March or Die: A New History of the French Foreign Legion

A good book everything about a great fighting force in an exciting and intelligent narrative

This was an enjoyable read. Well-researched and a good balance of telling a good story without over-dramatizing it.

A very good read, packed full of information and I like the chronological order in which it is given. Gives much more insight on the Frence politial theatre and how it affected the Legion, then I had expected. It was a niece touch, as it takes the book into the 'why' instead of just reciting the plain history of the legion. The only reason I do not give the book five stars is because, I believe, the writting lacked a bit of passion when and was too clinical in it's descriptions of the various high points of the legion. Here it gave us the who, when, where, and why but did not provide enough details. Very good index, bibliography, and some plain maps in the back of the book for further research if you are interested. To sum up, great book but reads a bit like a college thesis in some protion, well recommended.

This time sequential history of the French Foreign Legion is a must-read for any casual or studious reader of military history. While France's army and ability to defend itself is often the subject of jokes, there is no joking about the die-hard and resolute history of its Foreign Legion. Aside from French officers and French NCOs, the bulk of the Legion's ranks, especially in the mid to late 19th Century onwards, consisted of Germans, Swiss, Austrians, Italian, Brits, Americans, and other foreigners. From the classic last stands of Camerone and Tien Bien Phu, to the occupation of Algeria and Morocco, the gallantry and hardship of the Legion is spelled out in all its glory. The Legionnaires were not French by blood, but gave their blood for France in a myriad of exotic and dangerous foreign and colonial settings. In WWI, the Legion was the only arm of the French military that did not mutiny. In reciprocity, France often ignored its mercenaries or gave the Legion less than their due, in typical French fashion. This book is an excellent read, and makes a good companion to other books on 19th Century colonial wars, most of which focus on Britain (see some of my other reviews on these books).

In 1862 an exhausted detachment of French legionnaires, deep in the Mexican jungle and surrounded by local troops, famously refused to surrender even after they had fought to the last round. Fixing bayonets, they charged to their deaths, leaving only a handful of wounded as survivors. So goes the (true) story of Camerone, which to this day inspires foreigners of all stripes to enlist for France. It also establishes a motif of the Legion as the expendable, quasi-mercenary force, whose blood is often shed for an ungrateful nation. This image reached its zenith in the 1950s, with both the battle of Dien Bien Phu and the 1958 withdrawal from Algeria cementing the tradition of futile heroism. Other operations have involved French intervention in Chad in the 1980s and various other para drops into troubled ex-colonies. Since the Legion has traditionally had a strong German contingent, it is ironic indeed that some of its greatest glories were won fighting Germany in both world wars.