoursfighting on the ground the war was over.

0.2.11 Mogadishu 4k, Bosnia 1992-96.

More recently the Legion was again asked to carry out peace keeping roles inwar torn areas of the globe. Under the direction of the United Nations, the2 REP were kept on a tight leash in Mogadishu but the 2 REI accompaniedby the 1 REC managed to carry out various clandestine operations in Bosniain 1992-1995. The Legion were able to make use of the mother tongue of itsmen in such scenarios to great effect. Casualties were light in both areas ofconflict.

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0.3 L’Engagement- Joining.

Joining the French Foreign Legion is a relatively simple task. In simple termsall that is required is to present yourself in front of the gates of the FrenchForeign Legion and inform the guard that you wish to enlist. To enter Francefrom Great Britain there are ferry crossings from Plymouth, Portsmouth andDover. There are also of course the airports which will connect you directlyto France’s main cities. Some flights are extremely cheap and it is worthshopping around when at the airport itself or nowadays you can use theteletext service on television. The routes into France and the direction fromwhich youcome are many and varied, and none of this is any more a problemthan it would be for an everyday tourist.

When you arrive at the gates of one of the recruiting centres (All of whichare listed towards the end of this book) most people, wherever they comefrom, manage to mumble a few words to express a wish to join - some ofwhich include Legion Etrangere. The Legionnaire on duty knows exactlywhat you’ve come for - particularly if you’ve got a bag over your shoulder. Ifyou want to be more precise in your initial approach you could say somethinglike this:

”Bonjour - Je suis Anglais, Je suis venus pour joindre La Legion Etran-gere”.

Pronounced as follows: ”Bonjoor, - Jer sweez Onglay, Jer swee venoopoor joo-wondre La Lejon Ay-tranj-air. ”

This little parole may initially work against you since they may assumethat you speak a reasonable level of French - and then you’re all of a sudden,going to go all quiet on them. But they will at least get the message loudand clear that you want to join.

Once in France however there are 17 recruiting centres to choose from;situated in most of the major cities. For the most hassle free route into theLegion you should make your way down to Aubagne near Marseille in thesouth. This approach will cut out 2-3 days administration at one of the other”sub recruiting centres”. If you are stuck for cash though, and want to get inquickly, the northern most recruiting centre is Lille. Some centres are moredifficult to find than others but the local Gendarme will help you if you havedifficulty. It is illegal for France to advertise a career in the Foreign Legionin any other country than its own, but you will see posters all over Francesaying ”Regarde la Vie Autrement” promoting you to ”Have a look at thealternative life” - images of hardened Legionnaires stood in their Tenue DeGarde gazing across the desert sands.

When you first arrive they will take your details and ki you out with atrack suit. Apart from an initial medical and the signing of a provisional

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five year contract there is little to do here. Your time will be spent workingon the Quartier (Camp) doing any jobs that are in need of being done untila reasonable number of engages volontaires have turned up. Once you havebeen at the sub-recruiting centre for a few days and there are enough recruitsready, a Caporal Chef or a Sergent will accompany you down to Aubagneitself to start the three week selection procedure. This journey is nearlyalways taken by train.

The age limits are officially 18-40. Candidates over seventeen and oneday are accepted but must have a written consent from either parent, madeout in front of an official witness. All expenses to get to France must be paidfor by yourself. On arriving in France - Lille is the closest recruiting office.Anybody who is ex-forces would be well advised to take a photocopy of theircertificate of discharge with them. (Any members of British forces who arefound to be still serving under HM are immediately refused entry). Althoughthe recruiting ages will extend to forty years of age - they will expect you tobe in good shape if you are of that vintage. If the Legion does not think thatyou look like you’re going to be up to it - they can turn you away withouteven giving you a crack at the first test.

Once you have walked through the Legion gates you are allowed no furthercontact with the outside world - neither by phone or by mail, for at least threeto four months.

0.4 Le Langage - The Language Problem.

There really is not a problem in this area - it is an area which most peopledread and feel will present the biggest problem of all, and it is true to saythat there is no requirement to speak any level of French at the time ofjoining. Having said that - any time spent learning the French languageprior to joining will pay dividends very quickly once you have arrived. Evena basic knowledge of verbs, nouns and tenses will set you in good stead withthe rest of the Section. It is certainly not something to worry about however- Even if you don’t have the time or are in a rush to join, the language comesvery quickly for most English speaking people. The ones who find it mostdifficult are undoubtedly the Japanese, the Chinese and those who come fromcountries whose language is far removed from the French language. Initiallythere will be somebody of your own tongue to help explain the contract and tofill in the forms during the first few weeks at Aubagne. Likewise the ”Gestapointerview” is also carried out by somebody of your own tongue. As mentionedpreviously, if you take a small phrase book with a built in dictionary, it willspeed up the language learning process no end. Mixing with the French and

0.5. AUBUGNE AND THE SELECTION PROCEDURE: (CENTRE DE SELECTION ET INCORPORATION - CSI)13

talking French will also accelerate your learning curve. The sooner you’respeaking fluent French and are classed as a ”Francophone” (French speakingperson) the sooner life becomes easier - You don’t have to rely on the Frenchmembers of your Section or Group to translate after every assembly. Itwill also mean less press-ups and running around because of misunderstoodorders. Remember that the top dogs during basic training are given a choiceof which Regiment they are sent to on completion of ”L ’Instruction” (Basictraining). If you are deemed to be a good enough recruit they will probablyoffer you a place as a Caporal (Corporal) at Castelnaudary. This assessmentwill depend very much on the standard of your conversational French as wellas your soldiering skills. The written side of the French language is not soimportant at this stage and will not become really important until much lateron in your career.

0.5 Aubugne and the Selection Procedure:

(Centre de Selection et Incorporation -

CSI)

Aubagne is situated about an hour’s train journey north of Marseille andit is here that you will begin and end your service with the French ForeignLegion. It is also the home of the ler REI and the Legion Band. The guartier(Camp) is sometimes known as the Mother regiment of the Foreign Legion.

The Legion must now decide for sure whether or not to take you into thefold. It is here that they will find out about your past, they will test youmentally, physically and psychologically. You will be assessed and watchedvery closely. Any misconduct (Particularly fighting and ill-discipline) willleave you standing on the outside of the quartier gates. The Legion are notlooking for nutters, psychopaths or macho men. They will also attempt tofind out any details about any crimes that you have committed in the past.They work very closely with Interpol and if you happen to be on their wantedlist you can expect little refuge in the Legion. You will be handed straightover to the Gendarmes. Similarly, anybody found to be still serving witha foreign army will be denied entry to the Foreign Legion. It is thereforeadvisable to carry your discharge papers if you have recently left the forcesand have the appearance of having had a military background. In days goneby the Legion used to accept almost anyone into their fold. Today however,the story is a little different and they are much more choosy as to who theyaccept. About two thirds of those who arrive at Aubagne will go on tocommence basic training at Castelnaudary (The centre for instruction for

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the French Foreign Legion). Although the Legion is more choosy they arestill keen to recruit and if you are in reasonable shape, not wanted by Interpoland pass all the tests which are put before you - (None of which are extremelydifficult) then the chances are that they will snap you up. Because there isso much mis-information about the Foreign Legion there are sometimes menwho resemble little more than beggars who turn up at the Legion’s gatesto join - people whose teeth are rotting, are grossly overweight or have vileinfections - they are all turned away.

On arrival at Aubagne your belongings will be removed and deposited ina plastic bag with a record of all its contents put on file. If during the firstthree weeks you decide to leave (And you are allowed to do this at any timeprior to ”La Declaration”- a solemn declaration of fidelity to serve the FrenchForeign Legion) or are deemed to be unsuitable for service with the FrenchForeign Legion they will all be returned to you. The only items of kit thatmay be retained by you are toiletries, a watch, underwear and socks and aFrench dictionary/phrase book. If however you are accepted into the Legionthe clothing is lost forever - do not therefore wear expensive clothing whenyou come to enlist. Your passport will also be removed until you either optto leave within the three weeks selection or at the end of your contract.

For these first three weeks you will assigned to duties around the Quartier.They may be cleaning, gardening, administration, loading or unloading ofvehicles or just helping in the stores. In fact you can be assigned to justabout anything. Even here you are being watched and if a bad attitude isshown it will be noted. There will probably be up to about fifty or sixtyengages volontaires at Aubagne at any one time, all at various stages of theirthree weeks selection. A coach load of new recruits arrives every couple ofdays and likewise, every day, some are rejected. Once every couple of weeksa coach load of the successful E.V’s (Engages volontaires) are taken downto the train station to make their way to Castelnaudary to begin their basictraining.

During your first few days you will be amazed at the diversity of nation-alities that have managed to get themselves all the way to France - peoplefrom China, Japan, America, Africa, Iceland. In fact - any country in theworld. There are approximately ninety to a hundred different nationalitiesserving in the French Foreign Legion at any one time. Officially however,there are no Frenchmen in the Foreign Legion (Apart from the Officiers).Any French people who join have their identity changed along with their na-tionality to one of French Canadian or French Swiss for the purpose of theirrecords. They have no choice in this matter. There are some people amongstyou though, who have had a very colourful life - some have been terrorists,drug traffickers, mercenaries - you name it they’ve done it. But for all these

0.5. AUBUGNE AND THE SELECTION PROCEDURE: (CENTRE DE SELECTION ET INCORPORATION - CSI)15

people the same rule applies that if they are wanted by Interpol - it’s no go.

If for any reason you want your identity changed and you are open andhonest with the interviewer, it is nowadays a very simple step to take andprobably 80 % of Legionnaires choose to take this road. For some it is a veryserious business and if ever they have inadvertedly had their picture taken byswarming journalists (As in the Gulf war) and are aware of it they will veryquickly see their Section Lieutenant to arrange a quick change of identity.(Normally if any journalists are known to be in the area, the Legionnairespresent are asked it they have a problem with journalists - if they do - theyare taken out of that area and kept well out of the way until the media haveleft.

If, during your stay at Aubagne any relatives come looking for you theywill be kept at the main gates. You will be asked if you wish to see them andif you do not they will be told politely you are not in the Legion and askedto leave.

After a minimum of three years service in the Legion a legionnaire isallowed to rectify his name - meaning to revert back to his original nameor to confirm that the name being used is correct. Once this is done aLegionnaire is allowed to wear any foreign medals earned in a previous army,he may also leave the country during permission.

For the first week you will be in a track suit and thereby identifiableas having just arrived. During the second week you will be issued a set ofcombats and will wear a green flash on the shoulders. In the third weekyou will wear the same combats but wearing a red flash on the epaulettes.When you depart for Castelnaudary you will be wearing the uniform thathas officially been issued, which includes the Legion beret.

There are five main areas that you will be tested/assessed on during thethree weeks. They are as follows:

• Physical health.

• Psychotechnical Test.

• Security clearance.

• Physical fitness.

• Two interviews.

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0.5.1 Physical Health. (Infirmier - Medicaux - Vis-ite d’Incorporation - Bilan) (Medical assistant -Doctors - Recruitment examination - Results)

You will pass before the doctors at Aubagne and given a full medical. Testswill include good all round general health, bone structure, flexibility of limbsand all bodily movements, heart and lungs, eyesight, hearing, ear, nose throatinspection, drug tests, blood tests, urine tests. Every area that is imaginablewill be inspected. If there are any areas that require further investigation, youwill be taken to the Hospital in Toulon. You will be asked various questionson your medical history with someone of your own tongue. If your eyesight isonly slightly defective then you will probably still be allowed in and glasseswill be provided for you at Castelnaudary. The glasses are specifically de-signed for use with the NBC (Nucleaire, Biologique, et chimique) respirator.

0.5.2 Psychotechnical Test. (Group D’Evaluation Psy-chotechnique)

This is broken down into two parts. The two parts will examine the aptitudeof the candidate, the level of intelligence and the psycholgical stability.

0.5.3 Niveau General et Niveau Culturel.

These written tests will be taken in a classroom with other engages volon-taires. They are done to try and find out what you trade or skill you might besuited to in the Foreign Legion. You might be technically minded or have amechanical way of thinking. The test will show diagrams of pulleys or leversand you may be asked to work out which one would be the most effective atcarrying out the task illustrated in the diagram.

Another part of the test takes the standard form of a mathematical ques-tions. This test of intelligence test is not particularly hard and most passwithout any real problem. Some of the questions may be using shapes andasking which one fits into the other or working out the next number in asequence.

A final written test done in the classroom are in your own tongue andwill pose questions of an opinionated nature - perhaps requiring some formof self assessment. Your answers will be assessed by a specialist afterwards.Questions may seem bizarre to you - they could be something like: Do you

0.5. AUBUGNE AND THE SELECTION PROCEDURE: (CENTRE DE SELECTION ET INCORPORATION - CSI)17

like nature? Are you considered to be a hard man in your home town? Doyou prefer male company to female? This test will take about twenty min-utes. Depending on your score - you will be allowed entry into the FrenchForeign Legion. The scores achieved will also determine whether or not youwill be able to progress higher up the rank structure at a later date. (Thetests are repeated throughout you career however)

0.5.4 Security Clearance. (Beaureau Des Statistiquesde la Legion Etrangere - BSLE)

Here, it is up to the Legion to decide whether or not to accept you into theirfold from the security point of view.

But they will make every effort to find out every detail about you startingfrom the year dot. The information will be gathered by means of a personalinterview between yourself and someone of your own tongue. This is partof the French Foreign Legion Intelligence service and they are very good attheir job. They are referred to as ”Le Gestapo” by the Legionnaires.

Although the Legion will accept people of various backgrounds they willnot accept murderers or those they consider to be of a dangerous nature.They have in the past accepted former terrorists and people caught up inthe troubles of their country. For these people it is a chance to to escapeany danger they might be in and to start life again. The interview will takeabout two hours and they will delve into every minute detail of your life; yourfamily, your schooling - your previous jobs - why you want to join. They willask you about your friends, where you have been in the world. And if theyfeel they are not happy with your story they will invite you back again forfurther interviews until they are happy. Your fingerprints will also be takenduring this stage and held on record.

0.5.5 Physical Fitness. (La Forme Physique)

These tests are done to ensure that you are in a reasonable condition to takeon the tasks that lie ahead at Castelnaudary. As well as various upper bodytests in the form of pull-ups and sit ups there is a 2600 metre run to becompleted in twelve minutes. If you take longer than the time allowed thenyou will have failed selection. (this equates to just over a mile and a half in12 mins or just over eight minute miles). Failures are allowed to re-apply inthree months time.

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0.5.6 Interviews. (Les entrevues)

There will be a brief interview, probably with a Caporal Chef and a secondinterview with the Major. Both interviews will take on a similar line ofquestioning - Why do you want to join? What have you done in your previouslife? Have you done much physical training in your life? Do you know andunderstand what the contract means? Soon after you have had your secondinterview you will be informed of whether or not you have been accepted intothe French Foreign Legion.

At Aubagne the days will start early, probably at about 5.00am, firstlywith Le petit dejeuner (breakfast) - a bowl of hot coffee or chocolate withsome bread, butter and jam. The coffee will be served in a bowl which youdrink from. This is France now and you will learn to do everything the Frenchway. As you become known to more and more Legionnaires you will quicklylearn that it is also customary to shake hands first thing in the morning orfor the first time you meet them during the day. This happens every day.

There is much to do during the three weeks at Aubagne, so you willquickly be marched back to the block to start cleaning. After this the days’activities will begin. It could be any one of the tests previously mentionedor it could be something more mundane like cleaning or helping out in thekitchens.

Throughout each day you will be working in one place or another, gettingcalled away to carry out another test or interview and then returning to yourpresent job. If you’re not doing either of these things then you will be gettingto know the other engages volontaires in a sort of a recreational area at theback of the building. Here there is a pull up bar and trees to sit under andrelax. The days are long and they can be tiring but it is also an interestingtime for you. You are on the edge of an unknown quantity - about to embarkon a great adventure - with some fairly bizarre and adventurous membersof your planet. You will probably come across those that like to pull up asandbag and tell tall stories - take the things you hear with a pinch of salt.Especially when it comes to what lies ahead. You are essentially now in theFrench Foreign Legion and it is a tough army with a tough lifestyle. Youmust stand up for yourself and don’t get walked over. But be warned that ifyou are caught fighting and causing trouble - then you will be turned away.At Castelnaudary they will be more lenient - and it is sometimes required inlife, to earn some respect, not least of all in the French Foreign Legion. Here,however - if they see you as a trouble maker then you will soon find yourselfpacking your bags.

There will probably be two days out of the three weeks that will be spentat one of two Legion camps helping out: Malmousce and Puyoublier.

0.5. AUBUGNE AND THE SELECTION PROCEDURE: (CENTRE DE SELECTION ET INCORPORATION - CSI)19

Malmousce is a small Legion complex situated on the seafront close toMarseille. It is an idyllic setting and it’s purpose is to provide for Legionnaireswho have no family or friends, a place for them to spend their Permission(Holiday). They will go here or alternatively to ”Fort De Nogent” in Paris.

