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The French Foreign Legion. La Legion Etranger

Contents:

Introduction 1History 3Joining . 10The Language Problem 13Aubagne and Selection . 14Castelnaudary - Basic Training '75Your Instructors 27The Numbers 30The Songs 34La Present 36Bel-Air . 39Presentation of the Kepi Blanc 41Le Code D'Honneur 43A Typical Day 46Time Off 50Guard Duty 54La Legion C'est Dur Mais Gammel C'est Sur 57Le Raid. 60How Hard? 62Brutality 63The Contract 64Life in Jail 70Camerone Day 72Legion Rules 74Regiment Postings 76Trades within the Legion 83

Dress & Equipement 84Christmas Time 89Format of a Regiment 91Weapons of the Legion . 93Pay in the Legion 97The Ranks 100Leave / Holidays 102Desertion 104Useful Phrases 105A few helpful words 107Appendix 109Recruiting Centres in France 121Bibliography 126

THE FRENCH FOREIGN

LEGION(La Legion Etrangere)

Introduction.

There are those in life that dream of doing things andthose that turn dreams into reality. The French ForeignLegion today, is alive and kicking and as always, activelyrecruiting. It is an army surrounded by romance, myth andintrigue, with over a hundred and fifty years of historyand a reputation that's a tough one to beat. It is one ofthose things that most people only hear about or had afriend of a friend who actually went and did it.But for some who have bought this book - it will not beenough to just read through, and put down. You will takeit upon yourselves to make the dream become a reality. Itmay be that you are merely in search of adventure -perhaps you are trying to escape your past, or maybe youfeel that you are in some real danger. Many people jointhe French Foreign Legion because they think they have aproblem and they come to the Legion to overcome thatproblem - it is up to you to decide whether the Legion isthe right solution to that particular dilemma. Sometimes,not an easy decision to make.And then there are those from the former eastern blockcountries, or for that matter absolutely any country in theworld, who seek a new life in the western worldaccompanied by the French passport. (On completion ofthe first five year contract). For these people it is a goldenopportunity.

The Legion, if it does decide to take you into its fold, willprovide you with a new identity and will protect you fromyour past if necessary. Your time served with the ForeignLegion will certainly take you on many adventures. Fromthe moment you join, the Legion is your home and fromthen on it is your family. (The Legion motto - "LegioPatria Nostra" means exactly that - The Legion is ourhome) There are Legionnaires who have served manyyears of service and have only revisited their nativecountry once or twice in all their years of service. Theyfind that they are happier and more contented to spendtheir time in France. One thing that should be saidhowever is that it is an experience in life that cannot beexplained or learnt from tales recounted or books read -no matter how many. To understand the Foreign Legion -it has to be done. An ex-Legionnaire with five yearsservice could sit you down and talk to you for five yearsand a similar Legionnaire with fifteen years service couldsit you down and talk to you for fifteen years - but youstill would not really know what it is like until you haveactually been there and done it yourself. This book is nodifferent in that respect, but what it tries to do, is to giveyou the information required to get you into the FrenchForeign Legion, to equip you with the knowledge of whatto expect and what not to expect, how best to get alongand how to make the most of your time in the Legion.

Perhaps how to prepare you for some of the times aheadwhich may lead you to frustration for lack ofunderstanding. It can be a bewildering experiencelearning the ways of the Legion during the first year.More often than not though, there is method in theirmadness.

The decision to join is rarely made on the spur of themoment - at very least it has been in the back of the"engage volontaire 's " (recruit's) mind for some time - if

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not many years. The potential Legionnaire has probablyread books about the Legion and talked to people whohave been there and done it. If they do decide to join, theywill experience adventures which are second to none, meetfriends that will last a lifetime. They will travel all overthe world and carry with them memories that will staywith them till their last dying breath. Make no mistakehowever, that serving five years in the French ForeignLegion is not easy. Rest assured that all Legionnaires atsometime during their contract feel at their wits end, theyfeel like a prisoner in a cell, they sink to their deepestdepths of depression and doom. It will not be easy -especially from the mental point of view. Few who jointhe French Foreign Legion know what to expect - somefind it so hard mentally to adjust to their new way of lifethat they try to desert - and some take it to even greaterlengths and try to dispose of their life altogether. Thelonger you serve in the Foreign Legion - the easier lifebecomes. With promotion and time served comes it's justrewards as it does in any army. The one great advantagein the French Foreign Legion is that promotion can comerelatively quickly for those that are deserving.

History of the French Foreign Legion.

Formation: 9' March 1831.The French Foreign Legion was formed on the 9 ofMarch 1831. It's authority was signed by Louis-Philippe -the King of France. His position as King was weakeningand the Legion was readily formed in order that Louis-Philippe could maintain his position on the throne.The oAicers were gathered in from Napoleon's GrandeArmee and the men were recruited from Italy, Spain,Switzerland and other European countries. There were

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also some Frenchmen recruits who were trying to escapethe attention of their local Police.

Sebastopol 1853 - 1856.It was the aim of France to assist Turkey in their fight towin over free passage of the Black Sea to theMediterranean. After a brief victory the 1 ere and 2eme

RE's final attempt to win the town of Sebastopol ended ina blockade which lasted a year. After suffering a year ofhorrendous weather and illness, the Legion could wait nolonger and attempted to take the town but failed badly andtook heavy casulaties. They tried again, but it was notuntil their third attempt on the 8 September 1855 thatthey succeeded.

Camerone 1863.On the 30 April 1863 the 3eme company of the RE inMexico were given a mission - to ensure the safe arrivalof vital supplies down the road from Vera Cruz to Pueblain Mexico. This would assist in the blockade of Puebla.Before they had time to arrive at their destination theywere attacked by nearly a thousand Mexican troops. Theyhad just stopped for a morning coffee when they wereattacked. Capitaine Danjou started to reposition his menin a derelict building they had passed only minutesearlier. He knew this would afford them some cover fromenemy fire. Before they could get there, the cavalry werecharging. They staved off the attack and continuedtowards the building. They had barely arrived and asecond wave arrived. There were sixty five Legionnairesto fight the ensueing hoards - numbered at nearly twothousand. Quickly they prepared a hasty defence and weregreeted by a Mexican messenger who offered them anhonourable surrender. On top of the roof lay a Polishlegionnaire Sergent who told the Mexicans what theycould do with their surrender. The cavalry charged oncemore, but the Legionnaires beat them back yet again. Not

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without loss however - the Capitaine Danjou had beenbadly injured. Before he died though, he made all his menpromise that they would never surrender.

By mid morning the Legionnaires were almost out ofammunition. They had no food and no water. Again theLegionnaires refused to surrender.By late that afternoon there were just twelve LegionnairesleA and no more ammunition - It then turned to hand tohand fighting and soon there were just five Legionaireswho remained to face two thousand. The Legionnairesadvanced towards the enemy. Two of the five were shotdown as they advanced.At that point - the Mexican Colonel arrived and saw thesituation - he again offered a surrender. The Legionnairesagreed - but only if they could keep their weapons. TheMexican Colonel agreed saying "I can refuse nothing tomen like you". The Legionnaires had indeed achieved theirmission - they had made safe the passage of supplies toPuebla by alerting nearby troops of the hoardingMexicans and had occupied the enemy for nearly a fullday.

Every year, on the 30 April, in every quarter of the

French Foreign Legion - this day is remembered and isknown simply as Camerone Day. It is celebrated withgreat zealousness and pride. At Aubagne, the woodenhand of Capitaine Danjou is paraded before the Regimentand all its privileged guests.

Mexico 1863-1867.The Legion continued fighting in Mexico for a furtherfour years before being ordered back to France to dealwith more pressing matters at home. The Mexicans werenow being backed by the Americans and there was littlechance of victory. Besides, France's security wasthreatened and that was far more important than anyforeign soil. The Legion had however made a name forthemselves and so assured their own future existence -

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All was not lost. Had it not been for the war in Mexico -perhaps the Legion would not be here today.

Tonkin 1883.Tonkin was a French Protectorate in Indo-China overrunby pirates. The French Commander, Admiral Courbetattacked the Fort Son Tay and Fort Bac Ninh and thenhad the task of defending the Fort Tuyen Quang. Fornearly two months the Legion held out against constantattacks from the Chinese but eventually help arrived - TheLegion had however lost a third of its company strength.To the North a battle was going on but came swiftly to aclose and a treaty was signed on 1" April 1885. Fromthereon the Legion's role was to promote peace andtranquility and rebuild the damage done.

Madagscar 1895.Following a disagreement between the Queen ofMadagascar and the French Republic, an expeditionaryforce was sent to Dahomey and then on to Madagascar.The Legionnaires immediately started to build a road fromwhere they docked to the objective - a place calledTananarive. A distance of 250 miles. They built andfought their way to the objective and when they finallyarrived, after three and a half months, the enemy gave upwithout a fight.

The 1" World War 1914-1918.In 1914 the II/1" RE saw action at the battle of Artoiswhere heavy losses were taken. (nearly two thousand inall). They were reformed and one month later were againheavily defeated at Givenchy. They were finally defeatedso badly that they had to be disbanded in September 1914.As a result of this the RMLE was formed (French ForeignLegion Marching regiment) whose job it was to preceedany troops into battle.

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The RMLE took part in many battles around France andtook many thousands of casulaties. Their most memorablewas the skilful soldiering which took place in the trenchesof Rheims. They cleared over four miles of enemytrenches, with just their rifles, bayonets and grenades. Thenext great feat was in the Verdun sector where the Legionsucceeded in its mission of recapturing many of its oldpositions. This they did in double quick time and with fewlosses. Swiftly, the Legion was shifted to Amiens wherethey again took heavy casualties and were forced toretreat. It was not long before they were again diverted tohold shut the passageway to Paris. Again they succeeded -but only after much blood letting of it's own men. In July1918 the French made their offensive and despite stillfurther heavy losses, much progress was made. For nearlytwo weeks the Legion battered, clawed and fought theirway through the Hindeburg Line.For their efforts in the first world war the Legion hadbecome highly decorated.

World War 1939-45In June 1940 the 11 REI was almost entirely wiped outby a German division in Verdun. The remaining men werecaptured but nearly all of them managed to escape to fightagain. The Regiment was however disbanded. In the sameyear the 13DBLE was sent to Norway to ultimatelycapture Narvik from the Germans. On the way to Narvikthey caused much damage and destruction to Germanforces and aircraft. Due to German advances towardsParis, the Legion had to quickly re-deploy and assist inthe defence of the Parisien quarter. It was not long afterthe troubles had been qwelled in the Parisian region, thatthe Legion's services were again required. It was this timethe Italians in Eritrea, Africa who required their attention.

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Indo-China 1940-1954.Thailand attempted a takeover of Cambodia in 1940 butwere briefly prevented from doing so by the Legion. TheLegion's efforts were wasted however, and as a result ofconciliation Cambodia was handed over anyway. Therewas really only one unit of the Legion that was now basedhere, that being the 5REI. Again the Legion avoidedcombat in the South, due to further negotiation - but thiswas not to be for long and the Legionnaires based at thegarrison at Ha Giang were soon massacred. Twobattalions remained and started a death march towardsChina.Before arriving in China the war had ended but wasquickly replaced by another, this time with Ho Chi Minhand his communists. This war would last nine years. In1945 the 5REI left to be replaced by a long line of legionRegiments - The 2 REI, 13DBLE, 1 REC and the 3 REI.In the meantime the 3REI remained to fight in other areas.In 1948 they too suffered heavy losses. In 1950 access tothe border with Indo-China was granted to the Chinese

People's army. In 1950 the 3 REI were ordered to movelocation but were caught up in a massive ambush whichalmost completely wiped out the French forces in theregion. The 13DBLE had more luck however and sawmany victories during 1951. The 3REI which had alsobeen reformed saw victory also in 1952 at Strongpoint 24.Soon afterwards the 1BEP jumped into Dien Bien Phuand took the area and quickly installed a garrison. Theywere attacked and despite support provided by the 2 BEP,were all but completely wiped out. For the Legionnaires inIndo China the war was now over.

Algeria 1953 - 1961.Before they could so much as go on Permission, theyfound themselves back in Algieria, ready to fight anotherwar. This time against the Algerian National Liberation

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Army. Although the Legion had deployed nearly twentythousand men to the region they were to come across littlemore than enthusiastic skirmishes in the years thatfollowed. These were to deteriorate to petty guerillatactics after not too long. Let down by the politicians, theLegion were ordered home in 1961. There lossesamounted to little more than a thousand men. Feeling letdown - there was a mutiny and the 1 REP was, as a resultdisbanded.

Kolwezi 1978.As a result of an attempted takeover by Angolan TigerRebels, Kolwezi in Zaire, was seized. They violated thetown, raping and pillaging wherever they pleased. Therewere many Europeans caught up in the crisis - some takenhostage. A distress signal was sent out requesting helpfrom Europe, to which the 2 REF was activated. After alightning deployment, the 2 REP dropped in after onlyfifteen hours. After a solid week of fighting and closequarter battles the Legionnaires had all but wiped out theTiger rebels and freed the petrified European hostages.This was one of the Legion's most successful missionswhich earnt them recognition all over the world.

Lebanon 1982 - 1983.It was again the 2REP who were chosen in thispeacekeeping role, accompanied later by the 2REI, 1REand the 1 REC. Like many peacekeeping roles it was notan easy job, but one which, as usual, the Legion carriedout meticulously and without complaint.

Gulf War 1991.In September 1990 the 2REI, the 6REG and the 1 RECwere sent to the Gulf in anticipation of Saddam Husseinsthreats against the world. After six long months waitingand a build up of world forces which had not been seen

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since World War Two, the war began. The air offensivewas won first - this took four weeks, after which thecoalition forces penetrated deep into Iraq. It was referredto as a Blitzkrieg (Lightning war) and only threeLegionnaires died. Al Salman airport was taken by theLegion forces with little resistance. The Legion's task wasthen to safeguard any retreat by the Republican Guarde tothe West. Very light casualties were taken and after onehundred hours fighting on the ground the war was over.

Mogadishu 4k, Bosnia 1992-96.More recently the Legion was again asked to carry outpeace keeping roles in war torn areas of the globe. Underthe direction of the United Nations, the 2 REP were kepton a tight leash in Mogadishu but the 2 REI accompaniedby the 1 REC managed to carry out various clandestineoperations in Bosnia in 1992-1995. The Legion were ableto make use of the mother tongue of its men in suchscenarios to great effect. Casualties were light in bothareas of conflict.

L'Engagement- Joining.

Joining the French Foreign Legion is a relatively simpletask. In simple terms all that is required is to presentyourself in front of the gates of the French Foreign Legionand inform the guard that you wish to enlist. To enterFrance from Great Britain there are ferry crossings fromPlymouth, Portsmouth and Dover. There are also ofcourse the airports which will connect you directly toFrance's main cities. Some flights are extremely cheap andit is worth shopping around when at the airport itself ornowadays you can use the teletext service on television.The routes into France and the direction from which you

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come are many and varied, and none of this is any more aproblem than it would be for an everyday tourist.

When you arrive at the gates of one of the recruitingcentres (All of which are listed towards the end of thisbook) most people, wherever they come from, manage tomumble a few words to express a wish to join - some ofwhich include Legion Etrangere. The Legionnaire on dutyknows exactly what you've come for - particularly ifyou've got a bag over your shoulder. If you want to bemore precise in your initial approach you could saysomething like this:

"Bonjour - Je suis Anglais, Je suis venus pour joindreLa Legion Etrangere".

Pronounced as follows:"Bonjoor, - Jer sweez Onglay, Jer swee venoo poor joo-wondre La Lejon Ay-tranj-air. "

This little parole may initially work against you since theymay assume that you speak a reasonable level of French -and then you're all of a sudden, going to go all quiet onthem. But they will at least get the message loud and clearthat you want to join.

Once in France however there are 17 recruiting centres tochoose from; situated in most of the major cities. For themost hassle free route into the Legion you should makeyour way down to Aubagne near Marseille in the south.This approach will cut out 2-3 days administration at oneof the other "sub recruiting centres". If you are stuck forcash though, and want to get in quickly, the northern mostrecruiting centre is Lille. Some centres are more difficultto find than others but the local Gendarme will help you ifyou have difficulty. It is illegal for France to advertise a

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career in the Foreign Legion in any other country than itsown, but you will see posters all over France saying"Regarde la Vie Autrement" promoting you to "Have alook at the alternative life" - images of hardenedLegionnaires stood in their Tenue De Garde gazing acrossthe desert sands.

When you first arrive they will take your details and kityou out with a track suit. Apart from an initial medicaland the signing of a provisional five year contract there islittle to do here. Your time will be spent working on theQuartier (Camp) doing any jobs that are in need of beingdone until a reasonable number of engages volontaireshave turned up. Once you have been at the sub-recruitingcentre for a few days and there are enough recruits ready,a Caporal Chef or a Sergent will accompany you down toAubagne itself to start the three week selection procedure.This journey is nearly always taken by train.

The age limits are officially 18-40. Candidates overseventeen and one day are accepted but must have awritten consent from either parent, made out in front of anofficial witness. All expenses to get to France must bepaid for by yourself. On arriving in France - Lille is theclosest recruiting office. Anybody who is ex-forces wouldbe well advised to take a photocopy of their certificate ofdischarge with them. (Any members of British forces whoare found to be still serving under HM are immediatelyrefused entry). Although the recruiting ages will extend toforty years of age - they will expect you to be in goodshape if you are of that vintage. If the Legion does notthink that you look like you're going to be up to it - theycan turn you away without even giving you a crack at thefirst test.

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Once you have walked through the Legion gates you areallowed no further contact with the outside world - neitherby phone or by mail, for at least three to four months.

Le Langage - The Language Problem.

