The french foreign legion was created by louis philippe, then king of the french, on march 10, 1831, to support his war in algeria. The marvel comics character wolverine claimed several times he was a member of devil s brigade during the war. Sep 04, 20 all of this predates the legion of course but illustrates that people frequently served in foriegn armies britain had a french unit, many german regiments, several swiss, an italian battalion, a brigade of dutch, several greek units. The man behind the legendary devils brigade the good men. The personal account of a guerrilla fighter in the french foreign legion, reveals. The legion was specifically created as a unit for foreign volunteers, to be commanded by french officers. Caught between stalin and hitler, some latvians made a devils pact with the nazis. Apr 14, 2008 dude your right but the book on this subject is also called the devils brigade. The real life story of an englishman in the french foreign legion by simon. Buy devils guard reissue by elford, george robert isbn.
Devils guard, by george robert elford published in 1971, is the story of a former german waffenss officers string of nearconstant combat that begins on world war iis eastern front and continues into the books focusthe first indochina war, as an officer in the french foreign legion. Verdammt, jurgen, i thought you were doing the charge of the light brigade there, he laughed. Mclaglen, director william holden cliff robertson vince edwards claude akins carroll oconnor. See more ideas about french foreign legion, special forces and french army. The fascinating, true story of the french foreign legions nazi battalion what they did in world was ii was hitorys bloodiest nightmare. Successive legions were also raised to augment the french forces in the crimean war, in the austrosardinian war and in mexico. Media in category emblems of the french army the following 31 files are in this category, out of 31 total. And among that international army of the desperate and the damned, none were so bloodstained as. To helena and back books adleman, robert h colonel george walton 1966.
The foreign legion subsequently found a permanent home in the ranks of the french military. Char foreign legion first contactupliftmilitary scifi. To my knowledge, there are no known cases of germans wanted for war crimes serving in the foreign legion. The personal account of a guerrilla fighter in the french. The foreign legions history spans across conquest of algeria, the francoprussian war, numerous colonial exploits, both world wars, the first indochina war, and the algerian war. The devils brigade was invented by the author of the 1966 book of dubious quality and the 1968 film adopted it thus perpetuating the lie. After suffering a debilitating head wound during an operation, renard was retired early. Devils guard navy general library program downloadable. His skill and brutal efficiency lead to him being inducted into the ranks of the 2nd foreign parachute regiment. We had survived the greatest war in history, but if we were to survive peace, the most bloodthirsty peace in history, we had to reach the american lines two hundred miles away. The fascinating, true story of the french foreign legions. French foreign legion wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. French foreign legion patch devil s guard indochina for sale online special ops.
Among them were the surviving members of a decimated motorized infantry brigade, a luftwaffe. See more ideas about french foreign legion, military history and world war two. Nowadays everybody needs to provide a valid identification, but it seems that the french are also allowed to join. There is also a heavily romanticized myth largely due to the book devils guard that dien bein phu was the last battle of the waffen ss, this is of course absolute bollocks. The fascinating, true story of the french foreign legion s nazi battalion. We had survived the greatest war in history, but if we were to survive peace, the.
Read a few things about the nazi division of the french foreign legion and. They escaped to switzerland where they joined the french foreign legion. Following the myths and legends about nazis recruited by the french foreign legion to fight in indochina, eric meyers new book is based on the real story of. Unemployed, and with the ideals of a nouvelle europe in pieces, he briefly joins the french foreign legion, his last hope, but in the end choses another path. The devil s brigade ex wss in french foreign legion post by t. The fascinating, true story of the french foreign legion s nazi battalion what they did in world was ii was hitorys bloodiest nightmare. Doesnt surprise me that all armys and countrys used these types of expertise to reclaim colonies after the war, just like the british used japanese soldiers to keep the peace after the. Read a few things about the nazi division of the french foreign legion and all. I would suggest you take any historic fact from this book with a pinch of salt as. I read that book marching with the devil and the author said that one of the infantry companys in the th demi brigade was an amphibious unit and it had pictures of legionnaires receiving basic dive training. Read devils guard vietnam online by eric meyer books free 30.
Wren, but it has had other writers and it has been occasionally spoofed, notably by charles schulz. Enjoy a great reading experience when you buy the kindle edition of this book. It was supposed to be a true story but seemed to owe a lot to the sven hassell school of writing. Warfarenorth africamarinesmythologyfictioncomic bookshistory. The french foreign legion is one of the most mythologized military units in the world. Read a few things about the nazi division of the french foreign legion and all claims have been either dismissed or claimed as exaggeration by war historians. The french foreign legion is often characterized this way, both in fiction and real life less optimistic portrayals will feature penal battalions where criminals and the dregs of society such as thieves and whores will be conscripted into the military and sent out as cannon fodder, or at least be trading bars for stripes. French foreign legion, french legion etrangere, an elite military force originally consisting of foreign volunteers in the pay of france but now comprising volunteer soldiers from any nation, including france, for service in france and abroad. The th demibrigade spearheaded the gaullist conquest of french colonies in subsaharan africa and syria, where it actually fought against legion units loyal to the collaborationist vichy government.