As an engage volontaire you will more than likely be taken here to Mal-mousce to carry out any jobs that are necessary - such as odd jobbing orhelping out in the kitchens. There will probably be about ten to fifteen Le-gionnaires there at any one time, all at various stages of their contract. Forthem, during the weeks they spend there, life is easy and they will probablybe more than happy to tell you about life in the Legion and what’s in storefor you. The food is normally of a high standard as it is on most Legioncamps.

The other place that you, as an engage volontaire will be likely to visit isPuyoublier. This is the home for the former Legionnaires who have completedmore than three contracts in the Legion. In the Legion such men are knownas ”Les Anciens ”. Most of them have seen action on more than one occasionduring their careers. Some have seen a lot of action in some of the Legion’smost memorable battles. They are friendly people and only too happy totalk to ”Les Jeunes ”(The in-experienced or latest to arrive). At Puyoublierthe men make their own wine and work the land. There are livestock to lookafter and even a crafts centre where they make souvenirs to sell to tourists.It is their home - they eat well - have company they can relate to - and theyof course drink well. Puyoublier continues to give them a purpose in life.

Your job whilst there will again be to help out wherever needed. By thisstage you will be beginning to learn what hard work is all about.

During your time at Aubagne you will be getting paid a small amount ofmoney. This will amount to about F100 per week. With this money you willbe allowed, probably once a week, to go to the Foyer (A bar with small shopattached - There is one on every guartier) - you will be allowed an hour or soto have a beer or two and buy anything you need such as razors, cigarettesetc.

It will be very noticeable how all the nationalities gather together ingroups of their own tongue - non more so than the British. With the ”Brits”,will be Canadians, Australians, Scandinavians (who often speak English) andAmericans. Whenever the English speakers gather together they are knownas ”La Mafia Anglaise ” or sometimes if they are British ”Les Hooligans ”.(Individually, you may find yourself being called ”Johhny” from time to time,particularly by Les Anciens). But you will notice the Spanish and Braziliansstick together, the Eastern block countries will stick together. The Frenchwill be in their little group and so on. It is important to make an effort tomix - if not with the other nationalities - at least with the French. It is after

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all, the French that you will be relying on to learn the language and, duringthe initial stages, to translate what has been said by the Caporal or Sergent.

As well as various lectures and videos covering life in the French ForeignLegion and the postings that exist, there will also be a visit to the LegionMuseum. Probably one of the most impressive to be seen. You will be givenabout an hour to wander around during an afternoon and examine some ofthe Legion’s past.

At some time during the three weeks you will also be interviewed (albeitit in a very casual manner) on the subject of music. That is whether or notyou play an instrument or have any inclination to become a musician andany desire to play in the Legion band. The Legion band is always keen torecruit - any hint of interest and you will be encouraged all the way in thisdirection. No- one is ever forced to join the band however - but if you arean experienced musician and definitely do not want to work in the Legionband then it is probably better if you tell them you are destined to be in the2 REP and wouldn’t know one end of a trumpet from the other. (There aresome perks to the job of being a bandsman and the Legion band does travelworldwide every year). All bandsmen go through French Foreign Legion basictraining just the same as any other Legionnaire.

After a long three weeks of cleaning, tests and interviews you will finallybe told whether you have passed the selection procedure or not. The suc-cessful ones will be issued with the Legion haircut and be taken down tothe stores to be kitted out with Le Paquetage. This is the equipment thatyou will take with you to Castelnaudary and last you through your contract.It will be contained within a large green sausage bag called a Sac Moraine.When you have been issued your paquetage you will know that very soonyou will commencing basic training with the French Foreign Legion. At thisstage there is only one more thing left to do - that is the solemn declarationof honour and fidelity to serve the French Foreign Legion. For this you willbe assembled in a large room which oozes tradition. Thirty to forty of youwill be assembled to form three sides of a square. There will be a shortspeech by the Major declaring that you have been officially accepted into theranks of the Foreign Legion, with whom you will serve for five years withhonour and faithfulness. The Major will then go up to each engage volon-taire, call his name out and hand him his contract. The Legionnaire willacknowledge receipt of the contract by coming to the gardez-vous position(attention position) and calling out ”Present Major”.

At approx 5.00 am the next morning you will be assembled ready for pickup by coach to be taken to the Aubagne train station. There you will boarda train to take you to Castelnaudary. The Sergent and the Caporal whoescort you in the morning will be part of your training team during the four

0.6. CASTELNAUDARY - L ’INSTRUCTION - BASIC TRAINING. 21

months that lie ahead.

0.6 Castelnaudary - L ’Instruction - Basic Train-

ing.

”Quite singly the best way to get on during instruction is not to get noticed,keep your head down, work hard, don’t moan, mix with the French and startlearning the language. It will come amazingly quickly and if you can speakFrench, you’ll get less hassle”.

This is the real beginning of your time in the French Foreign Legion.Everything so far has been merely selection. It is now that the real workbegins. You are brand spanking new to the system and are about to embarkon a very steep learning curve....

Basic training is not aimed at producing elite soldiers out of you. Itis aimed at bringing you all into a military way of thinking and to startinstilling some form of military discipline. Coupled with this, they must startgetting you to grips with learning the French language and conditioning youphysically to the rigors that lie ahead. There is therefore a lot of work to bedone by both the training team and the recruits during the four months basictraining. It is after basic training that soldiering skills are taught in depthat the Regiment that you are posted to. That is not to say that you are nottaught military skills during basic training - only that the skills may not beso in depth and so well honed at this stage. Remember that there are peoplefrom all over the world, Japanese, Chinese, Rumanians, Czechs, Polish allwith a totally different outlook on life. The Western world is naturally avery disciplined culture and one which adapts well to a military environment- many other cultures around the world are not so orderly in their thinking.

This four months basic training will also be teaching you one more thing- and certainly the hardest element of all to an engage volontaire - and thatis the ”Legion way of doing things”. It may not be the most logical way orthe simplest way, it may seem like the most stupid, ridiculous method in theworld - but it is done that way and you are going to do it that way - evenif it takes all night and all the next day. They may send one man to do thejob of ten or ten men to do the job of one. It will drive you to insanity atthe time but what it is doing is re-affirming military discipline into your verynew way of life. If you can prepare yourself for this and accept their wayof getting the job done, then you’re well on your way to becoming a ”BonLegionnaire”. This is the part of Foreign Legion life that is most difficult toadapt to. Physically the Foreign Legion is not that hard - mentally it can

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crack you down the middle - especially those from the Western world. It maytake you the whole of your five year contract to become fully at home homewith this mentality and the Legion way of doing things.

A ”Section” consists of 40 men each broken down into 4 ”Groupes”. TheSection is commanded by a ”Sergent-Chef” and is known as the ”Chef de sec-tion” but is addressed us ”Sergent-chef”. Likewise the Group is commandedby a ”Sergent” and is known as the ”Chef de Groupe” but addressed as”Sergent” by the Legionnaires.

0.7 Vos Instructeurs - Your Instructors.

The training team is made up of four Caporaux (One man is referred to asLe Caporal - more than one Caporal is referred to as Les Caporaux), fourSergents, a Sergent Chef and a Lieutenant. The Caporaux at Castelnaudarywill be made up of a combination of Caporaux from other Regiments andwhat is known as ”Fonctionnaire-Caporal” (Shortened to Caporal Fut-Fut).This is a term applied to a select few Legionnaires who have been offeredaccelerated promotion due to a good performance during their own in basictraining - they therefore, have only served a few months more than yourselvesin the Legion. You may find that there is a Caporal or Sergent of the samenationality as your own. Often they will be more friendly to their ownnationality and keep you slightly more informed as to what is on the agendaduring the coming days. Tread carefully in this area however and assumenothing.

On arrival at Castelnaudary railway station you will be picked up by aLegion coach and taken to the Quartier (guartier Capitaine Danjou). You willat all times be accompanied by the Caporaux or Sergents. Having unloadedall the Sacs Moraines (Long sausage shaped green bags) into the corridor,there will be a briefing by one of the Caporaux telling you what is next onthe agenda. The first day will be spent unpacking bags and getting you intothe routines that will very quickly become a way of life.

Depending on the training team - and they all have their own way of doingthings - your first day will probably be even more stressful than usual. Inmost armies around the world there is a routine of traumatizing the recruitsduring their first days - creating as big a shock for them as possible. Oneregiment in the British forces would make the recruits run for four mileswith the whole of their equipment immediately on getting off the coach atthe Depot, shouting and screaming at them all the way.

Likewise in the French Foreign Legion they must instill discipline intothe Section as soon as possible and this will be done by whatever means is

0.8. LES NUMERAUX - THE NUMBERS. 23

deemed necessary. There will be silence in the corridoors when lined up. Feetwill be exactly in line with the second row of floor tiles.

Anybody talking, whispering or behaving like a civilian will be repri-manded in the most extreme manner probably in the form of a good dig tothe body. Head and eyes to the front and best you keep it that way. For thosethat come from Eastern block countries this is not at all easy. They havecome from backgrounds far removed from the culture of the West. They areinherently less disciplined and prone to being the target of the enthusiasmof the Caporaux. You may well find yourself doing press- ups on account ofthem.

Throughout the day they will run you through what is known as the”Apel”. This is a routine of lining up in the corridor and calling out fromleft to right a number. The number starts at one and continues up to howevermany there are of you. You may all be lined up in a different order everytime you come out into the corridor, so it is important that you learn veryquickly how to count in French. Whatever you are doing in the room - itis dropped immediately and you must get out into the corridor and line upagainst the wall before the Caporal has reached the count of four.

The Apel is always done first thing in the morning and last thing at night,but initially you will do it perhaps twenty or thirty times in a day. This ispurely to teach you how to count and as a method of asserting disciplineand authority upon you. In the 2 eme REP based in Corsica, there are threeapels per day - one after lunch as well. At some time during basic trainingthere is sure to be a low count in the morning when a Legionnaire or twohave decided that they’ve had enough and tried to desert. They are nearlyalways caught.

0.8 Les Numeraux - The Numbers.

French number - (Pronounced as) - English number

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Un (Urn) OneDeux (Durgh) TwoTrois (Twar) Three

Quatre (Cart) FourCinq (Sank) FiveSix (See) Six

Sept (Set) SevenHuit (H’eet) EightNeuf (Nerf) NineDix (Dees) Ten

Onze (Onz) ElevenDouze (Dooz) TwelveTreize (Trays) Thirteen

Quatorze (Catorz) FourteenQuinze (Canz) FifteenSeize (Says) Sixteen

Dix-Sept (Dees set) SeventeenDix-Huit (Dees weet) EighteenDix-neuf (Dees nerf) Nineteen

Vingt (Van) TwentyVingt et une (Vant ay oon) Twenty oneVingt deux (Van der) Twenty twoVingt trois (Van twar) Twenty three

Vingt quartre (Van cart) Twenty fourVingt Cinq (Van sank) Twenty fiveVingt six (Van see) Twenty six

Vingt sept (van set) Twenty sevenVingt huit (Van weet) Twenty eightVingt neuf (van nerf) Twenty nine

Trente (Tron) thirtyTrente et une (Tront ay oon) thirty oneTrent deux (Tron der) Thirty twoTrente trois (Tron twar) Thirty three

Trente Quatre (Tron cart) Thirty fourTrente cinq (Tron sank) Thirty fiveTrente six p’ron sees) Thirty six

Trente sept (Tron set) Thirty sevenTrent huit (Tron weet) Thirty eight

Trente neuf (Tron nerf) Thirty nineQuarante (Carront) Forty

Quarante et une (Carront ay oon) Forty oneQuarante deux (Carront der) Forty twoQuarante trois (Carront twa) Forty three

Quarante quatre (Carront cart) Forty fourQuarante Cinq (Carront sank) Forty fiveQuarante six (Carront sees) Forty six

Quarante sept (Carront set) Forty sevenQuarante huit (Carront weet) Forty eightQuarante neuf (Carront nerf) Forty nine

Cinquante (Sankont) Fifty

0.8. LES NUMERAUX - THE NUMBERS. 25

It will not obviously stop everybody else making mistakes and you willstill be going in and out of the room like a yo-yo. But at least you will get itright and it’s one less thing for you to have to learn. When you later have toline up for a Company parade you will have to learn the rest of the numbers inFrench, but this is not worth worrying about at the moment. There are twoother reasons for needing to learn the numbers as soon as possible. Firstly;you will have been issued a service number and there will also be a numberfor your FAMAS. Your service number is known as your ”Matricule” and isa six figure number. You must learn how to say it in French and learn it byheart. The number is not however read out as single numerals but as follows:

Cent soixante trois, trois cent onze (One hundred and sixtythree - three hundred and eleven).

This is more difficult to commit to memory than simply learning: Une-six-trois, trois-une-une. (One-six-three - three-one-one). The Caporaux willteach it to you and you will be expmted to know it by heart after a weekor two. It will not be very long before you are introduced to your FAMASassault rifle - This number must also be committed to memory. If you canlearn these numbers quickly then you will not be the one that feels the mightof a size ten boot when the Sergent has been calling out the weapon numbersix times at the armoury doors (Le Magasine).

Apart from learning your numbers there will be the allocation of beds andlockers and a demonstration by one of the Caporaux on how to arrange yourPaquetage into the armoire (locker) in the correct way. There is a right wayand a wrong way to do everything in the Legion - if the kit is not placed inthe correct place it will soon end up on the floor. There is no food to be keptin the locker at any time and there is a very small shelf which is allocatedfor personal belongings. (Of which you will have very few).

As an engage volontaire you will be assigned to another - he will bereferred to as your ”Binome”. It is up to you to help each other. If he’sFrench - he can help you a lot, and he will be expected to.

”It goes without saying that as a recruit you must always carry a pen andnotepad. Carry three pens - One for yourself, one for when it stops workingand one for the binhome next to you who has forgotten his”

For the first two weeks there are only a few items of kit that you have toworry about. The first is the boots. This must be well polished and thereis plenty of opportunity to do that. If nothing is happening - i.e. betweenlectures, then the Legionnaires will gather downstairs and polish their boots.You may well find yourself polishing the boots five, six or even seven timesa day. The green combat uniform that is worn on a daily basis is not ironed

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in the Legion. Neither is the Tenue de Sport (PT kit). But it must be cleanat all times. There are no washing machines in basic training so all the kit iscleaned by hand with a block of Savon Marseille (Soap) in the wash basins.Then hung out to dry on the clothes lines of the balconies attached to eachroom. (The clothes lines are below balcony level and therefore not visiblefrom the outside of the building).

The beret that has been issued to you will last only two weeks beforebeing replaced with a smaller neater one which sits much more neatly on thehead. The tassle at the back of the beret should lie directly down the centreof the back of the head. The Legion badge will then sit slightly to the right ofthe right eye. Unlike some armies where a blue beret is issued until traininghas been completed - in the Legion it is the Kepi that you earn. The beretissued in the Legion is green in colour from day one. The flap being foldeddown to the left. If you wish to shape the beret to your head, you can makeit wet and then squeeze it until damp, then put it on your head for shapingto the exact shape and position required.

You will be paid approximately F1500 per month during L ’Instruction(basic training) (About X200). This will be paid into your CNE accountwhich is held by the L ’Adjudant de Section. When you are allowed to goto the Foyer (Like a Naafi or canteen with a small shop attached) - you willbe given some money. This is not likely to happen very often during thefour months of Instruction. Everything will be provided for you during basictraining, even down to your toothbrush, toothpaste, razors etc. At sometime during your Instruction you will be allowed to go into the town for afew hours. Here again you will be paid about F200-F300 to have a beerand buy anything you need. Once you have been posted to your regiment,the foyer will become a regular watering hole - chosen in preference to goingthrough all the hassle of preparing your tenue to exit the Quartier. No formaldess need be worn in the Foyer - even Tenue de sport is permitted.

0.9 Les Chants - The Songs.

It will not take long for the instructors to introduce you to the singing whichforms an integral part of the French Foreign Legion’s tradition. The Legionsings on the march, at the Gardez-vous (attention position), sometimes onthe run as a section, and around camp fires when on non-tactical excercises atthe end of a long day. You will probably first be taught Le Boudin along withLe Chant (de la) Companie plus Le Chant Du Regiment. There may be asmany as fifteen or twenty songs learnt during the four months basic training.How many you learn depends very much on you all as a Section. The more

0.9. LES CHANTS - THE SONGS. 27

French speaking people there are in the Section, the easier it is to learn,and so the more songs you will learn. If there are only a few Francophones(French speaking people) in the section the songs may well be taught to youphonetically. What this means is that a German will read out the words asthey should sound in German and you will write them down as they sound toyou in your tongue. Le Boudin is probably the most famous of all the LegionSongs. It is also the only song that must be sung at the Gardez vous position.All the rest may be sung on the march. Le Chant (de la) Compagnie wi11vary from company to company and could be one of many songs.

