Editing French Foreign Legion (section)

== History ==
{{Main|History of the French Foreign Legion}}

The Foreign Legion was created by [[Louis Philippe I|Louis Philippe]],<ref>[[Louis Philippe I|The Duke of Orleans]] was a former [[Lieutenant-General (France)|Lieutenant-General]].</ref> the [[List of French monarchs|King of the French]], on 10 March 1831 to allow the incorporation of [[List of militaries that recruit foreigners|foreign nationals]] into the [[French Army]] from the [[Origins of the French Foreign Legion|foreign regiments]] of the [[Kingdom of France]].<ref>{{cite web |date=2021-03-11 |title=Is Foreign Legion still an elite, international fighting force? |url=https://www.rfi.fr/en/france/20210311-is-french-foreign-legion-still-an-elite-international-fighting-force-covid-19-diversity-military |access-date=2022-01-14 |website=RFI |language=en}}</ref> Recruits included soldiers from the recently disbanded Swiss and German foreign regiments of the [[Bourbon monarchy]].<ref>{{cite book| author=Douglas Porch| title=The French Foreign Legion: A Complete History| date= 1991| isbn=978-0-333-58500-9| pages=3–4| publisher=Macmillan}}</ref> The Royal Ordinance for the establishment of the new regiment specified that the foreigners recruited could only serve outside France.<ref>{{cite book| author=Douglas Porch| title=The French Foreign Legion: A Complete History| date= 1991| isbn=978-0-333-58500-9| page=1| publisher=Macmillan}}</ref> The French expeditionary force that had occupied [[Algiers]] in 1830 was in need of reinforcements, and the Legion was accordingly transferred by sea in detachments from [[Toulon]] to Algeria.<ref name="Tweedie">{{Cite web |last=Wharton |first=James |title=Can I run away and join the French Foreign Legion? |url=https://www.forces.net/stories/can-i-run-away-and-join-french-foreign-legion |access-date=2022-03-02 |website=Forces Network |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book| author=Douglas Porch| title=The French Foreign Legion: A Complete History| date= 1991| isbn=978-0-333-58500-9| pages=11–13| publisher=Macmillan}}</ref>
Since its establishment in 1831, the Legion has consisted of hundreds of thousands in active service at its peak, and suffered the aggregated loss of nearly 40,000 men<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.legion-etrangere.com/mdl/page.php?id=474&titre=La-Legion-ne-pleure-pas-ses-morts-elle-les-honore |language=fr |last=Maurin |first=Jean, Général |author-link=Jean Maurin |date=4 November 2016 |title=La Légion ne pleure pas ses morts, elle les honore ! |work=French Foreign legion |access-date=7 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191007183056/https://www.legion-etrangere.com/mdl/page.php?id=474&titre=La-Legion-ne-pleure-pas-ses-morts-elle-les-honore |url-status=live |archive-date=7 October 2019}}</ref> in [[France]], [[Algeria]], [[Morocco]], [[Tunisia]], [[Madagascar]], [[West Africa]], [[Mexico]], [[Italy]], [[Crimea]], [[Spain]], [[Indo-China]], [[Norway]], [[Syria]], [[Chad]], [[Zaïre]], [[Lebanon]], [[Central Africa]], [[Gabon]], [[Kuwait]], [[Rwanda]], [[Djibouti]], former [[Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia|Yugoslavia]], [[Somalia]], the [[Republic of Congo]], [[Ivory Coast]], [[Afghanistan]], [[Mali]], as well as others. The Legion was primarily used to help protect and expand the [[French colonial empire]] during the 19th century. The Foreign Legion was initially stationed only in [[French Algeria|Algeria]], where it took part in the [[Pacification of Algeria]] and destruction of the natural habitat of the colony. Subsequently, the Foreign Legion was deployed in a number of conflicts, including the [[First Carlist War]] in 1835, the [[Crimean War]] in 1854, the [[Second Italian War of Independence]] in 1859, the [[Second French intervention in Mexico|French intervention in Mexico]] in 1863, the [[Franco-Prussian War]] in 1870, the [[Tonkin Campaign]] and [[Sino-French War]] in 1883, supporting growth of the [[French colonial empire]] in [[Sub-Saharan Africa]], the [[Second Franco-Dahomean War]] in 1892, the [[Second Madagascar expedition]] in 1895 and the [[Mandingo Wars]] in 1894. In [[World War I]], the Foreign Legion fought in many critical battles on the [[Western Front (World War I)|Western Front]]. It played a smaller role in [[World War II]] than in World War I, however, participated in the [[Norwegian Campaign|Norwegian]], [[Syria-Lebanon Campaign|Syrian]] and [[North African Campaign|North African]] campaigns. During the [[First Indochina War]] (1946–1954), the Foreign Legion saw its numbers swell. In Vietnam, the Legion lost a large number of men in the catastrophic [[Battle of Dien Bien Phu]] against forces of the [[Viet Minh]].