There really is not a problem in this area - it is an areawhich most people dread and feel will present the biggestproblem of all, and it is true to say that there is norequirement to speak any level of French at the time ofjoining. Having said that - any time spent learning theFrench language prior to joining will pay dividends veryquickly once you have arrived. Even a basic knowledge ofverbs, nouns and tenses will set you in good stead with therest of the Section. It is certainly not something to worryabout however - Even if you don't have the time or are ina rush to join, the language comes very quickly for mostEnglish speaking people. The ones who find it mostdifficult are undoubtedly the Japanese, the Chinese andthose who come from countries whose language is farremoved from the French language. Initially there will besomebody of your own tongue to help explain the contractand to fill in the forms during the first few weeks atAubagne. Likewise the "Gestapo interview" is alsocarried out by somebody of your own tongue. Asmentioned previously, if you take a small phrase bookwith a built in dictionary, it will speed up the languagelearning process no end. Mixing with the French andtalking French will also accelerate your learning curve.The sooner you're speaking fluent French and are classedas a "Francophone" (French speaking person) the soonerlife becomes easier - You don't have to rely on the Frenchmembers of your Section or Groupe to translate afterevery assembly. It will also mean less press-ups and

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running around because of misunderstood orders.Remember that the top dogs during basic training aregiven a choice of which Regiment they are sent to oncompletion of "L 'Instruction" (Basic training). If youare deemed to be a good enough recruit they will probablyoffer you a place as a Caporal (Corporal) atCastelnaudary. This assessment will depend very much onthe standard of your conversational French as well asyour soldiering skills. The written side of the Frenchlanguage is not so important at this stage and will notbecome really important until much later on in yourcareer.

Aubugne and the Selection Procedure:(Centre de Selection et Incorporation - CSI)

Aubagne is situated about an hour's train journey north ofMarseille and it is here that you will begin and end yourservice with the French Foreign Legion. It is also thehome of the ler REI and the Legion Band. The guartier

(Camp) is sometimes known as the Mother regiment ofthe Foreign Legion.The Legion must now decide for sure whether or not totake you into the fold. It is here that they will find outabout your past, they will test you mentally, physicallyand psychologically. You will be assessed and watchedvery closely. Any misconduct (Particularly fighting andill-discipline) will leave you standing on the outside of theQguartier gates. The Legion are not looking for nutters,psychopaths or macho men. They will also attempt to findout any details about any crimes that you have committedin the past. They work very closely with Interpol and ifyou happen to be on their wanted list you can expect littlerefuge in the Legion. You will be handed straight over tothe Gendarmes. Similarly, anybody found to be stillserving with a foreign army will be denied entry to the

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Foreign Legion. It is therefore advisable to carry yourdischarge papers if you have recently left the forces andhave the appearance of having had a military background.In days gone by the Legion used to accept almost anyoneinto their fold. Today however, the story is a littledifferent and they are much more choosy as to who theyaccept. About two thirds of those who arrive at Aubagnewill go on to commence basic training at Castelnaudary(The centre for instruction for the French Foreign Legion).Although the Legion is more choosy they are still keen torecruit and if you are in reasonable shape, not wanted byInterpol and pass all the tests which are put before you -(None of which are extremely difficult) then the chancesare that they will snap you up. Because there is so muchmis-information about the Foreign Legion there aresometimes men who resemble little more than beggarswho turn up at the Legion's gates to join - people whoseteeth are rotting, are grossly overweight or have vileinfections - they are all turned away.

On arrival at Aubagne your belongings will be removedand deposited in a plastic bag with a record of all itscontents put on file. If during the first three weeks youdecide to leave (And you are allowed to do this at anytime prior to "La Declaration"- a solemn declaration offidelity to serve the French Foreign Legion) or are deemedto be unsuitable for service with the French ForeignLegion they will all be returned to you. The only items ofkit that may be retained by you are toiletries, a watch,underwear and socks and a French dictionary/phrasebook. If however you are accepted into the Legion theclothing is lost forever - do not therefore wear expensiveclothing when you come to enlist. Your passport will alsobe removed until you either opt to leave within the threeweeks selection or at the end of your contract.

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For these first three weeks you will assigned to dutiesaround the Quartier. They may be cleaning, gardening,administration, loading or unloading of vehicles or justhelping in the stores. In fact you can be assigned to justabout anything. Even here you are being watched and if abad attitude is shown it will be noted. There will probablybe up to about fifty or sixty engages volontaires atAubagne at any one time, all at various stages of theirthree weeks selection. A coach load of new recruitsarrives every couple of days and likewise, every day,some are rejected. Once every couple of weeks a coachload of the successful E.V's (Engages volontaires) aretaken down to the train station to make their way toCastelnaudary to begin their basic training.During your first few days you will be amazed at thediversity of nationalities that have managed to getthemselves all the way to France - people from China,Japan, America, Africa, Iceland. In fact - any country inthe world. There are approximately ninety to a hundreddifferent nationalities serving in the French ForeignLegion at any one time. Officially however, there are noFrenchmen in the Foreign Legion (Apart from theOfficiers). Any French people who join have their identitychanged along with their nationality to one of FrenchCanadian or French Swiss for the purpose of theirrecords. They have no choice in this matter. There aresome people amongst you though, who have had a verycolourful life - some have been terrorists, drug traffickers,mercenaries - you name it they've done it. But for allthese people the same rule applies that if they are wantedby Interpol - it's no go.If for any reason you want your identity changed and youare open and honest with the interviewer, it is nowadays avery simple step to take and probably 80% ofLegionnaires choose to take this road. For some it is avery serious business and if ever they have inadvertedlyhad their picture taken by swarming journalists (As in theGulf war) and are aware of it they will very quickly seetheir Section Lieutenant to arrange a quick change of

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identity. (Normally if any journalists are known to be inthe area, the Legionnaires present are asked it they have aproblem with journalists - if they do - they are taken outof that area and kept well out of the way until the mediahave left.If, during your stay at Aubagne any relatives comelooking for you they will be kept at the main gates. Youwill be asked if you wish to see them and if you do notthey will be told politely you are not in the Legion andasked to leave.

After a minimum of three years service in the Legion alegionnaire is allowed to rectify his name - meaning torevert back to his original name or to confirm that thename being used is correct. Once this is done a

Legionnaire is allowed to wear any foreign medals earntin a previous army, he may also leave the country duringpermission.

For the first week you will be in a track suit and therebyidentifiable as having just arrived. During the secondweek you will be issued a set of combats and will wear agreen flash on the shoulders. In the third week you willwear the same combats but wearing a red flash on theepaulettes. When you depart for Castelnaudary you willbe wearing the uniform that has offically been issued,which includes the Legion beret.

There are five main areas that you will be tested/assessedon during the three weeks. They are as follows:

Physical health.Psychotechnical Test.Security clearance.Physical fitness.Two interviews.

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Physical Health. (Infirmier - Medicaux - Visited'Incorporation - Bilan) (Medical assistant - Doctors -Recruitment examination - Results)You will pass before the doctors at Aubagne and given afull medical. Tests will include good all round generalhealth, bone structure, flexibility of limbs and all bodilymovements, heart and lungs, eyesight, hearing, ear, nosethroat inspection, drug tests, blood tests, urine tests.Every area that is imaginable will be inspected. If thereare any areas that require further investigation, you willbe taken to the Hospital in Toulon. You will be askedvarious questions on your medical history with someoneof your own tongue. If your eyesight is only slightlydefective then you will probably still be allowed in andglasses will be provided for you at Castelnaudary. Theglasses are specifically designed for use with the NBC(Nucleaire, Biologique, et chimique) respirator.

Pschotechnical Test.(Groupe D'Evaluation Psychotechnique)This is broken down into two parts. The two parts willexamine the aptitude of the candidate, the level ofintelligence and the psycholgical stability.

Niveau General et Niveau Culturel.These written tests will be taken in a classroom with otherengages volontaires. They are done to try and find outwhat you trade or skill you might be suited to in theForeign Legion. You might be technically minded or havea mechanical way of thinking. The test will showdiagrams of pulleys or levers and you may be asked towork out which one would be the most effective atcarrying out the task illustrated in the diagram.

Another part of the test takes the standard form of amathematical questions. This test of intelligence test is not

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particularly hard and most pass without any real problem.Some of the questions may be using shapes and askingwhich one fits into the other or working out the nextnumber in a sequence.A final written test done in the classroom are in your owntongue and will pose questions of an opinionated nature -perhaps requiring some form of self assessment. Youranswers will be assessed by a specialist afterwards.Questions may seem bizarre to you - they could besomething like: Do you like nature? Are you considered tobe a hard man in your home town? Do you prefer malecompany to female? This test will take about twentyminutes. Depending on your score - you will be allowedentry into the French Foreign Legion. The scores achievedwill also determine whether or not you will be able toprogress higher up the rank structure at a later date. (Thetests are repeated throughout you career however)

Security Clearance. (Beaureau Des Statistiques de laLegion Etrangere - BSLE)Here, it is up to the Legion to decide whether or not toaccept you into their fold from the security point of view.But they will make every effort to find out every detailabout you starting from the year dot. The information willbe gathered by means of a personal interview betweenyourself and someone of your own tongue. This is part ofthe French Foreign Legion Intelligence service and theyare very good at their job. They are referred to as "LeGestapo" by the Legionnaires.Although the Legion will accept people of variousbackgrounds they will not accept murderers or those theyconsider to be of a dangerous nature. They have in thepast accepted former terrorists and people caught up inthe troubles of their country. For these people it is achance to to escape any danger they might be in and tostart life again. The interview will take about two hoursand they will delve into every minute detail of your life;your family, your schooling - your previous jobs - why

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you want to join. They will ask you about your friends,where you have been in the world. And if they feel theyare not happy with your story they will invite you backagain for further interviews until they are happy. Yourfingerprints will also be taken during this stage and heldon record.

Physical Fitness. (La Forme Physique)These tests are done to ensure that you are in a reasonablecondition to take on the tasks that lie ahead atCastelnaudary. As well as various upper body tests in the

form of pull-ups and sit ups there is a 2600 metre run tobe completed in twelve minutes. If you take longer thanthe time allowed then you will have failed selection. (thisequates to just over a mile and a half in 12 mins or justover eight minute miles). Failures are allowed to re-applyin three months time.

Interviews. (Les entrevues)There will be a brief interview, probably with a CaporalChef and a second interview with the Major. Bothinterviews will take on a similar line of questioning - Whydo you want to join? What have you done in yourprevious life? Have you done much physical training inyour life? Do you know and understand what the contractmeans? Soon after you have had your second interviewyou will be informed of whether or not you have beenaccepted into the French Foreign Legion.

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At Aubagne the days will start early, probably at about5.00am, firstly with Le petit dejeuner (breakfast) - a bowlof hot coffee or chocolate with some bread, butter andjam. The coffee will be served in a bowl which you drinkfrom. This is France now and you will learn to doeverything the French way. As you become known tomore and more Legionnaires you will quickly learn that itis also customary to shake hands first thing in the morningor for the first time you meet them during the day. Thishappens every day.There is much to do during the three weeks at Aubagne,so you will quickly be marched back to the block to startcleaning. After this the days' activities will begin. It couldbe any one of the tests previously mentioned or it could besomething more mundane like cleaning or helping out inthe kitchens.Throughout each day you will be working in one place oranother, getting called away to carry out another test orinterview and then returning to your present job. If you'renot doing either of these things then you will be getting toknow the other engages volontaires in a sort of arecreational area at the back of the building. Here there isa pull up bar and trees to sit under and relax. The daysare long and they can be tiring but it is also an interestingtime for you. You are on the edge of an unknown quantity- about to embark on a great adventure - with some fairlybizarre and adventurous members of your planet. You willprobably come across those that like to pull up a sandbagand tell tall stories - take the things you hear with a pinchof salt. Especially when it comes to what lies ahead.

You are essentially now in the French Foreign Legion andit is a tough army with a tough lifestyle. You must standup for yourself and don't get walked over. But be warnedthat if you are caught fighting and causing trouble - thenyou will be turned away. At Castelnaudary they will bemore lenient - and it is sometimes required in life, to earn

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some respect, not least of all in the French ForeignLegion. Here, however - if they see you as a troublemaker then you will soon find yourself packing your bags.

There will probably be two days out of the three weeksthat will be spent at one of two Legion camps helping out:Malmousce and Puyoublier.Malmousce is a small Legion complex situated on theseafront close to Marseille. It is an idyllic setting and it'spurpose is to provide for Legionnaires who have no familyor friends, a place for them to spend their Permission(Holiday). They will go here or alternatively to "Fort DeNogent" in Paris.

As an engage volontaire you will more than likely betaken here to Malmousce to carry out any jobs that arenecessary - such as odd jobbing or helping out in thekitchens. There will probably be about ten to fifteenLegionnaires there at any one time, all at various stages oftheir contract. For them, during the weeks they spendthere, life is easy and they will probably be more thanhappy to tell you about life in the Legion and what's instore for you. The food is normally of a high standard asit is on most Legion camps.The other place that you, as an engage volontaire will belikely to visit is Puyoublier. This is the home for theformer Legionnaires who have completed more than threecontracts in the Legion. In the Legion such men areknown as "Les Anciens ". Most of them have seen actionon more than one occasion during their careers. Somehave seen a lot of action in some of the Legion's mostmemorable battles. They are friendly people and only toohappy to talk to "Les Jeunes "(The in-experienced orlatest to arrive). At Puyoublier the men make their ownwine and work the land. There are livestock to look afterand even a crafts centre where they make souvenirs to sellto tourists. It is their home - they eat well - have company

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they can relate to - and they of course drink well.Puyoublier continues to give them a purpose in life.

Your job whilst there will again be to help out whereverneeded. By this stage you will be beginning to learn whathard work is all about.

During your time at Aubagne you will be getting paid asmall amount of money. This will amount to about F100per week. With this money you will be allowed, probablyonce a week, to go to the Foyer (A bar with small shopattached - There is one on every guartier) - you will beallowed an hour or so to have a beer or two and buyanything you need such as razors, cigarettes etc.

It will be very noticeable how all the nationalities gathertogether in groups of their own tongue - non more so thanthe British. With the "Brits", will be Canadians,Australians, Scandinavians (who often speak English) andAmericans. Whenever the English speakers gathertogether they are known as "La Mafia Anglaise " orsometimes if they are British "Les Hooligans ".(Individually, you may find yourself being called"Johhny" from time to time, particularly by Les Anciens).But you will notice the Spanish and Brazilians sticktogether, the Eastern block countries will stick together.The French will be in their little group and so on. It isimportant to make an effort to mix - if not with the othernationalities - at least with the French. It is after all, theFrench that you will be relying on to learn the languageand, during the initial stages, to translate what has beensaid by the Caporal or Sergent.

As well as various lectures and videos covering life in theFrench Foreign Legion and the postings that exist, therewill also be a visit to the Legion Museum. Probably oneof the most impressive to be seen. You will be given about

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an hour to wander around during an afternoon andexamine some of the Legion's past.

At some time during the three weeks you will also beinterviewed (albeit it in a very casual manner) on thesubject of music. That is whether or not you play aninstrument or have any inclination to become a musiciainand any desire to play in the Legion band. The Legionband is always keen to recruit - any hint of interest andyou will be encouraged all the way in this direction. No-one is ever forced to join the band however - but if youare an experienced musician and definitely do not want towork in the Legion band then it is probably better if youtell them you are destined to be in the 2 REP andwouldn't know one end of a trumpet from the other.(There are some perks to the job of being a bandsman andthe Legion band does travel worldwide every year). Allbandsmen go through French Foreign Legion basictraining just the same as any other Legionnaire.

After a long three weeks of cleaning, tests and interviewsyou will finally be told whether you have passed theselection procedure or not. The successful ones will beissued with the Legion haircut and be taken down to thestores to be kitted out with Le Paquetage. This is theequipment that you will take with you to Castelnaudaryand last you through your contract. It will be containedwithin a large green sausage bag called a Sac Moraine.When you have been issued your paquetage you willknow that very soon you will commencing basic trainingwith the French Foreign Legion.

At this stage there is only one more thing left to do - thatis the solemn declaration of honour and fidelity to servethe French Foreign Legion. For this you will be assembledin a large room which oozes tradition. Thirty to forty ofyou will be assembled to form three sides of a square.There will be a short speech by the Major declaring that

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you have been officially accepted into the ranks of theForeign Legion, with whom you will serve for five yearswith honour and faithfulness. The Major will then go upto each engage volontaire, call his name out and handhim his contract. The Legionnaire will acknowledgereceipt of the contract by coming to the gardez-vousposition (attention position) and calling out "PresentMajor".

At approx 5.00 am the next morning you will beassembled ready for pick up by coach to be taken to theAubagne train station. There you will board a train to takeyou to Castelnaudary. The Sergent and the Caporal whoescort you in the morning will be part of your trainingteam during the four months that lie ahead.

Castelnaudary -L 'Instruction - Basic Training.

"Quite singly the best way to get on during instructionis not to get noticed, keep your head down, work hard,don't moan, mix with the French and start learning thelanguage. It will come amazingly quickly and if youcan speak French, you'll get less hassle".

This is the real beginning of your time in the FrenchForeign Legion. Everything so far has been merelyselection. It is now that the real work begins. You arebrand spanking new to the system and are about toembark on a very steep learning curve....

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Basic training is not aimed at producing elite soldiers outof you. It is aimed at bringing you all into a military wayof thinking and to start instilling some form of militarydiscipline. Coupled with this, they must start getting youto grips with learning the French language andconditioning you physically to the rigours that lie ahead.There is therefore a lot of work to be done by both thetraining team and the recruits during the four monthsbasic training.It is after basic training that soldiering skills are taught indepth at the Regiment that you are posted to. That is notto say that you are not taught military skills during basictraining - only that the skills may not be so in depth andso well honed at this stage. Remember that there arepeople from all over the world, Japanese, Chinese,

Romanians, Czechs, Polish all with a totally differentoutlook on life. The Western world is naturally a verydisciplined culture and one which adapts well to a militaryenvironment - many other cultures around the world arenot so orderly in their thinking.

This four months basic training will also be teaching youone more thing - and certainly the hardest element of all toan engage volontaire - and that is the "Legion way ofdoing things". It may not be the most logical way or thesimplest way, it may seem like the most stupid, ridiculousmethod in the world - but it is done that way and you aregoing to do it that way - even if it takes all night and allthe next day. They may send one man to do the job of tenor ten men to do the job of one. It will drive you toinsanity at the time but what it is doing is re-affirmingmilitary discipline into your very new way of life. If youcan prepare yourself for this and accept their way ofgetting the job done, then you're well on your way tobecoming a "Bon Legionnaire". This is the part ofForeign Legion life that is most difficult to adapt to.

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Physically the Foreign Legion is not that hard - mentally itcan crack you down the middle - especially those from theWestern world. It may take you the whole of your fiveyear contract to become fully at home with thismentality and the Legion way of doing things.

A "Section" consists of 40 men each broken down into4 "Groupes". The Section is commanded by a"Sergent-Chef" and is known as the "Chef de section"but is addressed us "Sergent-chef". Likewise theGroupe is commanded by a "Sergent" and is known asthe "Chef de Groupe" but addressed as "Sergent" bythe Legionnaires.

Vos Instructeurs - Your Instructors.