The first verse of Le Boudin is often all that is sung, for example prior toeating a meal. It goes like this:

Le Boudin:

Tiens. Voila du Boudin, voila du boudin, voila du boudin,Pour les Alsaciens, les Suisses et les Lorrains, Pour les Belges yen a plus, pour les Belges y en a plus, Ce sont des tireurs au coup,Tireurs au coup.

There are many different understandings of the meaning behind the wordsbut here is a literal translation:

Well there’s sausage, there’s sausage, there’s sausage, For theAlsatians, the Swiss and the Lorrainers; There’s none left for theBelgians, there’s none left for the Belgians, They are malinger-ers; There’s none left for the Belgians, there’s none left for theBelgians; They are malingerers

You will undoubtedly hear of other versions whilst in the Legion.The songs are not just sung in French but in many other languages such as

Yugoslavian, German and English. The first few weeks singing will undoubt-edly result in some very sore arms. This will be through all the press-ups thatyou will be doing in a bid to get you to sing in tune, deeper (Plus has) andlouder (Plus fort). It may seem a pain singing hour after hour, sometimeslate into the night, but when a level of skill has been achieved - it will lookand sound very good. There is nothing like the sound of 40 plus Legionnaires(better still a company of 150) singing in tune, on the march, with Kepis ontheir heads and red epaulettes on their shoulders.

Songs will be sung initially in the classroom, and then later, when thewords have been learnt, on the march. The songs that you will learn are notwhat you are used to. They are sung slowly, in unison and in a deep voice.They have to be sung slowly in order to be in keeping with the pace of the

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march. (In the French Foreign Legion the marching is done at 80 paces perminute as opposed to 120 in the British army).

There are a collection of Legion songs, most of which you will be expectedto learn during basic training, situated towards the back of the book in theAppendix section.

0.10 La Presentation - Presenting Yourself.

It is tradition in the Legion that when addressing someone of a senior rankLe Presente is carried out. It is a form of recital and until you have attainedsome rank yourself, this will initially mean saying it to everybody, exceptthe other ”Engages” (recruits). It is also said when you recieve your pay orwhen entering a room occupied by anyone of any senior rank.

Actions: Knock - wait - enter - salut - beret off....

”Engage Volontaire Antoine, Deux mois de service, Deuxieme Compag-nie, Section de Lieutenant Souzla, A vos ordres Caporal/Sergent/Sergentchef/etc. ”

Meaning: ”Recruit Antoine, Two months service, 2nd Company, Lieu-tenant Souzla’s section, At your orders Corporal/Sergeant. ”

The words in italics will have to be changed for whatever details areapplicable to you. Once inside the room the Sergent or whoever that you aretalking to, will then say,

”Mets-toi au repos. ” Meaning - Put yourself into the position of ”Re-pose”. (A bit like the ”Stand at ease” position in the British army).

You must then reply, ”Je me-mets au repos a vos ordres Sergent”. Mean-ing: I go to the position of Repose as you order Sergent”

When the senior rank has finished with you he will say, ”Tu peu dispose”Meaning: ”You may now leave” You must then reply, ”Je peu dispose, a vosordres Sergent”. Meaning: I am now leaving as you have ordered Sergent.

(Actions: Beret on - Salut - About turn - exit room).

This is carried on throughout your careeer in the Foreign Legion andholds true even in war. It is said particularly when talking to ranks that aremore than one rank above you or if they are unfamiliar. After some time inthe Legion or in times of war the Le presente may be shortened to,

”Legionnaire Antoine, a vos ordres Sergent” To which the sergent orwhoever would probably reply, ”Oui, qu’es-ce que tu veux?” (Yes, what doyou want?)

Each room is responsible for its cleanliness. There is not an excessiveemphasis on the rooms but they are inspected on a daily basis. They are

0.11. BEL AIR, LA FERME - BEL AIR, THE FAME 29

also walked around at the end of the day by the Caporal Chef/Sergent whois taking the evening Apel.

There is no smoking allowed in the building but engages will often try tosneek one on the balcony. Smoking is however allowed, but downstairs andoutside. Everyday, first thing in the morning and after lunch before beingfell in there is the daily Corvet Quartier. This comprises of the Companyforming a line and walking very slowly around the building. At each corner ofthe building the line is stopped and reformed to face a new direction. Sincethe buildings at Castelnaudary are in an ”L-shape” there are six straightlines to form before progressing in each new direction. All the time you arelooking for cigarette ends, litter or rose petals that have fallen in the wind.There are constant yells of ?Silence by the Caporal du Jour which often fallon deaf ears and inevitably ends up in everybody doing press-ups. This ritualof Corvette Quartier will continue until you have reached Caporal status orabove. (About two years normally).

In each building there are two Sections of Legionnaires undergoing basictraining. The older Section will be able to socialise with you almost everydaywhen downstairs polishing boots or smoking cigarettes. As you might expectthey will try to fill you full of horror stories about what lies ahead. Theywill more than likely exaggerate to the extreme. So take anything you hearwith a pinch of salt. Most of it will be rubbish.

0.11 Bel Air, La ferme - Bel Air, the fame

The big horror story you will undoubtedly hear about from day one is Bel Air.This is a large farm building situated in the countryside about ten miles fromCastelnaudary. All the Sections go to Bel Air aAer about four weeks for aperiod of three weeks. Whilst there you will undergo training in weapons han-dling, (Particularly stripping and assembly of the FAMAS), weapon cleaning,physical fitness, navigation (By compass and by the stars), French language,an introduction to fieldcraft (setting up bivouacs, camouflage and conceal-ment, target indication, first aid, fire control orders, patrolling, ambushes),drill and arms drill, marching and of course lots of singing.

As mentioned previously - they are not out to make you into elite soldiersat this stage - more to get you into a military way of thinking, improve yourphysical fitness and to try to get you talking in French. The soldiering skillsare honed later on in your career.

There will be pressures placed upon you and these will take the form ofsleep deprivation, keeping you as stressed and traumatised as possible byshouting and requiring everything to be done in double quick time. Coupled

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with that there will be very little to eat. The days will be long and you willbecome very, very tired. Still the pressure will be on you. Here there willbe many inspections of your equipment, your boots (Polish the whole of theboot whilst at Bel Air - the underside as well). Also mark them well, as theymay be thrown out of the window with everyone else’s (even if your’s areclean). Ideally, you will want the same pair back when you go to recuperatethem at the end of the night.

Each day at Bel Air will start early, at around 5.00 am and by six o’clockyou will be doing the morning Sport or Le Petit-footing. This will takeabout an hour and because there are varying degrees of fitness amongst you,the Section will normally be divided up into three groups of varying ability.You will all do the same training - just that you will all be pushed to themaximum. There will be four to five mile runs, un-armed combat, sit-ups,press ups, pull ups, rope climbing (No legs allowed), firemans carry and anyother games the training team can devise to get the blood flowing faster.Although the running will tend to get faster over the three weeks the upperbody strengthening excercises may not achieve as much since the food intakeis limited and the pull ups, press ups and rope climbing excercises are carriedout as much as two or three times a day. Before each meal the Caporaux willgather you round and there will be what is referred to as the L ’Aperitif - aseries of three or four of the above excercises which are carried out. Whenso much work is placed on a particular muscle group the muscles have littletime to recover and benefit from the work done.

Each day the kit worn will be washed by hand in the basins, then hungout to dry for the next day. Make sure the kit is well marked.

The three weeks at Bel Air culminates in a fifty kilometre non tacticalmarch with Sac a Dos (Rucksac) and FAMAS. You have three days to com-plete the march but it is normally done in two. This is the only test beforeyou receive your Kepi Blanc. It is often argued by Legionnaires that theKepi Blanc should only be received after the Le Raid at the end of basictraining when a much longer march is carried out. This thirty miler is nothard and by this stage you will already have marched many times from BelAir back to the Quartier. If you have been a soldier in any army prior tojoining the Legion, you will have heard of many methods of how to hardenyour feet. Examples may be rubbing white spirit into your feet, urinatingon them, switching them from the hottest water you can bear to the coldestwater you can bear. Most people find that the best way to wear in your feetis to march a lot - and that you will. And preferably in boots that are wellworn in. Legion boots generally are not a bad fit anyway, even when new.There may be some truth in the notion that submersing bad fitting bootsin water when new and going for a couple of miles on a run will help wear

0.12. LA REMISE DU KEPI BLANC - THE PRESENTATION OF THE WHITE KEPI.31

them in quicker, but you are unlikely to be in a position to put this methodinto practise in the Legion. Feet do heal very quickly and there is always afoot and body inspection after every march. Do not, if you have the chancehowever rip the skin off a blister to expose open flesh. Any insertion into afluid filled blister should be made with a sterilised needle merely to drain thefluid inside the blister out. The foot should of course be cleaned before suchaction. Do not bother with ointment or dressings unless it’s really bad; justput a clean pair of socks on. Before you know it you will have different setof blisters to worry about.

0.12 La Remise Du Kepi Blanc - The Presen-

tation of the white Kepi.

Throughout the weeks leading up to Bel Air and during your time there,you will all be learning Le Code D ’Honneur. This is - as it sounds - a codeof honour which is learnt be heart by all Legionnaires. Together you mustrecite it in unison at the end of your three weeks at Bel Air. You will spendmany hours, learning it, reciting it and then getting the vocal synchronisationtogether. It will be said by you at the Remise Du Eepi Blanc (Presentationparade) prior to donning the famous white Kepi.

If you can learn it by heart before you get there, you will be one verylarge stride ahead. It goes as follows:

0.13 Le Code D’Honneur.

”Legionnaire, Tu ex un volontaire servant la Erance avec bonheur et fidelite.” (Legionnaire, you are a volunteer serving France with honour and faithful-ness)”Chaque Legionnaire est ton frere d’arme, quelle que soit su nationalite, sarace, sa religion. Tu lui manifestes toujours la solidarite etroite qui doit unirles membres d’une meme famille. ” (Every Legionnaire is your brother inarms, regardless of nationality, race or religion. You show him always theclose solidarity which must unite the members of the same family)”Respectueux des traditions, attache a tes chefs, la discipline et la cama-raderie sont ta force, le courage et la loyaute tes vertus. ” (Respectful of thetraditions held by your seniors, discipline and camaraderie are your strength,courage and loyalty your virtues)”Fier de ton etat de legionnaire, tu le montres dans ta tenue toujours ele-gante, ton comportement toujours digne mais modeste, ton casernement tou-

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jours net. ” (Proud to be a Legionnaire, you show this in your dress; itis always elegant, you are always dignified but modest in the way that youbehave and your quarters are always in order)’’Soldat d’elite, tu t’entruines avee rigeur, tu entretiens ton arme comme tonbien le plus precieux, tu as le souci constant de ta horme physique. ” ( As anelite soldier, you train with rigour, you look after your weapon as your mostprecious possession, and you always take care of your physical fitness.)”La ndssion est sacree, tu l’executes jusqu’au but, a tout prix. ”(The missionis sacred, you execute it to the very end, at all costs).”Au combat, tu agis sans passion et sans haine, tu respects les ennemis vain-cus, tu n’abandonnes jamais, ni tes morts, ni tes blesses, ni ter armes. ”(In combat, you fight without passion and without hatred, you respect thedefeated enemy always, you never abandon your dead, nor your wounded noryour weapons).You are not actually at any time during instruction asked to translate theCode D’Honneur into your own language, but it is included here for yourinterest.

At the Remise Du ICepi Blanc there will be another Section from Castel-naudary to act in a supporting role as part of the Remise. The Chef de Corps(Camp Commandant) will present the Legionnaires with a small badge whichsignifies that they are now officially accepted as part of the 4eme RE. He willpin that to each Legionnaire’s chest. The formalities will be followed by bigeats, some singing, and a photo session by a photographer hired by the Le-gion for some formal group shots. Depending on how good or bad the singingis - will depend on whether you march back to the Quartier or are taken backby camion (lorry).

When handling the Kepi make sure that you touch only the black peakand not the white parts. The white cloth stains very easily, and if youdon’t handle it by the peak, you’ll end up scrubbing it. After Bel Air,Castelnaudary will seem like a hotel. The camp was modernised in 1985 andis extremely plush considering the sort of images that most people conjureup in their mind when they hear talk of the French Foreign Legion. La PlaceD’Arme (The Parade square) is of an oacre type tarmac finish with roses allaround the inside of its perimeter. These are carefully maintained by theprisoners and any spare recruits. Any petals that fall in the wind are swiftlypicked up by the Corvet Quartier who sweep around the building twice aday.

Once back at ”Castel” (Abbreviated term for Castelnaudary) you willsoon be back into lectures, running and once every couple of weeks a triponto the terrain for some patrolling (Normally about 20 kms or so) andpractise of fieldcraft skills. Temperatures can get up to a hundred degrees

0.14. A TYPICAL DAY. 33

in the summer and there are often reports in the local press of locals dyingwhilst out in the heat of the day or over doing it. The Legion has greatexperience of working in hot conditions and takes this sort of weather veryseriously. If the weather is too hot then certain excercises may be cancelledor postponed until it is cooler. Many of the recruits will not be used to suchweather - some may not have even acclimatised from their native country yet.You will quickly be taught that water should be treated like gold in theseconditions. When out on excercise the training team will be watching veryclosely who has the discipline in them to conserve water from their Bidon(water bottle). If you take small sips of water throughout the day, as opposedto great gulps - it will last you longer. On top of that, the more you drink- the more you sweat. But if you want to earn smartie points - be the onewith half a bottle of water left at the next water stop.

”Do not drink water from the rivers in France. If you do - it will makeyou very ilL For a week you will not know whether you’re coming or going.Even sterilising tablets added to water are not safe in certain rivers. ”

0.14 A Typical Day.

6.00 am: the Section assembles in line in the corridoor for the morning Appel.After a quick shave and a wash you will get into Tenue de Sport (PT Kit).The room must be tidied and the beds made. The beds are not made in thenormal way however. In the Legion the bed is stripped every day and theblankets folded to an exact size and placed one on top of another. These willsit at the end of the bed with the Couverture (Top cover) underneath. Thesheets are folded and rolled in an exact manner to form a sort of tube. Theseare then laid diagonally across each other on top of the blankets to form across. This routine does not stop at the end of basic training but continuesfor as long as you reside on a Legion Quartier - regardless of rank.

6.20am: The Section will be either marched or doubled across to therefectoir for Le Petit Dejeuner (Breakfast). This consists of a glass bowlof black coffee or drinking chocolate. With this you receive half a baguetteeach and some jam or marmalade. You will always carry your issued Opinel(Pen-knife) which you use for breakfast. You may only have ten minutes toeat this before being assembled outside to to return to the block. You mayagain either march or run back - dependant upon what is on the agenda forthe day and the schedule of timings.6.30am: Corvet Quartier is next on the agenda. (Straight line sweep aroundthe building done by the complete Company to pick up cigarette ends etc.)At the same time as this, anybody wishing to go sick, reports to the Caporal

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Chef down in the Company office. If the rooms are not yet finished then oneor two Legionnaires per room will remain behind to finish them off. Therewill also be a couple of Legionnaires left behind to carry out the Corvet Chiot(Toilet cleaning duties).7.00am: Rassemblement (Assembly) by Section, or, if it is a Monday, it willbe as a complete Regiment (Reglementaire). The Caporal Du Jour will handyou over to the Sergent and then if there is a senior rank present you will behanded over to the most senior rank present. From here you will normallygo for a run. Distance varying from four to eight kilometres. (Incidently, youwill always talk in Kilometres in the Legion. There are approximately 1.6kmsto one mile. Or 0.6 miles to one kilometre. Therefore, as an example; eightkilometres equals approx. five miles). Runs in the Legion never start veryfast - a great emphasis is put on warming up for at least the first kilometreor two, and then it gradually gets faster. At the end of the run there areusually exercises, rope climbing (always without the use of your legs), pullups and sit ups, followed by stretching.

