Voices of the Foreign Legion

Military history is not really my thing, but this book grabbed me at the first chapter and I read the whole thing in the course of a day. It is mostly legionnaires talking about their experiences first hand. I was surprised by how much of it seemed familiar, but then there have been a lot of people who joined the legion for the experience and so they could write about it. And a lot of the letters and journals kept by legionnaires have been published. The book has copious endnotes and a long bibliography. But, infuriatingly, no index. And I suppose over the years some of this came my way: probably as extracts and articles. The Legion has always been controversial and often newsworthy. Its role, first as securing the French Empire, then as trying to keep it going and finally as a sort of all purpose rapid response team means that anyone who has kept their eye on international events will be familiar with many of events described, if not in quite the same intimacy as these guys. And, even more surprisingly one woman.

And because the legion has featured in many books, movies and tv shows there is a degree of familiarity with many of its traditions and most of its peccadilloes. There are also a number of unique circumstances: the legion has had many Germans in its ranks - and in both world wars there were German legionnaires fighting for France against German troops. In its modern role, the huge diversity of its membership means it has been much more effective in dealing with conflicts such as the UN missions in the former Yugoslavia than say the Canadian peacekeepers who were at best bilingual compared to the multilingual FFL.

There is no doubt at all that the sort of people who want to join are not always the best sort of people. These days apparently they can afford to turn away the majority of applicants. At other times, they have been glad to welcome many people who perhaps they would not have chose as recruits. The FFL has always been a law unto itself. It is not supposed to be for French nationals, but there are ways around that - and always have been. The legion is noted for its brutality not just to its trainees but to almost anyone who gets in their way. The Legion looks after its own which means it defends - among others - sadists and psychopaths. And the people who survive their minimum five year contract or the longer 15 years which gets them French citizenship (if they want it) all seem to keen to defend it.

I have never had any military experience and equally have had no wish to. And what I have learned about the FFL over the years means that I cannot say I admire them. But on the other hand if I were captured by some the nastier outfits that include hostage taking in their resumes, I would be very glad if the FFN did intervene. Soldiering is not my forte - but I have to recognize that there are times when professional soldiers - who often get labelled "mercenaries" are indeed necessary. So it is instructive to understand exactly why basic training - and in the case of the FFN much of the rest of their training too - looks a lot like torture. And why it works. There is a section on desertion - but is far more generalized than most of the book. There are plenty of interviews with those who stuck it out: not much from those who walked away, other than, a bit surprisingly, the acknowledgement that desertion can spring from the same need for excitement and adventure that prompted enlistment. And also the problem of "cafard" which seems closely linked to feelings of captivity or maybe boredom.

I think if I had been asked to edit the book I would have suggested more critical coverage - but then to some extent the people quoted often condemn themselves. There are also several times when there is no direct quote from the soldier but rather a slab from the official history - which is, at the very least, somewhat suspect in its objectivity.

I hope I have conveyed that I felt my time was usefully spent reading this book, and those of you who like this sort of thing will find it good of its kind. Not only did it ensnare me, but I found it raised a number of questions in my mind that I once remembered having. So my memory cells have been tickled and thats not bad thing either.

I was enthralled by this book. One of the most interesting I have ever read. I've heard about the French Foreign Legion for years, have seen them in movies, but none of them compare to the true stories. From the first chapter explaining what it takes to get in and all the adventures until the very last. Yes, there are some really sad stories as they fought wars and people died. I recommend this book to anyone interested in what The French Foreign Legion does. It's truly an amazing book. I received this book from Net Galley and Thistle Publishing for an honest review and no compensation otherwise.

Voices of the Foreign Legion by Adrian D. Gilbert

Thank you Net Gallery and David Haviland for an ARC of this ebook.

This is most definitely the World's Most Famous Fighting Corps. In this book we follow men that sign up for the French Legion, from boot camp which is so grueling, to the end of the war. I couldn't believe what these men went through just with the boot camp. They were fighting each other even before they went to war. You have to say that these are some very strong men. These soldiers went and fought and most died trying to fight to save the Country. I also can't believe what these men were thinking when they signed up for this duty. This book is very interesting, insightful and there is a lot of horror and death. I found it easy to read, well written, and God Bless everyone of these men for fighting for a better world.

Cherie'

#VoiceOfTheForeignLegion #NetGallery

This book gives a fairly detailed account of the history of the French Foreign Legion, through its many transitions to the current special forces type role that it now undertakes.
Most of the narrative is written using fascinating and moving accounts of soldiers that have served in the Legion. Any romantic perception of joining the Legion is dashed with tales of extreme bullying, violence and the general disregard by the French Army and politicians, for the welfare of Legionnaires. A brutal life both in the barracks and when on operations.
The book is well constructed and covers most periods where the Legion has been at war in various parts of the old French Empire. The author could have provided more detail on the role and equipment of the modern day FFL and how it is currently being deployed in global conflicts. .
The postscripts were fascinating, with writers admitting that they really enjoyed their life in the FFL and do not regret joining up.