The training team is made up of four Caporaux (One manis referred to as Le Caporal - more than one Caporal isreferred to as Les Caporaux), four Sergents, a SergentChef and a Lieutenant.The Caporaux at Castelnaudary will be made up of acombination of Caporaux from other Regiments and whatis known as "Fonctionnaire-Caporal" (Shortened toCaporal Fut-Fut). This is a term applied to a select fewLegionnaires who have been offered acceleratedpromotion due to a good performance during their own in

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basic training - they therefore, have only served a fewmonths more than yourselves in the Legion.You may find that there is a Caporal or Sergent of thesame nationality as your own. Often they will be more

friendly to their own nationality and keep you slightlymore informed as to what is on the agenda during thecoming days. Tread carefully in this area however andassume nothing.

On arrival at Castelnaudary railway station you will bepicked up by a Legion coach and taken to the Quartier(guartier Capitaine Danjou). You will at all times beaccompanied by the Caporaux or Sergents. Havingunloaded all the Sacs Moraines (Long sausage shapedgreen bags) into the corridor, there will be a briefing byone of the Caporaux telling you what is next on theagenda. The first day will be spent unpacking bags andgetting you into the routines that will very quickly becomea way of life.Depending on the training team - and they all have theirown way of doing things - your first day will probably beeven more stressful than usual. In most armies around theworld there is a routine of traumatising the recruits duringtheir first days - creating as big a shock for them aspossible. One regiment in the British forces would makethe recruits run for four miles with the whole of theirequipment immediately on getting off the coach at theDepot, shouting and screaming at them all the way.

Likewise in the French Foreign Legion they must instilldiscipline into the Section as soon as possible and this willbe done by whatever means is deemed necessary. Therewill be silence in the corridoors when lined up. Feet willbe exactly in line with the second row of floor tiles.

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Anybody talking, whispering or behaving like a civilianwill be reprimanded in the most extreme mannerprobably in the form of a good dig to the body. Head andeyes to the front and best you keep it that way. For thosethat come from Eastern block countries this is not at alleasy. They have come from backgrounds far removedfrom the culture of the West. They are inherently lessdisciplined and prone to being the target of the enthusiasmof the Caporaux. You may well find yourself doing press-ups on account of them.

Throughout the day they will run you through what isknown as the "Appel". This is a routine of lining up in thecorridor and calling out from left to right a number. Thenumber starts at one and continues up to however manythere are of you. You may all be lined up in a differentorder every time you come out into the corridor, so it isimportant that you learn very quickly how to count inFrench. Whatever you are doing in the room - it isdropped immediately and you must get out into thecorridor and line up against the wall before the Caporalhas reached the count of four.The Appel is always done first thing in the morning and lastthing at night, but initially you will do it perhaps twenty

or thirty times in a day. This is purely to teach you how tocount and as a method of asserting discipline andauthority upon you. In the 2 eme REP based in Corsica,there are three apels per day - one after lunch as well. Atsome time during basic training there is sure to be a lowcount in the morning when a Legionnaire or two havedecided that they've had enough and tried to desert. Theyare nearly always caught.

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Les Numeraux - The Numbers.

Listed below are the numbers that you must learn:French number - (Pronounced as) - English number

Un - (Urn) - OneDeux - (Durgh) - TwoTrois - (Twar) - ThreeQuatre - (Cart) - FourCinq - (Sank) - FiveSix - (See) - SixSept - (Set) - SevenHuit - (H'eet) - EightNeuf - (Nerf) - NineDix - (Dees) - TenOnze - (Onz) - ElevenDouze - (Dooz) - TwelveTreize - (Trays) - ThirteenQuatorze - (Catorz) - FourteenQuinze - (Canz) - FiAeenSeize - (Says) - SixteenDix-Sept - (Dees set) - SeventeenDix-Huit - (Dees weet) - EighteenDix-neuf - (Dees nerf) - NineteenVingt - (Van) - TwentyVingt et une - (Vant ay oon) - Twenty oneVingt deux - (Van der) - Twenty twoVingt trois - (Van twar) - Twenty threeVingt quartre - (Van cart) - Twenty fourVingt Cinq - (Van sank) - Twenty fiveVingt six - (Van see) - Twenty sixVingt sept - (van set) - Twenty sevenVingt huit - (Van weet) - Twenty eightVingt neuf - (van nerf) - Twenty nineTrente - (Tron) - thirtyTrente et une - (Tront ay oon) - thirty one

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Trent deux - (Tron der) - Thirty twoTrente trois - (Tron twar) - Thirty threeTrente Quatre - (Tron cart) - Thirty fourTrente cinq - (Tron sank) - Thirty fiveTrente six - p'ron sees) - Thirty sixTrente sept - (Tron set) - Thirty sevenTrent huit - (Tron weet) - Thirty eight

Trente neuf - (Tron nerf) - Thirty nineQuarante - (Carront) - FortyQuarante et une - (Carront ay oon) - Forty oneQuarante deux - (Carront der) - Forty twoQuarante trois - (Carront twa) - Forty threeQuarante quatre - (Carront cart) - Forty fourQuarante Cinq - (Carront sank) - Forty fiveQuarante six - (Carront sees) - Forty sixQuarante sept - (Carront set) - Forty sevenQuarante huit - (Carront weet) - Forty eightQuarante neuf - (Carront nerf) - Forty nineCinquante- (Sankont) - Fifty

It will not obviously stop everybody else making mistakesand you will still be going in and out of the room like ayo-yo. But at least you will get it right and it's one lessthing for you to have to learn. When you later have to lineup for a Company parade you will have to learn the restof the numbers in French, but this is not worth worryingabout at the moment.There are two other reasons for needing to learn thenumbers as soon as possible. Firstly; you will have beenissued a service number and there will also be a numberfor your FAMAS. Your service number is known as your"Matricule" and is a six figure number. You must learnhow to say it in French and learn it by heart. The numberis not however read out as single numerals but as follows:

Cent soixante trois, trois cent onze (One hundred andsixty three - three hundred and eleven). This is more

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difficult to commit to memory than simply learning: Une-six-trois, trois-une-une. (One-six-three - three-one-one).The Caporaux will teach it to you and you will beexpmted to know it by heart after a week or two.It will not be very long before you are introduced to yourFAMAS assault rifle - This number must also becommitted to memory.If you can learn these numbers quickly then you will notbe the one that feels the might of a size ten boot when theSergent has been calling out the weapon number six timesat the armoury doors (Le Magasine).

Apart from learning your numbers there will be theallocation of beds and lockers and a demonstration by oneof the Caporaux on how to arrange your Paquetage intothe armoire (locker) in the correct way. There is a rightway and a wrong way to do everything in the Legion - ifthe kit is not placed in the correct place it will soon end upon the floor. There is no food to be kept in the locker atany time and there is a very small shelf which is allocatedfor personal belongings. (Of which you will have veryfew).

As an engage volontaire you will be assigned to another -

he will be referred to as your "Binome". It is up to youto help each other. If he's French - he can help you a lot,and he will be expected to.

"It goes without saying that as a recruit you mustalways carry a pen and notepad. Carry three pens - Onefor yourself, one for when it stops working and one forthe binhome next to you who has forgotten his"

For the first two weeks there are only a few items of kitthat you have to worry about. The first is the boots. These

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must be well polished and there is plenty of opportunity todo that. If nothing is happening - i.e. between lectures,then the Legionnaires will gather downstairs and polishtheir boots. You may well find yourself polishing theboots five, six or even seven times a day. The greencombat uniform that is worn on a daily basis is not ironedin the Legion. Neither is the Tenue de Sport (PT kit). Butit must be clean at all times. There are no washingmachines in basic training so all the kit is cleaned by handwith a block of Savon Marseille (Soap) in the washbasins. Then hung out to dry on the clothes lines of thebalconies attached to each room. (The clothes lines arebelow balcony level and therefore not visible from theoutside of the building).

The beret that has been issued to you will last only twoweeks before being replaced with a smaller neater onewhich sits much more neatly on the head.The tassle at the back of the beret should lie directly downthe centre of the back of the head. The Legion badge willthen sit slightly to the right of the right eye. Unlike somearmies where a blue beret is issued until training has beencompleted - in the Legion it is the Kepi that you earn. Theberet issued in the Legion is green in colour from day one.The flap being folded down to the left.If you wish to shape the beret to your head, you can makeit wet and then squeeze it until damp, then put it on yourhead for shaping to the exact shape and position required.

You will be paid approximately F1500 per month duringL 'Instruction (basic training) (About X200). This will bepaid into your CNE account which is held by theL 'Adjudant de Section. When you are allowed to go to theFoyer (Like a Naafi or canteen with a small shopattached) - you will be given some money. This is notlikely to happen very often during the four months ofInstruction. Everything will be provided for you during

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basic training, even down to your toothbrush, toothpaste,razors etc. At some time during your Instruction you willbe allowed to go into the town for a few hours. Here again

you will be paid about F200-F300 to have a beer and buyanything you need. Once you have been posted to yourregiment, the foyer will become a regular watering hole -chosen in preference to going through all the hassle ofpreparing your tenue to exit the Quartier. No formal dressneed be worn in the Foyer - even Tenue de sport ispermitted.

Les Chants - The Songs.

It will not take long for the instructors to introduce you tothe singing which forms an integral part of the FrenchForeign Legion's tradition. The Legion sings on themarch, at the Gardez-vous (attention position), sometimeson the run as a section, and around camp fires when onnon-tactical excercises at the end of a long day.You will probably first be taught Le Boudin along withLe Chant (de la) Companie plus Le Chant Du Regiment.There may be as many as fifteen or twenty songs learntduring the four months basic training. How many youlearn depends very much on you all as a Section. Themore French speaking people there are in the Section, theeasier it is to learn, and so the more songs you will learn.If there are only a few Francophones (French speakingpeople) in the section the songs may well be taught to youphonetically. What this means is that a German will readout the words as they should sound in German and youwill write them down as they sound to you in your tongue.Le Boudin is probably the most famous of all the LegionSOllgS.

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It is also the only song that must be sung at the Gardezvous position. All the rest may be sung on the march. LeChant (de la) Compagnie wi11 vary from company tocompany and could be one of many songs.

The first verse of Le Boudin is often all that is sung, forexample prior to eating a meal. It goes like this:

Le Boudin:Tiens. Voila du Boudin, voila du boudin, voila duboudin,Pour les Alsaciens, les Suisses et les Lorrains,Pour les Belges y en a plus, pour les Belges y en a plus,Ce sont des tireurs au coup,Tireurs au coup.

There are many different understandings of the meaningbehind the words but here is a literal translation:

Well there's sausage, there's sausage, there's sausage,For the Alsatians, the Swiss and the Lorrainers;There's none left for the Belgians, there's none left forthe Belgians,They are malingerers;

There's none left for the Belgians, there's none left forthe Belgians;They are malingerers

You will undoubtedly hear of other versions whilst in theLegion.

The songs are not just sung in French but in many otherlanguages such as Yugoslavian, German and English. The

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first few weeks singing will undoubtedly result in somevery sore arms. This will be through all the press-ups thatyou will be doing in a bid to get you to sing in tune,deeper (Plus has) and louder (Plus fort). It may seem apain singing hour after hour, sometimes late into the night,but when a level of skill has been achieved - it will lookand sound very good. There is nothing like the sound of40 plus Legionnaires (better still a company of 150)singing in tune, on the march, with Kepis on their headsand red epaulettes on their shoulders.

Songs will be sung initially in the classroom, and thenlater, when the words have been learnt, on the march. Thesongs that you will learn are not what you are used to.They are sung slowly, in unison and in a deep voice. Theyhave to be sung slowly in order to be in keeping with thepace of the march. (In the French Foreign Legion themarching is done at 80 paces per minute as opposed to120 in the British army).

There are a collection of Legion songs, most of which youwill be expected to learn during basic training, situatedtowards the back of the book in the Appendix section.

La Presentation - Presenting Yourself.

It is tradition in the Legion that when addressing someoneof a senior rank Le Presente is carried out. It is a form ofrecital and until you have attained some rank yourself,this will initially mean saying it to everybody, except theother "Engages" (recruits).It is also said when you recieve your pay or when enteringa room occupied by anyone of any senior rank.

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Actions: Knock - wait - enter - salut - beret off....

"Engage Volontaire Antoine,Deux mois de service,Deuxieme Compagnie,Section de Lieutenant Souzla,A vos ordres Caporal/Sergent/Sergent chef/etc. "

Meaning:

"Recruit Antoine,Two months service,2nd Company,Lieutenant Souzla's section,At your orders Corporal/Sergeant. "

The words in italics will have to be changed for whateverdetails are applicable to you. Once inside the room theSergent or whoever that you are talking to, will then say,

"Mets-toi au repos. "Meaning - Put yourself into the position of "Repose". (Abit like the "Stand at ease" position in the British army).

You must then reply,"Je me-mets au repos a vos ordres Sergent".Meaning: I go to the position of Repose as you orderSergent"

When the senior rank has finished with you he will say,"Tu peu dispose"Meaning: "You may now leave"

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You must then reply, "Je peu dispose, a vos ordresSergent".Meaning: I am now leaving as you have ordered Sergent.

(Actions: Beret on - Salut - About turn - exit room).

This is carried on throughout your careeer in the ForeignLegion and holds true even in war. It is said particularlywhen talking to ranks that are more than one rank aboveyou or if they are unfamiliar. After some time in theLegion or in times of war the Le presente may beshortened to,

"Legionnaire Antoine, a vos ordres Sergent"To which the sergent or whoever would probably reply,"Oui, qu'es-ce que tu veux? (Yes, what do you want?)

Each room is responsible for its cleanliness. There is notan excessive emphasis on the rooms but they are inspectedon a daily basis. They are also walked around at the endof the day by the Caporal Chef/Sergent who is taking theevening Apel.

There is no smoking allowed in the building but engageswill often try to sneek one on the balcony. Smoking ishowever allowed, but downstairs and outside. Everyday,first thing in the morning and after lunch before being fellin there is the daily Corvet Quartier. This comprises ofthe Company forming a line and walking very slowlyaround the building. At each corner of the building theline is stopped and reformed to face a new direction. Sincethe buildings at Castelnaudary are in an "L-shape" there

are six straight lines to form before progressing in each

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new direction. All the time you are looking for cigaretteends, litter or rose petals that have fallen in the wind.There are constant yells of ОSilence by the Caporal duJour which often fall on deaf ears and inevitably ends upin everybody doing press-ups.This ritual of Corvette Quartier will continue until youhave reached Caporal status or above. (About two yearsnormally).

In each building there are two Sections of Legionnairesundergoing basic training. The older Section will be ableto socialise with you almost everyday when downstairspolishing boots or smoking cigarettes. As you mightexpect they will try to fill you full of horror stories aboutwhat lies ahead. They will more than likely exaggerate tothe extreme. So take anything you hear with a pinch ofsalt. Most of it will be rubbish.

Bel Air, La ferme - Bel Air, the fame

The big horror story you will undoubtedly hear aboutfrom day one is Bel Air. This is a large farm buildingsituated in the countryside about ten miles fromCastelnaudary. All the Sections go to Bel Air aAer aboutfour weeks for a period of three weeks. Whilst there youwill undergo training in weapons handling, (Particularlystripping and assembly of the FAMAS), weapon cleaning,physical fitness, navigation (By compass and by thestars), French language, an introduction to fieldcraft(setting up bivouacs, camouflage and concealment, targetindication, first aid, fire control orders, patrolling,ambushes), drill and arms drill, marching and of courselots of singing.

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As mentioned previously - they are not out to make youinto elite soldiers at this stage - more to get you into amilitary way of thinking, improve your physical fitnessand to try to get you talking in French. The soldieringskills are honed later on in your career.

There will be pressures placed upon you and these willtake the form of sleep deprivation, keeping you as stressedand traumatised as possible by shouting and requiringeverything to be done in double quick time. Coupled withthat there will be very little to eat. The days will be longand you will become very, very tired. Still the pressurewill be on you. Here there will be many inspections ofyour equipment, your boots (Polish the whole of the bootwhilst at Bel Air - the underside as well). Also mark themwell, as they may be thrown out of the window witheveryone else's (even if your's are clean). Ideally, you will

want the same pair back when you go to recuperate themat the end of the night.

Each day at Bel Air will start early, at around 5.00 amand by six o'clock you will be doing the morning Sport orLe Petit-footing. This will take about an hour and becausethere are varying degrees of fitness amongst you, theSection will normally be divided up into three groups ofvarying ability.You will all do the same training - just that you will all bepushed to the maximum. There will be four to five mileruns, un-armed combat, sit-ups, press ups, pull ups, ropeclimbing (No legs allowed), firemans carry and any othergames the training team can devise to get the bloodflowing faster.Although the running will tend to get faster over the threeweeks the upper body strengthening excercises may not

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achieve as much since the food intake is limited and thepull ups, press ups and rope climbing excercises arecarried out as much as two or three times a day. Beforeeach meal the Caporaux will gather you round and therewill be what is referred to as the L 'Aperitif - a series ofthree or four of the above excercises which are carriedout. When so much work is placed on a particular musclegroup the muscles have little time to recover and benefitfrom the work done.

Each day the kit worn will be washed by hand in thebasins, then hung out to dry for the next day. Make surethe kit is well marked.

The three weeks at Bel Air culminates in a fifty kilometrenon tactical march with Sac a Dos (Rucksac) andFAMAS. You have three days to complete the march butit is normally done in two. This is the only test before youreceive your Kepi Blanc. It is often argued byLegionnaires that the Kepi Blanc should only be receivedafter the Le Raid at the end of basic training when a muchlonger march is carried out. This thirty miler is not hardand by this stage you will already have marched manytimes from Bel Air back to the Quartier.If you have been a soldier in any army prior to joining theLegion, you will have heard of many methods of how toharden your feet. Examples may be rubbing white spiritinto your feet, urinating on them, switching them from thehottest water you can bear to the coldest water you canbear. Most people find that the best way to wear in yourfeet is to march a lot - and that you will. And preferablyin boots that are well worn in. Legion boots generally arenot a bad fit anyway, even when new. There may be sometruth in the notion that submersing bad fitting boots inwater when new and going for a couple of miles on a run

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will help wear them in quicker, but you are unlikely to bein a position to put this method into practise in the Legion.Feet do heal very quickly and there is always a foot andbody inspection after every march. Do not, if you have thechance however rip the skin off a blister to expose openflesh. Any insertion into a fluid filled blister should bemade with a sterilised needle merely to drain the fluidinside the blister out. The foot should of course be cleanedbefore such action. Do not bother with ointment ordressings unless it's really bad; just put a clean pair ofsocks on. Before you know it you will have different set ofblisters to worry about.