Periodically the Sergent will have you all straightening each others spines.The method used, does, for the first time sound like a very painful process.It can be a little disconcerting when you hear your spinal column crackinginto line and the man doing it has only learnt the technique thirty secondspreviously. It is however a genuine technique which was once used by os-teopaths.8.30am: Section arrives back at the block. The Senior rank will dismiss youinto the building where you can get showered and changed ready for theCasse-scroute (Snack). This will be probably a quarter of a baguette andsome pate. The Section will now be in Tenue verte (green combats) for therest of the day.9.30am: There will now be a lecture on postings in the French Foreign Le-gion. This may be taken by the Sergent, Sergent Chef or the Lieutenant.The period will last about one hour. After which you will be allowed outsidefor a cigarette break for fifteen minutes.10.45am: A second lecture will follow on French language taken by the Lieu-tenant.12.00am: The boots will be taken downstairs for a quick polish before lunch.There will also be time for a quick Aperitif before lunch.1230: The Section will assemble ready to be marched across to the refectoirfor lunch. The Section will almost always march and sing their way acrossthe Place D’arme (Parade square). There may well be other Sections doingthe same thing.1250: Feeding time in the Legion is a very well executed procedure. TheLegionnaires form a long line from the doorway up to the servery with a

0.15. QAURTIER LIBRE - TIME OFF DOWN THE TOWN. 35

Caporal at the head of the queue controlling the passage of troops. Whenthe head Chef calls out the word ”Quatre” - the next four Legionnaires walkpast the servery, picking up a dish of food each. Since all the tables arelaid before the meal with plates and all the cutlery, there remains only thefood to be collected. This makes for a very rapid feeding system. In thespace of only a few minutes literally hundreds of Legionnaires can be seatedand eating their food without the hassle of a fifteen minute queue. At theend of the meal the plates are left on the tables to be cleared away by theLegionnaires on Corvet. (Which will at sometime be you).1330: March back to Le Batiment (Building) to carry out the CorvetteQuartier once more. The rooms will also have to be cleaned once moreif they require it and the boots polished.1400: The Section will be assembled and the Sergent will brief you on what ishappening in the afternoon. Today it consists of being taken over to the In-firmerie for some tests. These may be urine, blood, a chat with the Medecin(Doctor), chest X-rays or whatever.1530: Lessons in drill. Droit droit (Right turn), Gauche gauche (Left turn)and the demi-tour droit (About turn). There may also be further lessons onLa Presente.1650: The Compagnie will assemble together for the march across for theRepas du soir (Evening meal) sometimes known as La Soupe. Again you willsing. This may again be preceeded by an Aperitif in the form of pull- ups,press-ups and sit ups.1700: La Soupe. (Evening meal)1800: Les Chants de La Legion (Songs of the Legion). For several hours youwill be in a classroom singing and reciting Le Code D’Honneur. There will bebreaks every hour or so. For this you will go out into the corridoor/verandaoutside and can smoke.2100: Apel du soir. This will be carried out by the Sergent. If he is happywith the rooms and the turnout he will say Bonne Nuit (Good night) whicheveryone shouts back in unison - Bonne nuit Sergent! You can then get tobed.

0.15 Qaurtier Libre - Time off down the town.

At some time before the Section departs for a weeks training in the Pyreneesthere will be guartier Libre (Time off down the town) - Assuming that is ifthe Section has performed reasonably well up till then. For this you will beallowed four hours out down in the town of Castelnaudary and you will begiven about F200 francs to spend. The Section is transported in Tenue De

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Sortie (uniform for going out in) by camion (Lorry) to the old Quartier -Quartier Lepasset, again in Castelnaudary where basic training used to takeplace. You are on your own whilst out in the town, but there are PoliceMilitaire (PM’s) everywhere and the rules are strict. Nobody is to eat inpublic, drink or be loud. Most Legionnaires go to a bar and get drunk andthen try their best to act sober. Most of them do a pretty good job andthe training team does not really mind so long as the Legionnaires behavethemselves. This is prime time to get ahead. Spend the first two hourssorting out your admin - i.e. getting anything you need and making phonecalls. (A paintbrush is worth buying. It can be used for weapon cleaningand is invaluable as a cleaning tool for the likes of the magazines and thebayonet. (There is a brush in the weapon cleaning kit but the bristles aretoo thick). A bottle of iodine is also worth getting, for sterilizing infectionsor blisters). Most of the things that you need on a day to day basis areavailable in the Foyer back at the Quartier, but there is always somethingyou might need and it may be some time before you’re allowed out again.This will also be your first opportunity to make a phone call. The number toget out of France is 0044 followed by your area code minus the first zero. Forexample, if the tel. no in England were 0171 123456 the whole number fromFrance would be dialled as follows: 0044 171 123456. Trying to get help oradvice from the French directory enquiries can give you a major Mal a la tete(headache) so try and get a francophone to help you if you have problems. Ifyou want them to ring you back they must dial 0033 to get out of England,followed by the digit ”4” for Castelnaudary and then the eight figure digitmarked on the telephone in the kiosk. You may also find that because thereare forty Legionnaires all trying to get a telephone, there are queues outsideevery phone kiosk. Try going to a hotel - if the people you are ringing wantto ring back, it will be easier for them to get the number from internationalenquiries if they have any problems.

Lager is served in half pints in France and is referred to as ”Demi ” or”Pression ”. It is also quite expensive in France and especially so in thenightclubs where the equivalent of a full pint would cost you F100. Night-clubs however, will come later on in your career. The Camion will meetyou at a pre-arranged RV (Normally the old Legion quartier in the town ofCastelnaudary) to take you back to the Quartier. You are left to your owndevices for the next few hours and it is not unknown for the Legion to allowyou to sleep it off on arrival back at the guartier afterwards. Anybody fight-ing, getting rowdy or mouthing off goes straight into the slammer for tendays. If there has not been too much trouble on the first trip then a secondtrip may be allowed about a month or two later. There is also a town calledCarcassonne not very far away from Castelnaudary which is the home town

0.15. QAURTIER LIBRE - TIME OFF DOWN THE TOWN. 37

of the French Paras. The Legion is reluctant to allow engages there due tothe trouble that normally ensues.

When you arrive at your regiment you are allowed to leave the Quartierin the evening aAer work and stay out until six o’clock the next morningassuming that everything is in order and ready for the next day. You willpass before the Bureau Compagnie who will inspect you. Then you mustpresent yourself before the Chef de Post at the main gate - who will decidewhether or not to let you out or not. Quartier Libre on a Regiment refers toa thirty six hour period over the week end. Not every weekend is Quartierlibre allocated. The same routine applies when it is granted however.

Shortly after having been on guartier Libre, there will be a trip intothe Pyrenees - a small village called Camurac. An idyllic farmhouse settingin beautiful countryside where you will be continuing your training but ina slightly more relaxed atmosphere. There will be the usual Petit footing(Running) at some time of the day but most of your time will be spentmarching in the Pyrenees. It may be tactical or non-tactical, depending onthe training team. There will be an introduction to climbing and abseilingat some stage during the week’s stay. At least a few evenings will be spentin the mountains drinking wine around the camp fire singing Legion songs.(The fires that the Legion make are not small bonfires - but more like miniGuy Fawkes nights). It is a slightly more relaxing time than usual - but asalways assume nothing. On arrival back at Castelnaudary it will be backto business as usual and this, if it hasn’t happened already, could well takethe form of the La Piste De Cornbat (The assault course). This pleasureis experienced about once a month and is located about five kilometres upthe road from Castel. It must be said that this is one of the hardest assaultcourses in the world and in total, makes up a length of about five hundredmetres; an internal circuit followed by an external circuit. All the obstacleshave a certain amount of technique required and they will all be shown toyou by the training team. Although no equipment is worn it is very, veryknackering, but it is good.

Now that the greater half of your training is completed there is now alarge proportion of training which comprises of Guarde and Corvet aroundthe Quartier. This is, in a way - a sort of training for what to expect at yourRegiment. Every day, or for at least a few days of each week, some or all ofthe Section will be involved in such tasks as corvet mess officiers (Workingin the Officers mess), corvet mess sous-officiers Working in the Sergents andabove mess), Le Garde (Guard duty on the main gate) Corvet refectoire(Working in the Legionnaires mess) or Corvet Foyer ( working in the Foyer).None of these jobs are particularly hard, but it will certainly teach anybodywho doesn’t already know what a good days work is all about. You will work

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long hard days - and that is life in the French Foreign Legion. If you areworking in the refectoire, mess ogiciers or mess sous-officiers you will havethe bonus of extra food during the day. All this will be done when you arriveat your regiment as there is always a Compagnie de Corvet responsible forthe chores and the guard to be done around the Quartier. Each companytakes it in turn to carry out these tasks.

0.16 Le Garde - The Guard Duty.

The one task that does require intensive preparation is Le Garde - this is aprivileged position of responsibility. Although under the direction of the Ser-gent and the Caporal du Jour, you are the front line in the Quartier’s defence.You will be armed with FAMAS and have live rounds in the magazine. Forthe Guarde there will be six Legionnaires, a Caporal and a Sergent. Therewill also be a ”Clairon” (a buglar) allocated to your Groupe. The guardtakes place from six in the morning until six o’clock the following morning.The preparation is just as important as doing the Guard duty itself. Theweather can vary enormously throughout the year but in the summertimetemperatures can reach up to a hundred degrees Fahrenheit. The Tenue deGarde is worn, which in summertime means fifteen creases in the shirt. If itis wintertime then the brown jacket and trousers are worn. This is easier toiron and there is not the heat to contend with. Whatever uniform is worn,the Epaulettes de Tradition are also worn on the shoulders. The FAMAS(Personal weapons) are drawn early in the morning and wiped thoroughly toremove any excess oil. Even the slightest mark will stain the summer shirtbadly. Make sure you have a hanky with you. There is normally an assistantattached to each group of six to assist in tucking up the trousers under theelastics to make a neat finish and to fetch and carry. They are basicallythere to perform any other tasks necessary to ensure a smooth operation ofthe Garde. Although the Legion does not normally bother too much aboutbullshit and ironing of the normal working uniform - in this area of turnoutthey really do excell themselves. The boots are still not bulled however, butthe ironing must be spot on. It is also here that you will wear the ”Centu-rion Bleu” - the wide blue band that is worn underneath the combat belt.Because the blue band is so long (about six feet) it requires two people toput it on, one holds it out straight and the other holds the start of the bandto his side and turns his body until it is wrapped tightly around his waist.The blue sash must end with the tail at the front of the body in the centre,folding itself over to form a neat finish. The normal working day belt (Lecenturion) is the positioned over the top. This item is again worn whether

0.16. LE GARDE - THE GUARD DUTY. 39

it is winter or summer. All the idiocyncrocies of getting it right are alsothe responsibilty of the Caporal and the Sergent in charge. (The Sergent isreferred to as the ”Chef De Poste” on this day). If there is one man whoseturnout is a mess, then it is not only he who will go to jail but also theCaporal and the Sergent, since the culprit is their overall responsibility.

The duty starts at 6am when you replace the previous night’s guardfrom another Section. This is in itself is a ceremonial procedure. It willonly take about ten minutes to do, but in this time the Chef Du Corpswill have had brief words with everyone taking up the new shift. He nearlyalways has a friendly disposition and is a likeable character. He will ask youquestions like, What did you do before the Legion? Are you enjoying theLegion? What did you do in training this week? and Are you in good spirits?These questions obviously are all asked in French but he is not un-used toencountering communication problems. By the time you are doing a stint ofguard in the Legion you will probably have no problems in understandingand answering any of these questions in French. Once the Chef Du Corpshas had his say, the Garde commences, two men on duty at a time. Theshift works on a two hours on, four hours off basis. But the four hours offis not totally relaxed since it is forbidden to sit down (In case it creasesthe trousers), coffee may be drunk but woe betide the man who spills it onhis uniform. There are usually magazines to read in the guard room. TheSergent may let you sit on two stools one on top of another with a blanket ontop. (To lessen the chances of creases appearing on the trousers). The mealsare brought to you by the current prisoners, who will also take away yourdirty plates etc. For the two that are on guard it is a long two hours. Oneof the two guards has a FAMOUS slung across the front of the chest in thetraditional manner. Although it is not a particularly heavy weapon it doesbecome that way after two hours standing motionless. The only movementpermitted by him is to come to the ”Gardez-vous” and to ”Presente arme”when a Sergent or senior rank passes or drives through the gates of the camp.The man facing him and who operates the barrier does not have a weapon,and has the luxury of being able to move slightly more often.

During the shift you are not allowed to wear a watch and there are noclocks in view. For two hours you are not permitted to move a muscle. Youare on show for the French Foreign Legion and must show absloute discipline.The time passes hideously slowly. The ability to judge the two hours doescome after a fashion, but there are times when you’re out there and you’recertain without a shadow of a doubt that your relief is late. They neverare. The other duties of the Guard are to raise and lower the flag on thePlace D’arrne in time with the Clairon. This happens at the beginning andat the end of each day. The flag must be lowered in exact time with the

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Clairon’s tune. The lowering starts when the tune starts and should endwhen the tune ends. There are numerous threats on route to the flagpoleby the Sergent to shoot you if you mis-time the procedure - but it rarelyhappens. As evening approaches you are allowed back to the block to getchanged into Tenue de Combat (Normal working green uniform). This isworn from 2000Hrs onwards and comes as a great relief for everyone. Fromhereon you patrol the area in front of the gates with a riot baton in hand.Check peoples ID cards as they come in and get the Chef de Poste out of theguard room if there are any problems.

In the morning the guard goes through the same ceremonial changeoverwith the next shift and you return to your Section. There is no time offfor working through the night - you go straight into the next day. It is theSection’s responsibility to collect your petit dejeuner.

Whilst you have been doing the guard duty there will have been anotherGroupe that will have been acting as a ”Force d’Intervention Rapide” toreact to any potential threat to the Quartier. They however have a muchcushier time and apart from a practice run for a call-out they spend most oftheir time resting, watching TV or reading. Their shift starts at the sametime as yours but they will wear Tenue de Combat at all times.

0.17 La Legion c’est Dur - Mais Gamelle c’est

sur( - The Legion is hard - but food is

for sure)

The quality of food in the Legion varies considerably from Quartier to Quartier(camp to camp). In some, the food is of an exceptionally high standard, prob-ably as good as you would eat in many a restaurant. In other camps the foodis of a much lower standard. If you have any ideas of eating anything reallydisgusting - don’t worry, none of it is that bad. What the different campsdo have in common is the fact that there is rarely enough to eat; leaving theRefectoir feeling really full is a rare experience. At Castelnaudary the food isof the highest standard I have ever seen on a military camp anywhere in theworld - but again there was not enough to feel completely full. Most peoplewould probably agree that they would rather leave the refectoir having en-joyed the meal and slightly hungry than full to the brim of some sludge thatthe duty cook has thrown together in a pot out the back. Food is after all,a morale booster and you will always look forward to in the Legion.

The feeling of hunger however is one you will become accustomed toduring basic training. It is, if you like; a feeling which goes hand in hand

0.18. LE RAID - RAID MARCH. 41

with being an Engage volontaire.

It is worth remembering that when in the field and rations are issued, it isvital that you eat the food hot. The difference between eating hot and coldfood can mean the difference between passing and failing a march or run.Likewise, chocolate and cakes will not give you the stamina and energy thata full meal in the refectoir will. Do not therefore pack your Sac a Dos withMars bars thinking that this will carry you through Raid Marche. Therereally is enough food supplied by the refectoir and the ration packs duringyour training to get you through, but when you join your Regiment and youare able to miss a meal and slope off to the Foyer, remember that proper hotfood will serve your body better.

Before making ready for Le Raid there will be a few days spent at one ofthe French army camps towards the centre of France. Here you will undergotraining in the firing of a variety of APILAS (Armour Piercing Infantry LightArmour Systems) and various small arms. The weapons fired include theRAC112, the LRAC89, the FAMAS rifle grenade and the two inch mortar.There will of course be various shoots done using your personal weapon - theFAMAS, one of which will be a night shoot. There will also be an introductionto explosives as well - how to put together a charge and each Legionnairewill experience firing a small charge in a controlled environment. You mayalso be given the chance to throw a grenade, of which there are two types- Offensive and Defensive. The Defensive grenade is the more powerful ofthe two. The trip will last about five days and you will be staying in Frencharmy accommodation. There will of course be Le petit footing done in themorning or when time permits during the stay.

In the lead up to Raid Marche there will be further lectures on the differ-ences between the Regiments and what to expect in the line of Regimentalroles and the lifestyle to be expected after basic training. As regards the sys-tem for allocating which recruits go where, it works on the basis that thosethat perform to the highest standard during L ’Instruction are given the firstchoice as to which Regiment want to serve in. If anybody is deemed to begood enough they may be offered a position as Caporal Fut Fut. (To achievethis - a reasonable command of the French language is important).

0.18 Le Raid - Raid March.

The final week of basic training is when Le Raid takes place and the Sectionwill be taken up into the mountains and dropped off at Perpignan near thecoast to start their long march back to Quartier Capitaine Danjou. TheSection marches about 150 kms in three days and culminates in a series of

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tests which will certify you as fully trained legionnaires. This final test isknown as the CTE/00. The test will examine your ability at voice procedureon the radio (Le PPll), first aid, fieldcraft and personal weapon handling.The march is tactical and apart from crossing open areas of ground in atactical manner, hard targeting (Moving quickly) and pepper potting (Onecovers - one moves), you can expect to be ambushed at any time. You willpass through villages and small holdings in the country which must likewisebe approached and negotiated as if in combat. The Caporaux and Sergentswill map read during the week. Evenings however will take a non-tacticalline and there will be the customary wine drinking and singing of Legionsongs in front of a camp fire.

