Everything Everywhere Daily: History, Science, Geography & More - The French Foreign Legion

Starting point is 00:00:00 A popular topic of films has been the French Foreign Legion. The French Foreign Legion was supposed to be an organization where somebody could get a new identity and a new start on life, even if they were criminals. They were often stationed in hot, desolate places where they served out their tour of duty before starting this new life. But how much of the legends surrounding the French Foreign Legion is actually true? Learn more about the French Foreign Legion, how it was formed and how it works, on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.

Starting point is 00:00:43 What if your perceptions about the past were wrong? ThruLine is a podcast that takes you back in time to uncover the parts of the story that may have gone unnoticed. It effectively turned day into night. And how it shaped the world now. Time travel with us every week on the ThruLine podcast from NPR. The French Foreign Legion has developed an almost mythical status in TV and movies. According to the legend, the French Foreign Legion would take any. to become a member, regardless of their past or what they might have done.

Starting point is 00:01:20 In return, the Legion would give the recruit a new identity, allowing them to get a new start on life, whatever mistakes or baggage from their previous life. Unlike many episodes where I debunk common misconceptions about something, as we'll see, much of the legends surrounding the French Foreign Legion is actually true. The story of the founding of the French Foreign Legion actually dates back to the early 19th century. Following the French Revolution and the rise and fall of Napoleon Bonaparte, the Bourbonne monarchy was re-established in 1815. It only lasted 15 years until the July Revolution of 1830, which led to the overthrow of King Charles X, the French Bourbon monarch,

Starting point is 00:02:01 who was replaced by his cousin Louis Philippe, the Duke of Orleans. The now King Louis-Philippe inherited a mess. France was beset by economic difficulties, including high unemployment and social unrest. In addition to what was happening at home, France needed to solidify its control over its expanding colonial empire. In particular, France had landed 34,000 troops in Algeria on June 14, 1830, just weeks before the July Revolution. The Algerian occupation, which began under King Charles, was highly unpopular back in France. Louis-Philippe also had to deal with another problem. France had a large and growing number of foreign soldiers in the country. During the Napoleonic Wars and the Brabant Restoration, France hired foreign soldiers. This wasn't unusual. Almost every country hired

Starting point is 00:02:55 foreign mercenaries to fight its wars, usually in part, but sometimes in full. In fact, the practice of hiring foreigners to fight dates back thousands of years. For example, in a previous episode, I discussed Swiss mercenaries, who were some of the most feared fighters on the European continent. In addition to the foreign soldiers France had previously used, a flood of foreigners came to France after the July Revolution. Some of these were radical revolutionaries who came to France after the failure of revolutions in their own country. Many of them were people that had little to know money, but extensive military training. The foreigners in France were becoming a burden on the state and an enormous potential risk. The solution to the domestic problem of too many foreigners,

Starting point is 00:03:41 as well as the problem of trying to occupy Algeria, was proposed by Minister of War, Nicholas Jean-Dé-Dou-Sou. On March 10th, 1831, King Louis Philippe signed a royal ordinance establishing the French Foreign Legion. The key motivations were to create a disciplined and cohesive fighting force from the various foreign volunteers that existed in France and to relieve domestic social pressures by offering employment to these foreigners. The French Foreign Legion had two major founding principles.

Starting point is 00:04:11 The first was that the unit would consist only of non-French soldiers, and the second was that they could only serve outside of France. This solution solved the problem of too many soldiers in France and the problem of finding soldiers to serve in Algeria, which needed reinforcements. The Foreign Legion's initial organization was a single regiment of seven battalions, each consisting of soldiers from a single country. This included battalions of Swiss, Germans, Italian, Spanish, and Spanish. Belgians and Dutch. They had troubles in the first months after the Legion was formed,

Starting point is 00:04:47 which was not surprising given the heterogeneity of all the units. Still, they quickly coalesced and developed a reputation for bravery and discipline. They saw their first major action on April 1832 at the Battle of Maison-Carray outside of Algiers. They eventually established their headquarters in the town of City Bel Abbas, about 375 kilometers southwest of Algiers, which was their base until 1962. The Legion was used extensively over the next century, and I do mean extensively. I couldn't even possibly cover all of the places around the world where the French Foreign Legion was deployed given the time limits of this podcast. In addition to Algeria, in the decades after its creation, the Legion was deployed in Spain, the Crimea, Italy, Mexico, and Southeast Asia.

Starting point is 00:05:34 They fought in the Franco-Prussian War in 1870 for the very first time in France, and all over Africa in the various French-African colonies. The reason why the Legion was used so often is simply because that they were considered to be more expendable than the regular French army. There would be no public outcry when members of the Foreign Legion were killed. Since its founding, there have been 35,000 foreign legionaires

Starting point is 00:06:00 that have been killed in active service. In the 20th century, the use of Legionnaires did not cease. When the First World War began in 1914, many foreign nationals living in France volunteered to serve in the military. However, the only option for them was to join the Foreign Legion. On August 3, 1914, 8,000 foreign nationals living in France appeared at Foreign Legion recruiting offices throughout the country. Members of the Foreign Legion served with distinction in almost every major battle that France took part in throughout the war. In the Second World War, the loyalties of the Foreign Legion were split between Vichy, France,

Starting point is 00:06:38 which was a Nazi puppet regime and that of the Free French Movement led by Charles de Gaulle. One of the Legion's notable features is that the country of origin of its recruits always changes over time. For example, after the Franco-Prussian War in 1870, Prussia occupied the Alsace-Lorraine region between the two countries. And after that, many people from that area joined the Foreign Legion. After the Second World War, the Legion received a flood of recruits from, of all places, Germany. Many of them were former members of the German army. They had spent years in the army, and now that the war was over, they felt they had no more opportunities in Germany.