Subsequent military campaigns included those during the [[Suez Crisis]], the [[Battle of Algiers (1957)|Battle of Algiers]] and various offensives in Algeria launched by [[Maurice Challe|General Maurice Challe]] including Operation Oranie and [[Operation Jumelles]]. During the [[Algerian War|Algerian War of Independence]] (1954–1962), the Foreign Legion came close to being disbanded after some officers, men, and the highly decorated [[List of French paratrooper units|1st Foreign Parachute Regiment]] (1<sup>er</sup> REP) took part in the [[Algiers putsch of 1961|Generals' putsch]]. In the 1960s and 1970s, Legion regiments had additional roles in sending units as a [[rapid deployment force]] to preserve French interests – in its former African colonies and in other nations as well; it also returned to its roots of being a unit always ready to be sent to conflict zones around the world.

Some notable operations include the [[Chadian–Libyan conflict]] in 1969–1972 (the first time that the Legion was sent in operations after the Algerian War), 1978–1979, and 1983–1987; [[Kolwezi]] in what is now the [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]] in May 1978. In 1981, the [[1st Foreign Regiment]] and Foreign Legion regiments took part in the [[Multinational Force in Lebanon]]. In 1990, Foreign Legion regiments were sent to the [[Persian Gulf]] and participated in [[Opération Daguet]], part of [[Division Daguet]]. Following the [[Gulf War]] in the 1990s, the Foreign Legion helped with the evacuation of French citizens and foreigners in [[Rwanda]], Gabon and [[Zaire]]. The Foreign Legion was also deployed to [[Cambodia]], [[Somalia]], [[Sarajevo]], Bosnia and Herzegovina. In the mid-to late 1990s, the Foreign Legion was deployed to the [[Central African Republic]], [[Republic of the Congo|Congo-Brazzaville]] and in [[Kosovo]]. The French Foreign Legion also took part in operations in Rwanda in 1990–1994; and the [[Ivory Coast]] from 2002 to the present. In the 2000s, the Foreign Legion was deployed to [[Operation Enduring Freedom]] in Afghanistan, [[Opération Licorne]] in Ivory Coast, the [[EUFOR Tchad/RCA]] in Chad, and [[Operation Serval]] in the [[Northern Mali conflict]].<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887324235104578242993426029234 |url-access=subscription|title=France Widens Military Effort in Mali |first=Drew |last=Hinshaw |author2=Gauthier-Villars, David |date=15 January 2013| work=[[The Wall Street Journal]]}}</ref> 

As discussed [[#Emulation by other countries|below]], other countries have attempted to emulate the French Foreign Legion model. The Foreign Legion was primarily used, as part of the ''[[Army of Africa (France)|Armée d'Afrique]]'', to protect and expand the [[French colonial empire]] during the 19th century, but it also fought in almost all French wars including the [[Franco-Prussian War]], World War I and World War II. The Foreign Legion has remained an important part of the French Army, and sea transport protected by the [[French Navy]] survived three Republics, the [[Second French Empire]], two World Wars, the rise and fall of mass [[Conscription|conscript armies]], the dismantling of the French colonial empire, and the loss of the Foreign Legion's base, Algeria.

===Conquest of Algeria 1830–1847===
{{Main|Origins of the French Foreign Legion|2nd Foreign Legion (2LE)|1st Foreign Regiment|2nd Foreign Infantry Regiment}}

Created to fight "outside [[Metropolitan France|mainland France]]", the Foreign Legion was stationed in [[French Algeria|Algeria]], where it took part in the [[Pacification of Algeria|Algerian genocide]] and destruction of the natural habitat of the colony, notably by drying the marshes in the region of [[Algiers]]. The Foreign Legion was initially divided into six "national battalions" (Swiss, Poles, Germans, Italians, Spanish, and Dutch-Belgian).<ref>{{cite book| author=Douglas Porch| title=The French Foreign Legion: A Complete History| date= 1991| isbn=978-0-333-58500-9| page=14| publisher=Macmillan}}</ref> Smaller national groups, such as ten Englishmen recorded in December 1832, appear to have been placed randomly.

In late 1831, the first legionnaires landed in Algeria, the country that shaped its character and became the Foreign Legion's homeland for 130 years. The early years in Algeria were hard on the legion because it was often sent to the worst postings and received the worst assignments, and its members were generally uninterested in the new colony of the French.<ref name="Algeria">Porch pp. 17–18</ref> The Legion served alongside the [[Bat' d'Af'|Battalions of Light Infantry of Africa]], formed in 1832, which was a [[penal military unit]] made up of men with prison records who still had to do their military service or soldiers with serious disciplinary problems.