The route is very hilly to start with but as the Section nears Castel-naudary it begins to level out more. This will be the longest march that youwill have done in the Legion. If you are hoping to go to the 2REP (Regi-ment Etranger Parachutistes) then this will be taste of things to come. (it istradition in this Regiment to march across the island of Corsica, where theyare based once every year - a distance of over two hundred kilometres). Bythe time that you do Le Raid your feet will be well used to marching and theboots will be well worn in. The night before the Section is due to re-enterthe Quartier the Capitaine Compagnie will join you and there will be plentyto eat and drink. The following day the Section continues the remainder ofthe march straight back in through the camp gates, where you will be lookedupon by any other passing Sections with envy and respect. This is the pointat which most Legionnaires believe that the Kepi Blanc should be issued -when the job is done.

However hard you might have found the march, the lack of sleep, thesudden ambushes - there is still more work to be done before you can relax. Itis a tradition of the Foreign Legion to prepare the equipment for return to thestores immediately on return to the guartier after the final march. Since thisis the end of your basic training, ALL the equipment must be immaculate.Tables are brought outside into the morning sun, all the Section weapons arecleaned to the extent that there is no trace of oil, grease or dirt anywhere.You may well be using pure alcohol to remove all such traces. Likewise theLe Brouillage (The webbing) is scrubbed, scrubbed and scrubbed again. TheSection will be cleaning, scrubbing and polishing for the following twentyfour hours non-stop after arriving back at the Quartier. Your feet will beblistered and bleeding - you will be so tired that you are delirious. Onlyonce the work has been done can you start to relax. This is undoubtedly thehardest part of L ’Instruction, and you will by now be looking forward toyour first posting more than ever.

There are always foot and body inspections after every march or excercise

0.19. HOW HARD? 43

in the Legion. If it is just a matter of minor blisters or ailments then one ofthe Caporals in the training team will see to you. Anything more serious andyou will become a subject for the Infirmiers who are undergoing their trainingat Castelnaudary to deal with. Castelnaudary is also where the ”Infirmiers”(Medics) undertake their training and who better to practice their new foundart on than a Section of EV’s.

Within a few days Chef De Corps will have you all assembled on La PlaceO’Arme for a final talk before sending you back to Aubagne for Regimentselection. As mentioned previously - the priority of choice goes to those thatworked and performed best during basic training. It will also depend onwhether or not there are the spaces available at the Regiment that have beenrequested. The most popular choices are the 2eme REP, 13 DBLE Djboutiand the 3eme REI in French Guyana. (See section on Regiment postings).There is various paperwork to be done at Aubagne, and it is here that anyonewishing to leave the Legion has the right to do so. (They can give notice thatthey wish to leave but cannot actually get out of the Legion until the end ofthe sixth month. Any remaining time waiting for the leaving date would bespent carrying our menial tasks around the Quartier)

0.19 How Hard?

Passing French Foreign Legion training is within the capability of most menin a reasonably fit condition - (in mind and in body). Physical training inthe Foreign Legion is taken at a gradual pace and, like basic training inmany armies, will be governed somewhat by the overall ability of the Sectionunder instruction. The hardest part of training that you will experience,from the physical side of things will be the Piste de Combat and Le Raid.From a mental point of view, the Legion does apply considerable pressure onrecruits. Whatever your expectations are when you walk through the gates ofthe Foreign Legion for the first time - you can be guaranteed that it will notbe what you expect. Things will be sometimes done in a way which seemsillogical and unnecessary. If you can accept that it is being for a reason,then you will not have a problem. In order to instill military discipline intoa batch of raw recruits from a wide variety of cultures - it is necessary thatthey learn not to question authority, but to obey it - no matter what theymight think of the concept or method. It is unlikely that you will find thephysical side of things your greatest obstacle in becoming a ”Bon Legionnaire”.

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0.20 Brutality.

Yes, the Legion can be a violent place, but as time goes by, the Legion isfinding itself coming more and more into line with the French army andwith it, French military law. The cases of violence subjected on recruits arenothing like they were even ten or fifteen years ago. The worst brutalityyou will hear about will probably be on your ears at the Selection centrewhere you will be bombarded with ”War stories” by other Legionnaires or”engages volontaires” (Raw recruits) in the Aubagne sick bay. Don’t listento stories; most of it is rubbish. Sometimes a guy will get a beating, but hewill probably have deserved it. It may not be by an instructor, it could wellbe by one of the other Legionnaires in the Section.

Standard corporal punishment consists of a ”Stick” - which is the palm ofthe hand (normally fairly large) smacked against the back of your shaven headwith as much force as possible. This example however, is a sort of controlledbrutality if you like and is dished out as a formal punishment (Not reallyin a sinister way either). It is not as if the recipient is being beaten to apulp through uncontrollable rage. A ”Stick” will sometimes makes you feelmomentarily dizzy but rarely does it knock you out. It just stings a bit.The other punishment which is ritually dished out in a formal manner isthe ”Marche (en) Canard”. For this the individual or group responsible fortheir crime will march a distance in the squatting position, with or withoutequipment with their hands on top of their heads. It is a little uncomfortablebut that is all. The people who receive most of the physical abuse in basictraining are the Eastern block engages - a large proportion of whom havejoined ultimately for a passport, good food and a wage. Since the Berlinwall came down the Legion has been inundated with Eastern block recruits.Most of them are quite open and honest about why they are there. For this,they tend to get more stick at Castelnaudary.

Sooner or later there will come a time in the Legion when you must standup for yourself. If you are weak - then you will be walked over. The Legion isa tough army and you must abide by it’s unwritten rules. Respect is earned,not only as a soldier, but also as an individual - as in all walks of life.

0.21 Le Contrat - The Contract.

The contract in the Legion is commonly thought to be for a fixed five years.In actual fact there is a probationary six month period. If the Legion decidesthat you are not suitable to be a Legionnaire then they will discharge you.Likewise, you too have a choice, but not until the end of the six month period.

0.21. LE CONTRAT - THE CONTRACT. 45

If at the end of the six months you no longer wish to be in the Legion youhave the option to leave. At the end of the six months the Legion has theoption, if it so desires - to add a further six month probationary period tothe contract. This will only be done if they consider you are still not quiteup to the grade in all areas. (This is almost unheard of however). Anybodywho is deemed unfit to be a Legionnaire is normally extracted before theend of the three weeks selection, and if not then - during the four monthsat Castelnaudary. Bear in mind that after three weeks at Aubagne and afurther four months at Castelnaudary you will then have one month to gobefore signing the final binding contract. It is the case however that afterbasic training everybody is sent back to Aubagne before departing for theirrespective Regiments. Here you are asked which Regiment you would like tojoin and it is also here that you have the option to leave the Legion. But notfor another five weeks or so. If you decide to get out, then there will be fiveweeks of menial tasks and corvet found for you to do around the guartier.

When it comes to signing your contract you will not have the paper workin front of you translated. You will be told that the contract is for five yearsand given the paper to sign. There is little time for questions and answersand neither will it be written in your mother tongue. You do however havethe option to leave at any time during your first three weeks at Aubagnewithout obligation. The Legion will normally donate F500 towards any travelexpenses to get you home. (Same amount applies for whichever country youhave come from). Below is a translated example of what will be presentedbefore you when you sign at the end of the three weeks selection period:

ACT OF ENGAGEMENTin the name of (1) JONES Davidas a foreigner in the Foreign Legion

In the year nineteen hundred and ninety five, the eighteenth of May at1000Hrs, presenting himself before us was(2):Mr JONES David aged: 23 years professional in the trade of: carpentryliving in Bath District of Avon in the Country(3) Great Britain. Son of(4)Steven and of(4) Jane nee Smith living in Leeds .Hair: Chestnut brown Eyes: Brown Eyebrows: Heavy j oined Chin:DividedNose:Concave Teeth: CM90Face: Oval Additional Features: Scar r. arm, L.leg Height: 1m 94 Weight: 91Kgs Any additonal marks: Tattoo r.upper arm,who has declared his wish to serve as a foreigner in the Foreign Legion, andto this effect has presented us with:l. A certificate dated on this day 18.05. 95 by(5) the French Army DoctorBUCHENNET, Doctor in charge of the 1 ere RE, Aubange.and certifies that the applicant suffers no disablity and has reached all the

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physical and height requirements for service in the Foreign Legion.2.His birth certificate and proof of identity(3) certifying that he was born on19.08.72 in London (GREAT BRITAIN) and is of British Nationality.3.Authorization has been recieved from his legal representative(6).4. (7) After having verified the documents presented before us, he has readarticles (8) 6,7 and 13 on Decree No. 77-789 as on 1st July 1977 relating toforeign military personnel.The applicant has been informed that:1.His services are effective as of the date of his signing this present contract.2. The present contract carries a probationary period of six months eventu-ally renewable one time (une fois) by the military authorities. The probation-ary period takes effect from the date of signature on this present contract.

THIS CONTRACT DOES NOT BECOMEDEFINITIVE UNTIL THE END OF THEPROBATIONARY PERIOD.

3.During the initial probationary period the contract can be terminated:3.1 Either at the request of the recruit as agreed by the military authoritiesfor reasons of a personal or social nature or as a result of serious difficultiesin adapting to the Foreign Legion during the first four months of service. Inthis case the final decision must have been notified by the military authoritiesbefore the end of the probationary period.Or at any time, by the military authorities because of:

• a pre-existing condition prior to engagement.

• an inability to adjust to work which the the job entails or to serve inthe ranks of the Foreign Legion.

• an inability to adjust to a military way of life.

4. During the renewed probationary period this contract can be termi-nated by the military authorities for reasons of unsuitability for work or anyinability to adjust to a military way of life.5. At any time during the service the contract can be terminated according tothe conditions laid down in article 32 of FLM no. 2500/DEF/PMAT/EG/Bas modified on 4 July 1978 - notably: - on the request of the recruit forreasons of a justifiable and urgent nature, the details of which have occuredsince the date on which the contract was signed:

- by reason of physical inability, by the military authorities regardinginsufficient professionalism or as a disciplinary measure.

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- Considering these details the candidate has agreed to serve with honourand faithfulness for a period of five years as of this day and undertakesin the course of this contract not to take advantage of French services orqualifications previously held.

The recruit has promised equally to serve within the ranks of the ForeignLegion wherever the government might

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deem it necessary to send him, and after having read the present act hasenjoined his signature;

Recruit’s signature. Signature of the administration Officer

of the French

Army or the Deputy Admininstrator.

Probationary period renewable on for a period of six months starting fromthe date of confirmation as decided by the the Commanding Officer of theForeign Legion.

Contract: annuled - terminated - cancelled(3) - as decided

by(9) on 19 Contract became effective on 19 (3)

Chief Administration Officer for the French Army or the Deputy Admin-istrator.

(1) Name and surname of recruit. (2) Name of the commissioner of armyground forces or his acting local representative. (3) Delete as appropriate.(4) Once the details are known.

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(5) Name, rank and position of the officer signing the contract. (6) If therecruit id less than 18 years old. (7) If the recruit is French and is not yetsatisfied of his legal obligations, the ministry authorise engagement under achanged name. (8) If the recruit does not speak French, he will be given areading in his language on the clauses in this act. (9) Indicate the reason.

If you feel that the French Foreign Legion way of life is for you, furthercontracts can be signed with the Legion after the initial five years. These canbe for either six months, one year, eighteen months, two years, three years,four years or five years. Whether or not the Legion accepts you for furtherservice is dependant on your conduct during the previous years.

La Vie En Tolle - Life in Jail.

As a Legionnaire it is unlikely that you will experience a stretch jail duringyour basic training. Once you have been posted to your respective regimentshowever, you will find that it does not take any great crime against humanityto be sentenced to ten days in jail (The statutory period for minor offencesis a ten day period). Offences

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which might earn you a ten day spell in the slammer might be arrivinglate on camp after a night on the town, failing to top up the electrolyte in thevehicle batteries, being badly turned out for guard duty. For more seriousmisdeeds, the period of time becomes longer, up to a maximum period offorty days. Desertion carries the maximum Legion penalty of forty days butif the crime were really serious, then you would do the forty days followedby a period in a French civilian jail. This could be many years - if the crimewere serious enough.

Initially you would be paraded in front of the Chef Du Corps, who will beexamining your case. It is up to him to decide whether or not your are to goto jail. He may decide that a period of ”Consignes” is more appropriate inthe case. (A period of time, normally between three and ten days, when extracorvet duties are allocated during your spare time and you are restricted tothe Quartier - apart from that you would work a normal day like the rest ofthe section. This might be awarded for having dirt on your weapon duringan inspection, generally speaking more menial offences). If the Chef DuCorps decides that you are going to jail then all of your kit issued, and andall of your personal kit is listed, item by item and put away ready for yourrelease. During the period in jail, you will wear overalls and a dayglow orangewaistcoat, and a forage cap. This identifies you as a prisoner to everyone onand around the Quartier. The laces from your boots will be removed. (Toprevent you from injuring yourself) Every morning there will be some formof physical training done - to the tune of a five kilometre run with Sac a Dosaround the quartier. The rest of the day will be doing corvette or paintingcurb stones, gardening around the quartier, sweeping leaves and waiting onthe Legionnaires that are doing the guard duty.

71It is tradition in the Legion that your medals are pinned to the door of

your cell. Whatever medals you have been awarded during your years ofservice in the Legion - they must also have been awarded to the inspectingofficer. For example, if the medal is of a some valour; such as the LegionD’Honneur - then the inspecting officer must also hold that medal - even ifit means coming from another Quartier.

In days gone by the Legion jail was the last hell on earth. Legionnaireswould break rocks in a quarry all day - or march through the jungle for oneyear solid in a straight line cutting and thrashing their way through densejungle, always under the direction of the Gardes de Tolle. They would sleepon concrete slabs with no roof over their heads. Even ten years ago it was abrutal place to be. Prisoners would be beaten on a regular basis and lived infear of the Garde de tolle. Today it is still not a fun place to be. The daysstart at 5.00 am and end at 8.00pm and they are long and hard. Prisoners

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are not allowed to smoke, work like dogs and are kept on tenterhooks untilthe day of their release.

Cumerone - Camerone Day.On the 30 April every year the Legion celebrates Camerone Day. It was

on this day in 1863 that the Legion’s show of bravery was marked down inhistory forever. Battle weary and with their numbers being cut down untilthere were only ten men left, no ammunition and in a foreign country, ahandful of Legionnaires

72refused surrender against odds of nearly two thousand marauding Mex-

icans. The Capitaine Danjou had made them promise not to surrender,shortly before dying himself. The men were slowly being killed one by oneuntil there were only three Legionnaires left. They faced the enemy withbayonets and prepared themselves to die with honour. The Mexicans didnot kill them but persuaded a surrender under the Legionnaires terms.

It is as a result of this bravery that the 30th April is celebrated with suchenthusiasm every year. Camerone is as important as Le Noel - if not moreso. It matters not, wherever the Legion is in the world - the 30 of Aprilis always celebrated. The preparation for the festivities begins months inadvance. Stands are built, games are devised, marquees errected. The day isnot just for Legionnaires but also for a select number of family and friends ofthe Legion. It is the one day of the year that the Legion opens its doors tooutsiders. Only the very leanest and meanest looking Legionnaires will havethe honour of being on guard on this day. Their uniforms being preparedwith even more care and attention than usual.

The day begins with the roles reversed in every section of the Quartier.Le Legionnaire le plus jeune (The most recent legionnaire to join the section)becomes the Caporal du Jour for the day. It is he who allocates the corvetteduties, and marches the section onto La Place D ’Arrne. And it is the Sousofficiers and the Officiers who do the corvet. They will clean the toilets, theshowers, the corridors - every job normally allocated to the Legionnaires.The day will initially start with the Sous o/iciers bringing the Petit dejeunerto the Legionnaires in their rooms. They will serve the Legionnaires theircafe and bring them their croissants (pastries). After which they will startthe corvette as directed by the Caporal du jour. The tradition

73is warmly welcomed by the Legionnaires and no-one is offended. Each

Regiment may run the day differently according to the wishes of the respec-tive Chef Du Corps. It may start with a run, ending with whiskey and blackpudding and Legion songs. On returning to the Quartier there is a paradeby the Legionnaires in full Tenue de Parade, followed by the festivities which

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have been so carefully prepared. Much wine is drunk and food consumed.It is a relaxed day and enjoyed by all. At Aubagne the Legion’s Anciens(Former members) come to relive their past and to pay hommage to theirfamily. On this day every year the wooden hand of Capitaine Danjou is ondisplay, paraded before the Legion and its guests. This act epitomizes thespirit of the French Foreign Legion.

If you are unlucky enough to find yourself in jail towards the end of April- you could be in for a reprieve. It is tradition in the Legion that if less thanten days are remaining on your sentence on Camerone Day, then you arereleased as a form of amnesty in remembrance of all the Legionnaires whodied at Camerone in Mexico.

Legion Rules.

There are many rules that apply in the Legion which have been carriedon from tradition. Below are listed but a few:

1. As a Legionnaire you are not allowed to leave the ”Quartier” in civilianclothing except when going on ”Permission”.

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2. Marriage is only permitted when the rank of Sergent is achieved.