La Remise Du Kepi Blanc -The Presentation of the white Kepi.

Throughout the weeks leading up to Bel Air and duringyour time there, you will all be learning Le CodeD 'Honneur. This is - as it sounds - a code of honourwhich is learnt be heart by all Legionnaires. Together youmust recite it in unison at the end of your three weeks atBel Air. You will spend many hours, learning it, reciting itand then getting the vocal synchronisation together. It willbe said by you at the Remise Du Kepi Blanc (Presentationparade) prior to donning the famous white Kepi.

If you can learn it by heart before you get there, you willbe one very large stride ahead. It goes as follows:

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Le Code D'Honneur.

"Legionnaire, Tu ex un volontaire servant la Franceavec bonheur et fidelite. "(Legionnaire, you are a volunteer serving France withhonour and faithfulness)

"Chaque Legionnaire est ton frere d'arme, quelle quesoit su nationalite, sa race, sa religion. Tu luimanifestes toujours la solidarite etroite qui doit unir lesmembres d'une meme famille. "(Every Legionnaire is your brother in arms, regardlessof nationality, race or religion. You show him always theclose solidarity which must unite the members of thesame family)

"Respectueux des traditions, attache a tes chefs, ladiscipline et la camaraderie sont ta force, le courage etla loyaute tes vertus. "(Respectful of the traditions held by your seniors,discipline and camaraderie are your strength, courageand loyalty your virtues)

"Fier de ton etat de legionnaire, tu le montres dans tatenue toujours elegante, ton comportement toujours

digne mais modeste, ton casernement toujours net. "(Proud to be a Legionnaire, you show this in your dress;it is always elegant, you are always dignified but modestin the way that you behave and your quarters are alwaysin order)

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Soldat d'elite, tu t'entruines avee rigeur, tu entretienston arme comme ton bien le plus precieux, tu as lesouci constant de ta horme physique. "(As an elite soldier, you train with rigour, you look afteryour weapon as your most precious possession, and youalways take care of your physical fitness.)

"La ndssion est sacree, tu l'executes jusqu'au but, atout prix. "(The mission is sacred, you execute it to the very end, atall costs).

"Au combat, tu agis sans passion et sans haine, turespects les ennemis vaincus, tu n'abandonnes jamais,ni tes morts, ni tes blesses, ni ter armes. "(In combat, you fight without passion and withouthatred, you respect the defeated enemy always, you neverabandon your dead, nor your wounded nor yourweapons).

You are not actually at any time during instruction askedto translate the Code D'Honneur into your own language,but it is included here for your interest.

At the Remise Du Kepi Blanc there will be anotherSection from Castelnaudary to act in a supporting role aspart of the Remise. The Chef de Corps (CampCommandant) will present the Legionnaires with a smallbadge which signifies that they are now officially acceptedas part of the 4eme RE. He will pin that to eachLegionnaire's chest. The formalities will be followed bybig eats, some singing, and a photo session by aphotographer hired by the Legion for some formal groupshots. Depending on how good or bad the singing is - will

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depend on whether you march back to the Quartier or aretaken back by camion (lorry).

When handling the Kepi make sure that you touch onlythe black peak and not the white parts. The white clothstains very easily, and if you don't handle it by the peak,you'll end up scrubbing it. After Bel Air, Castelnaudarywill seem like a hotel. The camp was modernised in 1985and is extremely plush considering the sort of images thatmost people conjure up in their mind when they hear talkof the French Foreign Legion. La Place D'Arme (TheParade square) is of an oacre type tarmac finish with

roses all around the inside of its perimeter. These arecarefully maintained by the prisoners and any sparerecruits. Any petals that fall in the wind are swiftly pickedup by the Corvet Quartier who sweep around the buildingtwice a day.

Once back at "Castel" (Abbreviated term forCastelnaudary) you will soon be back into lectures,running and once every couple of weeks a trip onto theterrain for some patrolling (Normally about 20 kms or so)and practise of fieldcraft skills. Temperatures can get upto a hundred degrees in the summer and there are oftenreports in the local press of locals dying whilst out in theheat of the day or over doing it. The Legion has greatexperience of working in hot conditions and takes this sortof weather very seriously. If the weather is too hot thencertain excercises may be cancelled or postponed until itis cooler. Many of the recruits will not be used to suchweather - some may not have even acclimatised from theirnative country yet. You will quickly be taught that watershould be treated like gold in these conditions. When outon excercise the training team will be watching veryclosely who has the discipline in them to conserve water

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from their Bidon (water bottle). If you take small sips ofwater throughout the day, as opposed to great gulps - itwill last you longer. On top of that, the more you drink -the more you sweat. But if you want to earn smartiepoints - be the one with half a bottle of water left at thenext water stop.

"Do not drink water from the rivers in France. If youdo - it will make you very ilL For a week you will notknow whether you're coming or going. Even sterilisingtablets added to water are not safe in certain rivers. "

A Typical Day.

6.00 am: the Section assembles in line in the corridoor forthe morning Appel. After a quick shave and a wash youwill get into Tenue de Sport (PT Kit). The room must betidied and the beds made. The beds are not made in thenormal way however. In the Legion the bed is strippedevery day and the blankets folded to an exact size andplaced one on top of another. These will sit at the end ofthe bed with the Couverture (Top cover) underneath. Thesheets are folded and rolled in an exact manner to form asort of tube. These are then laid diagonally across eachother on top of the blankets to form a cross. This routinedoes not stop at the end of basic training but continues foras long as you reside on a Legion Quartier - regardless ofrank.

6.20am: The Section will be either marched or doubledacross to the refectoir for Le Petit Dejeuner (Breakfast).

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This consists of a glass bowl of black coffee or drinkingchocolate. With this you receive half a baguette each andsome jam or marmalade. You will always carry yourissued Opinel (Pen-knife) which you use for breakfast.You may only have ten minutes to eat this before beingassembled outside to to return to the block. You mayagain either march or run back - dependant upon what ison the agenda for the day and the schedule of timings.

6.30am: Corvet Quartier is next on the agenda. (Straightline sweep around the building done by the completeCompany to pick up cigarette ends etc.) At the same timeas this, anybody wishing to go sick, reports to the CaporalChef down in the Company office. If the rooms are not yetfinished then one or two Legionnaires per room willremain behind to finish them off. There will also be acouple of Legionnaires left behind to carry out the CorvetChiot (Toilet cleaning duties).

7.00am: Rassemblement (Assembly) by Section, or, if itis a Monday, it will be as a complete Regiment(Reglementaire). The Caporal Du Jour will hand youover to the Sergent and then if there is a senior rankpresent you will be handed over to the most senior rankpresent. From here you will normally go for a run.Distance varying from four to eight kilometres.(Incidently, you will always talk in Kilometres in theLegion. There are approximately 1.6kms to one mile. Or0.6 miles to one kilometre. Therefore, as an example;eight kilometres equals approx. five miles).Runs in the Legion never start very fast - a great emphasisis put on warming up for at least the first kilometre ortwo, and then it gradually gets faster. At the end of therun there are usually exercises, rope climbing (alwayswithout the use of your legs), pull ups and sit ups,followed by stretching.

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Periodically the Sergent will have you all straighteningeach others spines. The method used, does, for the firsttime sound like a very painful process. It can be a littledisconcerting when you hear your spinal column crackinginto line and the man doing it has only learnt the techniquethirty seconds previously. It is however a genuinetechnique which was once used by osteopaths.

8.30am: Section arrives back at the block. The Seniorrank will dismiss you into the building where you can getshowered and changed ready for the Casse-scroute(Snack). This will be probably a quarter of a baguette andsome pate. The Section will now be in Tenue verte (greencombats) for the rest of the day.

9.30am: There will now be a lecture on postings in theFrench Foreign Legion. This may be taken by the Sergent,Sergent Chef or the Lieutenant. The period will last aboutone hour. After which you will be allowed outside for acigarette break for fifteen minutes.

10.45am: A second lecture will follow on French languagetaken by the Lieutenant.

12.00am: The boots will be taken downstairs for a quickpolish before lunch. There will also be time for a quickAperitif before lunch.

1230: The Section will assemble ready to be marchedacross to the refectoir for lunch. The Section will almostalways march and sing their way across the Place D'arme(Parade square). There may well be other Sections doingthe same thing.

1250: Feeding time in the Legion is a very well executedprocedure. The Legionnaires form a long line from thedoorway up to the servery with a Caporal at the head ofthe queue controlling the passage of troops. When thehead Chef calls out the word "Quatre" - the next four

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Legionnaires walk past the servery, picking up a dish offood each. Since all the tables are laid before the mealwith plates and all the cutlery, there remains only the foodto be collected. This makes for a very rapid feedingsystem. In the space of only a few minutes literallyhundreds of Legionnaires can be seated and eating theirfood without the hassle of a fifteen minute queue. At theend of the meal the plates are left on the tables to becleared away by the Legionnaires on Corvet. (Which willat sometime be you).

1330: March back to Le Batiment (Building) to carry outthe Corvette Quartier once more. The rooms will alsohave to be cleaned once more if they require it and theboots polished.

1400: The Section will be assembled and the Sergent willbrief you on what is happening in the afternoon. Today itconsists of being taken over to the Infirmerie for sometests. These may be urine, blood, a chat with the Medecin(Doctor), chest X-rays or whatever.

1530: Lessons in drill. Droit droit (Right turn), Gauchegauche (Left turn) and the demi-tour droit (About turn).There may also be further lessons on La Presente.

1650: The Compagnie will assemble together for themarch across for the Repas du soir (Evening meal)sometimes known as La Soupe. Again you will sing. Thismay again be preceeded by an Aperitif in the form of pull-

ups, press-ups and sit ups.

1700: La Soupe. (Evening meal)

1800: Les Chants de La Legion (Songs of the Legion).For several hours you will be in a classroom singing andreciting Le Code D'Honneur. There will be breaks everyhour or so. For this you will go out into thecorridoor/veranda outside and can smoke.

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2100: Apel du soir. This will be carried out by theSergent. If he is happy with the rooms and the turnout hewill say Bonne Nuit (Good night) which everyone shoutsback in unison - Bonne nuit Sergent! You can then get tobed.

Qaurtier Libre - Time off down the town.

At some time before the Section departs for a weekstraining in the Pyrenees there will be guartier Libre(Time off down the town) - Assuming that is if the Sectionhas performed reasonably well up till then. For this youwill be allowed four hours out down in the town ofCastelnaudary and you will be given about F200 francs tospend. The Section is transported in Tenue De Sortie(uniform for going out in) by camion (Lorry) to the oldQuartier - Quartier Lepasset, again in Castelnaudarywhere basic training used to take place. You are on yourown whilst out in the town, but there are Police Militaire(PM's) everywhere and the rules are strict. Nobody is toeat in public, drink or be loud. Most Legionnaires go to abar and get drunk and then try their best to act sober.Most of them do a pretty good job and the training teamdoes not really mind so long as the Legionnaires behavethemselves.This is prime time to get ahead. Spend the first two hourssorting out your admin - i.e. getting anything you needand making phone calls. (A paintbrush is worth buying. Itcan be used for weapon cleaning and is invaluable as acleaning tool for the likes of the magazines and thebayonet. (There is a brush in the weapon cleaning kit butthe bristles are too thick). A bottle of iodine is also worthgetting, for sterilizing infections or blisters). Most of thethings that you need on a day to day basis are available inthe Foyer back at the Quartier, but there is always

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something you might need and it may be some time beforeyou're allowed out again. This will also be your firstopportunity to make a phone call. The number to get outof France is 0044 followed by your area code minus thefirst zero.For example, if the tel. no in England were 0171 123456the whole number from France would be dialled as

follows: 0044 171 123456. Trying to get help or advicefrom the French directory enquiries can give you a majorMal a la tete (headache) so try and get a francophone tohelp you if you have problems. If you want them to ringyou back they must dial 0033 to get out of England,followed by the digit "4" for Castelnaudary and then theeight figure digit marked on the telephone in the kiosk.You may also find that because there are fortyLegionnaires all trying to get a telephone, there are queuesoutside every phone kiosk. Try going to a hotel - if thepeople you are ringing want to ring back, it will be easierfor them to get the number from international enquiries ifthey have any problems.

Lager is served in half pints in France and is referred to as"Demi " or "Pression ". It is also quite expensive inFrance and especially so in the nightclubs where theequivalent of a full pint would cost you F100. Nightclubshowever, will come later on in your career.The Camion will meet you at a pre-arranged RV(Normally the old Legion quartier in the town ofCastelnaudary) to take you back to the Quartier. You areleft to your own devices for the next few hours and it isnot unknown for the Legion to allow you to sleep it off onarrival back at the guartier afterwards. Anybodyfighting, getting rowdy or mouthing off goes straight intothe slammer for ten days.If there has not been too much trouble on the first tripthen a second trip may be allowed about a month or twolater. There is also a town called Carcassonne not very faraway from Castelnaudary which is the home town of the

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French Paras. The Legion is reluctant to allow engagesthere due to the trouble that normally ensues.

When you arrive at your regiment you are allowed toleave the Quartier in the evening aAer work and stay outuntil six o'clock the next morning assuming thateverything is in order and ready for the next day. You willpass before the Bureau Compagnie who will inspect you.Then you must present yourself before the Chef de Post atthe main gate - who will decide whether or not to let youout or not. Quartier Libre on a Regiment refers to a thirtysix hour period over the week end. Not every weekend isQuartier libre allocated. The same routine applies when itis granted however.

Shortly after having been on guartier Libre, there will bea trip into the Pyrenees - a small village called Camurac.An idyllic farmhouse setting in beautiful countrysidewhere you will be continuing your training but in aslightly more relaxed atmosphere. There will be the usualPetit footing (Running) at some time of the day but mostof your time will be spent marching in the Pyrenees. Itmay be tactical or non-tactical, depending on the training

team. There will be an introduction to climbing andabseiling at some stage during the week's stay. At least afew evenings will be spent in the mountains drinking winearound the camp fire singing Legion songs. (The fires thatthe Legion make are not small bonfires - but more likemini Guy Fawkes nights). It is a slightly more relaxingtime than usual - but as always assume nothing.

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On arrival back at Castelnaudary it will be back tobusiness as usual and this, if it hasn't happened already,could well take the form of the La Piste De Cornbat (Theassault course). This pleasure is experienced about once amonth and is located about five kilometres up the roadfrom Castel. It must be said that this is one of the hardestassault courses in the world and in total, makes up alength of about five hundred metres; an internal circuitfollowed by an external circuit. All the obstacles have acertain amount of technique required and they will all beshown to you by the training team. Although noequipment is worn it is very, very knackering, but it isgood.

Now that the greater half of your training is completedthere is now a large proportion of training whichcomprises of Guarde and Corvet around the Quartier.This is, in a way - a sort of training for what to expect atyour Regiment. Every day, or for at least a few days ofeach week, some or all of the Section will be involved insuch tasks as corvet mess officiers (Working in theOfficers mess), corvet mess sous-officiers Working in theSergents and above mess), Le Garde (Guard duty on themain gate) Corvet refectoire (Working in theLegionnaires mess) or Corvet Foyer ( working in theFoyer). None of these jobs are particularly hard, but itwill certainly teach anybody who doesn't already knowwhat a good days work is all about. You will work longhard days - and that is life in the French Foreign Legion.If you are working in the refectoire, mess ogiciers ormess sous-officiers you will have the bonus of extra foodduring the day. All this will be done when you arrive atyour regiment as there is always a Compagnie de Corvetresponsible for the chores and the guard to be done aroundthe Quartier. Each company takes it in turn to carry outthese tasks.

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Le Garde - The Guard Duty.

The one task that does require intensive preparation is LeGarde - this is a privileged position of responsibility.Although under the direction of the Sergent and theCaporal du Jour, you are the front line in the Quartier'sdefence. You will be armed with FAMAS and have liverounds in the magazine.

For the Guarde there will be six Legionnaires, a Caporaland a Sergent. There will also be a "Clairon" (a buglar)allocated to your Groupe. The guard takes place from sixin the morning until six o'clock the following morning.The preparation is just as important as doing the Guardduty itself. The weather can vary enormously throughoutthe year but in the summertime temperatures can reach upto a hundred degrees Fahrenheit. The Tenue de Garde isworn, which in summertime means fifteen creases in theshirt. If it is wintertime then the brown jacket and trousersare worn. This is easier to iron and there is not the heat tocontend with. Whatever uniform is worn, the Epaulettesde Tradition are also worn on the shoulders.The FAMAS (Personal weapons) are drawn early in themorning and wiped thoroughly to remove any excess oil.Even the slightest mark will stain the summer shirt badly.Make sure you have a hanky with you. There is normallyan assistant attached to each group of six to assist intucking up the trousers under the elastics to make a neatfinish and to fetch and carry. They are basically there toperform any other tasks necessary to ensure a smoothoperation of the Garde. Although the Legion does notnormally bother too much about bullshit and ironing ofthe normal working uniform - in this area of turnout theyreally do excell themselves. The boots are still not bulled

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however, but the ironing must be spot on. It is also herethat you will wear the "Centurion Bleu" - the wide blueband that is worn underneath the combat belt. Because theblue band is so long (about six feet) it requires two peopleto put it on, one holds it out straight and the other holdsthe start of the band to his side and turns his body until itis wrapped tightly around his waist. The blue sash mustend with the tail at the front of the body in the centre,folding itself over to form a neat finish. The normalworking day belt (Le centurion) is the positioned over thetop. This item is again worn whether it is winter orsummer. All the idiocyncrocies of getting it right are alsothe responsibilty of the Caporal and the Sergent in charge.(The Sergent is referred to as the "Chef De Poste" on thisday). If there is one man whose turnout is a mess, then itis not only he who will go to jail but also the Caporal andthe Sergent, since the culprit is their overall responsibility.

