French legion official. Unusual, bright, curious military units of the world. French Foreign Legion

military history contains many pages that mention various military formations that are directly involved in hostilities and located in the hottest spots of our planet. The most famous among them is the French Foreign Legion. This is a truly legendary military unit, the military glory of which is fanned by various myths and stories. Many books have been written about this elite unit and more than a dozen films have been shot. For generations of men, service in this unit was considered the ultimate dream. Many have dreamed and continue to dream of how to become legionnaires and quickly put on a special military uniform. However, in reality, instead of bravado and ostentation, the Foreign Legion is a hard service and work associated with constant risk and danger. Is a person ready to voluntarily give up all the advantages that civil life promises, starting his military career in accordance with the harsh and strict military Charter?

You can refer to weighty arguments in favor of making such a decision: a good salary, full social security, the possibility of obtaining French citizenship as a result. However, you have to pay for all this. big price: personal freedom, hard physical labor and deprivation, and finally, constant danger and threat to life, despite the fact that the romance of military service, future privileges and decent pay are a serious motivation.

French Foreign Legion - what is it really?

It should be noted right away that the legion is not an interest club in which everyone does what they want. This is a complete military unit relating to the armed forces of the French Republic. Here, not only military charter, but also a number of provisions that regulate the procedure for serving. Unlike traditional armed forces, the legion has a different system of recruitment and recruitment. The servicemen of this unit undergo a completely different, transcendent level of training. Subsequent service in the Legion takes place in conditions as close as possible to combat, in various parts of the world.

Only representatives of the stronger sex can become legionnaires. The way is ordered for women to serve in the foreign legion!

The history of this legendary military unit has less than two hundred years. In 1831, King Louis Philippe I of France undertook an adventurous military operation in North Africa. The military campaign, according to the plan of the French court, was to divert attention civil society from internal problems in the state. The purpose of the military expedition to Algeria was the declared expansion of the borders of the colonial empire.

For this dubious event a significant number of troops were required, which France at that time was clearly not enough. In addition, the French generals were not enthusiastic about the military adventure of the French king and opposed in every possible way the sending of units of regular French army to overseas possessions. Life itself suggested a way out of this situation.

France first half of XIX century experienced not the best of times. The economy was in decline, the population of the country was in distress. The consequences of fifteen years of continuous wars that France waged under Napoleon Bonaparte were showing. Inside the country, a huge number of idle males appeared who were looking for any ways and opportunities to improve their plight, not disdaining at the same time and robbery. Neither the police, nor the gendarmerie, nor the army could cope with such negative phenomena. The only way out of this situation was a royal decree on the creation of a new paramilitary unit under the leadership of French officers, which could be recruited by people who had problems with the law.

In this way, it was possible to immediately solve two problems:

• by means of legalization, remove criminal and unreliable elements from the streets of French cities and from the roads;
• collect the necessary number of people for subsequent preparation and sending to the colony.

The only condition that was stipulated in the royal decree was that the newly created paramilitary formation could not be used on the territory of the metropolis. As a result of such actions, in just a few months, the required number of people were recruited through recruiting centers. The set did not differ in special requirements. The recruits were not asked, neither name nor social background. It was enough for a man from the street to become a legionnaire to have tolerable health and to have an idea of ​​​​how to hold a gun.

Shortly after the first months of initial military training, recruits were sent to Algeria to suppress the uprising of local natives and to participate in the expansion of colonial possessions. new army was given the name - Foreign Legion.

The first combat experience showed that the chosen tactics fully justified themselves. Legionnaires, unlike the soldiers of the regular army, knew what they were fighting for. Having shown enviable ingenuity, perseverance and steadfastness on the battlefield, the soldiers and officers of the foreign legion were able to quickly suppress not only the centers of the rebellious Arabs, but also establish a strict and harsh colonial regime in the colony. From that moment on, the foreign legion began to be involved in almost all the wars waged by France. In the 19th century, legionnaires had to fight in Spain and Mexico. Participated in the French Foreign Legion and Crimean War, fighting with Russian troops near Sevastopol.

In the next XX century, legionnaires became participants in the largest military conflicts that affected not only France, but also shocked the whole world. The conquest of Indochina, participation in hostilities in the French colonies in Madagascar, Morocco, then the First World War. Everywhere in the most dangerous areas, soldiers and officers of the foreign legion were involved. The French Foreign Legion became a kind of special forces that solved the most complex tactical and strategic tasks. At some points, the number of units of the Foreign Legion was about 50 thousand people. The soldiers of this unit had to serve in various parts of the world, starting with hotel islands in pacific ocean and ending with the dense jungles of South America and tropical Africa.

The essence of the Foreign Legion as a unit and how to get into it

Despite the fact that the Foreign Legion is officially part of the structure of the French army, in fact it is a separate military unit that reports directly to the head of state. At first it was the King of France, the Emperor, and in modern times, the President of the French Republic. Neither army charters nor orders of the Minister of Defense apply here. Today, the legion has its own, developed infrastructure. Each regiment that is part of the legion has its own place of quartering, with barracks, with headquarters and even with its own guardhouse. At its core, it is a closed organization, reminiscent of medieval knightly orders in its structure.

Financing of the legion is carried out at the expense of the state treasury and thanks to sponsorship. A large part of the budget of the Foreign Legion is made up of income from financial and economic groups and lobbyists who have big weight in the inner and foreign policy France. In other words, there are no permanent and fixed appropriations for the upkeep of the legion. Unlike the regular French army, legionnaires do not have broad social state guarantees.

