The French Foreign Legion: A Complete History of the Legendary Fighting Force

Usually books examining the Legion, the non-biographical ones anyway, fall into two broad styles: Romanticism, or 'den of cutthroats and thugs.'This book does neither. It is objective, presents multiple points of view on almost every assertion it makes, and most importantly, backs up everything with copious research that is all cited and sourced.Despite this, the book still reads lucidly and at times, for example when reading about the Mexican campaign, one still feels emotions welling up as the author describes vividly horrendous conditions, impossible and forlorn situations, and the plights of the men.As an aside though, the emphasis is on the origins of the Legion and its subsequent history through the Algerian War. This makes the book attractive in my opinion, because so little is written about the earliest time of the Legion. However, be forewarned that if you are seeking info concerning operations post-Algerian War, then you will need to find another book.Overall, Porch did an excellent job and I would recommend this to anyone interested in learning the truth about what the Legion is, where it came from, and how the myths and ethos of the Legion developed.

This is a well-written, thoughtful history of the French Foreign Legion, or if you prefer the Legion Estranger. Unlike most books on the Legion, it starts at the beginning and continues to modern times. There are some photographs, but they were dark in the paperback book I read. The story of these professional at war is fascinating and very well told.Unfortunately, as the author describes more recent times, beginning with the Legion's post World War II time in Indochina and continuing through the Algerian War, the book becomes more of a general history than a history of the Legion. In part this is useful because we must understand the milieu in order to understand the Legion's response to that milieu. However, I found this scene setting overdone particularly regarding the war in Algeria since the action of the Legion got lost in the telling.In addition, the author clearly does not see the need for the Legion's parachute formations. Like U. S. General Harold K. Johnson upon reviewing the U. S. Army's Special Forces in the early 1960's he seems to believe that these units have concentrated a lot of talent in a relatively small unit. However, this view assumes that the talent would be there even without the elite formation to use and nurture it, a point that remains unproven. In any event, over time the talent does spread through other formations as transfers occur.The author misunderstands, or at least misstates the mission of such airborne forces. According to the author: ". . . the classic role of paratroopers in World War II was to be dropped behind the lines, fix the enemy, disorganize the enemy rear areas and provide centers of resistance to which advancing infantry could rally." (at 525) However, when I was in the 101st Airborne Division I was taught that the classic role of the airborne was to seize either an airhead or a strategic point and hold until relieved. In Crete the German airborne forces first seized an airhead and then the entire island even though they were out numbered over 2 to 1 by the defenders. The author repeats the usual assertion that the action in Crete was expensive in terms of casualties. However, in addition to the numbers imbalance, part of the heavy casualties are explained because the Allies had decoded Ultra and therefore knew where and when the Germans would land and in any event the Germans did not have absolute air superiority generally considered essential for successful airborne operations. While the casualties were heavy, about 44%, the operation impressed the allies so much that they created their own airborne formations and used them extensively for the rest of the war and the Germans ultimately formed 10 airborne divisions even though they did not mount any additional mass airborne operations after Crete.In making his point about airborne operations in World War II the author ignores the two American combat jumps in the Philippines, Manila and Corregidor both very successful, the British jumps in Greece, Burma and Germany (the Rhur), also successful, the Japanese jump in Sumatra, successful but costly, the Australians in New Guinea, successful and the German rescue of Mussolini, also successful. Perhaps more important, the two most successful French combat operations in Indochina were Operation Lea, the drop on Bac Can that attempted to decapitate the Viet Minh leadership, and the jump at Dong Khe which caught Giap's famous 308th Iron Brigade by surprise. In fact the author repeatedly singles out French and particularly Legion airborne formations as the most successful, hardest fighting combat units available in Indochina, but the author nonetheless believes that . . ..."the army should have trained more Legionnaires for armor or other technical specialties rather than just pushing them out airplane doors." (at 527)In fact airborne tactics and combat operations were still in their infancy in Indochina, but even so such formations were the best answer to the problem of how the relatively small French Army could be everywhere, all the time, as it needed to be in Indochina. Later airborne/air mobile assault operations have refined these concepts and the list of successful airborne operations that literally could not be done any other way is very long: Suez, the Congo, Rhodesia, Panama, Grenada, Afghanistan and many more. Indeed, the Rhodesian Fireforce operations were a textbook lesson in using airborne and airmobile formations as a force multiplier in a complex counterinsurgency situation, but even before this the French were using very advanced airborne/air mobile tactics in Algeria and that would not have been possible without the Indochina airborne experience.While the sections on Indochina and Algeria did not ruin the book for me, they did mar it. However, overall this is an excellent look at a military organization that has fascinated the world almost since its inception. The bibliography at the end of the book is almost worth the price of the book itself.

Gracias. Recibí el libro perfectamente.

Big book. Few pictures. This will take me years because I'm usually busy watching Will Ferrell movies. I have actually skimmed through abd started the book. I would not worry about the quality of this book. I received a first edition and it has verry few pictures. Later editions may have more. Be ware this book is for academics, life long learners (that's where I fall in), historians, teachers, fans of the FFL, and the like.