The duty starts at 6am when you replace the previousnight's guard from another Section. This is in itself is aceremonial procedure. It will only take about ten minutesto do, but in this time the Chef Du Corps will have hadbrief words with everyone taking up the new shift. Henearly always has a friendly disposition and is a likeablecharacter. He will ask you questions like, What did youdo before the Legion? Are you enjoying the Legion? Whatdid you do in training this week? and Are you in goodspirits? These questions obviously are all asked in Frenchbut he is not un-used to encountering communication

problems. By the time you are doing a stint of guard in theLegion you will probably have no problems inunderstanding and answering any of these questions inFrench. Once the Chef Du Corps has had his say, theGarde commences, two men on duty at a time. The shiftworks on a two hours on, four hours off basis. But thefour hours off is not totally relaxed since it is forbidden to

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sit down (In case it creases the trousers), coffee may bedrunk but woe betide the man who spills it on his uniform.There are usually magazines to read in the guard room.The Sergent may let you sit on two stools one on top ofanother with a blanket on top. (To lessen the chances ofcreases appearing on the trousers). The meals are broughtto you by the current prisoners, who will also take awayyour dirty plates etc.For the two that are on guard it is a long two hours. Oneof the two guards has a FAMOUS slung across the front ofthe chest in the traditional manner. Although it is not aparticularly heavy weapon it does become that way aftertwo hours standing motionless. The only movementpermitted by him is to come to the "Gardez-vous" and to"Presente arme" when a Sergent or senior rank passes ordrives through the gates of the camp.The man facing him and who operates the barrier does nothave a weapon, and has the luxury of being able to moveslightly more often.

During the shift you are not allowed to wear a watch andthere are no clocks in view. For two hours you are notpermitted to move a muscle. You are on show for theFrench Foreign Legion and must show absloute discipline.The time passes hideously slowly. The ability to judge thetwo hours does come after a fashion, but there are timeswhen you're out there and you're certain without a shadowof a doubt that your relief is late. They never are. Theother duties of the Guard are to raise and lower the flagon the Place D'arrne in time with the Clairon. Thishappens at the beginning and at the end of each day. Theflag must be lowered in exact time with the Clairon'stune. The lowering starts when the tune starts and shouldend when the tune ends. There are numerous threats onroute to the flagpole by the Sergent to shoot you if youmis-time the procedure - but it rarely happens.

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As evening approaches you are allowed back to the blockto get changed into Tenue de Combat (Normal workinggreen uniform). This is worn from 2000Hrs onwards andcomes as a great relief for everyone. From hereon youpatrol the area in front of the gates with a riot baton inhand. Check peoples ID cards as they come in and get theChef de Poste out of the guard room if there are anyproblems.

In the morning the guard goes through the sameceremonial changeover with the next shift and you returnto your Section. There is no time off for working throughthe night - you go straight into the next day. It is theSection's responsibility to collect your petit dejeuner.

Whilst you have been doing the guard duty there will havebeen another Groupe that will have been acting as a"Force d'Intervention Rapide" to react to any potentialthreat to the Quartier. They however have a much cushiertime and apart from a practice run for a call-out theyspend most of their time resting, watching TV or reading.Their shift starts at the same time as yours but they willwear Tenue de Combat at all times.

La Legion c'est Dur - Mais Gamelle c'estsur( - The Legion is hard - but food is forsure I

The quality of food in the Legion varies considerably fromQuartier to Quartier (camp to camp). In some, the food isof an exceptionally high standard, probably as good asyou would eat in many a restaurant. In other camps the

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food is of a much lower standard. If you have any ideas ofeating anything really disgusting - don't worry, none of itis that bad. What the different camps do have in commonis the fact that there is rarely enough to eat; leaving theRefectoir feeling really full is a rare experience. AtCastelnaudary the food is of the highest standard I haveever seen on a military camp anywhere in the world - butagain there was not enough to feel completely full. Mostpeople would probably agree that they would rather leavethe refectoir having enjoyed the meal and slightly hungrythan full to the brim of some sludge that the duty cook hasthrown together in a pot out the back. Food is after all, amorale booster and you will always look forward to in theLegion.

The feeling of hunger however is one you will becomeaccustomed to during basic training. It is, if you like; afeeling which goes hand in hand with being an Engagevolontaire.

It is worth remembering that when in the field and rationsare issued, it is vital that you eat the food hot. Thedifference between eating hot and cold food can mean thedifference between passing and failing a march or run.Likewise, chocolate and cakes will not give you thestamina and energy that a full meal in the refectoir will.Do not therefore pack your Sac a Dos with Mars barsthinking that this will carry you through Raid Marche.There really is enough food supplied by the refectoir andthe ration packs during your training to get you through,

but when you join your Regiment and you are able to missa meal and slope off to the Foyer, remember that properhot food will serve your body better.

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Before making ready for Le Raid there will be a few daysspent at one of the French army camps towards the centreof France. Here you will undergo training in the firing of avariety of APILAS (Armour Piercing Infantry LightArmour Systems) and various small arms. The weaponsfired include the RAC112, the LRAC89, the FAMAS riflegrenade and the two inch mortar. There will of course bevarious shoots done using your personal weapon - theFAMAS, one of which will be a night shoot. There willalso be an introduction to explosives as well - how to puttogether a charge and each Legionnaire will experiencefiring a small charge in a controlled environment. Youmay also be given the chance to throw a grenade, of whichthere are two types - Offensive and Defensive. TheDefensive grenade is the more powerful of the two. Thetrip will last about five days and you will be staying inFrench army accommodation. There will of course be Lepetit footing done in the morning or when time permitsduring the stay.

In the lead up to Raid Marche there will be furtherlectures on the differences between the Regiments andwhat to expect in the line of Regimental roles and thelifestyle to be expected after basic training. As regards thesystem for allocating which recruits go where, it works onthe basis that those that perform to the highest standardduring L 'Instruction are given the first choice as to whichRegiment want to serve in. If anybody is deemed to begood enough they may be offered a position as CaporalFut Fut. (To achieve this - a reasonable command of theFrench language is important).

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Le Raid - Raid March.

The final week of basic training is when Le Raid takesplace and the Section will be taken up into the mountainsand dropped off at Perpignan near the coast to start theirlong march back to Quartier Capitaine Danjou. TheSection marches about 150 kms in three days andculminates in a series of tests which will certify you asfully trained legionnaires. This final test is known as theCTE/00. The test will examine your ability at voiceprocedure on the radio (Le PPll), first aid, fieldcraft andpersonal weapon handling.The march is tactical and apart from crossing open areasof ground in a tactical manner, hard targeting (Movingquickly) and pepper potting (One covers - one moves),you can expect to be ambushed at any time. You will passthrough villages and small holdings in the country which

must likewise be approached and negotiated as if incombat. The Caporaux and Sergents will map read duringthe week. Evenings however will take a non-tactical lineand there will be the customary wine drinking and singingof Legion songs in front of a camp fire.

The route is very hilly to start with but as the Sectionnears Castelnaudary it begins to level out more. This willbe the longest march that you will have done in theLegion. If you are hoping to go to the 2REP (RegimentEtranger Parachutistes) then this will be taste of things tocome. (it is tradition in this Regiment to march across theisland of Corsica, where they are based once every year -a distance of over two hundred kilometres). By the timethat you do Le Raid your feet will be well used tomarching and the boots will be well worn in.The night before the Section is due to re-enter the Quartierthe Capitaine Compagnie will join you and there will be

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plenty to eat and drink. The following day the Sectioncontinues the remainder of the march straight back inthrough the camp gates, where you will be looked upon byany other passing Sections with envy and respect. This isthe point at which most Legionnaires believe that the KepiBlanc should be issued - when the job is done.

However hard you might have found the march, the lackof sleep, the sudden ambushes - there is still more work tobe done before you can relax. It is a tradition of theForeign Legion to prepare the equipment for return to thestores immediately on return to the guartier after the finalmarch. Since this is the end of your basic training, ALLthe equipment must be immaculate. Tables are broughtoutside into the morning sun, all the Section weapons arecleaned to the extent that there is no trace of oil, grease ordirt anywhere. You may well be using pure alcohol toremove all such traces. Likewise the Le Brouillage (Thewebbing) is scrubbed, scrubbed and scrubbed again. TheSection will be cleaning, scrubbing and polishing for thefollowing twenty four hours non-stop after arriving backat the Quartier. Your feet will be blistered and bleeding -you will be so tired that you are delirious. Only once thework has been done can you start to relax.This is undoubtedly the hardest part of L 'Instruction, andyou will by now be looking forward to your first postingmore than ever.

There are always foot and body inspections after everymarch or excercise in the Legion. If it is just a matter ofminor blisters or ailments then one of the Caporals in thetraining team will see to you. Anything more serious andyou will become a subject for the Infirmiers who areundergoing their training at Castelnaudary to deal with.Castelnaudary is also where the "Infirmiers" (Medics)undertake their training and who better to practice their

new found art on than a Section of EV's.

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Within a few days Chef De Corps will have you allassembled on La Place O'Arme for a final talk beforesending you back to Aubagne for Regiment selection. Asmentioned previously - the priority of choice goes to thosethat worked and performed best during basic training. Itwill also depend on whether or not there are the spacesavailable at the Regiment that have been requested. Themost popular choices are the 2eme REP, 13 DBLEDjbouti and the 3eme REI in French Guyana. (See sectionon Regiment postings). There is various paperwork to bedone at Aubagne, and it is here that anyone wishing toleave the Legion has the right to do so. (They can givenotice that they wish to leave but cannot actually get outof the Legion until the end of the sixth month. Anyremaining time waiting for the leaving date would bespent carrying our menial tasks around the Quartier)

How Hurd?

Passing French Foreign Legion training is within thecapability of most men in a reasonably fit condition - (inmind and in body). Physical training in the Foreign Legionis taken at a gradual pace and, like basic training in manyarmies, will be governed somewhat by the overall abilityof the Section under instruction. The hardest part oftraining that you will experience, from the physical side ofthings will be the Piste de Combat and Le Raid.From a mental point of view, the Legion does applyconsiderable pressure on recruits. Whatever yourexpectations are when you walk through the gates of theForeign Legion for the first time - you can be guaranteedthat it will not be what you expect. Things will besometimes done in a way which seems illogical and

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unnecessary. If you can accept that it is being for areason, then you will not have a problem. In order toinstill military discipline into a batch of raw recruits froma wide variety of cultures - it is necessary that they learnnot to question authority, but to obey it - no matter whatthey might think of the concept or method. It is unlikelythat you will find the physical side of things your greatestobstacle in becoming a "Bon Legionnaire ".

Brutality.

Yes, the Legion can be a violent place, but as time goesby, the Legion is finding itself coming more and more intoline with the French army and with it, French militarylaw. The cases of violence subjected on recruits arenothing like they were even ten or fifteen years ago. Theworst brutality you will hear about will probably be on

your ears at the Selection centre where you will bebombarded with "War stories" by other Legionnaires or"engages volontaires" (Raw recruits) in the Aubagne sickbay. Don't listen to stories; most of it is rubbish.Sometimes a guy will get a beating, but he will probablyhave deserved it. It may not be by an instructor, it couldwell be by one of the other Legionnaires in the Section.

Standard corporal punishment consists of a "Stick" -which is the palm of the hand (normally fairly large)smacked against the back of your shaven head with asmuch force as possible. This example however, is a sortof controlled brutality if you like and is dished out as aformal punishment (Not really in a sinister way either). Itis not as if the recipient is being beaten to a pulp throughuncontrollable rage. A "Stick" will sometimes makes youfeel momentarily dizzy but rarely does it knock you out. Itjust stings a bit. The other punishment which is ritually

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dished out in a formal manner is the "Marche (en)Canard". For this the individual or group responsible fortheir crime will march a distance in the squatting position,with or without equipment with their hands on top of theirheads. It is a little uncomfortable but that is all. Thepeople who receive most of the physical abuse in basictraining are the Eastern block engages - a largeproportion of whom have joined ultimately for a passport,good food and a wage. Since the Berlin wall came downthe Legion has been inundated with Eastern block recruits.Most of them are quite open and honest about why theyare there. For this, they tend to get more stick atCastelnaudary.

Sooner or later there will come a time in the Legion whenyou must stand up for yourself. If you are weak - then youwill be walked over. The Legion is a tough army and youmust abide by it's unwritten rules. Respect is earned, notonly as a soldier, but also as an individual - as in all walksof life.

Le Contrat - The Contract.

The contract in the Legion is commonly thought to be fora fixed five years. In actual fact there is a probationarysix month period. If the Legion decides that you are notsuitable to be a Legionnaire then they will discharge you.Likewise, you too have a choice, but not until the end ofthe six month period. If at the end of the six months youno longer wish to be in the Legion you have the option toleave. At the end of the six months the Legion has theoption, if it so desires - to add a further six monthprobationary period to the contract. This will only be done

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if they consider you are still not quite up to the grade inall areas. (This is almost unheard of however). Anybodywho is deemed unfit to be a Legionnaire is normallyextracted before the end of the three weeks selection, andif not then - during the four months at Castelnaudary.Bear in mind that after three weeks at Aubagne and afurther four months at Castelnaudary you will then haveone month to go before signing the final binding contract.It is the case however that after basic training everybodyis sent back to Aubagne before departing for theirrespective Regiments. Here you are asked which Regimentyou would like to join and it is also here that you have theoption to leave the Legion. But not for another five weeksor so. If you decide to get out, then there will be fiveweeks of menial tasks and corvet found for you to doaround the guartier.

When it comes to signing your contract you will not havethe paper work in front of you translated. You will be toldthat the contract is for five years and given the paper tosign. There is little time for questions and answers andneither will it be written in your mother tongue. You dohowever have the option to leave at any time during yourfirst three weeks at Aubagne without obligation. TheLegion will normally donate F500 towards any travelexpenses to get you home. (Same amount applies forwhichever country you have come from). Below is atranslated example of what will be presented before youwhen you sign at the end of the three weeks selectionperiod:

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ACT OF ENGAGEMENTin the name of (1) JONES Davidas a foreigner in the Foreign Legion

In the year nineteen hundred and ninety five, theeighteenth of May at 1000Hrs, presenting himself beforeus was(2):

Mr JONES David aged: 23 years professional inthe trade of: carpentry living in Bath District ofAvon in the Country(3) Great Britain.Son of(4) Steven and of(4) Jane nee Smithliving in Leeds .

Hair: Chestnut brown Eyes: Brown Eyebrows:Heavy j oinedChin:Divided Nose:Concave Teeth: CM90%Face: Oval Additional Features: Scar r. arm,L. leg Height: 1m 94 Weight: 91Kgs Anyadditonal marks: Tattoo r.upper arm,

who has declared his wish to serve as a foreigner in theForeign Legion, and to this effect has presented us with:

l. A certificate dated on this day 18.05. 95 by(5) theFrench Army Doctor BUCHENNET, Doctor in charge ofthe 1 ere RE, Aubange.

and certifies that the applicant suffers no disablity and hasreached all the physical and height requirements forservice in the Foreign Legion.

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2.His birth certificate and proof of identity(3) certifyingthat he was born on 19.08.72 in London (GREATBRITAIN) and is of British Nationality.

3.Authorization has been recieved from his legalrepresentative(6).

4. (7) After having verified the documents presentedbefore us, he has read articles (8) 6,7 and 13 on DecreeNo. 77-789 as on 1st July 1977 relating to foreignmilitary personnel.

The applicant has been informed that:

1.His services are effective as of the date of his signingthis present contract.

2. The present contract carries a probationary period of sixmonths eventually renewable one time (une fois) by themilitary authorities. The probationary period takes effectfrom the date of signature on this present contract.

THIS CONTRACT DOES NOT BECOMEDEFINITIVE UNTIL THE END OF THEPROBATIONARY PERIOD.

3.During the initial probationary period the contract canbe terminated:

3.1 Either at the request of the recruit as agreed by themilitary authorities for reasons of a personal or socialnature or as a result of serious difficulties in adapting tothe Foreign Legion during the first four months of service.In this case the final decision must have been notified by

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the military authorities before the end of the probationaryperiod.

Or at any time, by the military authorities because of:- a pre-existing condition prior to engagement.- an inability to adjust to work which the the job entails orto serve in the ranks of the Foreign Legion.- an inability to adjust to a military way of life.

4. During the renewed probationary period this contract

can be terminated by the military authorities for reasonsof unsuitability for work or any inability to adjust to amilitary way of life.

5. At any time during the service the contract can beterminated according to the conditions laid down in article32 of FLM no. 2500/DEF/PMAT/EG/B as modified on 4July 1978 - notably:- on the request of the recruit for reasons of a justifiableand urgent nature, the details of which have occured sincethe date on which the contract was signed:

- by reason of physical inability,by the military authorities regarding insufficientprofessionalism or as a disciplinary measure.

- Considering these details the candidate has agreed toserve with honour and faithfulness for a period of fiveyears as of this day and undertakes in the course of thiscontract not to take advantage of French services orqualifications previously held.

The recruit has promised equally to serve within the ranksof the Foreign Legion wherever the government might

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deem it necessary to send him, and after having read thepresent act has enjoined his signature;

Recruit's signature. Signatureof the administration Officer

of the French

Army or the Deputy Admininstrator.

Probationary period renewable on for a periodof six months starting from the date of confirmation asdecided by the the Commanding Officer of the ForeignLegion.

Contract: annuled - terminated - cancelled(3) - as decided

by(9) on 19Contract became effective on 19 (3)

ChiefAdministration Officer for theFrenchArmy or the Deputy Administrator.

(1) Name and surname of recruit.(2) Name of the commissioner of army ground forces orhis acting local representative.(3) Delete as appropriate.(4) Once the details are known.

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(5) Name, rank and position of the officer signing thecontract.(6) If the recruit id less than 18 years old.(7) If the recruit is French and is not yet satisfied of hislegal obligations, the ministry authorise engagement undera changed name.(8) If the recruit does not speak French, he will be given areading in his language on the clauses in this act.(9) Indicate the reason.

If you feel that the French Foreign Legion way of life isfor you, further contracts can be signed with the Legionafter the initial five years. These can be for either sixmonths, one year, eighteen months, two years, three years,four years or five years. Whether or not the Legionaccepts you for further service is dependant on yourconduct during the previous years.

La Vie En Tolle - Life in Jail.

As a Legionnaire it is unlikely that you will experience astretch jail during your basic training. Once you havebeen posted to your respective regiments however, youwill find that it does not take any great crime againsthumanity to be sentenced to ten days in jail (The statutoryperiod for minor offences is a ten day period). Offences

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which might earn you a ten day spell in the slammer mightbe arriving late on camp after a night on the town, failingto top up the electrolyte in the vehicle batteries, beingbadly turned out for guard duty. For more seriousmisdeeds, the period of time becomes longer, up to amaximum period of forty days. Desertion carries themaximum Legion penalty of forty days but if the crimewere really serious, then you would do the forty daysfollowed by a period in a French civilian jail. This couldbe many years - if the crime were serious enough.

