The French Foreign Legion: The Inside Story of the World-Famous Fighting Force

by John Robert Young, Erwan Bergot, Martin Windrow (Translator)

There is no more famous fighting force than the French Foreign Legion. Since its foundation by royal decree of Louis Philippe in 1831, the Legion, with its unique aura of mystery and heroism, has fascinated the outside world. Today's Legionnaire is the direct heir to a long line of great adventurers - men whose military achievements in Europe, in Mexico, in Africa, in Southeast Asia have indelibly associated them with danger, endurance and incomparable camaraderie.

At last, the curtain of secrecy has been pulled aside to reveal the Legion's inner workings to the sensitive camera lens of John Robert Young. From southern France and Corsica to South America and Africa, through fifty thousand miles of travel and three hundred rolls of film, John Robert Young shared the Legionnaires' life as unobtrusive participant and keen observer, imbuing his photography with the honesty of true experience.

Genres: Military Fiction, History

212 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1984

Reviews

[Glenn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Any English books published sooner after the Post War I affirm to the author's born before, then. And as a partial sense of the reader we can confidently conclude both of the written context is in the view point both of the liberal country we had lived and based upon that mind prior to the Great War.

The community has digressed somewhat from the 1960's and as a lot of history also has been lost between the lines of the two world wars. Anyone born during nationalisation and/ or from after the 60's might be none the wiser to either.

The front cover of this book is where its really at 1980's advertising for the second parachute regiment and the contract. Tough nuts with a lack of opportunity to lifestyle and a chance of escape those hardships with a promise of simple professional military and adventure. An officer and a gentlemen spring to mind and after the character made to Jack Mayo. The Nazi ideal man, a good looker and athletic built as long as he's willing to conform to the institution, then he'll go far. I did mention the Foreign Legion is occupied by the Nazi's right? There is only one job for the waster, I quote whether the preference for being a cook was before joining at the door, then think again on the other side how hordes of socialists that get around you the stop, then at paradise/ Abugane telling you going to be a parachutist. Apparently a drop in numbers this year as alike the last so always means; too many cooks spoil the broth. Needless to say you leave the next day behind the medical report already based upon the ex-servicemen was jack made into a disease reporting another conscription order.

As per above this paragraph any Englishmen born at York heading South chances are business minded and exploiting this fact. When I done analytical mind-set as I saw John Robert Young was in the other words a veteran and selling away his project to French Foreign Legion. I only needed to read as where he ended-up, (Lewes Sussex) to learn whom he had chosen to do business with and/ the little wasters from North of England. Like many professional backgrounds do hide behind the good disguise, alike this case had he worked as the freelance journalist that already harmonised himself as the naturalised Canadian lookalike that had turned photographer, or whilst awaiting his 20 year dream for and clearance to. I mean it is an absolute give-away with what the Ministry of Defence France were up to on this note going through a make-over period, since the loss of the Legion at Algiers. The Foreign Legion rebirth during the 60's had needless to say been preoccupied by the monetary fund ever-since the western civilisation needed funding from second world war destruction, and to the Ministry of Defence budget of France, therein infiltrating parts of their heritage. No longer would the Foreign Legion be fighting on the other hand for the free-world as where foundations made upon foreign soil now the Ministry of Defence France had strings attached.

As far right as the veteran John Robert Young had gone inside the French Foreign Legion he had both not presenting the history side of matters and as enough said to liberalise the true Foreign Legion from the current institution on this note. I sense the book is business portrayed from a liberal stance and is corrupt. Although the book nor had it, he or the free-world on this note justify itself beside the level of the reader's conscious and as speaking retrospectively from an officer of the parachute (mortar) regiment, had moved any blame indirectly of the book's design. That part is done however by the right wing and a co-worker of the colonists group inside the outfit at that time and had wrote aside any transparency from the communist war' activity thereafter the post war. Again, the introduction is it self-explanatory as to why the above line is given from another person's other hand.
The 1st parachute regiment dismay track record suggest that there role's played out were mere suicide missions and given to wasters and either were disbanded at their disposal.
Indo-China war grows conscientious ever-present with other world scenes thereafter that and initial example of that China most probably been sold advanced weapons by the Americans on the black market rather than in find nearby US embargo themselves. Also learning a bit of history laid down here between the Foreign Legion and as a protectorate to Indonesia war was against the black pirates of China. I must forward you the expansionist policy to further learn beyond the Americans had bought into the Foreign Legion, or is thought pulling all the strings on the Chinese borders. To override the history here as the protectorate of the Legion's revolutionary fight force, meant that they were would be finished as new birth freedom fighting units, and place instead to the American's in charge of the modernisation network. With no other threat outside the free-world bar Mexico and, it is again the Legions having greater heritage instrumental beyond any point to either, so shall it also be known to be preoccupied then by the Americans ironically enough, oh how there had fought one another.

Technically-speaking the political interest of the Foreign Legion is in Africa and developing the country. How about making-up some terrorists and hand over the idiot guide to communism?

[Andy Lucy · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent photoessay on the Legion in the late 1980s. Many things have changed... new quarters, new tasks, new regiments. But Young gets into the heart of what it means to be a légionnaire. He was given unheard of access to the légionnaires in their basic training at Castelnaudary as well as allowed to accompany them on different exercises, including un mission profonde en Guyane Française... the regularly scheduled 30 day treks into the rain forest, made by the légionnaires of the 3e REI. Young is able to show snippets of the lives of légionnaires who agree to give 5 years of their lives to the Légion.