What is the French Foreign Legion? (Inside the Unit of Outlaws & Exiles)

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The French Foreign Legion is a corps of the French Army that allows for virtually anyone to join its ranks. Quite literally, the French Foreign Legion is the unit of second chances. This is because the French Foreign Legion allows for any qualifying individual to join their ranks, even if they have a criminal history, come from a different country, or are there to escape from their former life.

Because of the unique nature of the French Foreign Legion, the bond between its members, called legionnaires, are very strong. And since 1831, the French Foreign Legion has been continually used in combat. But with that said, what exactly does the French Foreign Legion do? How can one join the French Foreign Legion? And how did a group that was originally filled with foreign outlaws become one of the most respected and romanticized military corps in history?

If you’re interested in learning more about the French Foreign Legion, watch this video!

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Can a soldier be loyal when defending another  country s flag? An iconic military unit of the   French Army has the answer. The French Foreign  Legion found a way to transform volunteers from   all backgrounds and ways of life, including  deserters and people with criminal records,  

Into warriors that have defended French  interests overseas for almost 200 years.   Its members come from all around the world.  They join seeking adventure, a fresh start,   or the challenge of becoming part of a legendary  force. As legionnaires, they partake in  

Extremely dangerous and controversial missions  throughout the world, where the level of threat   and political sensitivities are too high. And in  their journey, they gained worldwide recognition   as some of the most honorable soldiers. With  that said, what exactly does the French Foreign  

Legion do? How does it operate today? What makes  the legionnaires so special? And how did a group   that was originally filled with foreign outlaws  become one of the most respected and romanticized   military corps in history? We re going to answer  all those questions for you and much more.   

Join us as we cover the legendary French Foreign  Legion. Today, the French Foreign Legion is a   renowned assault troop within the French Army, but  that s not the first thing people think when they   hear their name or see their distinctive white  cap. No. They think about fugitives and deserters,  

About songs, camaraderie, and heroic missions  in exotic lands. You may have heard some of   the tales about the French Foreign Legion  already. Some are dark, others are ridiculous,   and more than a few are true. All of the myths  and stories surrounding the French Foreign Legion  

And its members are fueled by the Legion s long,  rich history. Not many military units in the   world can confidently say they have 190 years of  continuous combat experience. And it all started   with an excess of unemployed foreigners and a  helpless emperor. Imagine this: You are the ruler  

Of an empire that s suffering the consequences  of 200 years of revolutions and civil wars. The   guys preceding you were overthrown, executed, or  exiled. Your foreign enemies are expanding while   you are losing ground. You don t trust your  citizens. After all, they were the ones who  

Made a mess of your country. The streets of your  capital city are flooded with unemployed veterans,   deserters, refugees, mercenaries, and criminals.  Most of them are foreign. You are alone. You need   soldiers who are willing to follow your orders.   This is what was going on with King Luis-Phillippe  

In 1831. The French army was close to non-existent  because France had become dependent on mercenaries   for quite some time, and the King was  facing a loss of power and territories. So,   at the suggestion of his Minister of War, he  decided to recruit volunteers from the foreigners  

That swamped France and send them far away to  protect and expand the French colonies. That s   how the French Foreign Legion was established.   First, the Legion helped secure the conquest of   Algeria in northern Africa, where they set up a  base. Then, they were sent to rough-up the rival  

Empire of Spain, by fueling an internal power  struggle. And then, the Legion helped expand   France s frontiers and influence in all corners  of the World. Nobody was safe: Italy, Mexico,   Morocco, Lebanon, Indochina, you name it. They all  got a bloody taste of the Legion. Over decades,  

The Legion grew and became better and  more famous. At its highest point,   they reached 45,000 legionnaires. But the best,  most epic moments in the Legion s history have   been when all odds are against a small group  of legionnaires, like in the battle of Camar n,  

When 65 legionnaires refused to surrender against  3000 Mexican loyalists. Just like the movie 300,   but with way more clothing. In the end, only the  captain and two legionnaires were left holding   their positions with fixed bayonets after running  out of ammo. When they were finally captured,  

The commander of the Mexican army couldn t believe  there were only 3 legionnaires left, famously   saying, These are not men, they are demons! .   Demons indeed. What makes the Legion truly special   is its members: their unique background, their  belief in mindless sacrifice, their profound  

Sense of camaraderie, their discipline, and their  training. The French Foreign Legion famously   accepts volunteers from all backgrounds and ways  of life, including deserters and people with a   criminal record. The Legion doesn t ask too many  questions, doesn t judge, and believes in second  