Initially you would be paraded in front of the Chef DuCorps, who will be examining your case. It is up to him todecide whether or not your are to go to jail. He maydecide that a period of "Consignes" is more appropriatein the case. (A period of time, normally between three andten days, when extra corvet duties are allocated duringyour spare time and you are restricted to the Quartier -apart from that you would work a normal day like the restof the section. This might be awarded for having dirt onyour weapon during an inspection, generally speakingmore menial offences).If the Chef Du Corps decides that you are going to jailthen all of your kit issued, and and all of your personal kitis listed, item by item and put away ready for your

release. During the period in jail, you will wear overallsand a dayglow orange waistcoat, and a forage cap. Thisidentifies you as a prisoner to everyone on and around theQuartier. The laces from your boots will be removed. (Toprevent you from injuring yourself) Every morning therewill be some form of physical training done - to the tuneof a five kilometre run with Sac a Dos around thequartier. The rest of the day will be doing corvette orpainting curb stones, gardening around the quartier,sweeping leaves and waiting on the Legionnaires that aredoing the guard duty.

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It is tradition in the Legion that your medals are pinned tothe door of your cell. Whatever medals you have beenawarded during your years of service in the Legion - theymust also have been awarded to the inspecting officer. Forexample, if the medal is of a some valour; such as theLegion D'Honneur - then the inspecting officer must alsohold that medal - even if it means coming from anotherQuartier.

In days gone by the Legion jail was the last hell on earth.Legionnaires would break rocks in a quarry all day - ormarch through the jungle for one year solid in a straightline cutting and thrashing their way through dense jungle,always under the direction of the Gardes de Tolle. Theywould sleep on concrete slabs with no roof over theirheads. Even ten years ago it was a brutal place to be.Prisoners would be beaten on a regular basis and lived infear of the Garde de tolle. Today it is still not a fun placeto be. The days start at 5.00 am and end at 8.00pm andthey are long and hard. Prisoners are not allowed tosmoke, work like dogs and are kept on tenterhooks untilthe day of their release.

Cumerone - Camerone Day.

On the 30 April every year the Legion celebratesCamerone Day. It was on this day in 1863 that theLegion's show of bravery was marked down in historyforever. Battle weary and with their numbers being cutdown until there were only ten men left, no ammunitionand in a foreign country, a handful of Legionnaires

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refused surrender against odds of nearly two thousandmarauding Mexicans. The Capitaine Danjou had madethem promise not to surrender, shortly before dyinghimself. The men were slowly being killed one by oneuntil there were only three Legionnaires left. They facedthe enemy with bayonets and prepared themselves to diewith honour. The Mexicans did not kill them butpersuaded a surrender under the Legionnaires terms.

It is as a result of this bravery that the 30th April iscelebrated with such enthusiasm every year. Camerone isas important as Le Noel - if not more so. It matters not,wherever the Legion is in the world - the 30 of April isalways celebrated.The preparation for the festivities begins months inadvance. Stands are built, games are devised, marqueeserrected. The day is not just for Legionnaires but also fora select number of family and friends of the Legion. It isthe one day of the year that the Legion opens its doors tooutsiders. Only the very leanest and meanest lookingLegionnaires will have the honour of being on guard onthis day. Their uniforms being prepared with even morecare and attention than usual.

The day begins with the roles reversed in every section ofthe Quartier. Le Legionnaire le plus jeune (The mostrecent legionnaire to join the section) becomes theCaporal du Jour for the day. It is he who allocates thecorvette duties, and marches the section onto La PlaceD 'Arrne. And it is the Sous officiers and the Officiers whodo the corvet. They will clean the toilets, the showers, thecorridors - every job normally allocated to theLegionnaires.The day will initially start with the Sous o/iciers bringingthe Petit dejeuner to the Legionnaires in their rooms.They will serve the Legionnaires their cafe and bring themtheir croissants (pastries). After which they will start thecorvette as directed by the Caporal du jour. The tradition

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is warmly welcomed by the Legionnaires and no-one isoffended.Each Regiment may run the day differently according tothe wishes of the respective Chef Du Corps. It may startwith a run, ending with whiskey and black pudding andLegion songs. On returning to the Quartier there is aparade by the Legionnaires in full Tenue de Parade,followed by the festivities which have been so carefullyprepared. Much wine is drunk and food consumed. It is arelaxed day and enjoyed by all. At Aubagne the Legion'sAnciens (Former members) come to relive their past andto pay hommage to their family. On this day every yearthe wooden hand of Capitaine Danjou is on display,paraded before the Legion and its guests. This actepitomizes the spirit of the French Foreign Legion.

If you are unlucky enough to find yourself in jail towardsthe end of April - you could be in for a reprieve. It istradition in the Legion that if less than ten days areremaining on your sentence on Camerone Day, then youare released as a form of amnesty in remembrance of allthe Legionnaires who died at Camerone in Mexico.

Legion Rules.

There are many rules that apply in the Legion which havebeen carried on from tradition. Below are listed but a few:

1. As a Legionnaire you are not allowed to leave the"Quartier" in civilian clothing except when going on"Permission".

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2. Marriage is only permitted when the rank of Sergentis achieved.

3. Legionnaires are not permitted to live off camp.(Although some do). They go home in the evening andreturn by 6.00am. It is normally the Caporaux who dothis since Legionnaires generally don't earn enoughmoney, especially in France.

4. You are not allowed to own a car or a motorbike. Youmay own a push bike if you join the Legion Cycleclub. If you do this you may only exit the campwearing the correct Legion cycle wear. These rules donot apply to Caporaux chefs, Sergents or above.

5. You are not allowed to own a bank account or toborrow money off others.

6. Legionnaires should be addressed by their Surnamesnot their Christian names.

7. If allowed out for the evening - you must be back by6.00am the following morning. If you are late; thepunishment is a statutory 10 days in jail.

8. During the first 3 years you are not allowed to leavethe country during permission. (Legionnaires dohowever go abroad using only their "CarteO'Identite" (ID card) and their "Titres dePermission" (Leave papers). An extra rule applies tothe "Deuxieme REP" (2nd REP) at Corsica: they arenot allowed to leave the island for the first year oftheir first tour at Calvi where they are based -tradition.

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The Regiment Postings in the Legion.There are eight Regiments in the French Foreign Legionplus half a brigade based in Djbouti, Africa. On top ofthis there are other detachments situated around the world.At present the Legion strength amounts to approximatelyten thousand men.

1 er REC. (Regiment Etranger de Cavalerie)ORANGE - France.

This is situated next to a beautiful town in S. Eastern

France. It is a Regt for those who like a slightly easierlife. Their role is to service and maintain the tanks - theAMX 10's. They were used extensively during the Gulfwar and proved extremely reliable. Operating in three manteams, a less stressful life is to be had in this Regiment.There is a more relaxed atmosphere here plus there is theadvantage of actually being able to see a bit of France -which for some people never happens in the wholecontract due to the hectic schedule of their regiment.The 1 REC forms part of France's Force d'Action Rapidealong with the 2 REI and the 6 REG.

4 erne Regiment . (Regiment D'Instruction)CASTELNAUDARY. Nr Toulouse - France.

This is where you will carry out your basic training. Asmall town situated close to Toulouse. Not that you wouldsee a lot of it during your first stay here. A railway trackruns through the centre of the town and that is where youwill arrive before being picked up by a coach to take youto the guartier. There are two quartiers in Castelnaudary- the new Quartier was built around 1985 and is veryplush. The old camp in Castelnaudary (QuartierLepasset) is where many of the Legion courses take place.

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The Caporaux courses (CT1), the Sergents courses (CT2)etc. At Quartier Capitaine Danjou there are threecompanies of E.V's and one company for trained rankswho are undertaking courses in the technical trades,mechanical trades and signals. It should be noted that themedics who do their training here will be practicing theirnew found skills on you, should you become injured. (Notadvisable). The camp is one of the most modernised of allthe Legion quartiers and is an impressive set-up. It is alsosituated near a town called Carcassonne, home of theFrench Paras where there is sometimes a ban on visitationdue to the trouble that has ensued between theLegionnaires and the Paras over years. The food atCastelnaudary is of a very high standard.

lere Regiment. (Regiment De Selection etd'administration)AUBAGNE. Nr Marseilles.

This is the Mother Regiment of the Legion. You will startyour time in the Legion here and you will end it here. Thisregiment deals predominantly with administration andsupport as well as personnel movements and maintainingall aspects of the Legion's contact with the outside world.It is also the home of the Legion Band and the museum.The Quartier (guartier Vienot) is close to Marseilles sothere is a fair bit to see and do if you have the time. Alarge proportion of the community in Marseille are Arabswho have immigrated from Tunisia, N.Africa. Again thesame sort of pay as Castelnaudary but unlikely that this

would be a first posting for a "non Francophone."(Someone who does not speak French). On entering theLegion the Band is always keen to recruit new bloodespecially anyone with a musical background - so if youhave played a musical instrument but don't want to be inthe band keep quiet about your past.

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2 eme REP. (Regiment Etranger des Parachutists)CALVI - Corsica

This is the most prestigious and most professional of allthe Regiments. The only Regt in the Legion to have anAirborne capability. It is here that you will also find "LesGroupe de Commandos Paracutistes (Formerly LesC.R.A.P 's - Commandos de Recherche et D 'Action dansla Profondeur) - This is the creme de la creme of theLegion - A sort of recce troop specialising in a wide rangeof special forces ops. They have a reputation for being thebest in the Legion. The REP is made up to a large extentof Brits and Germans. With this built in cultural disciplinethere is firm ground for quality soldiering to be builtupon.For their professionalism and their parachuting capabilitythey are paid one of the highest salaries in the Legion -around about E650 per month for a Legionnaire deuxiemeclasse. (Everything is however very expensive onCorsica). There are frequent fracas with the locals andplenty of good looking German and Italian talent on thebeaches in the summertime.This is also the Regiment most renowned for bullshit. Inthe 2eme REP there are three "Apels" per day. First thingin the morning, after lunch and at 9.00pm in the evening.The island is however a very beautiful one and if you'reinto physical training then maybe this is the Regiment foryou. Along with the relatively high pay, the prestige andthe emphasis on sport - this is a popular choice forLegionnaires leaving Castelnaudary. The uniform sportsthe Deurieme REP cap badge (The winged dagger) andthe Fourragere (Lanyard) is red. This all adds to theattraction of the 2eme REP. The contract will lastprobably 2 yrs before being posted, but many opt to staylonger. This particular Regt is frequently away ondetachments; normally for four months at a time. Places

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such as Djibouti, Central Africa. French GuyanaS.America. Promotion is slow and courses are hardersince the competition is tougher.If you are out to be the best then the 2eme REP has a lotto offer. On arriving at Camp Rafalli in Corsica - theinitial four months or so are spent on further training anddoing the "Jumps course" - until you have completed thisyou cannot be effected to a fighting company and areconsequently not regarded as a trained rank. Indeed you

will probably feel exactly the same as if you were stillunder instruction. Further fieldcraft training and combatexperience will be gained during your first year. Onlyafter then can you consider yourself to have taken yourplace properly in the 2 REP. Once in "The REP" there ismuch emphasis on physical training and there are plentyof clubs on camp, Kick boxing, Cycling, Clay pigeonshooting etc etc.It is tradition in this regiment to be confined to the islandfor the first year of the first posting there. It is alsotradition for the whole regiment to march across the islandfrom one side to the other once a year - a distance ofabout 200kms (Very hilly, barren and rugged country).

3 REI. (Regiment Etranger D'Infanterie).F. GUYANE - S.America

This Regiment is either loved or hated. Based in Kourou,French Guyana, it is a unique world of action andadventure. The pay is not the greatest in the world butthere are plenty of stories to be told after a two year tourhere. A lot of the Legion's work here is run from boatshollowed out of trees known as "pirogues", as are used bythe natives of the country. The role of the Legion in thisarea is to protect the rocket sight "Ariane", to man thesurveillance posts between Brazil and Surinam and toensure the safety of the regional headquarters atMartinique. There has been a war going on in nearby

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Suriname for some years and every now and again a bodyis seen floating down the river as a result of mercenaryoperations that go on. French Guyana consists ofhundreds of square miles of tropical jungle and isextremely hot and humid. You are permanently wet andfungal infections are rife. The jungle is full of naturaldangers and whether it is animal or vegetable it will eitherbite you or sting you. The constant noise of birdsong canalso drive you to insanity. The hardest part of jungletraining is often considered to be the assault course whichhas to be one of the toughest in the world.Pay for this Regiment is about F4500 per month. The beeris cheap and there was, until recently a brothel run by theLegion on camp (this was the last Regiment to run its ownbrothel). Their were four local girls who were changedonce every couple of months.

13 DBLE (13eme Demi-Brigade de la LegionEtrangere)DJBOUTI - NE Africa.

This unit is re-inforced by a rotating company of the 2emeREP or the 2eme REI. It's duties are to guarantee thedefence, territorial integrity and independence of theRepublic of Djbouti. Geographically the 13 DBLE issituated in a very strategic position - It has instant access

to the Indian ocean and is close enough to facilitatecontrol of the Red Sea and the Suez canal. As aLegionnaire posted in Djbouti you can expect to be onbush tours and nomadisation exercises as well asamphibious training. Soldiering in Djbouti can be tenseand tribal friction is commonplace. There are constantpatrols along the northern frontier of the Ethiopean andEritrean borders.Normally Legionnaires are posted to Quartier Gabodeafter several years of service. This is the only regiment

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where there is a lot of money to be made. Not only do youearn a lot more money here but you have little to spend iton, everything is cheap in this part of the world and youhave no Permission during your time in Djbouti. (You dohave a big back-log of permission after the tour though -so you can end up with several thousand pounds in cashplus three months leave after a two year stint in Djbouti -even as a Legionnaire.) On top of that every legionnairerecieves a bounty of twenty thousand Francs at the end ofhis tour. A Sergent can be putting away many thousandsof Francs away each week whilst in Djbouti. Oncompletion of his two years posting he will have accrued alot of money. There are normally about one or two placesallowed per Section after basic training - if you are goodenough in basic training, you could be sent here directlyaAer Castelnaudary. Prostitution is rife in the towns andthe beer is cheap. In fact everything is cheap and anythingcan be bought. Life is a little more relaxed in Djboutisince there are very few that are fresh out of training.Since the area is of Muslim faith the Legion also paysheed to the local traditions and work is done on Saturdayand Sunday whilst Thursday and Friday takes the form ofa weekend. Every legionnaire who serves in Djboutirecieves a bounty of twenty thousand Francs oncompletion of the tour of duty.

5 RE (5eme Regiment Etranger)Mururoa - Tahiti, S.Pacific.

This is where the Legion are responsible for overseeingthe nuclear testing grounds and for representing France inthe furthest corner of French Polynesia. It is a very smalldetachment made up of the Legionnaires of someexperience. The money is not particularly great and thereare long journeys at sea as well as isolation and little tooccupy yourselves. They concern themselves mainly withbuilding and road construction, security of the test site,

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maintaining a clean water supply and goodcommunications link.

DLEM (Detachement De La Legion Etrangere De

Mayotte)Mayotte - Indian Ocean.

This small detachement's main duties are in construction,supply and security. It is run and maintained by LesAnciens (Legionnaires with many years service undertheir belt). It is for those who have done plenty of serviceand can enjoy a more relaxed lifestyle.

6 REG (6 eme Regiment Etranger Genie)Avignon - France.

This regiment is based in another beautiful area of Franceand their job is that of engineering, bridge building, mineclearance and demolition. They were used extensivelyduring the Gulf war to deal with mines and booby traps.They have been involved in almost every theatre ofconflict that the Legion has been assigned to in recentyears. The 6 REG forms part of France's Force d'ActionRapide along with the 2 REI and the 1 REC.

2 REI (2 eme Regiment Etranger D'Infanterie)Nimes - France.

A large proportion of this regiment is made up of Frenchmen. Life in the 2 REI is hectic as detachments away forfour months at a time are commonplace. (Either in French

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Guyana, Djbouti or as has more recently been the case onlonger operations around the world. This regiment wasused extensively in the Gulf war, Bosnia and in Africa.The troops are supported by the vehicle known as theVAB (Vehicule avant Blindee - meaning vehicle that goesin front of the armoured vehicles) A superb wheeledvehicle which carries ten men. With the 6 REG and the 1REC this regiment forms part of France's "Forced'Action Rapide".

Les Metiers de la Legion - Trades of theLegion.

Once basic training has been completed a period of time isnormally spent as a combat soldier before specialising inany trade or even taking up further soldiering skills.Listed below are some of the trades that can be taken up,normally after some years in the Legion.

Administration: Secretary, typist, accountant,storekeeper,

- Signals: Radio operator, radio mechanic, Exchangeoperator, teletypist,

- Transport: Drivers of light vehicles, lorries, buses andtracked vehicles,

- Engineers: Heavy equipment operator, designer,

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- Building: Bricklayer, plumber, electrician, carpenter,painter etc.

- Maintenance: Engine mechanic, vehicle electrician,welder, small arms repair,

- Miscellaneous: Musician, medic, cook, photographer,cartoon designer, sports instructor, computer operator,Military Police, any trade in connection with the printingbusiness.

Other specialist skills can be learnt whilst still operatingas a combat soldier which will not alter the normalsoldiering life. As a Legionnaire you may specialise as aTireur D'elite, Milan, Mortiers, Conducteur, Infirmier,Commando. These short courses are known as "Stages ".

La Tenue et L 'Equipement - Dress andequipment.

Normal working uniform is not ironed in the Legion, noteven in basic training. The only uniform that is ironed isthe "Tenue de Garde" (Uniform worn on guard duty),"Tenue de sortie". (Uniform worn when allowed into thetown) and the "Tenue De Parade" (Uniform worn whenon parade). The ironing of these items of clothing appearsdaunting at first but once it has been done a few times it isreally not too bad. The reason being is that there arefifteen creases to be ironed into the shirt; three above eachtop pocket, two down each arm, two across the top of theback and three more which run vertically down the back.

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Trousers are ironed in the more conventional manner. Thefirst time you iron your shirt - it will probably take you agood hour, but once the creases are in, it is a fairly simpleprocess to run over them again. (Even after the shirt hasbeen washed the creases lines are evident). This makes itall the more important to make sure the creases are in thecorrect place to start with.Shoes are polished but not bulled - footwear is neverbulled in the Legion (unless you want to of course).If it is winter then Tenue D'Hiver (brown jacket andtrousers) are worn. These are pressed in the conventionalway. There will probably only be one iron for every tenmen during basic training though, so bear that in mind - Ifthe iron is free don't go and have a shower. It should benoted that once you have been issued your kit, anydamaged or worn sports clothing must be replaced byyou. Likewise the Kepi and your beret is yourresponsibilty. These can all be bought from the Foyer.