I always thought the Foreign Legion attracted a rough bunch, and this intriguing book confirms that plus so much more. Totally engrossing!

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy. Opinions are mine.

#VoicesOfTheForeignLegion

This is a non-fiction book and details with first-hand experiences by those who have joined the legion. It is a reprint of an earlier edition.

The French Foreign Legion has always had a reputation based in movies of a slightly romantic quality. “I’m running away to join the Legion,” can be heard in many scripts. The reality is far from this, however. The Legion is in fact known for its acceptance of any volunteer, regardless of background, as long as they are able to survive the training – both physical and emotional akin to torture.

The author takes the excerpts and divides them into a logical sequence as well as adding his own information and opinion on events. The book begins with how the Legionnaire is made: from the decision to join, the volunteering and the hell that is basic training. The book is no holds barred, and some experiences described, should have turned half of the recruits crazy. The recruit’s experiences tell of life in the Legion and the camaraderie experienced by some and the hatred by others. This intense reliance on others, often in life-threatening situations, led to desertion, and some very scary scenarios come out explaining what led to deserters and how they were dealt with. A large section of the book also deals with the conflicts that the Legion was involved in; from Africa to Vietnam. I found their ‘Never give up unless we die’ attitude absolutely amazing and the fact that a recruit would fight against their birth country as they are now in the French Legion and be happy about it was quite a revelation.

The last 14% of the book is dedicated to endnotes and a bibliography which was quite strange as the book seemed to end very suddenly if you had been keeping an eye on the percentage of pages left. A few editing mistakes crept in, but nothing to really put you off the flow of the book.

Since I had never read a book on the Foreign Legion before, all of this information was new to me so I enjoyed learning a great deal of new info. Apparently, the excerpts are from other published books, so if other readers have read these books a lot of the info might not be new.

All in all, I really enjoyed this book far more than I thought I would. The author has taken facts and stories and presented them in such a way that it is like reading a work of fiction and you just have to keep on reading to see what will happen next.

Thanks to NetGalley and Thistle Publishing for the opportunity to review the book.

A thoroughly researched book, along the lines of 'Forgotten Voices of the Great War'. Will be enjoyed by those with a keen interest in military history, particularly the Foreign Legion and colonial history that is not from a British perspective. But perhaps a bit too in-depth for general interest...

The French Foreign Legion is unique omong the world's militaries. It's use of only non-French in it's ranks makes for difficult situations during many conflicts. Loyalty to the Legion usually overcomes conflicts but during World War II the Legion was divided between Vichy and Free French. This book delves into those conflicts and many more using first hand accounts over the legnthy history of the Legion. Gilbert uses solid narrative to tie the diary entries together. This book is highly valuable to all students of today's military.

An interesting and in places a harrowing read. This book is really well put together and has obviously been very well researched. It tells men's reasons for joining the French Foreign Legion and how they felt when they left. The history of wars the Legion has been involved in is also discussed along with the harrowing details of combat and the conditions of war. This is an interesting historical read and it was also interesting to find out about the infamous French Foreign Legion.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Traces the history of the Foreign Legion. Certainly portrays the toughness of the training and the harshness of the lifestyle that those who signed up for the 5 year minimum service period had to face. Much of the narrative is first hand anecdotes from legionnaires and these are extraordinarily frank. At its peak the Foreign Legion was 40,000 strong and they were active in india, Africa, Europe and Central America. They always fought with outstanding courage and earned respect for their extraordinary ability to march vast distances and yet be instantly ready to go straight into action. What surprised this reader was, in spite of all the brutality and hardships an oft repeated comment from the legionnaires themselves was their regret at opting out after 5 years service when they could have stayed on for the full 15! Hard men indeed.

Great battle stories from Camerone to Dien Bein Phu. Maybe there is hope for France yet perhaps? :) Great tales of training and adventure but for some reason they seem to be cut short by the author right as they get most interesting. Even still this will be enjoyed by most.

A brutal and real look at the horror, bravery and loss of the French Foreign Legion over the years. I admit I knew very little about them but coming from a forces background I was interested to learn more and this book does not disappoint. It’s a brutal hard life but the stories are also full of triumph and friendship even in adversity.

What a cool and surprisingly interesting behind-the-scenes peek this was! I knew nothing about the Foreign Legion beyond their random appearances in books/movies throughout the years. This was a fascinating glimpse into the world of an elite fighting force, told primarily through voices of legionnaires' anecdotes and reminiscences. I am not a typical "war book" reader, but the history was cool to learn and the individual voices reflected in the stories were generally quite engaging. A cool and random find for me!