The Foreign Legion's first service in Algeria came to an end after only four years, as it was needed elsewhere.

===Carlist War 1835–1839===
{{Main|Origins of the French Foreign Legion|2nd Foreign Legion (2LE)|First Carlist War}}

The French government sent the Foreign Legion to Spain to support [[Isabella II]]'s claim to the Spanish throne against her uncle. On 28 June 1835, the unit was handed over to the Spanish government. The Foreign Legion landed via sea at [[Tarragona]] on 17 August with around 1,400 who were quickly dubbed ''Los Argelinos'' (the Algerians) by locals because of their previous posting.

The Foreign Legion's commander immediately dissolved the national battalions to improve the ''esprit de corps''. Later, he also created three squadrons of lancers and an artillery battery from the existing force to increase independence and flexibility. The Foreign Legion was dissolved on 8 December 1838, when it had dropped to only 500 men. The survivors returned to France, many reenlisting in the new Foreign Legion along with many of their former [[Carlism|Carlist]] enemies.

===Crimean War===
{{Main|Crimean War}}

On 9 June 1854, the [[French ship Jean Bart (1852)|French ship ''Jean Bart'']] [[French Navy|embarked]] four battalions of the Foreign Legion for the [[Crimean Peninsula]]. A further battalion was stationed at [[Gallipoli]] as brigade depot.<ref name="Douglas Porch page 124">{{cite book| author=Douglas Porch| title=The French Foreign Legion: A Complete History| date= 1991| isbn=978-0-333-58500-9| page=124| publisher=Macmillan}}</ref> Eight companies drawn from both regiments of the Foreign Legion took part in the [[Battle of Alma]] (20 September 1854). Reinforcements by sea brought the Legion contingent up to brigade strength. As the "Foreign Brigade", it served in the [[Siege of Sevastopol (1854–1855)|Siege of Sevastopol]], during the winter of 1854–1855.<ref>{{cite book| author=Pierre Montagnon| title=L'Armee d'Afriqu2| date= 2012| isbn=978-2-7564-0574-2| pages=56–57 | publisher=Pygmalion}}</ref> 

The lack of equipment was particularly challenging and [[cholera]] hit the Allied expeditionary force. Nevertheless, the "leather bellies" (the nickname given to the legionnaires by the Russians because of the large cartridge pouches that they wore attached to their waist-belts), performed well. On 21 June 1855, the Third Battalion, left Corsica for Crimea.

On 8 September the final assault was launched on [[Sevastopol]]. Two days later, the Second Foreign Regiment with flags and band playing ahead, marched through the streets of Sevastopol. Although initial reservations had been expressed about whether the Legion should be used outside Africa,<ref name="Douglas Porch page 124" /> the Crimean experience established its suitability for service in European warfare, as well as making a cohesive single entity of what had previously been two separate foreign regiments.<ref>{{cite book| author=Douglas Porch| title=The French Foreign Legion: A Complete History| date= 1991| isbn=978-0-333-58500-9| pages=127–128 | publisher=Macmillan}}</ref> Legion casualties in the Crimea were 1,703 killed and wounded out of total French losses by battle and disease of 95,615.<ref>{{cite book| author=Pierre Montagnon| title=L'Armee d'Afrique| date= 2012| isbn=978-2-7564-0574-2| page=63 | publisher=Pygmalion}}</ref>

===Italian Campaign 1859===
{{Main|Second Italian War of Independence}}

Like the rest of the "[[Army of Africa (France)|Army of Africa]]", the Foreign Legion provided detachments in the campaign of Italy. Two foreign regiments, grouped with the 2nd Regiment of [[Zouave]]s, were part of the Second [[Brigade]] of the Second [[Division (military)|Division]] of [[Patrice de Mac-Mahon, Duke of Magenta|Mac Mahon]]'s [[Corps]]. The Foreign Legion acquitted itself particularly well against the [[Austrian Empire|Austrians]] at the [[battle of Magenta]] (4 June 1859) and at the [[Battle of Solferino]] (24 June). Legion losses were significant and the [[2nd Foreign Infantry Regiment (France)|2nd Foreign Regiment]] lost Colonel Chabrière, its commanding officer. In gratitude, the city of [[Milan]] awarded, in 1909, the "commemorative medal of deliverance", which still adorns the regimental flags of the Second Regiment.<ref>In ''Le livre d'or de la Légion étrangère'', p. 66.</ref>

===Mexican Expedition 1863–1867===
{{Main|Second French intervention in Mexico|Battle of Camarón}}

[[File:Légionnaire-Mexique.JPG|thumb|upright|Uniform of a legionnaire during the 1863 Mexican campaign]]

The 38,000 strong French expeditionary force dispatched to Mexico via sea between 1862 and 1863 included two battalions of the Foreign Legion, increased to six battalions by 1866. Small cavalry and artillery units were raised from legionnaires serving in Mexico. The original intention was that Foreign Legion units should remain in Mexico for up to six years to provide a core for the Imperial Mexican Army.<ref>René Chartrand, ''The Mexican Adventure 1861–67'', p. 19, {{ISBN|978-1855324305}}</ref> However the Legion was withdrawn with the other French forces during February–March 1867.