The French Foreign Legion is also distinguished by its military doctrine. There is an unspoken restriction on the equipment of units that are part of the Foreign Legion. There are no full-fledged tank formations and own aviation here. Armed with armored personnel carriers, light artillery systems, helicopters. The bulk of the combat work has to be done by infantry units. To date, the legion includes:

• one armored cavalry regiment;
• two airborne units;
• engineer-sapper regiment;
• infantry and training regiments.

Some military units are stationed on the territory of continental France and on the island of Corsica. In the town of Aubagne, Bouches-du-Rhone department, on the territory of the 1st regiment is the Headquarters of the Foreign Legion. Other units are located in overseas territories controlled by France.

The procedure for recruiting military units belonging to the French Legion is curious. Unlike the previously used recruitment methods, when citizens with any reputation and any nationality could become legionnaires, today the recruitment conditions for this elite unit tightened.

In order to become a legionnaire today, it is enough to know the mechanism of the admission procedure and have a relatively clean reputation. Gone are the days when the Legion was a convenient hiding place for those who tried to hide from the law, even from another realm. The main and main condition for starting the process is a voluntary desire, which, together with your passport, must be shown at the recruiting center. This is followed by a rigorous medical board and an assessment of your physical abilities. Today, the Legion is not ready to support soldiers with poor health and not fully aware of what they have to deal with. The first contract is signed for a period of 5 years, and the main article of the contract directly indicates that you will not have to sit out in the rear in a warm resort. The main function of legionnaires is service in hot spots, where the likelihood of hostilities and clashes is always high.

Not only a person can become a legionnaire French descent but also a foreigner. Over the years of the existence of this unit, representatives of more than 130 states served in the Foreign Legion. Only privates and sergeants are recruited into the Legion. Command at all stages is carried out by French officers, so French is the main command language.

After the end of the first contract, military personnel who have shown valor, courage and have an impeccable reputation receive either French citizenship or a residence permit in France. Having received a wound during operations, there is a chance to immediately receive not only French citizenship, but also a serious increase in salary. The service life of a legionnaire is limited only by the period of the contract. In other words, if the legionnaire's contract has ended and he is tired of fighting, you can leave. For those who have served under the banner of the Foreign Legion for 19 years or more, a lifetime pension with the right to provide housing is assigned.

Despite the fact that today the number of military conflicts in which the French Foreign Legion is involved is limited, the life of a legionnaire is not sugar. In parallel with high salaries and relative comfort in peacetime, the soldiers of the foreign legion, as before, experience the hardships and hardships of military service in a double or triple volume.

The war in Mali and the entry of the French contingent into this country gave reason to recall one of the most famous military formations in the world - the French Foreign Legion. This topic will be quite relevant for our compatriots, because many Russian guys are interested in how to get into the foreign legion.

In addition, our readers are available.

History of the French Foreign Legion

First, a little history. The French Foreign Legion was founded under King Louis Philippe I in 1831. The reason for the creation of the Legion was the desire of France to include the territory of Algeria and, accordingly, the need for new combat-ready units.

The basis of the rank and file in the new combat unit was made up of natives of the countries of the South and Western Europe, the officer corps was formed from veterans of Napoleon's army. In this regard, traditions have been preserved to this day - only a citizen of France can receive an officer rank in a foreign legion, while privates and sergeants are recruited all over the world.

The French Legion took part in more than three dozen only major conflicts from Mexico to Vietnam. The most successful foreign legion showed itself in Africa and Indochina, where the positions and interests of France are traditionally strong. Nevertheless, there was one sensitive defeat in his history. In the spring of 1954, the superior troops of Ho Chi Minh managed to surround and defeat the French troops, among whom were units of the foreign legion, in the Dien Bien Phu region.

Legionnaires in "hot spots": Mali

Now the French Foreign Legion mainly performs peacekeeping functions. Although. If you want to test your strength, then try to join the foreign legion and get to the base in Djibouti. In addition to specific climatic conditions that can only be sustained a real man, in this small country is really dangerous. And the recent events around the conflict in Mali gave some parts of the French Foreign Legion a chance to prove themselves in battle with a serious enemy.

Some units of the legion are already in Mali and several are on alert to be sent to the conflict zone. The well-trained and well-armed formations of the Tuareg, who proclaimed the independent state of Azawad, and Islamic radical militants of the Salafist persuasion from Al-Qaeda of the Islamic Maghreb, Ansar Din and other groups will oppose the legionnaires in the war in Mali.

It cannot be said that there are a lot of Russian guys among the fighters of the foreign legion. They now face a difficult task - a new battle with world terrorism. One should not underestimate the capabilities of the Islamists in Africa and consider that Mali is too far from Russia. This African country has large deposits of uranium, and it is suicidal to allow extreme radicals, who are in principle incapable of dialogue with Christian civilization, to access the sources of such raw materials.

Therefore, we should now wish military luck to the Russian guys in the foreign legion. By waging war in Mali now, they are doing everything they can to ensure we don't have to fight it on the streets of Moscow and other Russian cities for the foreseeable future.

Legionary. Who is he?

There is a category of men for whom the adrenaline received in Everyday life, even with the help of extreme sports. Young people who want to go through a real school that can forge men out of them, but for whom the armed forces of their home country are not exotic and sharp enough.

Former regular military men who have not reached the age of forty, who want to feel again the incomparable smell of weapon steel and powder gases. Or just tough guys who are tired of the daily hustle and bustle. All of these are potential legionnaires. By the way, unlike the early period, persons with serious problems with the law in your country. Nowadays, information about the background of candidates is checked through the channels of Interpol.