This book contains a lot of impressive research on the history and combat performance of the Legion. Unlike other books on this subject Mr. Porch has decided to take an objective, analylitical approach toward his study of the Legion. This may put off some readers because Porch's work is long, and does not contain a lot of exciting passages. This is a serious study of the Legion's origins, history, and combat performance. Those who stick with this long read will find it rewarding, but also time consuming!There is lots of fascinating information here buried between the sometimes excessive analysis. A lot of focus is placed on Legion morale, combat effectiveness, and desertion. Porch spends large portions of time disecting these topics at length throughout the book to try to determine the real efficiency of the Legion and to seperate the myth from the reality. His conclusions are that the Legion performed best when used in colonial operations. It was not suited for European conflicts and World Wars, even though it did perform well in them. The often delicate pyschological make-up of the average Legionaire meant that he was not suited to perform certain tasks. The Legion prides itself on being a corps d'elite of the French army, even though the Legion itself often disdains that asscoiation. The love-hate relationship between France and her Legion is well illustrated in this book. Indeed, this was the very reason why it was formed in 1831 to safely deposit troublesom foreign elements of society. The Legion seeing this, has responded by imposing an insular discipline over the years which either consumes the recruit, or destroys him in the process!For the length of this book, Porch could spend somewhat more time describing the Legion's battles and campaigns. The famed battle at Camerone in Mexico, now so much apart of Legion lore, gets scarsely a few pages, while the Dohomey and Madacascar campaigns receive lengthy treatments. The coverage of topics is sometimes uneven. One of the best early chapters is on the Carlist Wars of Spain in 1838 and how the Legion was loaned out to serve Queen Isabel in what was to become a long and thankless campaign. Then strangely, both the Crimean War and the Italian War of 1859 get just a small chapter together. The constant references to Legion performance and desertion are a bit redundant after a while. Still, there is much that is worthwhile here. The inter-war years chapter when General Rollet attempts to create the traditions of the Legion during the difficult Rif War of the 1920s provides a lot of interesting debate on the popular image we have seen of the Legion in movies and books.Like most Legion histories this one ends after the loss of Algeria in 1961 and provides only a brief look at the attempted challenege to de Gaulle's policy there. There is no chapter on the Legion today which would really round off this book and help make it the deffinitive history which it purports itself to be.Overall I found this book to be well researched, somewhat dry at times, filled with interesting information and analysis. No Legion buff should be without it as it discusses many aspects of the corp's history not often covered. The book probably could have been made shorter and covered effectively just as much material. There is a good collection of pictures which does enhance the work, and the few maps provided are helpful, if sparringly used. You won't find a lot of Legion lore and heros here, in fact many famous names mentioned elsewhere are deliberately ignored here because the author wishes to have a more detached approach toward this subject. Still, this book will reward the Legion grognard who fights his way through it!

Interessant, mais trop grande insistance sur les conditions de vie et d' entrainement, parfois inhumaines, des legionnaires avec une vision moralisatrice parfois penible, leur situation miserable au XIXeme etant imputee a l' incompetence et a la morgue des officiers Francais. Le mepris ango saxon pour les Francais pointe qd meme beaucoup ( en gros la Legion n'est pas un corps Francais et ne doit sa reputation que parce qu' elle est surtout composee d' etrangers!!) ce livre trouverait difficilement son public, meme connaisseur, en France. Tres loin de la qualite de celle produite par G Blond.Autre grosse lacune, ses exploits guerriers ne sont qd meme pas relates de facon etendus, et l' epoque moderne est quand meme tres succinte: un peu de 1ere GM et encore, Dunkerque ( ca c'est un sujet embetant, il vaut mieux decrire un sauvetage inespere de l' armee britannique mais surtout pas dire grace a qui..) Narvik, Bir Hakeim, les combats d' Indochine ( alors qu' elle y a donne sa pleine mesure ..), l' Algerie sont a peine survoles ( pratiquement rien sur les combats du 1er REP!) c'est pourtant dans ces combats que les legionnaires ont montre toute l' etendue de leur incomparable vertus guerrieres..A ce niveau de lacune, pour un tel pave, c'est quand meme decevant alors que mon intention premiere de lire cette histoire vue par un historien anglo saxon etait d' obtenir des informations inedites sur ce corps d' elite. Cela ne fut pas vraiment le cas.Enfin, un gros, gros defaut, pas de cartes, ou de descriptifs des evolutions des parties en presence dans les batailles les plus importantes, c'est le minimum pour un tel pave..

This is a well researched and absorbing book detailing not only the way in which the French government used the Foreign Legion for territorial expansion but also the day to day conditions in which Legionaires lived, fought and died.. This is the hard truth which dispels the Beau Geste image. .

I have both Porch's earlier works on the French in North Africa and they remain for me the best English language books on this fascinating topic. He writes clearly and with great detail considering the vast period covered. As a reference work this is an excellent starter for a history of the Legion, it's massive bibliography giving the reader the opportunity to search for more focussed personal histories. This is another triumph for Porch and essential to a Legion library, and indeed any collection of French Army history books.

An indepth history of the Legion. There are many books about this famous unit and this is very detailed. A little heavy going at times and most likely to be used as more a reference book than for action packed accounts.

A very good in depth overview of the Foreign Legion. Great details of its operations and methods.