There are two variations of colour that the beret comes in.Both are green but one is slightly lighter. Both areacceptable unless your Chef De Section says otherwise.

Le Kepi Blanc - The White EelThe Kepi Blanc is the identifying symbol unique to theLegion. Many other Regiments wear Kepis too but notwhite. Similarly not all Legionnaires wear white Kepis;Sergents and above wear black with a red top. As doCaporal Chefs with more than 10 years service. All theranks can be distinguished by subtle changes in their Kepi(apart from legionnaires and Caporaux). But only in theLegion is there a "Grenade a Sept Flammes" - Anexploding grenade with SEVEN flames. The rest of theFrench Army have only six. The Kepi is worn most of thetime except during excercises and active workingengagements.

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Many Legionnaires carry pictures of girlfriends oroffspring in the inside base of the Kepi - this is acceptedas part of the Legion tradition and is not frowned upon.

Most of the Legionnaires also carry packets of cigarettesor a wallet inside the Kepi - resting on the head. Basicallyyou can keep whatever you like in there so long as it doesnot affect your external appearance.When a Legionnaire is paid it is always in a set manner.This is in the form of La Presente. The money - alwayscash, is paid onto a table where it is swept off the table bythe palm of your hand and into your Kepi, the Kepi is thenswung up onto the head in one fluid movement - followedby a salute. Although it does get dirty easily; it is alsoeasy to clean, using "Savon Marseille" (A lump of soap)and a scrubbing brush. There is also a monthly magazineissued &ee to all serving Legionnaires known as the "KepiBlanc" which has details of what is going on in the Legionaround the world. The magazine can also be sent to youafter you have left the Legion for an annual fee.

Le Foulard - Company shoulder signature cloth.This is a shaped piece of cloth which sits on the leftshoulder. It's colour identifies each Legionnaire as towhich company he belongs to. The colours remain thesame throughout the various Regiments and are asfollows:

1er Companie - Blue.2eme Companie - Red.3eme Companie - Yellow.4 eme Companie - Green.Le Companie de Commandement et des Services (CCS) -Grey.Le Companie d'Eclarage et d'Appui (CEA) - Black.

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La Fourragere - The Regimental Lanyard.This is a lanyard which is worn on the left shoulder withthe Tenue de Guarde, Tenue de Sortie and Tenue deParade. A different colour represents each differentregiment and with each regimental lanyard is indicates thenumber of citations won by that particular regiment.

Le Beret - Beret.The beret you are issued with at Aubagne will be green -you do not earn the beret as you do in some of the Britishforces; it is the Kepi that you earn. The first beret issuedto you will be quite large but after three or four weeks youwill be issued with a smaller one which has a much

smarter appearance. They can also be bought from the"Foyer" (Like a Naafi Or American PX store). There aretwo very subtle colour alternatives available - people wearboth.

La Tenue De Combat Vert - Uniform (Green)Before you leave Aubagne your measurements are takenand kit is issued to your exact size by the storemen.Watch your kit like a hawk, name it and rename it whenthe ink is wearing out. If you can mark it in some subtleway so that you can recognise it from the outside - then doit. That way, if anyone robs it, you can wander around theSection quietly and find the culprit. Strange though itseems, the Legion pays little attention to personal turnoutof normal daily uniform in basic training. The uniform isnot ironed during basic training and any inspection is verycursory. You will be picked up for dirty clothing and theboots must be highly polished at all times. The trainingteam will not tolerate any slackness in these areas.

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Les Rangers - The Boots.The Boots issued in the Legion are very good, fitting wellin most cases. The only drawback is the bucklearrangement which makes loud "Chinking" sounds as youwalk. (These are normally quietened by either threadingthe buckle back through itself or securing it with tape).The boots are an item of clothing which receive a lot ofattention in basic training. They are always polisheddownstairs and probably three or more times a day.

Le Sac a Dos - The Rucksac.There is little carrying capacity and no waist supportstraps to take the load on the hips rather than on theshoulders. There are two straps which hang down the

front and are very handy when on non-tactical operationsto slip the nose and arse end of the weapon through. Theweapon then hangs down in front of your chest. Apartfrom that the Sac a Dos is really pretty much as it's namesuggests - a sack hanging from your back. It is not

waterproof so anything inside should first be placed in alarge plastic bag.(As you might have guessed wet weather is not such aproblem in the French Foreign Legion).

S3P - Nuclear Biological and Chemical warefareclothing. (Disposable).Standard carbon filled clothing for protection againstBiological and Chemical agents. Like all NBC suits thereare patches for placement of biological and chemicaldetector paper.

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ANP - Respirator.For those that don't know a respirator is an airtight facemask fitted with a canister which facilitates safe breathingin a hazardous air environment. The "ANP" is for use inNuclear, Biological and Chemical warfare conditions.This item of kit was issued during the Gulf war and sitsnormally in a haversack on the left thigh secured by a longstrap which goes around the leg and hooks back onto itselfby means of two quick release clips. The respirator itselfis of brown rubber and looks pretty antiquated.Thankfully it was not put to the test during the Gulf war,except during training excercises. Canisters andaccessories are also supplied with the respirator and arereplaced by the Chef de Groupe when required. Makesure yours is not damaged or dented.

Le Noel - Christmas Time.

All Legionnaires regardless of rank must be on theguartier on Christmas day - even if you have justreturned from war. The Legion is your home and that iswhere you should be on Christmas day - with your family.This applies to all ranks including Sergents and abovewho may be married. The wifes of the Sous officiers andabove understand the traditions of the Legion. As is oftenthe case in the Legion, there is much emphasis onpreparation. This will include things like "La Creche" - Amodel type scenario of a scene made out of papier mache,wooden and plastic - whatever. There may be backdropsand lighting used to enhance the effects. The scene maydepict a combination of biblical and Legion historyintertwined, accompanied by a voice over made by one of

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the Legionnaires in the Section. There then follows acompetition to see which Section has made and created thebest Creche.The day is relaxed and there is plenty of food and drink.All Legionnaires receive a present, presented to them bythe Capitaine de Compagnie. The presentation is madeafter a feast of food and wine on Christmas Eve. Thepresent may be something like a watch, a walkman, a

radio or a tracksuit. (A Legion tracksuit that is - no onemay wear civilian tracksuits). Sometimes there is a giftgiven to a Legionnaire which is worth more than any other- that is the right to wear civilian clothes when out on thetown. (This would only be a gift to a Legionnaire sinceCaporaux with over five years service and ranks aboveCaporal already have the right). It is rarely given and ifever it is, it will only be to one Legionnaire per Regiment.There will then follow a round of jokes told by all ranksfollowed up closely by Legion songs and Christmascarols. Well known carols such as Silent Night may besung in up to ten different languages that evening.There is always some form of sporting competition heldduring the Christmas period. This is known as Le JourDu Sport. It comprises of inter-company sports eventssuch as the one and the four hundred metre sprint,volleyball, football, swimming, netball and boxing. Thereis also always the Regimental run which everyLegionnaire takes part in on Christmas day - normallyabout 10 kilometres, with Sac a Dos.The Chef du Corps makes it his job to see in person everyLegionnaire in his Regiment at Christmas time. As eachLegionnaire passes before the Chef Du Corps, he will beasked how his career is going, if he is happy and a bitabout his aspirations within the Legion, e.g. courses hewould like to do etc.

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Format of a Regiment:

Here follows a typical format of a Legion regiment - inthis case the 2eme REP. The Legion regiments consist ofsix compagnies;

- One Compagnie de Commandement et des services.(CCS)

- One Compagnie d'eclairage et d'appuis. (CEA)

- Four Compagnies de combat.

Each compagnie consists of four "Sections" ofapproximately forty men divided into four "Groupes" often men.

La Companie De Commandement et des services.(Known as the "CCS")This company supplies the Chef du Corps with the meansof regimental command, administration, the running of theregiments services such as the Foyer and the mess andacts as rear party to the camp when the regiment is away.

La Compagnie d'Eclairage et d'Appui.(Kown as the "CEA ")This company comprises of two sections of Milan anti-tank, one section of 20 mm anti-aircraft guns, one section

of 81mm and 120mm mortar and a recce section workingfrom jeeps. These Legionnaires receive specialist trainingin all types of combat up to the highest level.

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Les Compagnies de Combat.(Known as the "Premiere, Deuxieme, Troisieme andQuatrieme Compagnies de Combat).Apart from their basic training as airborne infantrysoldiers each and every soldier has an important role toplay in the heart of the regiment.

ler Compagnie.The Premiere Compagnie specialises in anti tank roles,fighting at night, in built up areas and combating snipers.

2eme Compagnie.The Deuxieme Compagnie specialises in mountain andarctic warfare and in crossing obstacles and clearanceproblems.

3eme Compagnie.The Troisieme Compagnie works in the area ofamphibious ops and all the techniques employed in thatarea of soldiering.

4eme Compagnie.The Quatrieme Compagnie concerns itself withclandestine type operations such as explosives, demolitionand sniping.

These specialisations are not rigid but move with thetimes, with the introduction of new equipment and tacticslearnt through experience on the ground and in combat.

There also exists within the 2eme REP - "Le Groupe deCommandos Parachutistes) formally "Les C.R.A.P."(Les commandos de Recherche et D'action dans leProfondeur).

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Le Groupe de Commando Parachutistes(Para- Commandos)

These legionnaires take a prestigious place in the heart ofthe 2 eme REP. They are the elite of the French ForeignLegion and are specialised in all aspects of combattraining from amphibious ops to mountain warfare toHALO parachuting (High altitude Low Openingparachuting where oxygen is required to facilitate thejump). An extremely high standard of fitness is a pre-requisite for a position within this unit. (Their title,incidently is due to be changed in the near future).

Les Armes de la Legion - weapons Of the

Legion.

Le FAMAS - 5.56 calibre personal assault rifle.(Fusil D'Assault - Manufacture de St.Etienne).The weapons training that is received in basic training willenable you to strip the weapon down, name the parts ofthe weapon, load, unload and make-safe the weapon. Youwill initially rely on the instructors to clear any Incidentde tir (Stoppages). These skills will be taught at a laterdate. The personal weapon is the FAMAS. This is a5.56mm short range assault rifle. This is not a weaponthat you can throw down in the mud, cock and fire - like

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the Russian Kalashnikov. It's soldiering applicationrequires a high standard of maintenance - which is exactlywhat it gets in the Legion. It is a favourite skill practicedby the Legion to fire from the hip and is practisedfrequently during basic training. This is known as"Position au genou" - it is very difficult to master and tobegin with results in much wasted ammunition. Theweapon also has the capabilty to fire rifle grenades. Thereare two methods of firing a rifle grenade form theFAMAS and both are practiced in basic trainingsometimes at some expense and danger to the Legion andits men.More suited to urban close quarter battle than anythingelse, the weapon does not foul badly but stoppages willoccur in sandy or dusty conditions, such as the Gulf.Possibly the main design fault is the fact that the piece ofplastic which guides the empty case out of the chamberknown as the "Appui joue" is held in place by a "clip on -clip off action". If this piece of plastic is lost or drops off- the weapon cannot be fired without risk of injury to thefirer. (The clip on - off action of the Appui-joue is usedalong with an adjustment to the extractor to facilitate leftAor right handed firing. A process which takes just a fewminutes).

The sling has various applications - not just in stabilisingthe steadiness during firing but also in various carryingmethods. In the base of the hand grip for the trigger handthere exists a compartment for cleaning materials.

It is a favourite of the instructors to emphasise theimportance of weapon cleaning. When the weapons arecleaned they are each cleaned for about seven or eighthours. In basic training you will not be allowed to sitdown whilst cleaning the weapon. There then follows anhour long inspection at the "Position Gardez -Vous" (Theattention position).At the end of the "Le Raid" - after marching over ahundred miles through the Pyrenees, the weapons and

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equipment are cleaned in just such a manner. Nobodygoes to bed that night. The weapons are at this stagecleaned with pure alcohol to de-grease every working part.Most of this attention to detail is a little un-necessary butcontinues to instill military discipline. This method ofcleaning continues even when at your Regiment. It is notunknown for a Section of Legionnaires to strip down theirweapons, load them onto a plastic palette and send themthrough the dishwasher in the kitchens a few times toremove the worst of the fouling from the working parts.This is done prior to commencing more conventinalcleaning methods. Some would say a good example ofmodern soldiering initiative.

LRAC 89mm. (Lance Rocket Antichar)Other weapons that you will be introduced to are the89mm - Lance Rocket Anti-Char (Medium Anti TankWeapon) referred to as the LRAC 89. A simplyconstructed yet efficient weapon, simple to fire andaccurate up to 400m. The targets you will be firing atnormally will probably be at 300m. Most of the problemsof accuracy lie in the correct judgement of distancebetween yourself and the target. If the correct distance isobtained it is actually quite hard to miss. The LRAC89can fire up to 130 rockets through its barrel before areplacement is required.

RAC 112mm. (Roquette Antichars)A larger weapon for these same application is the RAC112mm (Rocket Antichars). A beast of a weapon, whichknocks your socks off when you fire it. These too aresimple and accurate to fire, and devastatingly effective atranges up to 500 metres. An excellent piece of equipment.This weapon however, unlike the LRAC89, can only beused once before being discarded. There is therefore alimit to the amount of firepower such a weapon canmuster within the Section. If the appropriate clothing is

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not worn then small particles of cordite will pepper thehands and face when the weapon is fired. (there is a builtin mask on the RAC112 version). It should be noted thatthis weapon cannot be fired with a rucksac on your backin the lying down position. The sight should also beremoved after firing and kept aside.

MILAN MAWThis is a computer controlled wire guided missile systemgiving a ninety five per cent chance of a direct hit up to3000 metres. Used within all the infantry regiments butyou are not trained in these weapons until after basictraining, and only then if you are assigned to theCompagnie D'Appui. (Unlikely in the early stages of yourcontract).

La AA52 - "La AA Cinquante-deux" (also known as "La Nana")

A belt fed 7.5mm machine gun, normally issued one pergroupe. It is a fairly innacurate weapon but is still used inthe Legion today. Because of the inaccuracy of theweapon, it can pepper-spread a large area to the front - auseful application in certain scenarios. The weaponweighs 9.75kgs, it is simple and sturdy in construction,stripping and assembly is not a problem but the weapon isantiquated. It is supplied with a bipod and sling forcarrying.

FRF2This is the 7.5mm sniper rifle assigned to the Legion. Abolt action weapon which is capable of impressive resultsin the right pair of hands. Fitted with a bipod and differentsize butt plates a killing range of 600 metres can beacheived with accuracy. There is normally one Tireurd'elite per groupe. This is not officially a sniper but still atrained sharp shooter . The weapon is fitted with

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telescopic sights for daylight use and a night sight may befitted for use in darkness.

20mm CANON - "Le Canon de vingt".A heavy machine gun normally mounted on light transportvehicles which can be used to bring down aircraft.Ammunition comes in the form of armour piercing,explosive or standard ball. The firer sits in a seat and canchange direction by rotating the whole assembly in anydirection at speed by means of a powered motor.

12.7MM BR - "La Douze-sept".(.50 CAL BROWNING)An automatic machine gun normally mounted on the topof the VAB's capolla. Due to the size of the rounds - greatstopping power is available to lay down on an advancingenemy. This weapon was used considerably during theGulf war.

Missile HOT anticharAn optically guided tubular missile system which can befitted to vehicles. This will penetrate 800 mm of armourand will be effective at ranges up to 4 kms away.

Lu Paye - Pay In the Legion.

The pay during your five years can vary from F50 a weekto tens of thousands of Francs per month. It will varydepending upon which Regiment you have been posted toand where it is situated in the world at the time. Length ofservice and rank will also have a strong bearing on theamount of pay.

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As an engage in your first three weeks at Aubagne you

will be paid F50 per week. During basic training youreceive a pay rise which goes up to about F1300 permonth. This pay is the same for everyone regardless ofage. After basic training the pay will depend very muchon where you are located.If your first Regiment is in Metropole France then yourwages will be somewhat less. The Regiments in Franceare the 2eme REI, the 6eme REG and the lere REC.Based at Nimes, Avignon and Orange respectively. Allthese regiments will pay about F2500 per month to aLegionnaire in his first year. This first year as aLegionnaire you are ranked as a Legionnaire 2emeClasse. On completion of one years service (Service startsfrom the day you sign the Contract into the Legion) youautomatically become a Legionnaire 1 ere Classe. Therewas a time when the advance in rank was only given tothose who had been seen to have progressed in all areas ofsoldiering, language and attitude. Today it is an automaticadvance aAer one year's service. Some nationalities wouldremain on a lower pay scale for longer because they foundthe language more difficult - eg. the Japanese or theChinese. Because of such cases it was thought unfair andthe system was changed.Once the rank of Legionnaire lere classe has beenattained the pay goes up to F4000 per month in MetropoleFrance. A Caporal will draw about F5500 per month in

France. All of these wages will increase if the Regiment isposted overseas for even a few months. And more again ifthe period extends over six months. The 2eme REF pay ishigher than those in Metropole France because theyreceive "Jump Pay". They can draw about F4000 permonth as a 2eme classe and F6000 as a lere classe.These figures will increase when in Africa or onoperations.

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The 3REI based in French Guyana are are a little betteroff than those in France and a 2eme clase can expect toget around F3000 per month as a first years pay. 1 ereclasse will get about F4300 per month.

The 13 DBLE based in Djbouti, North East Africa are thebig earners of the Foreign Legion. (It is unlikely thatmany Legionnaires will get posted there straight afterbasic training. It is normally a posting that Legionnairesreceive after at least a year's service. There may, if you'relucky be 2 or 3 places available from the section of 40guys at the end of basic training - if you are good enoughyou will have first refusal.A Legionnaire 2eme classe in Djbouti will take homeabout F8000 a month. A lere classe nearer F9500. ACaporal may easily be getting F14000 per month. It is notnormally possible to get more than one overseas postingabroad during the first five year contract but then peopledon't join the French Foreign Legion to earn large

amounts of money.A sergent in Djbouti can expect to be saving a lot ofmoney during his stay, and because the cost of living ischeap in Djbouti there will be much money saved at theend of the two years posting there. Coupled with that,there is little or no permission given during the posting.For that reason when a Legionniare is sent to his nextRegiment he has a back-log of permission and a largeamount of money to spend. This may accrue to severalthousand pounds.