French Foreign Legion. How to get?

The Foreign Legion of France provides an opportunity to join its ranks for almost everyone. For this you must be:

• - a man (women are not accepted into the Legion under any circumstances);
• - between the ages of 17 and 40 (seventeen-year-olds will need permission from their parents certified by the French embassy);
• - physically fit for service in a foreign legion;
• - the holder of a valid passport and legally resides in France.

Immediately forget about all the offers of "help" when entering the foreign legion. The President of France himself will not be able to influence the decision to enroll a candidate. Those who know French can search for information themselves on the request "legion etrangere recrutement". First of all, you need to contact one of the information and recruitment points in mainland France.

They are in the following cities: Paris, Lille, Strasbourg, Nantes, Marseille, Lyon, Bordeaux, Toulouse, Perpignan and Aubagne. After that, you will have a preliminary interview and an initial medical examination at the selection center in Paris. Then the main stage of selection begins at the base in Aubagne near Marseille.

Candidates for admission to the foreign legion pass three types of tests: - Psychotechnical. You will be asked many questions about attention, memory and logical thinking, as well as about your background in additional tests. At this stage, it is extremely important to answer truthfully, believe me, experienced psychologists will quickly be able to recognize the deception and then your chances of admission will be close to zero. By the way, think again if you want to appear “too smart” on tests. After all, the Legion is not Oxford. - in-depth medical examination.

Be prepared for the fact that close attention will be paid to the health of your teeth, so we advise you to visit a dentist in advance. It is also mandatory to have a medical card with you. There are no chances for admission to the French Legion for candidates suffering from such serious diseases as hepatitis, HIV, diabetes and some others. - physical tests.

You will be offered to pass fairly easy standards, for example, pull yourself up on the bar at least 4 times, climb without the help of legs to a five-meter height on a rope, do 40 times a standard abdominal exercise, as well as a running standard: shuttle run or endurance run (at least 2800 meters in 12 minutes). As you can see, the standards are inferior even to the requirements adopted by the RF Armed Forces.

In case of non-receipt, you will be given monetary compensation - about 30 euros per day of being a candidate. If there are no problems at this stage, then you can be congratulated on gaining new family- Etranger Legion! After signing a five-year contract, you will receive an "anonymous" document, in which your name, date and place of birth will be changed. By the end of the first year of service, those who wish can apply and, if approved, serve in the legion under their own surname.

material side. Salary, legionary benefits

Those who want to earn money are interested in a salary in a foreign legion. Do not believe if you are told about the golden mountains. Only an enlisted soldier will be able to earn at least 1043 euros, and will also receive free accommodation and meals. In addition, there are a number of allowances depending on the region of service, participation in hostilities, length of service, rank.

To date, the highest paid unit is the 13th Demi-Brigade of the Foreign Legion, stationed in Djibouti. An ordinary legionnaire 13 DBLE after a year of service can count on at least 3,500 euros per month of a "clean" salary. Although, the Russian legionnaires, who are now fighting the Islamists in Mali, may have even larger bonuses.

Legion fighters are supposed to annual vacation- 45 working days. Those who have served for 3 years have the right to apply for French citizenship. Legionnaires who were wounded in military operation, are unconditionally entitled to French citizenship. For eight years of impeccable service, a solid bonus in the amount of two annual salaries is due. Those who served in the foreign legion of France for more than 19 years guarantee themselves a lifetime pension - at least a thousand euros.

Service in a foreign legion

So, after being accepted into the ranks of the French Foreign Legion, you have to go through the training stage on the basis of the 4th regiment. During this time, you will learn the traditions of the French Legion, pass the mountain and technical training, make a series of challenging forced marches. Be prepared for the fact that the loads may exceed those that are familiar to those who have gone through our "training sessions". Not everyone is able to withstand them and become a full-fledged fighter of the foreign legion. The final test will be the "march of the white caps", during which the recruits will have to overcome more than 100 km of rough terrain in full gear.

After that, return to Aubagne before distribution to the unit and the place of permanent deployment. On the this moment The foreign legion of France includes 11 regiments. 7 of them have permanent places deployed in mainland France, and there is also a parachute regiment in Corsica, an infantry regiment guarding the French spaceport in Guiana, a unit in the Comoros and a demi-brigade in Djibouti.

In addition, parts of the legion can be quickly deployed to anywhere in the world, as is now in Mali, for example. A career in a foreign legion is made solely on the basis of success in service. According to statistics, every fourth legionnaire eventually becomes a non-commissioned officer, and every tenth reaches the officer rank.

Absolutely every legionnaire is a superbly trained fighter. At the same time, the positions of a cook, musician, computer scientist or paramedic are also replenished from the legion, without the involvement of outsiders. The fighters are given the opportunity to leave the location of the unit after 17:00, but be sure to be present at the morning formation at six o'clock. However, do not forget that the Foreign Legion is not an institution noble maidens, and the place where real military professionals are forged, respectively, not everyone will have the strength to be fired.

People from 136 countries of the world serve in the legion, which means that manifestations of racism are a direct path to expulsion. About the same as in Soviet army the traditions of the "compatriots" were strong, they have strength in the foreign legion. A significant percentage of total number are immigrants from Slavic countries: Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Croatia, Serbia, Slovakia and others. Naturally, they try to stick together and help each other.

Many Russian guys, of course, are interested in the issue of hazing. Of course, as in any army in the world, this phenomenon is present to some extent in the French Foreign Legion, but on a much smaller scale than in our army. In addition, the command, to put it mildly, does not welcome manifestations of hazing. AT work time it is customary to speak French. Please note that the relationship between sergeants and privates is different from those that are accepted in the post-Soviet space. Especially if you want to serve in the legion longer.