Chances in life. When you join them, you leave  your past identity behind. You will be given a   different name, a new date of birth and a European  social security number. And if you re French,   you re expected to change your nationality to that  of another French-speaking country such as Belgium  

Or Switzerland. It s truly a new beginning for  those who are looking for one, and most recruits   are. The motivation to join the Legion varies:  some want a fresh start, some seek adventure,   and others want money. For those of you who want  to get a fresh start, you should know that at the  

End of the first year, a Legionnaire can choose to  either keep using his new identity or reclaim his   old name. Moreover, if you re a foreign-born  legionnaire, you can become a French citizen   after 3 years of service. You can also become  French by spilled blood which means you can apply  

Right after being wounded during a battle.   Those who join seeking adventure will find it.   The Legion is currently deployed in places like  Mali in west Africa, Lebanon in the Middle East,   or French Guiana in South America. They undertake  counterinsurgency operations, conventional  

Warfare, and peacekeeping missions. They can end  up in a desert fighting terrorist groups with NATO   allies one day, and destroying illegal gold mining  camps in the middle of a tropical jungle the next.   Right now, the Legion helps fight jihadist and  rebel forces in the African Sahel area, protects  

The UN mission in Lebanon, combats illegal mining  groups while protecting a Space Center in French   Guiana, and supports counter-terrorism in the  French mainland. When you re part of one of   the toughest units in the world, you ll earn  the respect of other hardened expeditionary  

Units. You don t get charged with the protection  of US forces left flank in the middle of Operation   Desert Storm by just staying at home and sipping  wine. During a year in a combat unit, legionnaires   will spend a minimum of 4 months on field service,  2 months on counter-terrorism in France, 4 months  

On training or in the regiment, and 2 months on  holiday. There is time for adventure and time for   resting. Last, some just go and join the Legion  for the money. A single man living in the barracks  

Will earn an initial minimum salary of 1,348 per  month as of 2023, the same as soldiers from other   branches of the French military. This rises to  a monthly wage of 3,423 during deployment. Plus,   they have many bonuses according to their rank  and qualifications. Benefits also include free  

Housing, clothing, food, and medical care. They  get 20 paid vacation days during the first year of   service, 25 during the second, and from the third  year onward, 45 paid vacation days. That s not   bad! And, after 17 and a half years of honorable  service, they can start collecting a regular  

Retirement pension. Those are meaningful benefits  if you come from a country where there are fewer   opportunities or no social welfare. The payment  for your services doesn t turn a legionnaire from   a professional soldier into a foreign mercenary,  which is a common misconception. Unlike  

Mercenaries, the legionnaires are a permanent part  of the French Army, integrated into the regular   military structure and follow orders of the  French government. Mercenaries, on the other hand,   may work for various employers such as private  entities, and usually operate on a temporary  

Basis. But if you just want to become rich, save  yourself some pain: you ll probably do better   by becoming a mercenary and not a legionnaire.  However, it must be said that both mercenaries   and legionnaires have historically been treated as  expendables. More than 35,000 legionnaires have  

Died in battle since the Legion was established.  One of their past Generals famously screamed   at them before a battle Legionnaires! You are  soldiers meant to die, and I am sending you to   the place where you can do it . This idea of being  meant to die is fundamental to understanding the  

Legionnaires culture, or as they famously call it,  esprit de corps, or sense of identity and pride.   A Legionnaire knows he is a professional soldier:  they don t give a damn what they re fighting for,  

It’s their job. And their job is their life, most  of the time their new and only life, their escape,   their second chance. They ve got nothing else.  That s why they fight so well and die so well.   

The Legion s motto is Legio Patria Nostra , or  the Legion is our Fatherland . In other words,   the Legion is your home and what you fight to  protect. They don t have to serve or even care   for France. While the rest of the French  Army swears to Honor and Fatherland , the  

Legionnaires are the only ones to say Honor  and Fidelity : they do pledge to be honorable,   but their true loyalty is owed to the Legion  and the Legion alone. And over time, protecting   their Legion in the most difficult and dangerous  combat situations hardens into a distinctively  

Strong sense of camaraderie. Today, the Legion  has nearly 9,000 legionnaires coming from 150   countries. Even when there is a shared spirit, it  is hard to integrate so many different cultural   and social backgrounds. The Legion relies on  strict discipline to overcome this, starting with  

Their ruthless training system. Basic training  to become a legionnaire lasts 4 months. They ll   train at one of 4 isolated facilities in the South  of France that legionnaires call the Farm , which   is far from being some wine and cheese retreat  at a lavender field. They ll also do a week of  