3. Legionnaires are not permitted to live off camp. (Although somedo). They go home in the evening and return by 6.00am. It is normally theCaporaux who do this since Legionnaires generally don’t earn enough money,especially in France.

4. You are not allowed to own a car or a motorbike. You may own apush bike if you join the Legion Cycle club. If you do this you may only exitthe camp wearing the correct Legion cycle wear. These rules do not applyto Caporaux chefs, Sergents or above.

5. You are not allowed to own a bank account or to borrow money offothers.

6. Legionnaires should be addressed by their Surnames not their Christiannames.

7. If allowed out for the evening - you must be back by 6.00am thefollowing morning. If you are late; the punishment is a statutory 10 days injail.

8. During the first 3 years you are not allowed to leave the country duringpermission. (Legionnaires do however go abroad using only their ”CarteO’Identite” (ID card) and their ”Titres de Permission” (Leave papers). Anextra rule applies to the ”Deuxieme REP” (2nd REP) at Corsica: they arenot allowed to leave the island for the first year of their first tour at Calviwhere they are based - tradition.

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The Regiment Postings in the Legion. There are eight Regiments in theFrench Foreign Legion plus half a brigade based in Djbouti, Africa. On topof this there are other detachments situated around the world. At presentthe Legion strength amounts to approximately ten thousand men.

1 er REC. (Regiment Etranger de Cavalerie) ORANGE - France.This is situated next to a beautiful town in S. Eastern France. It is a Regt

for those who like a slightly easier life. Their role is to service and maintainthe tanks - the AMX 10’s. They were used extensively during the Gulf warand proved extremely reliable. Operating in three man teams, a less stressfullife is to be had in this Regiment. There is a more relaxed atmosphere hereplus there is the advantage of actually being able to see a bit of France -which for some people never happens in the whole contract due to the hecticschedule of their regiment. The 1 REC forms part of France’s Force d’ActionRapide along with the 2 REI and the 6 REG.

4 erne Regiment . (Regiment D’Instruction) CASTELNAUDARY. NrToulouse - France.

This is where you will carry out your basic training. A small town situatedclose to Toulouse. Not that you would see a lot of it during your first stayhere. A railway track runs through the centre of the town and that is whereyou will arrive before being picked up by a coach to take you to the guartier.There are two quartiers in Castelnaudary - the new Quartier was built around1985 and is very plush. The old camp in Castelnaudary (Quartier Lepasset)is where many of the Legion courses take place.

76The Caporaux courses (CT1), the Sergents courses (CT2) etc. At Quartier

Capitaine Danjou there are three companies of E.V’s and one company fortrained ranks who are undertaking courses in the technical trades, mechan-ical trades and signals. It should be noted that the medics who do theirtraining here will be practicing their new found skills on you, should youbecome injured. (Not advisable). The camp is one of the most modernisedof all the Legion quartiers and is an impressive set-up. It is also situatednear a town called Carcassonne, home of the French Paras where there issometimes a ban on visitation due to the trouble that has ensued betweenthe Legionnaires and the Paras over years. The food at Castelnaudary is ofa very high standard.

lere Regiment. (Regiment De Selection et d’administration) AUBAGNE.Nr Marseilles.

This is the Mother Regiment of the Legion. You will start your time in theLegion here and you will end it here. This regiment deals predominantly withadministration and support as well as personnel movements and maintainingall aspects of the Legion’s contact with the outside world. It is also the home

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of the Legion Band and the museum. The Quartier (guartier Vienot) is closeto Marseilles so there is a fair bit to see and do if you have the time. A largeproportion of the community in Marseille are Arabs who have immigratedfrom Tunisia, N.Africa. Again the same sort of pay as Castelnaudary butunlikely that this would be a first posting for a ”non Francophone.” (Someonewho does not speak French). On entering the Legion the Band is always keento recruit new blood especially anyone with a musical background - so if youhave played a musical instrument but don’t want to be in the band keepquiet about your past.

772 eme REP. (Regiment Etranger des Parachutists) CALVI - CorsicaThis is the most prestigious and most professional of all the Regiments.

The only Regt in the Legion to have an Airborne capability. It is here thatyou will also find ”Les Groupe de Commandos Paracutistes (Formerly LesC.R.A.P ’s - Commandos de Recherche et D ’Action dans la Profondeur) -This is the creme de la creme of the Legion - A sort of recce troop specialisingin a wide range of special forces ops. They have a reputation for being thebest in the Legion. The REP is made up to a large extent of Brits andGermans. With this built in cultural discipline there is firm ground for qualitysoldiering to be built upon. For their professionalism and their parachutingcapability they are paid one of the highest salaries in the Legion - aroundabout E650 per month for a Legionnaire deuxieme classe. (Everything ishowever very expensive on Corsica). There are frequent fracas with the localsand plenty of good looking German and Italian talent on the beaches in thesummertime. This is also the Regiment most renowned for bullshit. In the2eme REP there are three ”Apels” per day. First thing in the morning, afterlunch and at 9.00pm in the evening. The island is however a very beautifulone and if you’re into physical training then maybe this is the Regiment foryou. Along with the relatively high pay, the prestige and the emphasis onsport - this is a popular choice for Legionnaires leaving Castelnaudary. Theuniform sports the Deurieme REP cap badge (The winged dagger) and theFourragere (Lanyard) is red. This all adds to the attraction of the 2emeREP. The contract will last probably 2 yrs before being posted, but manyopt to stay longer. This particular Regt is frequently away on detachments;normally for four months at a time. Places

78such as Djibouti, Central Africa. French Guyana S.America. Promotion

is slow and courses are harder since the competition is tougher. If you are outto be the best then the 2eme REP has a lot to offer. On arriving at CampRafalli in Corsica - the initial four months or so are spent on further trainingand doing the ”Jumps course” - until you have completed this you cannot

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be effected to a fighting company and are consequently not regarded as atrained rank. Indeed you will probably feel exactly the same as if you werestill under instruction. Further fieldcraft training and combat experience willbe gained during your first year. Only after then can you consider yourselfto have taken your place properly in the 2 REP. Once in ”The REP” there ismuch emphasis on physical training and there are plenty of clubs on camp,Kick boxing, Cycling, Clay pigeon shooting etc etc. It is tradition in thisregiment to be confined to the island for the first year of the first postingthere. It is also tradition for the whole regiment to march across the islandfrom one side to the other once a year - a distance of about 200kms (Veryhilly, barren and rugged country).

3 REI. (Regiment Etranger D’Infanterie). F. GUYANE - S.AmericaThis Regiment is either loved or hated. Based in Kourou, French Guyana,

it is a unique world of action and adventure. The pay is not the greatest inthe world but there are plenty of stories to be told after a two year tourhere. A lot of the Legion’s work here is run from boats hollowed out of treesknown as ”pirogues”, as are used by the natives of the country. The role ofthe Legion in this area is to protect the rocket sight ”Ariane”, to man thesurveillance posts between Brazil and Surinam and to ensure the safety ofthe regional headquarters at Martinique. There has been a war going on innearby

79Suriname for some years and every now and again a body is seen floating

down the river as a result of mercenary operations that go on. French Guyanaconsists of hundreds of square miles of tropical jungle and is extremely hotand humid. You are permanently wet and fungal infections are rife. Thejungle is full of natural dangers and whether it is animal or vegetable it willeither bite you or sting you. The constant noise of birdsong can also drive youto insanity. The hardest part of jungle training is often considered to be theassault course which has to be one of the toughest in the world. Pay for thisRegiment is about F4500 per month. The beer is cheap and there was, untilrecently a brothel run by the Legion on camp (this was the last Regimentto run its own brothel). Their were four local girls who were changed onceevery couple of months.

13 DBLE (13eme Demi-Brigade de la Legion Etrangere) DJBOUTI - NEAfrica.

This unit is re-inforced by a rotating company of the 2eme REP or the2eme REI. It’s duties are to guarantee the defence, territorial integrity andindependence of the Republic of Djbouti. Geographically the 13 DBLE issituated in a very strategic position - It has instant access to the Indian oceanand is close enough to facilitate control of the Red Sea and the Suez canal.

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As a Legionnaire posted in Djbouti you can expect to be on bush tours andnomadisation exercises as well as amphibious training. Soldiering in Djboutican be tense and tribal friction is commonplace. There are constant patrolsalong the northern frontier of the Ethiopean and Eritrean borders. NormallyLegionnaires are posted to Quartier Gabode after several years of service.This is the only regiment

80where there is a lot of money to be made. Not only do you earn a lot more

money here but you have little to spend it on, everything is cheap in thispart of the world and you have no Permission during your time in Djbouti.(You do have a big back-log of permission after the tour though - so you canend up with several thousand pounds in cash plus three months leave aftera two year stint in Djbouti - even as a Legionnaire.) On top of that everylegionnaire recieves a bounty of twenty thousand Francs at the end of histour. A Sergent can be putting away many thousands of Francs away eachweek whilst in Djbouti. On completion of his two years posting he will haveaccrued a lot of money. There are normally about one or two places allowedper Section after basic training - if you are good enough in basic training, youcould be sent here directly aAer Castelnaudary. Prostitution is rife in thetowns and the beer is cheap. In fact everything is cheap and anything can bebought. Life is a little more relaxed in Djbouti since there are very few thatare fresh out of training. Since the area is of Muslim faith the Legion also paysheed to the local traditions and work is done on Saturday and Sunday whilstThursday and Friday takes the form of a weekend. Every legionnaire whoserves in Djbouti recieves a bounty of twenty thousand Francs on completionof the tour of duty.

5 RE (5eme Regiment Etranger) Mururoa - Tahiti, S.Pacific.This is where the Legion are responsible for overseeing the nuclear testing

grounds and for representing France in the furthest corner of French Poly-nesia. It is a very small detachment made up of the Legionnaires of someexperience. The money is not particularly great and there are long journeysat sea as well as isolation and little to occupy yourselves. They concernthemselves mainly with building and road construction, security of the testsite,

81maintaining a clean water supply and good communications link.DLEM (Detachement De La Legion Etrangere De Mayotte) Mayotte -

Indian Ocean.This small detachement’s main duties are in construction, supply and

security. It is run and maintained by Les Anciens (Legionnaires with manyyears service under their belt). It is for those who have done plenty of service

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and can enjoy a more relaxed lifestyle.6 REG (6 eme Regiment Etranger Genie) Avignon - France.This regiment is based in another beautiful area of France and their job

is that of engineering, bridge building, mine clearance and demolition. Theywere used extensively during the Gulf war to deal with mines and boobytraps. They have been involved in almost every theatre of conflict that theLegion has been assigned to in recent years. The 6 REG forms part ofFrance’s Force d’Action Rapide along with the 2 REI and the 1 REC.

2 REI (2 eme Regiment Etranger D’Infanterie) Nimes - France.A large proportion of this regiment is made up of French men. Life

in the 2 REI is hectic as detachments away for four months at a time arecommonplace. (Either in French

82Guyana, Djbouti or as has more recently been the case on longer opera-

tions around the world. This regiment was used extensively in the Gulf war,Bosnia and in Africa. The troops are supported by the vehicle known as theVAB (Vehicule avant Blindee - meaning vehicle that goes in front of the ar-moured vehicles) A superb wheeled vehicle which carries ten men. With the6 REG and the 1 REC this regiment forms part of France’s ”Force d’ActionRapide”.

Les Metiers de la Legion - Trades of the Legion.Once basic training has been completed a period of time is normally spent

as a combat soldier before specialising in any trade or even taking up furthersoldiering skills. Listed below are some of the trades that can be taken up,normally after some years in the Legion.

Administration: Secretary, typist, accountant, storekeeper,- Signals: Radio operator, radio mechanic, Exchange operator, teletypist,- Transport: Drivers of light vehicles, lorries, buses and tracked vehicles,- Engineers: Heavy equipment operator, designer,83- Building: Bricklayer, plumber, electrician, carpenter, painter etc.- Maintenance: Engine mechanic, vehicle electrician, welder, small arms

repair,- Miscellaneous: Musician, medic, cook, photographer, cartoon designer,

sports instructor, computer operator, Military Police, any trade in connectionwith the printing business.

Other specialist skills can be learnt whilst still operating as a combatsoldier which will not alter the normal soldiering life. As a Legionnaire youmay specialise as a Tireur D’elite, Milan, Mortiers, Conducteur, Infirmier,Commando. These short courses are known as ”Stages ”.

La Tenue et L ’Equipement - Dress and equipment.

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Normal working uniform is not ironed in the Legion, not even in basictraining. The only uniform that is ironed is the ”Tenue de Garde” (Uniformworn on guard duty), ”Tenue de sortie”. (Uniform worn when allowed intothe town) and the ”Tenue De Parade” (Uniform worn when on parade). Theironing of these items of clothing appears daunting at first but once it hasbeen done a few times it is really not too bad. The reason being is that thereare fifteen creases to be ironed into the shirt; three above each top pocket,two down each arm, two across the top of the back and three more whichrun vertically down the back.

84Trousers are ironed in the more conventional manner. The first time you

iron your shirt - it will probably take you a good hour, but once the creasesare in, it is a fairly simple process to run over them again. (Even after theshirt has been washed the creases lines are evident). This makes it all themore important to make sure the creases are in the correct place to startwith. Shoes are polished but not bulled - footwear is never bulled in theLegion (unless you want to of course). If it is winter then Tenue D’Hiver(brown jacket and trousers) are worn. These are pressed in the conventionalway. There will probably only be one iron for every ten men during basictraining though, so bear that in mind - If the iron is free don’t go and havea shower. It should be noted that once you have been issued your kit, anydamaged or worn sports clothing must be replaced by you. Likewise the Kepiand your beret is your responsibilty. These can all be bought from the Foyer.There are two variations of colour that the beret comes in. Both are greenbut one is slightly lighter. Both are acceptable unless your Chef De Sectionsays otherwise.

Le Kepi Blanc - The White Eel The Kepi Blanc is the identifying symbolunique to the Legion. Many other Regiments wear Kepis too but not white.Similarly not all Legionnaires wear white Kepis; Sergents and above wearblack with a red top. As do Caporal Chefs with more than 10 years service.All the ranks can be distinguished by subtle changes in their Kepi (apart fromlegionnaires and Caporaux). But only in the Legion is there a ”Grenade aSept Flammes” - An exploding grenade with SEVEN flames. The rest of theFrench Army have only six. The Kepi is worn most of the time except duringexcercises and active working engagements.

85Many Legionnaires carry pictures of girlfriends or offspring in the inside

base of the Kepi - this is accepted as part of the Legion tradition and is notfrowned upon.

Most of the Legionnaires also carry packets of cigarettes or a wallet insidethe Kepi - resting on the head. Basically you can keep whatever you like

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in there so long as it does not affect your external appearance. When aLegionnaire is paid it is always in a set manner. This is in the form of LaPresente. The money - always cash, is paid onto a table where it is swept offthe table by the palm of your hand and into your Kepi, the Kepi is then swungup onto the head in one fluid movement - followed by a salute. Although itdoes get dirty easily; it is also easy to clean, using ”Savon Marseille” (A lumpof soap) and a scrubbing brush. There is also a monthly magazine issued eeto all serving Legionnaires known as the ”Kepi Blanc” which has details ofwhat is going on in the Legion around the world. The magazine can also besent to you after you have left the Legion for an annual fee.

Le Foulard - Company shoulder signature cloth. This is a shaped piece ofcloth which sits on the left shoulder. It’s colour identifies each Legionnaire asto which company he belongs to. The colours remain the same throughoutthe various Regiments and are as follows:

1er Companie - Blue. 2eme Companie - Red. 3eme Companie - Yellow.4 eme Companie - Green. Le Companie de Commandement et des Services(CCS) - Grey. Le Companie d’Eclarage et d’Appui (CEA) - Black.

86La Fourragere - The Regimental Lanyard. This is a lanyard which is worn

on the left shoulder with the Tenue de Guarde, Tenue de Sortie and Tenuede Parade. A different colour represents each different regiment and witheach regimental lanyard is indicates the number of citations won by thatparticular regiment.

Le Beret - Beret. The beret you are issued with at Aubagne will be green- you do not earn the beret as you do in some of the British forces; it is theKepi that you earn. The first beret issued to you will be quite large but afterthree or four weeks you will be issued with a smaller one which has a much

smarter appearance. They can also be bought from the ”Foyer” (Like aNaafi Or American PX store). There are two very subtle colour alternativesavailable - people wear both.

La Tenue De Combat Vert - Uniform (Green) Before you leave Aubagneyour measurements are taken and kit is issued to your exact size by thestoremen. Watch your kit like a hawk, name it and rename it when theink is wearing out. If you can mark it in some subtle way so that you canrecognise it from the outside - then do it. That way, if anyone robs it, youcan wander around the Section quietly and find the culprit. Strange thoughit seems, the Legion pays little attention to personal turnout of normal dailyuniform in basic training. The uniform is not ironed during basic trainingand any inspection is very cursory. You will be picked up for dirty clothingand the boots must be highly polished at all times. The training team willnot tolerate any slackness in these areas.