Units of the Foreign Legion

In total, about 7,500 people serve in the foreign legion of France. This is not very much, but the highest professionalism of everyone, from the private to the brigadier general, makes the French Legion a formidable fighting force in conflicts of any level.

One of the most exotic places of duty is the Kourou base in French Guiana, where the 3 REI (3rd Legion Infantry Regiment) is stationed. This military unit engaged in the protection of the spaceport. Those who get there should prepare in advance for the difficult tropical climate, swamps and hordes of insects. This will be especially acute for those who will undergo an internship at the C.E.P.E. in the middle equatorial forest. Consider well whether you are capable of such a test?

More comfortable living conditions, but no less simple service, promises distribution to the 2nd Parachute Regiment in Corsica. Despite the fact that there will be many bars and cafes at your service right on the territory of the unit, you will not be allowed to forget for a minute that you are a Legionnaire and what is behind this proud name. 2 R.E.P. - This is a regiment in which they try to collect the best of the best. Each battalion of the regiment has its own narrow specialization from night operations and urban assault to mountain and sabotage operations.

The oldest unit that carefully preserves the traditions of the Legion is the 1st Regiment, located in Aubagne and working with recruits. The main administrative services are concentrated here.

There is also a kind of "academy" for officers and sergeants. This is the 4th Regiment stationed at Castelnaudary in France. Young legionnaires are also trained here.

The 1st Armored Cavalry Regiment is located in Orange and is considered a powerful offensive unit within the Legion. The regiment is regularly sent on combat missions to different parts of the world.

Also ready to quickly leave French Nîmes and arrive at a new duty station and the 2nd Infantry Regiment.

Avignon is the only Legion unit that does not leave continental France in peacetime. It is the 1st Engineer Regiment and is considered one of the best of its kind in the world. It also includes a unit of elite swimmers-saboteurs.

The 13th semi-brigade in Djibouti is another place where not every physically and psychologically strong man can endure service.

There is also a small special unit in the Comoros - D.L.E.M.

In some of these regiments and units of the French Foreign Legion, service is a little easier, in others it is more difficult, but in each of them first-class specialists are trained, and the path to this lies through hard daily training, sweat and possibly blood.

Russian traditions in the French Legion

After the Bolshevik revolution in Russia and the defeat of the white movement in civil war, the ranks of the legion were replenished by a significant number former officers tsarist army distinguished by excellent training and discipline. In many ways, it was thanks to the Russians that France was able to achieve great success in the conflicts of the 20s against the Tuareg, Druze, Kabils and other rebellious African tribes.

No wonder recruiters began hunting for tsarist officers immediately after the entry of Wrangel's squadron into the port of Constantinople. Five representatives of that generation received general ranks in the foreign legion of France.

From the beginning of the 90s, the number of Russians in the Legion began to grow again. At their core, these were not newcomers to military affairs, but retired officers of the Soviet Army or retired sergeants, who often had combat experience, including in Africa - Angola and other countries.

Joining the French Foreign Legion for Russian guys in those years was a chance to start life with clean slate. Much fell apart in our army and society, however, when the Motherland again needed real defenders, many legionnaires returned to defend Russia during the wars in Chechnya, without demanding any payment for this.

In whatever division of the Legion the Russians, Belarusians, Ukrainians served, everywhere they were one of the best fighters, the most persistent and well-trained. And now we wish good luck to the brave Russian guys in the foreign legion of France in their fight against Al-Qaeda and their allies in Mali, a country otherwise called "African Afghanistan."

Although, is it worth looking for a distant shore, if we have formations and types of troops, at least no less legendary, for example, special forces of the Internal Troops, military intelligence. Try to go through first, before talking about the fact that in Russia, Belarus or Ukraine there is no worthy army elite.

About motivation

- the first ones are those who came to earn money, to get a French passport if possible, without planning to link their lives with LE for a long time, those who have no particular illusions about the service, who came for their 5-year contract and did not Furthermore;

- the second type can be attributed to those who love the army way of life, who are attracted by adventures, travel and various adventures (in good sense of this word) who would like to see themselves in the French Legion as a “Soldier of Fortune”, to be a “Peacemaker”, helping people around the world, and for this type of recruits, the money issue is not in the first place;

- and third, who in his home country there are problems with the law and for them the French Foreign Legion becomes truly a refuge, because the first thing, if you are allowed to enter the recruiting center, you will change your name and surname, which you have the right to keep for yourself even after the end of the contract. It is clear that it will be much more difficult for law enforcement agencies to find such a person to bring to justice.

In my observation, it often happens that a recruit cannot be attributed to any one category. So, many come to the Legion, including the author of the article, on the one hand to get a job and a decent salary, and on the other hand, to satisfy the thirst for adventure and change, which is far from the last place in the motivation of the recruit.

Many come to the Legion for money, but later stay there for the sake of seniority or, as they say, a career, as well as French citizenship, and for them the Legion becomes a second home. Some flee to LE from the persecution of the law, but later realize that the Legion suits them in spirit, that this is their element.

It also happens differently. Oddly enough, many recruits cannot clearly answer why they came to the Legion and what they expect from the service. As a rule, from such poorly motivated young people who do not have clear goals, there is a large percentage of refuseniks - those who refused to serve in the Legion of their own free will and left with the consent of the leadership of the Legion, while still in the city of Aubagne - second place (after the recruiting station) for the selection of future recruits, or refused, having already signed a preliminary 5-year contract, while at the Castelnaudary training camp.