Mountain training in the French Pyrenees, which is  a mountain range that separates France from Spain.   Training will be tough enough, so it s better  to join the Legion during the warmer months   and avoid the hellish winter. The Legion uses  a basic training course similar to other basic  

Training plans, that covers all kinds of terrain,  climate and combat, but with a significantly more   brutal tempo and demands. Candidate s bodies  will be pushed to their limits. For example:   legionnaires run significantly more than other  soldiers in the French Army. They are expected  

To cover long distances in rough terrain without  access to transportation. As we said before,   the legionnaires are expendable, so when on the  battlefield, they usually get fewer logistics   and transportation compared to other units, which  is not unique, as France does operate in lighter  

Units. If they have to leave somebody behind,  they do. Every legionnaire knows this. No question   about it. And this is why legionnaires run so  much, because it s not just about strengthening   their bodies, they re actually securing their  best means of transportation on the battlefield.  

Recruits who don t do well running their 6.3  miles, or 10 kilometers, every morning are quickly   kicked out. Knowing that they are the French army  s last priority in expeditionary forces also means   that when rations become scarce, they definitely  won t get any, so the legionnaires learn how  

To live with hunger. They have a significantly  lower caloric intake than other soldiers. Some   tell stories of losing 16 Pounds in the first  4 weeks. I guess running while starving every   day along mountain paths and rocky roads will do  that to you. This severe caloric restriction,  

Plus the lore that surrounds the Legion, gave rise  to myths of legionnaires finding ways to use their   enemies flesh and cure it, mixing it with salt  to keep a protein source at hand. There s no   evidence of this, and it s probably based on the  pictures of legionnaires posing next to rifles,  

Body parts, and sabers seized as trophies at the  Battle of Menabha in 1908. As many armies have   done with mementos through the ages in conflict,  Legionnaires have sometimes kept other things,   such as flags, but officially, no slain enemy s  body parts. Candidates sense of discipline will  

Also be pushed to the limit during basic training.  Legionnaires spend a lot -and when we say a lot,   it s A LOT!- of time cleaning and ironing. They  ll learn what it means to serve, to be a servant,   by mopping, scrubbing, and ironing those damn  perfect shirt creases that some would say are  

Completely useless but have been traditional to  the Legion since World War II. They ll also do a   lot of formation training and learn the Legion  s distinctive slow 88-step-per-minute marching   speed, which is just another reminder that they re  now part of the unit that always comes last. Some  

Say all of this cleaning and marching is a waste  of valuable time. That the newcomers could be   training in other aspects of modern infantry that  are, quite frankly, kind of neglected. However,   critics forget that the Legion is creating  cohesion and discipline where language is a  

Problem. You don t have to know French to join the  Foreign Legion. You just have to know how to read   and write. It would be delusional to think that  you ll be able to train these recruits in skills  

That require more than a couple of words. One of  the most difficult challenges for the yearly 1,000   trainees is language learning: they must learn  operational French during basic training if they   hope to remain part of their unit. Their learning  system is straightforward: learn vocabulary and  

Grammar for 4 hours, repeat for 22 hours, and sing  the Legion s marching songs over and over and over   again. Candidates cannot speak another language  during training, or they will be punished. A   scarier prospect than the passive aggressive  stares from the Duolingo owl. Theoretically,  

There are no corporal punishments in the Legion,  but they will get as close as they can: there are   stories of being extremely sleep-deprived,  doing push-ups on knuckles until they bleed,   serious injuries that don t release them from  their training duties, some minor teeth-kicking,  

And even a couple of deaths. In the end, they ll  be exhausted in body, mind and spirit, but hey,   at least they will know their French.   Unsurprisingly, they ll also get really good   at nonverbal communication, reacting quickly and  working in small units, which is a big plus on the  

Battlefield. In fact, one of the areas where the  Foreign Legion shines compared to other troops is   in small-unit and anti-ambush tactics. After the  first month of training, they ll do the classic   kepi march, get their white cap, and take the oath  to become an official member of the French Foreign  

Legion. And in the last month of training, they  ll do their examinations. Based on their scores,   they can choose their future regiment. The Legion  is organized into 11 regiments, 9 in mainland   France and 2 in the French Overseas Territories,  all falling under the authority of the Foreign  

Legion Command. Their various specialties include  infantry, cavalry, engineers, and airborne troops.   They might end up doing jungle training in  French Guiana, desert training in Djibouti,   mountain training in the Alps, or skydiving and  scuba diving in Corsica. If they re one of the  