This was an interesting read, well researched and presented. Adrian Gilbert has taken a huge range of sources (clearly referenced) and describes life in the French Foreign Legion from recruitment to campaigning since its first notorious campaigns in the 1860s.

The Foreign Legion has always had a special kind of appeal to adventurers, people who have messed up their lives elsewhere, criminals on the run and anyone who simply wants to walk through a door and disappear for five years while becoming a mercenary soldier for France. There’s a certain glamour in all of that but the writer certainly doesn’t overplay it!

First off, once you’ve joined the whole business of induction seems fairly pointless, brutally physical and cruel. The intention is to break the recruit and then create a soldier willing to obey any order and absurdly loyal to the Legion. A permissive attitude towards cruelty and brutality seems to continue but is coupled to a kind of loyalty to your comrades as well. The end product has always been a physically powerful force with enormous reserves of stamina and energy and a willingness to physically engage with any enemy force plus a refusal be defeated.

So far, then, good comic book stuff but the history goes a little awry. The Legion has been involved in the long term decline and collapse of the French Empire and must take some responsibility for the violence of this event. In North Africa and Indochina, in particular, the use of the Legion as a brutal force for suppression must have fuelled a hatred of the colonial nation which the British Empire generally avoided.

It is actually striking how many of the Legion’s military activities seem to have ended badly even if the campaign along the way might be called successful. The force also seemed to have a fairly cavalier attitude towards casualties and you’re left with the feeling that it tolerated greater losses in its mercenary numbers than a regular army would be comfortable with.

However, despite those reservations those who did the initial five years and survived seem to have been positive. A few claimed that the experience changed their lives or put them back on the right track and some joined up for even longer attracted by a pension, if they survived, and the offer of French nationality.

The Legion isn’t romanticised by this account which, although anecdotal, seems fair. If you like military history, it gives what I would reckon to be a fairly accurate picture of life in the biggest mercenary army history has ever seen but it is unlikely you will want to sign up!

The French Foreign Legion first registered on my personal radar years ago during my childhood when “He ran off to join the Foreign Legion” was a recurring punchline in skits on “The Carol Burnett Show” in the 1970s. More recently, contemporary fiction series by Laura Florand and Brynn Kelly revived my interest in this mysterious military fraternity. Voices of the Foreign Legion weaves geopolitical facts with an array of personal experiences to explore the evolution of what would become an elite fighting force of mythical legend.

Established in Algeria in the 1830s primarily to make constructive use of foreign nationals labeled as potential rabble rousers for military service outside of France—a 19th-century spin on a combination of The Expendables and The Hurt Locker as a forlorn hope. Initially, this army of non-French mercenaries appealed to desperate young men in search of anonymity and clean slates, with escaping poverty and political repression as the most common motives for joining the Foreign Legion.

The Legion Patria Nostra (Legion is our Country) doctrine to enforce a shared sense of ingrained camaraderie comes through very clearly in each of the personal entries from legionnaires from the inception of the Foreign Legion to the present day. As a tour guide Adrian Gilbert keeps himself almost invisible in deference to the fascinating details of the complicated historical record and the intimate confessions of adventurous boys and complex men who are seeking to understand themselves while creating a place for themselves.

The focus on men makes the few mentions of women stand out in the narrative. Observations about Dahomeyan (now Benin) elite warriors who are female reflect gendered assumptions about military excellence. On page 149 British legionnaire Frederic Martyn says, “These young women were far and away the best men in the Dahomeyan Army, and woman to man were quite a match for any of us.” Even his words of praise for the women’s exceptional fighting performance reinforces the belief that these outstanding traits are inherently masculine.

Footnoting the presence and contributions of women in the military is exemplified in this passage on page 228:

The free French used a number of young French-speaking British women as medical support staff and drivers. One of these was Susan Travers, who became an informal member of the Legion (after the war [WWII] she was formally enrolled into the Legion as an adjutant-chief).

Among the visceral entries about men’s internal and external struggles to transform an international group of misfits into an elite team of military operatives in the midst of sociopolitical whiplash and upheaval, the brief mention of Susan Travers immediately sparked my interest in discovering more about her life and journey into the Foreign Legion, which led me to add Tomorrow to Be Brave: a Memoir of the Only Woman Ever to Serve in the French Foreign Legion to my TBR list.

Universal themes of personal crossroads, conflicting national ambitions, and social progress make Voices of the Foreign Legion a relatable read for people around the world. Being used to enforce colonial imperial oppression, and later to assist and protect some of those same countries demonstrates the ethical tensions of military objectives. Racial slurs are included fewer than a handful of times with “coolie” as the most frequently recurring term in some of the legionnaires’ entries.