Often it is from these young people who left the service for various reasons in the first months, but who want to justify their departure, you can hear heartbreaking stories about the difficulties and even horrors of service in LE.

It will be noteworthy here that the bulk of the “deserters” are those who “broke down” in training, or left before the end of the first year of service. They leave less often in the second and third years of service - due to family problems at home, due to health problems, or simply disappointed in the service, when what is expected from service in LE, backed up by strong motivation, does not correspond, or runs counter to reality.

Therefore, summing up the above, I want to point out some facts from the life of a legionnaire that you need to know and remember about when preparing to enter the French Foreign Legion.

So, about the salary.

On average, a legionnaire in France receives from 1,100 to 1,700 euros, depending on the rank, location, length of service, etc. However, as practice shows, it is very difficult to save something in the first years of service - a lot of money is spent on entertainment, items household items, rent of housing (it is allowed to live outside the barracks after three years of excellent service), some things from uniforms, cigarettes, booze, and so on and so forth.

A few manage to accumulate more than 20 thousand euros during the first contract. And then, this is if you limit yourself in many ways. I quote the words of the current legionnaire on this occasion:

«… We will not take Castel (meaning that the first months of your entire salary goes to your own security - ed.). From the 5th month of service, your salary is about 1100 euros.
So you:
- you sit in the unit for the weekend (during the holidays, respectively, you also don’t go anywhere);
- you don’t drink beer (why, if there is water in the tap);
- you don’t buy anything from food (you eat exclusively in the dining room);
- do not smoke (that's right, smoking is harmful);
- telephone, computer, iron and other devices do not interest you;
- Based on the foregoing, you also do not use the Internet.
But even with all this, you will spend about a hundred euros on soap, toothpaste and other personal hygiene items. You can, of course, “shoot” or steal all this (then you generally go crazy)…»

or here's another:

«… The most main mistake guys who are going to go to the legion - you don’t need to take the salary of a legionnaire and multiply it by the number of months spent in the legion - from this you get a mythical amount that you can supposedly save during your service ... The first couple of years in the legion are typical for EVERYONE, I emphasize - FOR EVERYONE, that money is spent very powerfully ... You still don’t know France, and Europe in general, on your first holidays you still don’t know which hotels are better to stay in, what types of transport are better to travel, and many more important things, in short - solid popadalovo…

Someone, of course, will say - “well, I’m not like that, I’m the smartest, I won’t get hit like that ...”, but this is all empty talk. I had a friend here in a parachute. He was - in the sense that he is now in another regiment, in Aubagne, he fell under the annual distribution from Corsica to other regiments and left for 1 RE. I remember sitting in a room with him in Djibouti, drinking tea, and I tell him how I got rid of after my first tournant in Kosovo ... (And this trip in 13 DBLE was his first tournant, so he had yet to go Vacation.) The only negative, I say, was that I arrived after the vacation, went into the room, threw the bag on the floor, turned out all my pockets and poured change on my bunk - all that was left after the vacation.

He, of course, made such a smart guy, it’s written right on his forehead - “well, I’m not like that, I’m not going to burn through my hard-earned money - you have to save up something for life, so to speak ...”. We arrived from Djibouti, dragged off a week of guard duty in Calvi and all left on holidays. I meet him after this vacation, and he returned from it exactly like I did from my first one - with coins in his pockets. They went to Spain with a boy with one who was of the same call with him. Memories - a lot, though money - not a spear. But how swore…»

Thus, if you spend practically nothing, you are left with about 10,000 euros per year, or about 1,000 euros per month. Let everyone decide for himself whether it is big money or not. But it is difficult to imagine a contract soldier who does not allow himself to “let off steam”, who regularly deposits all the money he earns into a bank account or sends it to his relatives.

Of course, being in combat or other extreme conditions, the legionnaire receives much more. But, firstly, in the first 5 years of the contract, you can never get into a long business trip, or, moreover, into hot spots (few people get there at all). Secondly, extreme conditions can mean loss of health and even life, is it worth talking about money in this case?

The second is about travel and the desire to see the world.

The French Foreign Legion sends its combat units (meaning outside of France) to the following areas:

- firstly, these are places known to everyone with unsuitable conditions for life (climate plus flora and fauna dangerous to health), if not unsuitable, where your main activities will be daily grueling workouts, passing standards, exercises, turnants (long trips abroad) - so to speak, the routine of legionnaire life, and by no means sightseeing of local attractions. Some after such "journeys" end up straight in hospital beds;

- the second place where a legionnaire can get is, naturally, any places where fighting. And in that sense, the Legion may not be the best way to travel and see the world.

Third - it is reliably known that the Legion does not want to accept citizens who have committed serious crimes in their homeland(high probability of relapse), and even more so those who are wanted by Interpol. I have not come across personally, but there are rumors that a person who is in the Interpol database, after recruiting and checking his passport, goes straight to the local police commissariat. Long gone are the days when assassins and robbers were accepted into the Legion. So, the only way to escape justice in LE is to hide your criminal past upon admission, which is not so easy, given the system of cross-examination during selection in the city of Aubagne.

In conclusion, I want to note the following. It may seem that I am exaggerating and putting the service in LE in my favor. Believe me, it's not. My personal legionary history has been a good school of life for me, given my young age at the time of recruitment.

First, I learned to own experience accept the inevitable (meaning a ban on service). In addition, about two years physical training(more on that in the next article) didn’t go unnoticed, exercise and running became part of my lifestyle, which prompted me to first quit smoking and then give up alcohol as well.