During your time in the Legion a proportion of your kit ispurchased by you. Once the kit has been issued, it is thenup to you to maintain or replace it. The kit is bought fromthe Foyer or from the Maitre Tailleur -The tailor. Duringthe first year of service in particular, when the pay is at itslowest, it can make things very tight.

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In addition to this the Legion holds back a proportion ofyour pay in an account held by the Legion itself. Thisaccount is known throughout the Legion as the CNE.Even during your first four months of basic training thereis an amount of your pay which is held back from yourmonthly wage. It is not critical at this stage of training tohave money and you rarely, if ever, have the opportunityto spend it. The pay is held back for a good reasonhowever. The money is kept aside for you when you leavefor your first Regiment. Here, you will be expected to buya pair of trainers in accordance with those worn by yourregiment. (Each Regiment tends to wear a different typeof trainers to the other). There will be other items ofequipment and kit which must be purchased; badges, aspare Kepi, a Fourragere (Lanyard) etc. This money willbe given to you before arriving at the Regiment you areposted to.

Once in the Regiment some of your pay is still kept back.When you are sent on permission, some of the money isagain kept back as a form of cushioning to support you,should you return from permission having spenteverything. From time to time, a proportion of this moneycan be taken out of the CNE, but only if your reasons forrequiring it are worthy enough to convince the Capitainedu Compagnie.

Les Rangs - The Ranks.

Below are listed the ranks of the Legion that you willcome across. The rank structure does go higher, and youmay in time meet some of them, but these are the ones thatare most important you learn first:

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Officiers superieurs:

ColonelLieutenant-ColonelOfficiers subalfernes:CommandantCapitaineLieutenantSous-LieutenantAspirantSous Officiers:MajorAdjudant-ChefAdjudantSergentHommes Du Rang:Caporal-Chef ~CaporalLegionnaire (Premiere classe - After one years service)Legionnaire (Deuxieme classe - After presentation of theKepi Blanc)Engage Volontaire

Caporal Chef" - This is a rank that is particular to theFrench Forces. It is a unique rank whereby the soldier canprogress no further in the rank structure once he hasreached the position of Caporal Chef. Not allLegionnaires wish to proceed in this direction - someprefer to wait until they are deemed ready for the Sergentscourse. If a Caporal Chef later decides that he wants toprogress further then he must revert to Caporal and thenrecontinue. The rank of Caporal Chef is not normallyachieved before at least eight to ten years service. Theattraction is a more laid back lifestyle with few of theresponsibilities of a Sergent but with some of the perks.

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It is highly unusual for Legionnaires to come into contactwith anyone over the rank of Colonel and ninety per centof the time your contact will be with ranks below Major.Ranks from Adjudant and above are addressed startingwith the word - "Mon "meaning "My". Therefore aCapitaine would be - Mon Capitaine, a colonel would beMon Colonel and so on.

La Permission - Leave/Holidays.

It will probably be nearly a year before you will have thechance to experience any permission. But when you doyou will more than likely have a reasonable pay packet totake with you. If you are in the 2eme REP then you willnot be allowed to leave the island during the first year. Ifyou are based at any of the other regiments in MetropoleFrance you may go just about wherever you please.Despite the fact that your passport has been taken awayyou will still be able to travel abroad. By using yourCarte D 'Identite (Legion ID card) and the Titre DePermission (Leave pass) you will be allowed to leave the

country by any of the airports. (The Legion states thatyou are officially not allowed to leave the country for thefirst three years of the contract - but most Legionnairesdo). You will, as always be paid in cash and if a largepayout is due they will oAen offer to send the money to apre-arranged address given by you (obviously not a UKaddress). This is done to combat the risk of Legionnairesbeing mugged by the locals - who know full well when thepermission starts, and that you will be carrying largeamounts of cash. The length of permission will dependon many things: how long you have been away, if youhave been in combat and whether or not there are anyforthcoming events or dates that you must be back for,e.g. Noel or Camerone. But normally it will be about twoweeks. This is the only time in the Legion when you are

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allowed to leave the guartier in civilian clothing as aLegionnaire. If you do not have any civilian clothing andno-one has any that you can borrow, then it must beTenue De Sortie - not Tenue De Sport. You may alsoreturn in civvies.If you have no friends or relatives staying in France thenyou must state your address as being either Fort DeNogent in Paris or Malmousce near Marseille or any otherprivate address in France - even a hotel is OK. BothMalmousce and Fort De Nogent allow you to stay as aLegionnaire guest. There is a room for you for which youpay ten Francs per day for the room and the food andwine is free. It is not run like a normal quartier, althoughthere are Legionnaires posted there to keep the place upand running. There is a role call in the morning (really justto find out how many mouths there are to feed at ledejeuner) - Apart from that you can come and go as youplease. It is very relaxed and not a bad way to spend yourleave, Malmousce being positioned on the coast nearMarseille and Fort De Nogent right in the centre of Paris.Despite having put your, one of these locations down asyour leave address you are really free to go wherever youplease. Nobody will be bothered. Paris airport is verysmall and does not take long to nip around to all the desksand find out which one is offereing the best deals. A flightto the UK is normally pretty cheap and you will often findother Legionnaires there to socialise with prior todeparture.One of the benefits of the Legion is the discount availableto them on the trains. All Legionnaires are entitled to aseventy five per cent discount on all rail fares in Franceon showing an ID card. The French trains provide anexcellent service but the ticket collectors can come acrossas being a little arrogant at times.If you are late back from leave - you will have the samepunishment as you would if you were late back from anight out on the town; the statutory ten days in jail. Some

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Legionnaires pass via Paris on their way to the airport -but find they're having such a good time that they spendthe whole of the permission in Paris. If this happens, it isnot a problem to make your way down to Fort De Nogentand book yourself in there for the duration of thepermission. Assuming there is a room vacant you will beallowed to stay.One of the greatest things about the French ForeignLegion is that you will always have a good time off -firstly you work hard - you play hard, and secondly theLegion always makes sure you have money for the periodof the permission. (Often it is a considerable sum for theamount of time that you have off)

Desertion.

Such a book on the French Foreign Legion would not becomplete without some mention of desertion.

It happens, and it happens a lot. And the people whodesert have to live with it for the rest of their lives. Whatmakes people desert? And what makes them stay whenthey want to desert?For some, they have no choice. For others, whatever drewthem to the Legion in the first place was not enough tomake them stay when it got tough. They are the unluckyones if you like - they have options open to them. The"search for adventure" all of a sudden seems like a veryweak reason for joining the French Foreign Legion. Theycompare what they've got and what they could have. Andthen they think about living with the truth and how peopleback home will react to the truth. They think about theirimage. Then they'll probably think about how much timeis there left to do before they've finished the contract.

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Then...then, they make a momentous decision. And thatdecision they must live with.

It is better to finish the contract with pride, knowing thatso many have deserted before your eyes during the timethat you have been in. Do not join expecting life as aLegionnaire to be all adventure, high adrenalin rushes andconstant action. Expect to be bored, disappointed and atyour wits end from time to time. Expect a hard timephysically and mentally and you will not be disappointed.If you think whilst you are reading this, that you couldone day desert - then don't even join in the first place.Remember that the longer you are in, the easier it gets.Five years goes very quickly and you'll glad you stayed ifyou do.

If a Legionnaire has made a break for it then for the firstfew days he is noted down as "Absent". There aresometimes reasons why Legionnaires are late back on

camp. Eg. after a night out on the town. After seven daysabsence you are declared a "Deserteur". This carries astandard sentence of 40 days. (Assuming they haven'tdeserted on the brink of war or whilst at war when theycould face up to two years in a French civilian jail afterhaving done the forty days in the Legion jail) If aLegionnaire deserts with a weapon, the search will take amuch more sinister form with many men involved. Theprospects for such a deserter are not pleasant.

Useful Phrases:

Some of the more commonly used phrases used in theFrench Foreign Legion almost every day...

Tu (te) demerde - Get yourself out of the shit.

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Demerdez- vous - Get yourselves out of the shit.

Casse(-moi) pas les couilles - Don't break my balls.

J'en ai vraiment plein les couilles - I've really had a ballsfull of this.

Tu te fous de ma gueule ou quoi? - Are you taking thepiss or what?

Tu rigoles ou quoi? - You must be joking.

Arrete ta connery - Stop fucking about.

C'est meme pas la peine - It doesn't even bear thinkingabout.

C'est pas la peine - There's no use.

C'est pas vrai? - It can't be true/ No I don't believe it.C'est pas possible - It's not possible.Ferme ta geuele - Shut your face.J'ai pas compris - I don't understand.gu 'est- ce que pa veut dire - What does that mean?Comment on dit?.... - How do you say?....Oh Putain! - Oh Whore (Used as: Oh Shit).Putain de Merde! - Whore of shit (Used as: Fucking Hell)Merde! - Shit.

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A few helpful words:

Abdominaux - Sit upsAnciens (Les) - The guys that have been in a long timeepee - Role callBagarre - To scrap/fightBatiment - Building

Binome - Buddy/Partner/OppoBrouillage - WebbingCamion - LorryCaporal - CorporalCaporal Fut fut - Corporal on the accelerated promotion.Casse-croute - Snack-breakCenturion - BeltCenturion Bleu - Wide blue sash worn under belt.Chants - SongsChaussettes - Socks

Chef de Corps - Officer in charge of the QuartierChemise - ShirtClairon - BuglerCorvet - Cleaning DutiesConsignes - Extra duties and consignment to the QuartierDate de Naissance - Date of birthDehors - (Get) Outside!Demi(une) or Une Pression - Lager (in half pints)Engage Volontaire (E. V.)- RecruitEn couloir - (Get) into the corridorEn position - (Get) into the position (For press ups)En Bas - Go downEpaulettes de Tradition - Red epaulettes worn for guardor paradeFoyer - Small bar with shop attachedFusil - RifleHaut - Go up

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Hommes du rang - Lower ranksInfirmiers - MedicsIncidents de tir - Weapon stoppagesJeunes (Les) - The most inexperienced to have joined.Legia Patria Nostra - The Legion is Our Home.Matricule - Service numberMagazin - ArmouryPantalon - TrousersPaquetage - All your kitPays - CountryPermission - Leave/Holiday/VacationPetit footing (Le) - Running (As a sport)Piste de Combat - Assault coursePlace D 'Arme - Parade square.Presente (Le) - The Presentation.Medecin - Doctorguartier - Campguartier Libre - Time offRassemblernent - AssemblyRangers - BootsRefectoire - Eating hall (for Legionnaires).Slips - PantsSous officiers - NCO'sSous-vetement - Track suitSergent - SergeantStages - Courses

Stick - Stinging slap on the back of the neckTenue - UniformToile - JailVeste de Combat -Combat jacket

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Appendix.

The Contract to be signed:

Se REGION MILITAIREImprime No. 311-6/4

Place de MARS EILLEInstruction No. 2500/DEF/PMAT/

EG/B du 4 Juillet 1978.

No. du registre: 986Format: 21 x 29,7.

(Recto.)

ACTE D'ENGAGEMENTdu nomme(1) JONES Davida titre etranger pour la legion etrangere.

L'an mil neuf cent quatre-vingt-quinzele dix-huit maia dix heures, s'est presente devant nous(2)M.(l) JONES David age de 23ans exercant la profession de menuisier

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resident a Bath canton dedepartement de(3) Grande Bretagnefils de(4) Steven et de(4) Janenee Smith domicilies a

Cheveux Chatains Yeux BleuSourcils Ecartes droitsMenton Bilobe Nez ConcaveDents C.M. 90%Visage Ovale

Renseignements physionomiques supplementaires:

Tatouage avant-bras gauche

Taille: 1m 87Poids: 85 kgs

Marques particulaires:

lequel a declare vouloir s'engager pour servir a titre

etranger dans la legion etranger et, a cet effet, nous apres ente: le Medecin des ArmeesBUCHENNETMedecinAdjoint du 1er R.E.

1. Un certificate delivre a la date du 16.05.95par(3)et constant qu'il n'est atteint d'aucune infirmite, qu'il reuintla taille et autres conditions requise pour servir dans lalegion etrangere.

2.Son bulletin de naissance, une declaration d'identite(3)constatant qu'il est ne le 19 Aout 1972 a London(GRANDE BRETAGNE) et de nationaliteBrittanique.

3. L'autorisation de son representant legal(6).

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4. (7)

Apres avoir reconnu la regularite des pieces profuits, nouslui avons donnes lecture(8) des articles 6. 7 et 13 No. 77-789 du decret n.77-789 du ler juillet 1977 relaitif auxmilitaires a titre etranger.

Nous 1'avons informe que:

1. Ses services compteront a partir de la date de signature,par lui, du present contrat.

2. Le present contrat comporte une periode probatoire desix mois eventuellement renouvable une fois par 1'autoritemilitaire.La periode probatoire prend effet de la date de signaturedu present contrat.

LE CONTRAT NE DEVENANT DEFIMTIF QU'AUTERME DE LA PERIODE PROBATOIRK.

3. Pendant la periode probatoire initiale ce contratpourra etre denonce:

31. Soit a la demande de 1'engage, agree par 1'autoritemilitaire, pour raison personelle d'ordre sociale ou pourdes difficultes notoires d'adaptation, exprime jusqu'auterme du quatrieme mois de service. Dans ce cas ladecision definitivedu commandement devra etre signifieavant la fin de la periode probatoire initiale.

32. Soit a tout moment, par I'autorite militaire du fait:- d'une inaptitude medicale pour une cause pre-existante a1'engagement:- d'une inaptitude a 1'emploi ou a servir dans les rangs dela legion etrangere:

- d'une inadaptation a la vie militaire.

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4. Pendant la periode probatoire renouvelee ce contratpourra etre denonce par I'autorite militaire pourinaptitude a 1'emploi ou pour inadaptation a la viemilitaire.

5. A tout moment ce contrat pourra etre resilie dans lesconditions fixees dans 1'article 32 de FLM No.2500/DEF/PMAT/EG/B modifiee du 4 juillet 1978 etnotamment:

- sur demande agree de 1'engage pour raison personnelleimperieuse fondee sur des faits dument reconnus etsurvenus depuis la signature de 1'engagement:- d'office pour inaptitude physique:- par 1'autorite militaire pour insuffusance professionelleou par mesure disciplinaire.

- Apres quoi le candidat a promis de servir avec honneuret fidelite pendant cinq annees a partir de ce jour et s'estengage aucours de ce premier contrat a ne pas se prevaloirde services ou de qualifications antiereurement detenus atitre franglais.

le contractant a promis egalement de servir dans les rangsde la legion etrangere partout ou il conviendrait legouvernement de 1'envoyer et, apres avoir eus lecture dupresent acte, a signe avec nous.

L 'engage Le Commissaire deI'armee de terre

OU

l'officier suppleant

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Periode renouvelee le pour une duree de six moisa compter du............ confirm la decision ducommandement de la legion etrangere en date du.......

(~)Contrat - annule - denonce - resilie (3) a compter dupour (9) par decision du en date du

notifiees a 1'interesse leContrat devenu definitif le (~)-

Commissaire de L'annee de terre

OU

L'ogicier suppleant,

(1) Nom et prenom de 1'engage.(2) Nom du commissaire de 1'armee de terre ou de 1'officier suppleant et localite ou il est en fonction.(3) Rayer les mentons inutiles.(4) Lorsque ces renseignements sont connus.(5) Nom, grade et qualite de 1'officier signature ducertificate.(6) Si 1'engage est age de moins de 18 ans.(7) Si 1'engage est franglais et n'a pas encore satisfait a sesobligations legales, autorisation du ministre permettent1'engagement a titre etranger.(8) Si 1'engage ne connait pas la langue franglais, il lui seradonne lecture dans sa langue, des clauses contenues dans1'acte.(9) Indiquer le motif.

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Recruiting Centres in France.(Poste Information de la Legion Etrangere)

There are sixteen recruiting centres plus Aubagne itselfwhere you can go directly if you want to save a few dayshassle. All of these centres are open 24 hours a day. Maplocations follow each recruiting centre in brackets.

Addresses of Recruiting Centres:

94120 Fontenay-sous-Bois (1)Fort De NogentParisO: 0033 1 48 77 49 68

59000 Lille (2)La CitadelleR: 0033 3 20 55 40 13

76038 Rouen cedex (3)Rue du Colonel-TrupelR: 0033 2 35 70 68 78

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86000 Poitiers (4)Quartier AbovilleR: 0033 5 49 41 31 16

44000 Nantes (5)Quartier Desgrees-du-LouRue GambettaR: 0033 2 40 74 39 32

57000 Metz (6)Quartier de-Lattre-de-TassignyR: 0033 3 87 66 57 12

21000 Dijon (7)Caserne Junot - 66Avenue du DrapeauR: 0033 3 80 30 02 10

67000 Strasbourg (8)Quartier LecourbeRue d'OstendeR: 0033 3 88 61 53 33

51000 Reims (9)Quartier Colbert32 bis Avenue de la PaixR:0033 3 26 88 42 50

13007 Marseille (10)La Malmousque - Chemin du GenieR: 0033 4 91 31 85 10

13400 Aubagne (1 1)Quartier VienotR: 0033 4 42 03 38 79

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64100 Bayonne (12)Caserne Chateaux-VeauxR: 00 33 5 59 25 66 70

33000 Bordeaux (13)260 rue PelleportR: 0033 5 56 92 99 64

69007 Lyon (14)Caserne Sergent-Blandan37 bis, rue de ReposR: 0033 4 78 58 40 21

06300 Nice (15)Caserne Saint-Jean-d'AngelyRue des Diables-BleusR: 0033 4 93 56 32 76

66020 Perpignan (16)Caserne Mangin8 Rue Francois-RabelaisR: 0033 4 68 35 05 38

31000 Toulouse (17)Caserne PerignonAvenue Camille-PujolR: 0033 5 61 54 21 95

Although telephone numbers are listed above - noinformation will normally be given over the phone.You may also write in English to the following addressfor information on joining the Foreign Legion:

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Bureau de Recrutement de la Legion Etranghre,Quartier Vienot13400 AubagneR: 0033 4 42 84 97 66 (You may have more luck withthis number).

See over the page for locations marked on the map.

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Disclaimer Notice.

In no way can the author of this publication be liable forany injury, illness, expense or ill-feeling incurred by thereader as a result of having read this book. Allinformation has been published as accurately as possible.Neither is the author liable for any information publishedherein that is incorrect or out-dated.

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