Starting point is 00:07:16 The Foreign Legion did have a policy of not accepting former members of the SS, and they would look for relevant tattoos or scars that indicated some sort of removal. The post-war world didn't see the Foreign Legion lose any of its relevance. In almost every conflict that France fought in, the Foreign Legion was there. They fought in the first Indochina War from 1946 to 1915, where they saw huge losses at the Battle of Dienben-Fu. They fought for the French in the Algerian War of Independence and eventually had to give up their headquarters in Algeria when it became independent.

Starting point is 00:07:51 In the last few decades, they've been used as peacekeepers all over the world and have fought in the First Iraq War, the Bosnian War, Afghanistan, and an Ivory Coast, Mali and other places. Currently, there are about 8,000 members of the French Foreign Legion around the world. But what about the stories? about the French Foreign Legion accepting anyone, even though he's guilty of a crime. Do they really give you a new identity? And what does it take to join the French Foreign Legion? For starters, you have to apply to the French Foreign Legion in person in France. There are no satellite

Starting point is 00:08:25 recruitment offices anywhere else in the world. That means that you have to get yourself to France and take care of any visa requirements in order to enter the country. The French Foreign Legion recruitment centers are open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. However, they do recommend that you show up during normal business hours. Before you even begin the process, you have to be a male between the ages of 17 and a half and 39 and a half years old. Women are not allowed to be in the French Foreign Legion. You can be married and have children, but it is not encouraged. In the past, you could enlist under an alias because they really had no way of checking. Today, however, you have to have to be to enlist under your legal name initially, and you have to have a passport and a birth

Starting point is 00:09:11 certificate. As far as having a criminal record goes, in the past, they would have accepted pretty much anybody. In theory, they had a don't ask, don't tell policy regarding serious crimes such as murder. Today, they can check the background of a recruit. They are a bit vague saying that they will not accept anyone with a quote, serious crime, and that you can't be wanted by Interpol. However, they will probably turn a blind eye to lesser crimes. If you're on the run for, say, robbery, tax evasion or something else, they will probably accept you. Likewise, if you're AWOL from another army, you will likewise probably be accepted. You must have a body mass index between 20 and 30, and you have to be physically fit. Knowledge of French is not a requirement,

Starting point is 00:09:58 but you must be able to read and write in your native language. If you pass a lot of French, you pass all the requirements, you will be presented with a five-year service contract that is non-negotiable. Once you sign your contract, your personal possessions are taken and stored, and you'll be given a new identity. Everyone is given a new identity, even if you don't want to get rid of your real name. More on that in a bit. The Recruitment Center has a series of tests that last several days, and at any point in the process, you can be expelled. But assuming you pass everything, they then have a four-month training program that you have to go through. After all of that, recruits take their oath and deliver their contract in the Hall of Honor in the French Foreign

Starting point is 00:10:42 Legion Museum in Obagna, France. After that, they are then allowed to wear the distinctive white Kepi hat, which is part of the uniform of the order. The Legionaire has a bank account set up with their new identity where their pay is sent. A new recruit will be paid about 1,400 euro per month, but all of their food, clothing, and shelter and medical expenses are covered. There are salary bonuses if you have a difficult or dangerous assignment. And on top of all that, you get 45 days off per year, which for a military service is pretty generous. After one year, every legionaire has to make a choice. They can keep their new identity or revert back to their old one. is called rectification. 80% of all legionaires choose to get their old names back.

Starting point is 00:11:30 Those who choose to go back to their real names will have the option after three years is up to apply for French citizenship. However, there is an even faster way to obtain French citizenship, and the way you do that is by being injured in combat. All Legionaires have to undergo daily French language instruction. Today, the largest source of recruits for the Legion is from Eastern Europe and South America. The French Foreign Legion has proven so successful that several countries have outright copied the idea. Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, and Russia have all at one time or another had special units of foreign soldiers.

Starting point is 00:12:08 Many more countries allow foreign citizens to join their armies directly, eliminating the need for a dedicated foreign unit. Yet there has been talk of creating an American Foreign Legion, but nothing's ever come of it. The French Foreign Legion has a storied history, marked by its role in major conflicts, its unique composition of foreign volunteers, and its enduring mystique. People join the Legion for various reasons, including the promise of a new beginning, the allure of adventure, and the opportunity for personal and professional transformation. After almost 200 years, the Legion's legacy continues to be shaped by its diverse and dedicated

Starting point is 00:12:45 members who come from all corners of the globe. The executive producer of Everything Everywhere Daily is Charles Daniel. The associate producers are Benji Long and Cameron Kiever. I want to give a big shout out to everyone who supports the show over on Patreon, including the show's producers. Your support helps me put out a show every single day. And also, Patreon is currently the only place where Everything Everywhere Daily merchandise is available to the top tier of supporters.

Starting point is 00:13:15 If you'd like to talk to other listeners of the show and members of the completionist club, you can join the Everything Everywhere Daily Facebook group or Discord server. Links to everything are in the show notes.

Everything Everywhere Daily: History, Science, Geography & More - The French Foreign Legion

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