Secondly, today I can easily explain myself in colloquial French (before the story with the Legion, I only knew phrases like “monsieur bunjour, but not manche pas si jour” and other similar phrases. Therefore, I don’t hold evil on the Legion. And I have nothing to avenge him for, if this expression is appropriate in relation to the Legion.

Thus, the information that I offer in this article is not the last resort, it is just my personal vision of events. And if future recruits read this article - if, of course, there will be any - I want to wish them clarity in their motives and expectations from visiting LE, so as not to waste either their own or others' time and money.

/Andrey Verenitsky, especially for "Army Bulletin"/

, over its 180-year history has won loud fame and fame. Today it is one of the most honored formations of the French army.
The Foreign Legion was created on March 9, 1831 by decree of King Louis Philippe I. The very name was based on the principle of recruitment - from foreigners, which continues to this day. But this applies only to privates - the officers have always been staffed exclusively by the French.

Created to conquer Algeria, French Foreign Legion participated in all the colonial campaigns of France, in both world wars, as well as in numerous peacekeeping operations. Motto: "Legio Patria Nostra" ("The Legion is our Motherland"). During its existence, the death toll was 35 thousand.

Full dress uniform of a legionnaire armed with rifles "FAMAS"

French foreign legion how to get

The principle of recruiting the Foreign Legion - from foreigners - remains to this day.
Among the rank and file, immigrants from Eastern Europe prevail (about a third). There are also many South Americans (about 25%) and French (20%). The latter are attracted by the service as a legionnaire, because of the opportunity to get a “new personality”, thereby starting life “from scratch”.

So our guys lit up in the legion, Afghanistan

Recruitment is carried out in France. Only men between the ages of 17 and 40 can enlist.

French Foreign Legion remains one of the few branches of the French army where women are not allowed access. Requirement for a candidate physical health and that there would be no problems with Interpol. Various checks take place for several days, all this time the candidate is at the recruiting center, the documents are selected, he is forbidden all communications with the outside world.

At the end of all checks and medical commissions, you are either a legionnaire. Either not. In case of refusal, the candidate is paid monetary compensation. On request, a legionnaire's official passport (Anonymat) is issued, new data is entered in it; first and last name, date of birth, parents' names, etc.

Flag of the French Foreign Legion. Green is the new homeland of the legionnaire, red is his blood. In combat operations, the flag is turned over: "blood in the homeland"

At the end of the contract, you are given the opportunity to change two letters in your last name and residence permit.

The first contract is signed for five years. Subsequent ones can be signed for terms ranging from 6 months to 10 years. During the first five-year contract, it is possible to get the rank of corporal, and subsequently sergeant.

The officer corps of the legion is a regular military who graduated from military schools and voluntarily chose the legion for military service. You can become an officer only on condition of French citizenship.
After three years of service, the legionnaire has the right to apply for French citizenship, or to obtain a residence permit at the end of the first contract.

According to a recently passed law (in 1999) by the Senate, a legionnaire who was wounded in the course of hostilities has the right to obtain French citizenship, regardless of the length of service.

FAMAS F1 assault rifle

Structure and number.
At present, the strength of the Foreign Legion is about 7.5 thousand people.
In the French army, the pace of march is 120 steps per minute, but for the Foreign Legion - only 88 steps. This is due to tradition. AT African countries, where he mainly operated, it is difficult to march at a high pace on sandy ground.

French Foreign Legion composition: one semi-brigade, eight regiments and one separate unit.

Six of the eight regiments are stationed on the French mainland.

• 1st foreign regiment (Aubane) - the headquarters and administrative part of the legion.
• 2nd foreign infantry regiment (Nim) - motorized infantry unit, part of b-th easy armored brigade. The regiment, numbering 1230 people, is the most a large part legion. It includes ten companies: management and support; supplies and support; five motorized infantry; anti-tank; reconnaissance and fire support; backup.
• 4th foreign th regiment (Castelnodary) - training, consisting of six companies: management and support; three companies for the training of privates; non-commissioned officer training company; specialist training company.

  

• 1st Foreign Cavalry Regiment (Orange) - an armored cavalry unit, part of the 6th Light Armored Brigade. The regiment consists of six squadrons: command and support; reconnaissance (light armored vehicles VBL); three armored cavalry (AMX-10RC armored vehicles armed with 105-mm cannons); anti-tank.
• 1st foreign engineer regiment(Laudun), also part of the 6th Light Armored Brigade. Consists of seven companies: management and supply; administrative and maintenance; three combat engineering; support; backup.
• 2nd foreign engineer regiment (Saint-Christol), part of the 27th mountain infantry brigade. The organization is similar to the 1st Engineer Regiment, but there is no reserve company.
• In Corsica, in Calvi, there is the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment, which is part of the 11th Parachute Brigade. It consists of eight companies: management and supply; administrative and support; four parachute; reconnaissance and fire support; backup.
• In French Guiana, there is the 3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment, which is entrusted with the tasks of protecting the French space center in Kourou, as well as training military personnel for combat operations in the jungle. The regiment consists of five companies: command and support; two infantry; air defense; backup.

  

  On the left, a soldier of the 2nd Foreign Infantry Regiment in Afghanistan. January 2011
  right, Legionnaires of the 3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment in French Guiana on a jungle combat exercise. 2005 year.