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87Les Rangers - The Boots. The Boots issued in the Legion are very good,

fitting well in most cases. The only drawback is the buckle arrangementwhich makes loud ”Chinking” sounds as you walk. (These are normallyquietened by either threading the buckle back through itself or securing itwith tape). The boots are an item of clothing which receive a lot of attentionin basic training. They are always polished downstairs and probably threeor more times a day.

Le Sac a Dos - The Rucksac. There is little carrying capacity and no waistsupport straps to take the load on the hips rather than on the shoulders.There are two straps which hang down the

front and are very handy when on non-tactical operations to slip the noseand arse end of the weapon through. The weapon then hangs down in front ofyour chest. Apart from that the Sac a Dos is really pretty much as it’s namesuggests - a sack hanging from your back. It is not waterproof so anythinginside should first be placed in a large plastic bag. (As you might haveguessed wet weather is not such a problem in the French Foreign Legion).

S3P - Nuclear Biological and Chemical warefare clothing. (Disposable).Standard carbon filled clothing for protection against Biological and Chem-ical agents. Like all NBC suits there are patches for placement of biologicaland chemical detector paper.

88ANP - Respirator. For those that don’t know a respirator is an airtight

face mask fitted with a canister which facilitates safe breathing in a haz-ardous air environment. The ”ANP” is for use in Nuclear, Biological andChemical warfare conditions. This item of kit was issued during the Gulfwar and sits normally in a haversack on the left thigh secured by a long strapwhich goes around the leg and hooks back onto itself by means of two quickrelease clips. The respirator itself is of brown rubber and looks pretty anti-quated. Thankfully it was not put to the test during the Gulf war, exceptduring training excercises. Canisters and accessories are also supplied withthe respirator and are replaced by the Chef de Groupe when required. Makesure yours is not damaged or dented.

Le Noel - Christmas Time.All Legionnaires regardless of rank must be on the guartier on Christmas

day - even if you have just returned from war. The Legion is your homeand that is where you should be on Christmas day - with your family. Thisapplies to all ranks including Sergents and above who may be married. Thewifes of the Sous officiers and above understand the traditions of the Legion.As is often the case in the Legion, there is much emphasis on preparation.This will include things like ”La Creche” - A model type scenario of a scene

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made out of papier mache, wooden and plastic - whatever. There may bebackdrops and lighting used to enhance the effects. The scene may depicta combination of biblical and Legion history intertwined, accompanied by avoice over made by one of

89the Legionnaires in the Section. There then follows a competition to see

which Section has made and created the best Creche. The day is relaxedand there is plenty of food and drink. All Legionnaires receive a present,presented to them by the Capitaine de Compagnie. The presentation ismade after a feast of food and wine on Christmas Eve. The present maybe something like a watch, a walkman, a radio or a tracksuit. (A Legiontracksuit that is - no one may wear civilian tracksuits). Sometimes thereis a gift given to a Legionnaire which is worth more than any other - thatis the right to wear civilian clothes when out on the town. (This wouldonly be a gift to a Legionnaire since Caporaux with over five years serviceand ranks above Caporal already have the right). It is rarely given and ifever it is, it will only be to one Legionnaire per Regiment. There will thenfollow a round of jokes told by all ranks followed up closely by Legion songsand Christmas carols. Well known carols such as Silent Night may be sungin up to ten different languages that evening. There is always some formof sporting competition held during the Christmas period. This is knownas Le Jour Du Sport. It comprises of inter-company sports events such asthe one and the four hundred metre sprint, volleyball, football, swimming,netball and boxing. There is also always the Regimental run which everyLegionnaire takes part in on Christmas day - normally about 10 kilometres,with Sac a Dos. The Chef du Corps makes it his job to see in person everyLegionnaire in his Regiment at Christmas time. As each Legionnaire passesbefore the Chef Du Corps, he will be asked how his career is going, if heis happy and a bit about his aspirations within the Legion, e.g. courses hewould like to do etc.

90Format of a Regiment:Here follows a typical format of a Legion regiment - in this case the 2eme

REP. The Legion regiments consist of six compagnies;- One Compagnie de Commandement et des services. (CCS)- One Compagnie d’eclairage et d’appuis. (CEA)- Four Compagnies de combat.Each compagnie consists of four ”Sections” of approximately forty men

divided into four ”Groupes” of ten men.La Companie De Commandement et des services. (Known as the ”CCS”)

This company supplies the Chef du Corps with the means of regimental

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command, administration, the running of the regiments services such as theFoyer and the mess and acts as rear party to the camp when the regiment isaway.

La Compagnie d’Eclairage et d’Appui. (Kown as the ”CEA ”) This com-pany comprises of two sections of Milan anti- tank, one section of 20 mmanti-aircraft guns, one section of 81mm and 120mm mortar and a recce sec-tion working from jeeps. These Legionnaires receive specialist training in alltypes of combat up to the highest level.

91Les Compagnies de Combat. (Known as the ”Premiere, Deuxieme, Troisieme

and Quatrieme Compagnies de Combat). Apart from their basic training asairborne infantry soldiers each and every soldier has an important role toplay in the heart of the regiment.

ler Compagnie. The Premiere Compagnie specialises in anti tank roles,fighting at night, in built up areas and combating snipers.

2eme Compagnie. The Deuxieme Compagnie specialises in mountain andarctic warfare and in crossing obstacles and clearance problems.

3eme Compagnie. The Troisieme Compagnie works in the area of am-phibious ops and all the techniques employed in that area of soldiering.

4eme Compagnie. The Quatrieme Compagnie concerns itself with clan-destine type operations such as explosives, demolition and sniping.

These specialisations are not rigid but move with the times, with theintroduction of new equipment and tactics learnt through experience on theground and in combat.

There also exists within the 2eme REP - ”Le Groupe de CommandosParachutistes) formally ”Les C.R.A.P.” (Les commandos de Recherche etD’action dans le Profondeur).

92Le Groupe de Commando Parachutistes (Para- Commandos)These legionnaires take a prestigious place in the heart of the 2 eme

REP. They are the elite of the French Foreign Legion and are specialised inall aspects of combat training from amphibious ops to mountain warfare toHALO parachuting (High altitude Low Opening parachuting where oxygenis required to facilitate the jump). An extremely high standard of fitness isa pre- requisite for a position within this unit. (Their title, incidently is dueto be changed in the near future).

Les Armes de la Legion - weapons Of the Legion.Le FAMAS - 5.56 calibre personal assault rifle. (Fusil D’Assault - Manu-

facture de St.Etienne). The weapons training that is received in basic train-ing will enable you to strip the weapon down, name the parts of the weapon,load, unload and make-safe the weapon. You will initially rely on the in-

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structors to clear any Incident de tir (Stoppages). These skills will be taughtat a later date. The personal weapon is the FAMAS. This is a 5.56mm shortrange assault rifle. This is not a weapon that you can throw down in themud, cock and fire - like

93the Russian Kalashnikov. It’s soldiering application requires a high stan-

dard of maintenance - which is exactly what it gets in the Legion. It is afavourite skill practiced by the Legion to fire from the hip and is practisedfrequently during basic training. This is known as ”Position au genou” - itis very difficult to master and to begin with results in much wasted ammu-nition. The weapon also has the capabilty to fire rifle grenades. There aretwo methods of firing a rifle grenade form the FAMAS and both are prac-ticed in basic training sometimes at some expense and danger to the Legionand its men. More suited to urban close quarter battle than anything else,the weapon does not foul badly but stoppages will occur in sandy or dustyconditions, such as the Gulf. Possibly the main design fault is the fact thatthe piece of plastic which guides the empty case out of the chamber knownas the ”Appui joue” is held in place by a ”clip on - clip off action”. If thispiece of plastic is lost or drops off - the weapon cannot be fired without riskof injury to the firer. (The clip on - off action of the Appui-joue is used alongwith an adjustment to the extractor to facilitate leftA or right handed firing.A process which takes just a few minutes).

The sling has various applications - not just in stabilising the steadinessduring firing but also in various carrying methods. In the base of the handgrip for the trigger hand there exists a compartment for cleaning materials.

It is a favourite of the instructors to emphasise the importance of weaponcleaning. When the weapons are cleaned they are each cleaned for aboutseven or eight hours. In basic training you will not be allowed to sit downwhilst cleaning the weapon. There then follows an hour long inspection atthe ”Position Gardez -Vous” (The attention position). At the end of the”Le Raid” - after marching over a hundred miles through the Pyrenees, theweapons and

94equipment are cleaned in just such a manner. Nobody goes to bed that

night. The weapons are at this stage cleaned with pure alcohol to de-greaseevery working part. Most of this attention to detail is a little un-necessarybut continues to instill military discipline. This method of cleaning continueseven when at your Regiment. It is not unknown for a Section of Legionnairesto strip down their weapons, load them onto a plastic palette and send themthrough the dishwasher in the kitchens a few times to remove the worst ofthe fouling from the working parts. This is done prior to commencing more

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conventinal cleaning methods. Some would say a good example of modernsoldiering initiative.

LRAC 89mm. (Lance Rocket Antichar) Other weapons that you will beintroduced to are the 89mm - Lance Rocket Anti-Char (Medium Anti TankWeapon) referred to as the LRAC 89. A simply constructed yet efficientweapon, simple to fire and accurate up to 400m. The targets you will be firingat normally will probably be at 300m. Most of the problems of accuracy liein the correct judgement of distance between yourself and the target. If thecorrect distance is obtained it is actually quite hard to miss. The LRAC89can fire up to 130 rockets through its barrel before a replacement is required.

RAC 112mm. (Roquette Antichars) A larger weapon for these same ap-plication is the RAC 112mm (Rocket Antichars). A beast of a weapon, whichknocks your socks off when you fire it. These too are simple and accurateto fire, and devastatingly effective at ranges up to 500 metres. An excellentpiece of equipment. This weapon however, unlike the LRAC89, can only beused once before being discarded. There is therefore a limit to the amount offirepower such a weapon can muster within the Section. If the appropriateclothing is

95not worn then small particles of cordite will pepper the hands and face

when the weapon is fired. (there is a built in mask on the RAC112 version).It should be noted that this weapon cannot be fired with a rucksac on yourback in the lying down position. The sight should also be removed afterfiring and kept aside.

MILAN MAW This is a computer controlled wire guided missile systemgiving a ninety five per cent chance of a direct hit up to 3000 metres. Usedwithin all the infantry regiments but you are not trained in these weaponsuntil after basic training, and only then if you are assigned to the CompagnieD’Appui. (Unlikely in the early stages of your contract).

La AA52 - ”La AA Cinquante-deux” (also known as ”La Nana”) A beltfed 7.5mm machine gun, normally issued one per groupe. It is a fairly innacu-rate weapon but is still used in the Legion today. Because of the inaccuracy ofthe weapon, it can pepper-spread a large area to the front - a useful applica-tion in certain scenarios. The weapon weighs 9.75kgs, it is simple and sturdyin construction, stripping and assembly is not a problem but the weapon isantiquated. It is supplied with a bipod and sling for carrying.

FRF2 This is the 7.5mm sniper rifle assigned to the Legion. A boltaction weapon which is capable of impressive results in the right pair ofhands. Fitted with a bipod and different size butt plates a killing range of600 metres can be acheived with accuracy. There is normally one Tireurd’elite per groupe. This is not officially a sniper but still a trained sharp

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shooter . The weapon is fitted with96telescopic sights for daylight use and a night sight may be fitted for use

in darkness.20mm CANON - ”Le Canon de vingt”. A heavy machine gun normally

mounted on light transport vehicles which can be used to bring down aircraft.Ammunition comes in the form of armour piercing, explosive or standardball. The firer sits in a seat and can change direction by rotating the wholeassembly in any direction at speed by means of a powered motor.

12.7MM BR - ”La Douze-sept”. (.50 CAL BROWNING) An automaticmachine gun normally mounted on the top of the VAB’s capolla. Due tothe size of the rounds - great stopping power is available to lay down on anadvancing enemy. This weapon was used considerably during the Gulf war.

Missile HOT antichar An optically guided tubular missile system whichcan be fitted to vehicles. This will penetrate 800 mm of armour and will beeffective at ranges up to 4 kms away.

Lu Paye - Pay In the Legion.The pay during your five years can vary from F50 a week to tens of

thousands of Francs per month. It will vary depending upon which Regimentyou have been posted to and where it is situated in the world at the time.Length of service and rank will also have a strong bearing on the amount ofpay.

97As an engage in your first three weeks at Aubagne you will be paid F50

per week. During basic training you receive a pay rise which goes up toabout F1300 per month. This pay is the same for everyone regardless ofage. After basic training the pay will depend very much on where you arelocated. If your first Regiment is in Metropole France then your wages will besomewhat less. The Regiments in France are the 2eme REI, the 6eme REGand the lere REC. Based at Nimes, Avignon and Orange respectively. Allthese regiments will pay about F2500 per month to a Legionnaire in his firstyear. This first year as a Legionnaire you are ranked as a Legionnaire 2emeClasse. On completion of one years service (Service starts from the day yousign the Contract into the Legion) you automatically become a Legionnaire1 ere Classe. There was a time when the advance in rank was only givento those who had been seen to have progressed in all areas of soldiering,language and attitude. Today it is an automatic advance aAer one year’sservice. Some nationalities would remain on a lower pay scale for longerbecause they found the language more difficult - eg. the Japanese or theChinese. Because of such cases it was thought unfair and the system waschanged. Once the rank of Legionnaire lere classe has been attained the pay

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goes up to F4000 per month in Metropole France. A Caporal will draw aboutF5500 per month in

France. All of these wages will increase if the Regiment is posted overseasfor even a few months. And more again if the period extends over six months.The 2eme REF pay is higher than those in Metropole France because theyreceive ”Jump Pay”. They can draw about F4000 per month as a 2eme classeand F6000 as a lere classe. These figures will increase when in Africa or onoperations.

98The 3REI based in French Guyana are are a little better off than those

in France and a 2eme clase can expect to get around F3000 per month as afirst years pay. 1 ere classe will get about F4300 per month.

The 13 DBLE based in Djbouti, North East Africa are the big earnersof the Foreign Legion. (It is unlikely that many Legionnaires will get postedthere straight after basic training. It is normally a posting that Legionnairesreceive after at least a year’s service. There may, if you’re lucky be 2 or 3places available from the section of 40 guys at the end of basic training - ifyou are good enough you will have first refusal. A Legionnaire 2eme classein Djbouti will take home about F8000 a month. A lere classe nearer F9500.A Caporal may easily be getting F14000 per month. It is not normallypossible to get more than one overseas posting abroad during the first fiveyear contract but then people don’t join the French Foreign Legion to earnlarge amounts of money. A sergent in Djbouti can expect to be saving a lotof money during his stay, and because the cost of living is cheap in Djboutithere will be much money saved at the end of the two years posting there.Coupled with that, there is little or no permission given during the posting.For that reason when a Legionniare is sent to his next Regiment he has aback-log of permission and a large amount of money to spend. This mayaccrue to several thousand pounds.

During your time in the Legion a proportion of your kit is purchased byyou. Once the kit has been issued, it is then up to you to maintain or replaceit. The kit is bought from the Foyer or from the Maitre Tailleur -The tailor.During the first year of service in particular, when the pay is at its lowest, itcan make things very tight.

99In addition to this the Legion holds back a proportion of your pay in

an account held by the Legion itself. This account is known throughout theLegion as the CNE. Even during your first four months of basic training thereis an amount of your pay which is held back from your monthly wage. It isnot critical at this stage of training to have money and you rarely, if ever,have the opportunity to spend it. The pay is held back for a good reason

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however. The money is kept aside for you when you leave for your firstRegiment. Here, you will be expected to buy a pair of trainers in accordancewith those worn by your regiment. (Each Regiment tends to wear a differenttype of trainers to the other). There will be other items of equipment andkit which must be purchased; badges, a spare Kepi, a Fourragere (Lanyard)etc. This money will be given to you before arriving at the Regiment youare posted to.

Once in the Regiment some of your pay is still kept back. When youare sent on permission, some of the money is again kept back as a form ofcushioning to support you, should you return from permission having spenteverything. From time to time, a proportion of this money can be taken outof the CNE, but only if your reasons for requiring it are worthy enough toconvince the Capitaine du Compagnie.

Les Rangs - The Ranks.Below are listed the ranks of the Legion that you will come across. The

rank structure does go higher, and you may in time meet some of them, butthese are the ones that are most important you learn first:

100Officiers superieurs: Colonel Lieutenant-Colonel Officiers subalfernes: Com-

mandant Capitaine Lieutenant Sous-Lieutenant Aspirant Sous Officiers: Ma-jor Adjudant-Chef Adjudant Sergent Hommes Du Rang: Caporal-Chef Ca-poral Legionnaire (Premiere classe - After one years service) Legionnaire(Deuxieme classe - After presentation of the Kepi Blanc) Engage Volontaire

Caporal Chef” - This is a rank that is particular to the French Forces.It is a unique rank whereby the soldier can progress no further in the rankstructure once he has reached the position of Caporal Chef. Not all Legion-naires wish to proceed in this direction - some prefer to wait until they aredeemed ready for the Sergents course. If a Caporal Chef later decides thathe wants to progress further then he must revert to Caporal and then re-continue. The rank of Caporal Chef is not normally achieved before at leasteight to ten years service. The attraction is a more laid back lifestyle withfew of the responsibilities of a Sergent but with some of the perks.