It was in Mexico on 30 April 1863 that the Legion earned its legendary status. A company led by Captain [[Jean Danjou]], numbering 62 Legionnaires and 3 Legion officers, was escorting a convoy to [[Siege of Puebla (1863)|the besieged city of Puebla]] when it was [[Battle of Camarón|attacked and besieged]] by three thousand Mexican loyalists,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.channel4.com/life/microsites/E/escape_to_the_legion/legion.html|title=About the Foreign Legion|access-date=9 March 2007}}</ref> organised in two [[battalion]]s of infantry and cavalry, numbering 2,200 and 800 respectively.{{citation needed|date=October 2021}} The Legion detachment under Danjou, [[Ranks in the French Army|Sous-Lieutenant]] {{ill|Jean Vilain|fr|vertical-align=sup}}, and Sous-Lieutenant {{ill|Clément Maudet|fr|vertical-align=sup}}<ref name="2rei.legion-etrangere.com">{{citation |url=http://2rei.legion-etrangere.com/mdl/info_seul.php?id=143&idA=28&block=15&idA_SM=0&titre=historique-du-2e-rei |work=Official Website of the 2nd Foreign Infantry Regiment |title=Historique du 2 REI, La Creation (Creation) |access-date=13 July 2015 |archive-date=30 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150630212436/http://2rei.legion-etrangere.com/mdl/info_seul.php?id=143&idA=28&block=15&idA_SM=0&titre=historique-du-2e-rei |url-status=dead }}</ref> made a stand in the ''Hacienda de la Trinidad'' – a farm near the village of Camarone.  When only six survivors remained, out of ammunition, a [[Bayonet|bayonet assault]] was launched in which three of the six were killed. The remaining three wounded men were brought before the Mexican commander Colonel [[Francisco de Paula Milán|Milán]], who allowed them to return to the French lines as an honor guard for the body of Danjou. The captain had a wooden hand, which was later returned to the Legion and is now kept in a case in the Legion Museum at Aubagne and paraded annually on Camerone Day. It is the Foreign Legion's most precious relic.

[[File:Main Danjou.gif|thumb|left|[[Jean Danjou]]'s prosthetic wooden hand]]

During the Mexican Campaign, 6,654 French died. Of these, 1,918 were from a single regiment of the Legion.<ref name="neeno">{{cite web |url=http://www.militaryhistoryonline.com/19thcentury/articles/frenchinmexico.aspx |title=The French Intervention in Mexico (1862–67) |last=Neeno |first=Timothy |publisher=Military History Online |access-date=26 February 2011 |archive-date=30 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170330000851/http://www.militaryhistoryonline.com/19thcentury/articles/FrenchInMexico.aspx |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Franco-Prussian War 1870===
{{Main|Franco-Prussian War|Alsace-Lorraine}}

According to French law, the Foreign Legion was not to be used within [[Metropolitan France]] except in the case of a national invasion,<ref>Martin Windrow, p. 5, ''Our Friends Beneath the Sands'',  {{ISBN|978-0-297-85213-1}}</ref> and was consequently not a part of Napoleon III's Imperial Army that capitulated at [[Battle of Sedan (1870)|Sedan]]. With the defeat of the Imperial Army, the [[Second French Empire]] fell and the [[French Third Republic|Third Republic]] was created.

The new Third Republic was desperately short of trained soldiers following Sedan, so the Foreign Legion was ordered to provide a contingent. On 11 October 1870 two provisional battalions disembarked via sea at [[Toulon]], the first time the Foreign Legion had been deployed in France itself. It attempted to lift the [[Siege of Paris (1870–1871)|Siege of Paris]] by breaking through the German lines. It succeeded in retaking [[Second Battle of Orléans (1870)|Orléans]], but failed to break the siege. In January 1871, France capitulated but civil war soon broke out, which led to revolution and the short-lived [[Paris Commune]]. The Foreign Legion participated in the suppression of the Commune,<ref>{{cite book|last=Lepage|first=Jean-Denis G.G. |title=The French Foreign Legion: An Illustrated History|year=2008|publisher=Mc Farland & Co. Inc|location=US|isbn=978-0786432394|page=60|url=https://www.google.ie/search?tbm=bks&hl=en&q=The+French+Foreign+Legion%3A+An+Illustrated+History&btnG=}}</ref> which was crushed with great bloodshed.