At this time the immediate aftermath of celebrating the French team’s 2018 FIFA Championship underscores the advantages of assembling a group of individuals from diverse backgrounds to work together to achieve a common goal. The images of seeing French Pres. Macron and Croatian Pres. Grabar-Kitarovic embrace and congratulate the players from both teams celebrates the best elements of inclusive diversity. Recent comments from Germany’s Arsenal star Mesut Ozil that “I am German when we win, but I am an immigrant when we lose…” reflect the need for much more work on recognizing and valuing the contributions of immigrants as full-fledged citizens who embody significant and essential momentum to the growth of every society.

Three parts describe the making of a legionnaire, life in the legion, and the legion at war, concluding with a postscript, an appendix, source notes, and a select bibliography to assist readers who are interested in a deeper exploration.

Voices of the Foreign Legion by Adrian Gilbert (2017) - A clear-eyed view of the legendary fighting corps from the men who have been part of the Legion Etrangere.

The movies have offered a romantic image of the French Foreign Legion.  Men escaping their past or looking for adventure who enlist to serve in distant lands.  The banter is usually cheery and devil may care.  Costumed in the iconic white kepi, it usually all looks rather fun.

The stories told here in the words of legionnaires from their journals, letters, books, and interviews offer a very different view.  Yes, men enlist for many reasons and bring many secrets with them.  The life of a recruit lacks anything and everything that might be considered romantic or fun.  The lives of the seasoned veterans make no promises to be any better.

The Legion was created for two reasons.  First, French law forbade that citizens conscripted into the military serving outside France.  Second, France had a colonial empire that needed defending.  So they created a legion of volunteers from many nations (including France) to fight in places like Algeria, Djibouti, and Indo-China.

And fight the Legion has.

There are parts of the legend that are true.  The bravery, endurance and on the field of combat discipline of this military corps can stand beside any other on the planet.  Equally true is the violence and lack of traditional military discipline away from battle.  They are compromises that the Foreign Legion has made to create the unit that was needed in its time and place.

What really stood out for me is the uncompromised honesty about their beloved Legion from the legionnaires.  They are critical of mistakes and of institutional shortcomings.  But they have found something to devote themselves too in this sometimes dysfunctional brotherhood as well.  Stories of the hellish training, the brutal internal disciplines, even leaders that they believed to be mentally ill.  Through it all, they found something, unlike anything they had known before.  The reader may not understand why someone would choose to live this life, but you can not help but feel the passion and devotion of those who have served France for over a century.

There was one small disappointment for me.  The cover of the book offers this title: "Voices of The Foreign Legion - The History of the World's Most Famous Fighting Corps" while the title page reads: "Voices of The Foreign Legion - The French Foreign Legion in Its Own Words".  The book is absolutely the second title.  While there are a couple quick touches of the history and context surrounding the battles described, you will be left with a gaping hole in so far as the history of the Legion.  An opening chapter that provided the origin story of the unit and some further development of the socio-political history surrounding the Legion would make this book truly complete.

As it stands, it is still a stirring, disturbing and brutally honest look at one of the early elite military units.  

(This review will post October 3, 2018)

I was pleased to read this having no previous knowedge of The Foreign Legion. I found it very interesting. It is well researched and provides indepth information. As it recounts warfare it is not for the faint hearted.

A collection of narratives giving the first hand experiences of the men of the Foreign Legion, in their own words. This is not the romantic image of the movies but a fascinating in depth look at the men, traditions and battles of the famous fighting force. It read well until the end which I thought was a little abrupt.. A great read, Recommended.

An amazing and factual recollection of the superior fighting force known as the Foreign Legion. A clear Depiction of the day to day activities of the force and all the harrowing conditions they were faced with, told with such clarity in every gruesome and gory detail. A vivid recollection of one of the world most well known and documented fighting forces. These were men disillusioned by past events in their lives and wanted something more, others did for glory and a host of other reasons. By revealing all the author the author has shown the spotlight on all the unmentioned heroes who served in the French Foreign Legion. A gripping eye-opener of historical facts about all the heroes behind this famous League.

Military history isn't one of my usual areas of interest, but who isn't fascinated by the Foreign Legion! It was great to read the history of the Legion and the men who serve in it. I wasn't aware that it was still an active force either and one to be reckoned with. A great read for anyone with an interest in the military.

The stories in this book are truly moving, but calling them stories, doesn't seem right. They are accounts. If you are interested in history or the military this is a book for you including fascinating facts and interesting accounts. These true accounts do not compare to what might be seen in movies as reading true accounts throughout this book including interviews are even more powerful in their own words. You do hear their voices in this well researched book.

Thanks to Netgalley for my copy.

Both my husband and myself read this book. we thought it was a brutal and realistic portrayal of the Foreign Legion.