• On the island of Mayotte Indian Ocean there is a separate detachment consisting of two companies: stationed on permanent basis command and support companies, as well as a rotating company from any regiment or paratroopers.
• Finally, the 13th semi-brigade, which includes five units, is located in Abu Dhabi (UAE). Three of them (companies of control and support, support, as well as an armored cavalry squadron) are deployed on a permanent basis, and two are allocated according to rotation: a motorized infantry company (from the 2nd infantry or 2nd parachute regiments) and an engineering company (from the 1st or 2nd engineering regiments).

In service is sniper rifle FR F-2

regular weapon in service French Foreign Legion , these are the FAMAS automatic rifle and the FR F-2 sniper rifle.

f1famas automatic rifle

At special units, as in the rest of the world, depending on the task being performed.

Mercenary has been known to mankind since ancient times. Paid foreign soldiers were part of the troops
 Egyptian pharaohs in the third millennium BC
 era. Mercenary troops existed in the Babylonian kingdom and Ancient Rome, from the Persian rulers and in Carthage.

The most cruel and merciless mercenaries served
 bodyguards of ancient Greek tyrants. During the formation of centralized
 feudal states are in full bloom mercenaries.

Selling warriors were widely used
 kings to strengthen their power, were running
 goods at the courts of Spain, Italy, France, who could not imagine their existence without military campaigns.
 So, for example, the Prussian
 King Frederick the Great. Soldier for sale willingly
 supplied from among their serfs poorer feudal lords
 from Scandinavian countries, Germanic kingdoms and duchies. From the German language came into common use and the most common name for a hired soldier - "Landsknecht".
For almost two centuries in France there has been a = military unit that is part of the French ground forces - the Foreign Legion, or as it was called in the countries of Africa and Asia - the Legion of Assassins. The high white caps of the legionnaires terrified the inhabitants of these regions.

He is still called that in Western Europe by decent people today when faced with the arrogance and slyness of recruiters into the legion, which brings up professional killers.

Under the slogan "Down with the legion of murderers!" Thousands of workers took to the streets of Paris to protest against the bloody atrocities of legionnaires thrown into the Zairian province of Shaba (formerly Katanga) to suppress the popular uprising that broke out there in April 1977 against the reactionary regime of General Mobutu.

So what is the French Foreign Legion?

Let's remember the past. 1831. France. King Louis Philippe decides to seize the wealth of the countries of North Africa. But the French generation was still alive, destroying the stronghold of feudal violence - the Bastille prison in Paris. The ideas of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity of the Great French Revolution continued to live among the masses. These masses did not want to serve the imperial plans of Louis Philippe. Then the idea was born to throw a rabble of mercenary soldiers from different countries to capture the colonies, obedient only to the wallet.

The ashes of peaceful cities and villages remained after the first operations of the legion on Algerian soil. In 1855, the legion participates in the war of Turkey, England, France and Sardinia against Russia for dominance in the Middle East. 1863 The foreign legion is trying to bring recalcitrant Mexico to its knees and put a protege of Napoleon III on the imperial throne there.

In 1871, legionnaires could be seen among the executioners of the Paris Communards. 1884. With fire and sword, the legion passes through Indochina, putting its rich lands at the feet of the owners of the Third Republic.

1914 The trenches of the First World War. The weapons of the legionnaires are directed ... no, not against the troops of the German Kaiser, but at the back of the French soldiers in order to prevent their retreat.

Later - the years of bloody expeditions to Syria and the French colonies in Africa, rising to the struggle for independence. The Legion had to return to the once conquered countries, when the foundations of the French colonialists staggered in them. In 1948, the imperialist circles of France again threw the legion into Indochina. But these were not the old days. Six years of dirty war and atrocities ended in the defeat of the imperialists.

Then there was Algeria again. Here the legion was going to firmly establish itself. Forever, as his bosses planned. Before the victory of the Algerian people, as it turned out in reality...

AT different years different roads led to the legion. At first, it was formed from the remnants of the defeated Napoleonic armies. After 1917, it was replenished at the expense of the White Guard rabble and other enemies of Soviet power, thrown out by the revolution.

After the Second World War, unfinished SS men, Nazi criminals, who hid from retribution for their atrocities, poured here. They made up the majority of the legion. Criminals from different countries, people who did not have the means to live in the "free world" found their place in it.

Adventurers and the destitute, crushed by life people get here. There are scandalous cases of recruitment of young people from Belgium, France and others into the legion. European countries, through blackmail and deceit, guilt n drugs. Entangled in the tenacious networks of recruiters, they turned into a tool of those who needed to kill the rebellious Algerians, Vietnamese, Guyanese ...

Over time, the Foreign Legion turned into the main reserve of the most terry reaction, into a hotbed of fascism not only in Algeria, where mercenary camps settled, but also in France itself.

The legion played a sinister role in the attempt of French imperialism to stifle the national liberation struggle of the Algerian people that broke out in 1954. Legion became main card reactionary Algerian generals and colonels, who in the middle of 1961 created the secret armed organization OAS, which set itself the goal of preventing the granting of independence to Algeria and establishing a military-fascist regime in France itself. The Osovites acted by methods of mass terror. To commit murders, explosions, they recruited "activists" mainly from the mercenaries of the Foreign Legion. And when the Franco-Algerian negotiations on a ceasefire began, the reactionaries saw in the legion a force capable of disrupting these negotiations.

Incited by the leaders, the paratroopers of the Foreign Legion announced their readiness to "land on Paris." They were waiting for the signal in their barracks in full combat readiness. Transport planes stood at the airfields - with running engines, and from the windows of the barracks the drunken voices of paratroopers roared, yelling the then popular song "I do not regret anything."