===Tonkin Campaign and Sino-French War 1883–1888===
{{Main|Tonkin Campaign|Sino-French War}}

[[File:Legion sniper, Tuyen Quang.jpg|thumb|upright|A Legionnaire sniper at [[Siege of Tuyên Quang|Tuyên Quang]]]]

The Foreign Legion's First Battalion (Lieutenant-Colonel Donnier) [[French Navy|sailed]] to Tonkin in late 1883, during the period of undeclared hostilities that preceded the [[Sino-French War]] (August 1884 to April 1885), and formed part of the attack column that stormed the western gate of [[Sơn Tây Campaign|Sơn Tây]] on 16 December. The Second and Third Infantry Battalions (''chef de bataillon'' Diguet and Lieutenant-Colonel Schoeffer) were also deployed to Tonkin shortly afterwards, and were present in all the major campaigns of the Sino-French War. Two Foreign Legion companies led the defence at the celebrated [[Siege of Tuyên Quang]] (24 November 1884 to 3 March 1885). In January 1885 the Foreign Legion's 4th Battalion (''chef de bataillon'' Vitalis) was deployed to the French bridgehead at Keelung (Jilong) in Formosa (Taiwan), where it took part in the later battles of the [[Keelung Campaign]]. The battalion played an important role in Colonel [[Jacques Duchesne]]'s offensive in March 1885 that captured the key Chinese positions of La Table and Fort Bamboo and disengaged Keelung.

In December 1883, during a review of the Second Legion Battalion on the eve of its departure for Tonkin to take part in the [[Bắc Ninh Campaign]], General [[Oscar de Négrier|François de Négrier]] pronounced a famous ''mot'': ''Vous, légionnaires, vous êtes soldats pour mourir, et je vous envoie où l'on meurt!'' ('You, Legionnaires, you are soldiers in order to die, and I'm sending you to where one dies!')

===Colonization of Africa===
[[File:Bonifacio Légion JPG1.jpg|thumb|upright|Monument commemorating the soldiers of the Foreign Legion killed on duty during the South-Oranese campaign (1897–1902).]]

As part of the [[Army of Africa (France)|Army of Africa]], the Foreign Legion contributed to the expansion of the [[French colonial empire]] in [[Sub-Saharan Africa]]. Simultaneously, the Legion took part to the [[pacification of Algeria]], suppressing various tribal rebellions and [[Ghazi (warrior)#Razzia|razzias]].

====Second Franco-Dahomean War 1892–1894====
{{Main|Second Franco-Dahomean War}}

In 1892, [[Béhanzin|King Béhanzin]] ordered his soldiers to attack villages near [[Grand Popo]] and [[Porto-Novo]] (in modern-day [[Benin]]) in an effort to reassert the older boundaries of Dahomey. King Béhanzin rejected complaints by the French, who proceeded to declare war

A battalion, led by commandant Faurax Montier, was formed from two companies of the First Foreign Regiment and two others from the second regiment. From [[Cotonou]], the legionnaires marched to seize [[Abomey]], the capital of the [[Dahomey|Kingdom of Dahomey]]. Two and a half months were needed to reach the city, at the cost of repeated battles against the Dahomean warriors, especially the [[Dahomey Amazons|Amazons of the King]]. King Behanzin surrendered and was captured by the legionnaires in January 1894.

====Second Madagascar Expedition 1894–1895====
{{Main|Second Madagascar expedition}}

In 1895, a battalion formed by the First and Second Foreign Regiments was sent to the [[Merina Kingdom|Kingdom of Madagascar]] as part of an expeditionary force whose mission was to conquer the island. The foreign battalion formed the backbone of the column launched on [[Antananarivo]], the capital of Madagascar. After a few skirmishes, Queen [[Ranavalona III]] promptly surrendered.<ref name="books.google.com">{{cite book| author=Philip D. Curtin| title=Disease and Empire: The Health of European Troops in the Conquest of Africa| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jVRF8hDyhpgC&pg=PA186| date=
1998| publisher=Cambridge University Press| isbn=978-0-521-59835-4| page=186}}</ref><ref>''Cambridge history of Africa'', p. 530</ref> The Foreign Legion lost 226 men, only a tenth of whom died during actual combat. Others, like much of the expeditionary force, died from tropical diseases.<ref name="books.google.com"/> Despite the success of the expedition, the quelling of sporadic rebellions would take another eight years until 1905, when the island was completely pacified by the French under [[Joseph Gallieni]].<ref name="books.google.com" /> During that time, insurrections against the Malagasy Christians of the island, missionaries and foreigners were particularly terrible.<ref>{{cite book| author=Herbert Ingram Priestly| title=France Overseas: A Study Of Modern Imperialism, 1938| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BOopmtvrsOAC&pg=PA308| date=1967| publisher=Routledge| isbn=978-0-7146-1024-5| page=308}}</ref> Queen [[Ranavalona III]] was deposed in January 1897 and was exiled to [[Algiers]] in Algeria, where she died in 1917.<ref>[[Musée de l'Armée]] exhibit, Paris</ref>