101It is highly unusual for Legionnaires to come into contact with anyone

over the rank of Colonel and ninety per cent of the time your contact willbe with ranks below Major. Ranks from Adjudant and above are addressedstarting with the word - ”Mon ”meaning ”My”. Therefore a Capitaine wouldbe - Mon Capitaine, a colonel would be Mon Colonel and so on.

La Permission - Leave/Holidays.It will probably be nearly a year before you will have the chance to ex-

perience any permission. But when you do you will more than likely have a

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reasonable pay packet to take with you. If you are in the 2eme REP thenyou will not be allowed to leave the island during the first year. If you arebased at any of the other regiments in Metropole France you may go justabout wherever you please. Despite the fact that your passport has beentaken away you will still be able to travel abroad. By using your Carte D’Identite (Legion ID card) and the Titre De Permission (Leave pass) you willbe allowed to leave the country by any of the airports. (The Legion statesthat you are officially not allowed to leave the country for the first three yearsof the contract - but most Legionnaires do). You will, as always be paid incash and if a large payout is due they will oAen offer to send the money toa pre-arranged address given by you (obviously not a UK address). This isdone to combat the risk of Legionnaires being mugged by the locals - whoknow full well when the permission starts, and that you will be carrying largeamounts of cash. The length of permission will depend on many things: howlong you have been away, if you have been in combat and whether or notthere are any forthcoming events or dates that you must be back for, e.g.Noel or Camerone. But normally it will be about two weeks. This is theonly time in the Legion when you are

102allowed to leave the guartier in civilian clothing as a Legionnaire. If you

do not have any civilian clothing and no-one has any that you can borrow,then it must be Tenue De Sortie - not Tenue De Sport. You may also returnin civvies. If you have no friends or relatives staying in France then you muststate your address as being either Fort De Nogent in Paris or Malmousce nearMarseille or any other private address in France - even a hotel is OK. BothMalmousce and Fort De Nogent allow you to stay as a Legionnaire guest.There is a room for you for which you pay ten Francs per day for the roomand the food and wine is free. It is not run like a normal quartier, althoughthere are Legionnaires posted there to keep the place up and running. Thereis a role call in the morning (really just to find out how many mouths thereare to feed at le dejeuner) - Apart from that you can come and go as youplease. It is very relaxed and not a bad way to spend your leave, Malmouscebeing positioned on the coast near Marseille and Fort De Nogent right in thecentre of Paris. Despite having put your, one of these locations down as yourleave address you are really free to go wherever you please. Nobody will bebothered. Paris airport is very small and does not take long to nip aroundto all the desks and find out which one is offereing the best deals. A flight tothe UK is normally pretty cheap and you will often find other Legionnairesthere to socialise with prior to departure. One of the benefits of the Legion isthe discount available to them on the trains. All Legionnaires are entitled toa seventy five per cent discount on all rail fares in France on showing an ID

0.21. LE CONTRAT - THE CONTRACT. 67

card. The French trains provide an excellent service but the ticket collectorscan come across as being a little arrogant at times. If you are late back fromleave - you will have the same punishment as you would if you were late backfrom a night out on the town; the statutory ten days in jail. Some

103Legionnaires pass via Paris on their way to the airport - but find they’re

having such a good time that they spend the whole of the permission inParis. If this happens, it is not a problem to make your way down to FortDe Nogent and book yourself in there for the duration of the permission.Assuming there is a room vacant you will be allowed to stay. One of thegreatest things about the French Foreign Legion is that you will always havea good time off - firstly you work hard - you play hard, and secondly theLegion always makes sure you have money for the period of the permission.(Often it is a considerable sum for the amount of time that you have off)

Desertion.Such a book on the French Foreign Legion would not be complete without

some mention of desertion.It happens, and it happens a lot. And the people who desert have to

live with it for the rest of their lives. What makes people desert? And whatmakes them stay when they want to desert? For some, they have no choice.For others, whatever drew them to the Legion in the first place was notenough to make them stay when it got tough. They are the unlucky ones ifyou like - they have options open to them. The ”search for adventure” all ofa sudden seems like a very weak reason for joining the French Foreign Legion.They compare what they’ve got and what they could have. And then theythink about living with the truth and how people back home will react tothe truth. They think about their image. Then they’ll probably think abouthow much time is there left to do before they’ve finished the contract.

104Then...then, they make a momentous decision. And that decision they

must live with.It is better to finish the contract with pride, knowing that so many have

deserted before your eyes during the time that you have been in. Do notjoin expecting life as a Legionnaire to be all adventure, high adrenalin rushesand constant action. Expect to be bored, disappointed and at your wits endfrom time to time. Expect a hard time physically and mentally and you willnot be disappointed. If you think whilst you are reading this, that you couldone day desert - then don’t even join in the first place. Remember that thelonger you are in, the easier it gets. Five years goes very quickly and you’llglad you stayed if you do.

If a Legionnaire has made a break for it then for the first few days he

68 CONTENTS

is noted down as ”Absent”. There are sometimes reasons why Legionnairesare late back on camp. Eg. after a night out on the town. After seven daysabsence you are declared a ”Deserteur”. This carries a standard sentenceof 40 days. (Assuming they haven’t deserted on the brink of war or whilstat war when they could face up to two years in a French civilian jail afterhaving done the forty days in the Legion jail) If a Legionnaire deserts witha weapon, the search will take a much more sinister form with many meninvolved. The prospects for such a deserter are not pleasant.

Useful Phrases:

Some of the more commonly used phrases used in the French ForeignLegion almost every day...

Tu (te) demerde - Get yourself out of the shit.

105

Demerdez- vous - Get yourselves out of the shit.

Casse(-moi) pas les couilles - Don’t break my balls.

J’en ai vraiment plein les couilles - I’ve really had a balls full of this.

Tu te fous de ma gueule ou quoi? - Are you taking the piss or what?

Tu rigoles ou quoi? - You must be joking.

Arrete ta connery - Stop fucking about.

C’est meme pas la peine - It doesn’t even bear thinking about.

C’est pas la peine - There’s no use.

C’est pas vrai? - It can’t be true/ No I don’t believe it. C’est pas possible- It’s not possible. Ferme ta geuele - Shut your face. J’ai pas compris - I don’tunderstand. gu ’est- ce que pa veut dire - What does that mean? Commenton dit?.... - How do you say?.... Oh Putain! - Oh Whore (Used as: Oh Shit).Putain de Merde! - Whore of shit (Used as: Fucking Hell) Merde! - Shit.

106

A few helpful words:

Abdominaux - Sit ups Anciens (Les) - The guys that have been in a longtime epee - Role call Bagarre - To scrap/fight Batiment - Building Binome -Buddy/Partner/Oppo Brouillage - Webbing Camion - Lorry Caporal - Cor-poral Caporal Fut fut - Corporal on the accelerated promotion. Casse-croute- Snack-break Centurion - Belt Centurion Bleu - Wide blue sash worn underbelt. Chants - Songs Chaussettes - Socks

Chef de Corps - Officer in charge of the Quartier Chemise - Shirt Clairon- Bugler Corvet - Cleaning Duties Consignes - Extra duties and consignmentto the Quartier Date de Naissance - Date of birth Dehors - (Get) Outside!Demi(une) or Une Pression - Lager (in half pints) Engage Volontaire (E.V.)- Recruit En couloir - (Get) into the corridor En position - (Get) into theposition (For press ups) En Bas - Go down Epaulettes de Tradition - Red

0.21. LE CONTRAT - THE CONTRACT. 69

epaulettes worn for guard or parade Foyer - Small bar with shop attachedFusil - Rifle Haut - Go up

107

Hommes du rang - Lower ranks Infirmiers - Medics Incidents de tir -Weapon stoppages Jeunes (Les) - The most inexperienced to have joined.Legia Patria Nostra - The Legion is Our Home. Matricule - Service numberMagazin - Armoury Pantalon - Trousers Paquetage - All your kit Pays -Country Permission - Leave/Holiday/Vacation Petit footing (Le) - Running(As a sport) Piste de Combat - Assault course Place D ’Arme - Parade square.Presente (Le) - The Presentation. Medecin - Doctor guartier - Camp guartierLibre - Time off Rassemblernent - Assembly Rangers - Boots Refectoire -Eating hall (for Legionnaires). Slips - Pants Sous officiers - NCO’s Sous-vetement - Track suit Sergent - Sergeant Stages - Courses Stick - Stingingslap on the back of the neck Tenue - Uniform Toile - Jail Veste de Combat-Combat jacket

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Appendix.

The Contract to be signed:

Se REGION MILITAIRE Imprime No. 311-6/4

Place de MARS EILLE Instruction No. 2500/DEF/PMAT/

EG/B du 4 Juillet 1978.

No. du registre: 986 Format: 21 x 29,7.

(Recto.)

ACTE D’ENGAGEMENT du nomme(1) JONES David a titre etrangerpour la legion etrangere.

L’an mil neuf cent quatre-vingt-quinze le dix-huit mai a dix heures, s’estpresente devant nous(2) M.(l) JONES David age de 23 ans exercant la pro-fession de menuisier

109

resident a Bath canton de departement de(3) Grande Bretagne fils de(4)Steven et de(4) Jane nee Smith domicilies a

Cheveux Chatains Yeux Bleu Sourcils Ecartes droits Menton Bilobe NezConcave Dents C.M. 90Visage Ovale

Renseignements physionomiques supplementaires:

Tatouage avant-bras gauche

Taille: 1m 87 Poids: 85 kgs

Marques particulaires:

lequel a declare vouloir s’engager pour servir a titre etranger dans lalegion etranger et, a cet effet, nous a pres ente: le Medecin des ArmeesBUCHENNET Medecin Adjoint du 1er R.E.

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1. Un certificate delivre a la date du 16.05.95 par(3) et constant qu’il n’estatteint d’aucune infirmite, qu’il reuint la taille et autres conditions requisepour servir dans la legion etrangere.

2.Son bulletin de naissance, une declaration d’identite(3) constatant qu’ilest ne le 19 Aout 1972 a London (GRANDE BRETAGNE) et de nationaliteBrittanique.

3. L’autorisation de son representant legal(6).1104. (7)Apres avoir reconnu la regularite des pieces profuits, nous lui avons donnes

lecture(8) des articles 6. 7 et 13 No. 77- 789 du decret n.77-789 du ler juillet1977 relaitif aux militaires a titre etranger.

Nous 1’avons informe que:1. Ses services compteront a partir de la date de signature, par lui, du

present contrat.2. Le present contrat comporte une periode probatoire de six mois eventuelle-

ment renouvable une fois par 1’autorite militaire. La periode probatoireprend effet de la date de signature du present contrat.

LE CONTRAT NE DEVENANT DEFIMTIF QU’AU TERME DE LAPERIODE PROBATOIRK.

3. Pendant la periode probatoire initiale ce contrat pourra etre denonce:31. Soit a la demande de 1’engage, agree par 1’autorite militaire, pour

raison personelle d’ordre sociale ou pour des difficultes notoires d’adaptation,exprime jusqu’au terme du quatrieme mois de service. Dans ce cas la decisiondefinitivedu commandement devra etre signifie avant la fin de la periodeprobatoire initiale.

32. Soit a tout moment, par I’autorite militaire du fait: - d’une inaptitudemedicale pour une cause pre-existante a 1’engagement: - d’une inaptitude a1’emploi ou a servir dans les rangs de la legion etrangere: - d’une inadaptationa la vie militaire.

1114. Pendant la periode probatoire renouvelee ce contrat pourra etre de-

nonce par I’autorite militaire pour inaptitude a 1’emploi ou pour inadapta-tion a la vie militaire.

5. A tout moment ce contrat pourra etre resilie dans les conditions fixeesdans 1’article 32 de FLM No. 2500/DEF/PMAT/EG/B modifiee du 4 juillet1978 et notamment:

- sur demande agree de 1’engage pour raison personnelle imperieuse fondeesur des faits dument reconnus et survenus depuis la signature de 1’engage-ment: - d’office pour inaptitude physique: - par 1’autorite militaire pourinsuffusance professionelle ou par mesure disciplinaire.

0.21. LE CONTRAT - THE CONTRACT. 71

- Apres quoi le candidat a promis de servir avec honneur et fidelite pen-dant cinq annees a partir de ce jour et s’est engage aucours de ce premiercontrat a ne pas se prevaloir de services ou de qualifications antiereurementdetenus a titre franglais.

le contractant a promis egalement de servir dans les rangs de la legionetrangere partout ou il conviendrait le gouvernement de 1’envoyer et, apresavoir eus lecture du present acte, a signe avec nous.

L ’engage Le Commissaire de I’armee de terre

OU

l’officier suppleant

112

Periode renouvelee le pour une duree de six mois a compter du............confirm la decision du commandement de la legion etrangere en date du.......

( ) Contrat - annule - denonce - resilie (3) a compter du pour (9) pardecision du en date du

notifiees a 1’interesse le Contrat devenu definitif le ( )-

Commissaire de L’annee de terre

OU

L’ogicier suppleant,

(1) Nom et prenom de 1’engage. (2) Nom du commissaire de 1’armee deterre ou de 1’ officier suppleant et localite ou il est en fonction. (3) Rayerles mentons inutiles. (4) Lorsque ces renseignements sont connus. (5) Nom,grade et qualite de 1’officier signature du certificate. (6) Si 1’engage est agede moins de 18 ans. (7) Si 1’engage est franglais et n’a pas encore satisfait ases obligations legales, autorisation du ministre permettent 1’engagement atitre etranger. (8) Si 1’engage ne connait pas la langue franglais, il lui seradonne lecture dans sa langue, des clauses contenues dans 1’acte. (9) Indiquerle motif.

113

Recruiting Centres in France. (Poste Information de la Legion Etrangere)

There are sixteen recruiting centres plus Aubagne itself where you can godirectly if you want to save a few days hassle. All of these centres are open24 hours a day. Map locations follow each recruiting centre in brackets.

Addresses of Recruiting Centres:

94120 Fontenay-sous-Bois (1) Fort De Nogent Paris O: 0033 1 48 77 4968

59000 Lille (2) La Citadelle R: 0033 3 20 55 40 13

76038 Rouen cedex (3) Rue du Colonel-Trupel R: 0033 2 35 70 68 78

121

86000 Poitiers (4) Quartier Aboville R: 0033 5 49 41 31 16

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44000 Nantes (5) Quartier Desgrees-du-Lou Rue Gambetta R: 0033 2 4074 39 32

57000 Metz (6) Quartier de-Lattre-de-Tassigny R: 0033 3 87 66 57 1221000 Dijon (7) Caserne Junot - 66 Avenue du Drapeau R: 0033 3 80 30

02 1067000 Strasbourg (8) Quartier Lecourbe Rue d’Ostende R: 0033 3 88 61

53 3351000 Reims (9) Quartier Colbert 32 bis Avenue de la Paix R:0033 3 26

88 42 5013007 Marseille (10) La Malmousque - Chemin du Genie R: 0033 4 91 31

85 1013400 Aubagne (1 1) Quartier Vienot R: 0033 4 42 03 38 7912264100 Bayonne (12) Caserne Chateaux-Veaux R: 00 33 5 59 25 66 7033000 Bordeaux (13) 260 rue Pelleport R: 0033 5 56 92 99 6469007 Lyon (14) Caserne Sergent-Blandan 37 bis, rue de Repos R: 0033

4 78 58 40 2106300 Nice (15) Caserne Saint-Jean-d’Angely Rue des Diables-Bleus R:

0033 4 93 56 32 7666020 Perpignan (16) Caserne Mangin 8 Rue Francois-Rabelais R: 0033

4 68 35 05 3831000 Toulouse (17) Caserne Perignon Avenue Camille-Pujol R: 0033 5

61 54 21 95Although telephone numbers are listed above - no information will nor-

mally be given over the phone. You may also write in English to the followingaddress for information on joining the Foreign Legion:

123Bureau de Recrutement de la Legion Etranghre, Quartier Vienot 13400

Aubagne R: 0033 4 42 84 97 66 (You may have more luck with this number).See over the page for locations marked on the map.124Disclaimer Notice.In no way can the author of this publication be liable for any injury,

illness, expense or ill-feeling incurred by the reader as a result of havingread this book. All information has been published as accurately as possible.Neither is the author liable for any information published herein that isincorrect or out-dated.

127First published in 1997 by Salvo Books. PO Box 106, Yelverton, Devon,

PL20 6XY