They were waiting for the order of General Salan, the leader of the fascist conspiracy against the French and Algerian peoples, to fall like an armed avalanche on the mother country, to deliver a decisive blow to its republican system. And when a single mass action by French workers thwarted an attempted fascist coup in the country, and the terrorists from the SLA began their "bomb festival" in France and Algeria, it was from the legionnaires that the most active combat groups of the SLA were made up, it was the legionnaires who became the "heroes" of numerous trials of murders from around the corner, assassination attempts, arson, explosions.

Terror did not help, and mercenaries did not help either. In March 1962, the Evian agreements on a ceasefire and self-determination of Algeria were signed, and two months later Algeria celebrated the victory of its independence. And the Foreign Legion had to get out of the country on whose land it was created more than a century ago and where it shed the blood of peaceful, innocent people.

The legionnaires tried to settle in "French" Guiana, but the attitude of the country's population towards the mercenaries was so hostile that this intention had to be abandoned.

Then professional killers chose the island of Corsica. This is where their camps were set up. It was said that such a neighborhood would "give impetus" to the flourishing of the island's economy. "Impulse" was not slow to appear. But what! With the advent of "white caps" peaceful Corsicans were literally terrorized. In collaboration with local bandits, legionnaires began to systematically commit robberies, violence, and murders. The "fame" of their atrocities began to scare away foreign tourists, whose visits were one of the significant sources of income for the inhabitants of the island.

Later new base The legion was established in Djibouti, the capital of French Somalia. Violence, robberies, executions of civilians, the construction of prisons and concentration camps - that's what the soldiers of the Foreign Legion were doing in this country.

There is a grim symbolism in the fact that after the expulsion of the French colonialists from Algeria, the Foreign Legion set up one of its bases in the small town of Auban near Marseille, where during the Second World War the Nazi concentration camp was located - the “death camp”, as they were nicknamed throughout Europe. There they tortured and destroyed prisoners, among whom were many French patriots - members of the Resistance movement. Today, the methods of Hitler's monsters are being studied and adopted by mercenary warriors.

The Legion exists. To a large extent, this is facilitated by the legal status of mercenaries in France, although it is not customary to talk and write about the legion there. An outsider can visit the camp of legionnaires only with the permission of the Minister of War of France.

The legion, in the ranks of which there are about 8 thousand mercenaries, although the name is French, but in composition is more like a foreign one. In addition to the French, who make up about 40% of legionnaires, the British, Irish, Portuguese, Italians, Greeks, Arabs, Swedes, Americans and people of other nationalities serve here. They all live and operate under false names.

The mercenary signs a contract for service in the legion for 5 years, after which he can retire, with false documents and under a false name. There are mercenaries in the legion who have decided to stay in it for life. Such people usually make a tattoo on their arm - “The Great Unknown”. There is no need to talk about the greatness of a professional killer, but as for the "unknown", that's for sure. A legionnaire loses his name all his life, the names of his father, mother, loses his nationality, loses his homeland. How terrible it must be for a person to remain unknown among people all his life!

As a rule, those who are morally mature for this profession enter the legion. Many legionnaires can hardly meet the deadline set by the contract. There are many who, having decided to put an end to the trade of hired killers; fleeing camps and combat formations.

An extensive network of recruiting offices operates in a number of Western European countries to return deserters to the barracks of the legion. They were created in Marseille, Düsseldorf, Hamburg. Deserters are found. They are not asked to return. They say briefly: “They don’t just leave us like that. At best, to the next world ... "

Over half a million lovers of military gain have passed through the French Foreign Legion during the years of its existence. Tens of thousands of them laid down their lives in the name of the predatory, colonialist interests of their masters.

In August 1985, teletypes carried the message, soldiers of the French Foreign Legion carried out an armed raid on the city of Kourou in Guiana, that overseas department of France, located in the northeastern part of South America.

Legionnaires were sent to Guiana, ostensibly to protect the rocket and space center, located next to Kourou. The city was also raided by legionnaires in 1984. Then there was only one explanation - to prevent, they say, the threat of an attack local residents to the rocket and space center. This time, the legionnaires broke into the city, destroying everything that came across the road, killing people.

After the raid of legionnaires on the Kura, a mass protest rally took place in the city. The participants decided to create a committee, which they called so: "French Foreign Legion - get out of Guiana!"

General Massu rewards Lieutenant Le Pen.

In early 1985, France was shaken scandalous story. The largest newspapers, television, radio published materials about how in 1956-1957, during the Algerian colonial war, Jean-Marie Le Pen, Lieutenant of the Foreign Legion, tortured independence fighters, members of the National Liberation Front, using the most barbaric means.

Le Pen's exposure caused a great resonance when it became known that the fanatical lieutenant of the Foreign Legion and the leader of the current neo-fascist National Front are one and the same person.

Today Le Pen led the movement of the most reactionary forces in France. He is an ardent anti-communist. Today he is one of the leaders of the National Front and the father of Marine Le Pen.

Jean-Marie Le Pen, 86, is known for his scandalous statements justifying the actions of the Nazi regime in Germany, as well as for his openly racist ideas. The hired killer became a terry fascist. This is natural. His family, at the head of the ultra-right movement, is rushing to the European political arena is alarming.

And earlier, in the 80s of the last century, the progressive public of France and other European countries, in which the French Foreign Legion is pulling its tentacles, repeatedly demanded to disband the legion of murderers, liquidate its camps, and stop recruiting young people. But the legion is alive. He lives because he is needed as one of the strike forces of NATO to maintain the positions of the builders of mutual capitalism in those countries that until recently were the object of the usual colonial robbery for the European powers.