====Mandingo War 1898====
{{Main|Mandingo Wars}}

From 1882 until his capture, [[Samori Ture]], ruler of the [[Wassoulou Empire]], fought the French colonial army, defeating them on several occasions, including a [[Battles of Woyowoyanko|notable victory at Woyowayanko]] (2 April 1882), in the face of French heavy [[artillery]]. Nonetheless, Samori was forced to sign several treaties ceding territory to the French between 1886 and 1889. Samori began a steady retreat, but the fall of other resistance armies, particularly [[Babemba Traoré]] at [[Sikasso]], permitted the colonial army to launch a concentrated assault against his forces. A battalion of two companies from the 2nd Foreign Regiment was created in early 1894 to pacify the [[Niger]]. The Legionnaires' victory at the fortress of Ouilla and police patrols in the region accelerated the submission of the tribes. On 29 September 1898, Samori Ture was captured by the French [[Henri Gouraud (French Army officer)|Commandant Gouraud]] and exiled to [[Gabon]], marking the end of the Wassoulou Empire.

===Marching Regiments of the Foreign Legion===
{{Main|Joseph Joffre|Ferdinand Foch|Moroccan Division (France)}}

[[File:RMLE - 1918.jpg|thumb|right|Review of the [[Marching Regiment of the Foreign Legion]], RMLE at the end of November 1918]]

====World War I 1914–1918====
{{Main|1st Foreign Regiment|Marching Regiment of the Foreign Legion|Paul-Frédéric Rollet}}

[[File:Americans in French Foreign Legion 1916.jpg|thumb|left|Americans in the Foreign Legion, 1916]]
[[File:Alan seeger foreign legion.jpg|thumb|upright=0.55|American poet [[Alan Seeger]] (1888–1916),<br /> in his [[Marching Regiment of the Foreign Legion|Marching Regiment]] uniform]]
The annexation of [[Alsace]] and [[Lorraine]] by Germany in 1871 led to numerous volunteers from the two regions enlisting in the Foreign Legion, which gave them the option of French citizenship at the end of their service.<ref name="legion-etrangere.com">{{citation  |url=http://www.legion-etrangere.com/mdl/info_seul.php?id=413&block=17&titre=legio-patria-nostra |work= Official Website of General Command of Foreign Legion |title= (C.O.M.L.E), Editorial of C.O.M.L.E in ''Képi Blanc''}}</ref>

With the declaration of war on 29 July 1914, a call was made for foreigners residing in France to support their adopted country. While many would have preferred direct enlistment in the regular French Army, the only option immediately available was that of the Foreign Legion. On 3 August 1914 a reported 8,000 volunteers applied to enlist in the Paris recruiting office of the Legion.

In World War I, the Foreign Legion fought in many critical battles on the Western Front, including [[Second Battle of Artois|Artois]], [[Second Battle of Champagne|Champagne]], [[Battle of the Somme|Somme]], [[Second Battle of the Aisne|Aisne]], and [[Battle of Verdun|Verdun]] (in 1917), and also suffered heavy casualties during 1918. The Foreign Legion was also in the [[Gallipoli Campaign|Dardanelles]] and [[Macedonian front (World War I)|Macedonian front]], and was highly decorated for its efforts. Many young foreigners volunteered for the Foreign Legion when the war broke out in 1914. There were marked differences between the idealistic volunteers of 1914 and the hardened men of the old Legion, making assimilation difficult. Nevertheless, the old and the new men of the Foreign Legion fought and died in vicious battles on the Western front, including [[Belloy-en-Santerre]] during the [[Battle of the Somme]], where the poet [[Alan Seeger]], after being mortally wounded by machine-gun fire, cheered on the rest of his advancing battalion.<ref>Shortly before his death, Seeger wrote, "I have a rendez-vous with Death, at some disputed barricade. ... And I to my pledged word am true, I shall not fail that rendezvous."</ref>

====Interwar period 1918–1939====
{{Main|1st Foreign Regiment|Paul-Frédéric Rollet|Marching Regiment of the Foreign Legion|}}
[[File:Paul-Frédéric Rollet.jpg|thumb|left|upright|[[Paul-Frédéric Rollet]] (1875–1941)<br />''[[Foreign Legion Command|The Father of the Legion]]'']]