Best recruits, they ll probably end up joining the  1st foreign engineer regiment, which has a unit of   combat divers called DINOPS. Or they can join the  2nd parachute regiment, which has an elite unit   of parachutists known as the GCP, who achieve  a higher level of infiltration by opening their  

Ram-air parachute at the desired altitude instead  of using a static line. These two groups are what   some call the special forces, or the commandos,  of the French Foreign Legion. Today, the Foreign   Legion represents roughly 11% of the French Land  Task Force and it s still one of the French Army s  

Preferred units for overseas service. There are 5  simple requirements to become a legionnaire. First   and foremost, be a man. In almost 2 centuries  of history, only one woman has been able to join   the Legion s actual fighting force, and she was a  well-seasoned World War II hero when she applied.  

Sorry, ladies, it looks like you can t run away  and join the Legion. Second, be the appropriate   age. The Legion recruits male volunteers between  the ages of 17 to 39 and a half, regardless of   their nationality. Third, know how to read  and write in their own language. They don  

T need any special qualifications, or even a high  school diploma. All they need is basic reading and   writing skills. Fourth, they need to be physically  and medically fit: this means a fully functioning   body with a normal Body Mass Index, being able to  swim at least 25 meters without any assistance,  

And not having chronic diseases such as diabetes.  And last but not least, they can t be wanted by   Interpol. The Legion will turn a blind eye to  minor criminal records. As a matter of fact,   it is said that they prefer recruits who have a  checkered past because they ll be more devoted to  

The Legion, as it represents a real second chance  in life. But if Interpol wants them for things   like arms dealing, drug trafficking, or murder,  then that s just too much for the Legion s modern   standards. If they had arrived a century earlier,  that wouldn’t have been an issue, tough luck.   

If they fulfill these simple 5 requirements  and want to join the French Foreign Legion,   all one has to do is get their passport, a copy  of all their basic documents, and a couple of   T-shirts and toiletries. And they need not worry  if they ve been previously rejected from other  

Units. For example, those who don t get into the  British Gurkhas try out in the Legion. Just buy   a ticket to France, turn up at one of their 10  recruitment centers, knock on the door and say  

You want to join them. They will let them inside,  and then send them to Aubagne, where they ll start   the 4-stage, 22-day-long testing phase. These are  paid days, so even if they don t get selected, at  

Least they ll have the money to buy a plane ticket  back to where they came from. The first stage of   the testing phase, called information, consists  of 2 days of filling out forms. No big deal,   basic first date stuff like Do you have siblings?  or Have you killed someone? . The second stage,  

Called evaluation, lasts 7 days and includes  a sports test, motivation interviews,   a medical visit, and a simple IQ test where  they evaluate a candidate’s logical thinking   skills. The third stage, called selection, is  another 7 days involving psychotechnical tests,   a personality test, more medical exams, and even  more interviews. These interviews include a  

Background check by an office that candidates  call the Gestapo after the secret police of   Nazi Germany. This is when any questionable  things in their past may come to haunt them,   from their questionable browsing history to their  minor criminal offenses. You get the idea. Then,  

A commission of around 15 senior members of the  Legion will vote in favor of or against accepting   them. And if they pass, congratulations, as  only 1 in 10 are selected. After being selected,   it is time to start the incorporation stage,  which consists of 7 days of garrison life where  

Candidates get a post-it with all of the details  of their new identity including their new name,   which sometimes starts with the same two letters  as their former name. They ll complete all other   formalities, sign a contract, and go to the  4th Foreign Regiment for basic training. This  

Is where they will now start the tough journey  to become a Legionnaire. If you re currently   in the army of a NATO member country, and  salivating for the Legion s hard training,   but don t want to join the Legion, just know  they hold different training courses as part  

Of the collaboration with their NATO Allies.  One of the most famous is the Jaguar Course,   an 8-week jungle warfare course held in the French  Guiana rainforest, open to special operations   members. Another well-known course is the French  Desert Commando Course, a two-week long course  

At the combat training center at Arta Beach in  Djibouti. But know that you don t have to go   to the jungle or desert to learn more about some  of the best Units around the world. If you d like  

To learn more about other elite foreign units,  make sure to check out our video on 8 Tier One   Units from around the world, made possible by our  supporters on Patreon. If you d like to join the   General Discharge legion and help us keep creating  amazing content, be sure to scan the QR code  

On screen or go to the link in the description  below. We promise we ll treat you better than the   French Foreign Legion! Lastly, let us know if we  pronounced anything wrong in the comments below!