I find it hard to believe this book was ever accepted as a true account not the sensationalist pulp fiction it so obviously is, similar to the novels of sven hassel and leo kessler while purporting to be the recounted memoir of a former waffen ss officer who joined the french foreign legion to fight in indochina having evaded capture by the. Apr 28, 2017 the man behind the legendary devils brigade he was known as the most shotatandhit general in american historyand churchill called him the greatest fighting general of all time. See more ideas about canadian army, wwii and world war two. Walton is an autobiography and historical reference for the first special service force. A mine clearing specialist from the french foreign legion searches for improvised explosive devices on a road near tagab in kapisa province on jan. Feb 24, 20 french foreign legion marching and chanting. I seem to remember a book called the devils brigade about an ex waffen ss man who joined the foreign legion after ww2 and served in indochina. For comments on the french foreign legion during the battle of dien bien phu and the myths of waffenss participation, i would point to martin windrows book on the battle.
The name was used as you said but wasnt coined for the purpose, like in soccer the the group of death. The real story devils guard, book 1 by eric meyer fantastic fiction. Taking a recommendation from a belgian friend, renard joined him in enlisting in the french foreign legion, claiming to be belgian. This is a unique memoir, packed with incident and recounting the story of one individual caught up in a series of lifechanging events. The devils brigadeex wss in french foreign legion post by t. An excellent source for information on the history of the french foreign legion is the book the french foreign legion, by douglas porch isbn 006092308366. Created as a temporary expedient in a french army that otherwise barred foreigners from serving in its ranks, the french foreign legion eventually gained a reputation as the worlds. Devils guard, by george robert elford published in 1971, is the story of a former german waffenss officers string of nearconstant combat that begins on world war iis eastern front and continues into the book s focusthe first indochina war, as an officer in the french foreign legion. Sniper team of the legion military art, military history, legion 2, united nations. Read devils guard vietnam by eric meyer for free with a 30 day free trial. A legion marching song the release of the book the devils guard caused a major scandal when it was first released in 1971 and tells the story of ss soldier hans josef wagemueller who spent decades in continual combat, in unconditional warfare as he called it. See more ideas about french foreign legion, military history and special forces. So the non frenchness of the legion is fairly unremarkable. The fascinating, true story of the french foreign legions nazi battalion by george r.
In that struggle, its frontline troops were the misfits, criminals and mercenaries of the french foreign legion. Legion etrangere is a unique unit separate from the regular french army, established in 1831. The devils brigade is a 1968 american deluxe color war film filmed in panavision, based on the 1966 book of the same name cowritten by american novelist and historian robert h. Among them were the surviving members of a decimated motorized infantry brigade. Until the bitter end, you are devils guard, the battalion of the damned.
The fascinating, true story of the french foreign legions nazi battalion. German soldiers recruited into french foreign legion, to. The origins of world war iis latvian legion are found in the diplomatic and military events of 193941, when the baltic peoples found themselves being traded back and forth between communist dictator josef stalins soviet union and nazi dictator adolf hitlers germany. The story of the black devils devil s brigade 2006 a tv miniseries produced by frantic films.
The devils brigade is an invented and incorrect nickname for the first special service force, a joint canadianus commando unit that formed during world war ii. George elford relates the story of a waffen ss officer who escapes allied occupied post ww ii germany, joins the french foreign legion along with many of his former ss colleagues, and ends up leading a battalion in the french indochina war. The ashes of world war ii were still cooling when france went to war in the jungles of southeast asia. The fascinating, true story of the french foreign legion s nazi battalion what they did in world was ii was hitory s bloodiest nightmare. The narrative flows very easily from elford, making it difficult to put down the book. Doesnt surprise me that all army s and country s used these types of expertise to reclaim colonies after the war, just like the british used japanese soldiers to keep the peace after the. Hell march of french republic armed forces 20162017. The devils brigadeex wss in french foreign legion axis. The book is presented by the author as nonfiction but considered to be untrue by military historians, and usually sold as fiction. Martin windrow is also an expert on the french foreign legion, so if anything, hes the man who should have the final word. Following the myths and legends about nazis recruited by the french foreign legion to fight in indochina, eric meyers new book is based on the real story of one such former waffenss man who lived to tell the tale.