While suffering heavy casualties on the [[Western Front (World War I)|Western Front]] the [[Marching Regiment of the Foreign Legion|Legion]] had emerged from World War I with an enhanced reputation and as one of the most highly decorated units in the [[French Army]].<ref name="RifPorch1">Porch pp. 382–383</ref> In 1919, the government of Spain raised the [[Spanish Legion|Spanish Foreign Legion]] and modeled it after the French Foreign Legion.<ref name=RifPorch1 /> General [[Jean Jules Henri Mordacq|Jean Mordacq]] intended to rebuild the Foreign Legion as a larger military formation, doing away with the legion's traditional role as a solely infantry formation.<ref name=RifPorch1 /> General Mordacq envisioned a Foreign Legion consisting not of regiments, but of divisions with cavalry, engineer, and artillery regiments in addition to the legion's infantry mainstay.<ref name=RifPorch1 /> In 1920, decrees ordained the establishment of regiments of cavalry and artillery.<ref name=RifPorch1 /> Immediately following the [[armistice]] the Foreign Legion experienced an increase of enlistments.<ref name="RifWindrow1">Windrow</ref> The Foreign Legion began the process of reorganizing and redeploying to Algeria.<ref name=RifPorch1 />

[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 102-00723, Marokko, Fremdenlegionäre.jpg|thumb|Legionnaires in Morocco, c.&nbsp;1920]]

The Legion played a major part in the [[Rif War]] of 1920–25. In 1932, the Foreign Legion consisted of 30,000 men, serving in six multi-battalion regiments including the [[1st Foreign Regiment (France)|1st Foreign Infantry Regiment]] 1<sup>er</sup> REI – [[Algeria]], [[Syria]] and [[Lebanon]]; [[2nd Foreign Infantry Regiment (France)|2nd Foreign Infantry Regiment]] 2<sup>ème</sup> REI, [[3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment]] 3<sup>ème</sup> REI, and [[4th Foreign Regiment (France)|4th Foreign Infantry Regiment]] 4<sup>ème</sup> REI – [[Morocco]], Lebanon; [[5th Foreign Infantry Regiment|5th Foreign Infantry]] 5<sup>ème</sup> REI – [[Indochina]]; and [[1st Foreign Cavalry Regiment]] 1<sup>er</sup> REC – Lebanon, [[Tunisia]] and Morocco.
In 1931, [[Général]] [[Paul-Frédéric Rollet]] assumed the role of [[Inspection of the Foreign Legion|1st Inspector of the Foreign Legion]], a post created at his initiative. While serving as [[colonel]] of the 1st Foreign Infantry Regiment (1925–1931), [[Paul-Frédéric Rollet|Rollet]] was responsible for planning the centennial celebrations of the Legion's foundation; scheduling this event for [[Battle of Camarón|Camarón]] Day 30 April 1931. He was subsequently credited with creating much of the modern mystique of the Legion by restoring or creating many of its traditions.

====World War II 1939–1945====
{{Main|Jean de Lattre de Tassigny|Marching Regiment of the Foreign Legion|Raoul Magrin-Vernerey}}

[[File:Free French Foreign Legionnairs.jpg|thumb|[[Free France|Free French]] Legionnaires assaulting an [[Axis powers|Axis]] strong point at the [[battle of Bir Hakeim]], 1942]]

The Foreign Legion played a smaller role in [[World War II]] in mainland Europe than in World War I, though it saw involvement in many exterior theatres of operations, notably [[French Navy|sea-transport protection]] through to the [[Norwegian campaign|Norwegian]], [[Syria–Lebanon campaign|Syria-Lebanon]], and [[North African campaign]]s. The [[13th Demi-Brigade of the Foreign Legion|13th Demi-Brigade]], formed for service in Norway, found itself in the UK at the time of the [[Armistice of 22 June 1940|French Armistice]] (June 1940), was deployed to the British 8th Army in North Africa and distinguished itself in the [[Battle of Bir Hakeim]] (1942). Reflecting the divisions of the time, part of the Foreign Legion joined the [[Free French Forces|Free French]] movement while another part served the [[Vichy France|Vichy]] government. Germany incorporated German legionnaires into the [[Wehrmacht]]'s [[90th Light Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)|90th Light Infantry Division]] in North Africa.<ref name="LJohn_Pg199">{{cite book|last= Littlejohn|first= David |title= Foreign Legions of the Third Reich: Volume 1: Norway, Denmark and France|year=1979|publisher= R. James Bender|location=San Jose|isbn=0912138173|page=199}}</ref>

The [[Syria–Lebanon Campaign]] of June 1941 saw legionnaire fighting legionnaire as the [[13th Demi-Brigade of the Foreign Legion|13<sup>e</sup> D.B.L.E]] clashed with the [[6th Foreign Infantry Regiment]] 6<sup>e</sup> REI at [[Battle of Damascus (1941)|Damascus]]. Nevertheless, many legionnaires of the 6th Foreign Infantry Regiment 6<sup>e</sup> (dissolved on 31 December 1941) integrated into the [[Marching Regiment of the Foreign Legion]] R.M.L.E in 1942. Later, a thousand of the rank-and-file of the [[Vichy France|Vichy Legion]] unit joined the 13<sup>e</sup> D.B.L.E. of the [[Free French]] forces which were also part (as of September 1944) of [[Jean de Lattre de Tassigny]]'s successful amalgam of the French Liberation Army ({{langx|fr|[[Armée française de la Libération]]}}), the (400,000 men) amalgam consisted of the [[Armistice Army]], the [[Free France|Free French Forces]] and the [[French Forces of the Interior]] which formed Army B and later became part of the [[First Army (France)|French 1st Army]] with forces also issued from the [[French Resistance]].

==== Alsace-Lorraine ====
{{Main|Alsace-Lorraine}}

Following World War II, many French-speaking former German soldiers joined the Foreign Legion to pursue a military career, an option no longer possible in Germany, including French German soldiers of [[Malgré-nous]]. It would have been considered problematic if the men from [[Alsace-Lorraine]] had not spoken French. These French-speaking former German soldiers made up as much as 60 percent of the Legion during the war in Indochina. Contrary to popular belief however, French policy was to exclude former members of the [[Waffen-SS]], and candidates for induction were refused if they exhibited the tell-tale blood type tattoo, or even a scar that might be masking it.<ref name="DPorch">{{cite book|last=Porch|first=Douglas|title=The French Foreign Legion: A Complete History of the Legendary Fighting Force|year=1991|publisher=HarperCollins Canada, Limited|isbn=978-1616080686|page=531}}</ref>

The high percentage of Germans was contrary to normal policy concerning a single dominant nationality, and in more recent times Germans have made up a much smaller percentage of the Foreign Legion's composition.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://secretdefense.blogs.liberation.fr/defense/2008/11/la-lgion-saccro.html|title=Secret Défense – La Légion étrangère s'accroche à ses effectifs – Libération.fr|author=Jean-Dominique Merchet|work=liberation.fr|access-date=6 November 2008|archive-date=11 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141211121609/http://secretdefense.blogs.liberation.fr/defense/2008/11/la-lgion-saccro.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===First Indochina War 1946–1954===
{{Main|Jacques Lefort|Pierre Darmuzai|Paul Arnaud de Foïard|Bernard Goupil|}}

[[File:Cie para 3REI.JPG|thumb|left|upright|[[List of French paratrooper units|Parachute company]] of the [[3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment]]]]

During the [[First Indochina War]] (1946–54) the Foreign Legion saw its numbers swell due to the incorporation of World War II veterans. Although the Foreign Legion distinguished itself in a territory where it had served since the 1880s, it also suffered a heavy toll during this war. Some of the legionnaires, such as [[Stefan Kubiak]], deserted and began fighting for the [[Viet Minh|Việt Minh]] upon witnessing torture of Vietnamese peasants at the hands of French troops.<ref name="dantri">{{cite web|url=https://dantri.com.vn/xa-hoi/chuyen-ve-nguoi-linh-le-duong-mang-ho-bac-ho-1399178601.htm|title=Chuyện về người lính lê dương mang họ Bác Hồ|author=Hoàng Lam|date=2014-04-29|website=dantri.com.vn|publisher=Dân trí|access-date=2024-10-05}}</ref><ref name="naszahistoria">{{cite web|url=https://naszahistoria.pl/ho-chi-toan-jak-polski-dezerter-zostal-bohaterem-ludowego-wietnamu/ar/11916979|title=Ho Chi Toan. Jak polski dezerter został bohaterem ludowego Wietnamu|last=Rodak|first=Wojciech|date=2017-03-24|website=naszahistoria.pl|access-date=2024-10-05}}</ref><ref name="wp">{{cite web|url=https://wiadomosci.wp.pl/ho-chi-toan-polak-w-mundurze-wietnamskiej-armii-6126038350481537a|title=Ho Chi Toan - Polak w mundurze wietnamskiej armii|last=Schwarzgruber|first=Małgorzata|date=2015-02-18|website=wiadomosci.wp.pl|publisher=[[Wirtualna Polska]]|access-date=2024-10-05}}</ref> Constantly being deployed in operations, units of the Legion suffered particularly heavy losses in the climactic [[Battle of Dien Bien Phu]], before the fortified valley finally fell on 7 May 1954.

No fewer than 72,833 served in Indochina during the eight-year war. The Legion suffered the loss of 10,283 of its own men in combat: 309 officers, 1082 sous-officiers and 9092 legionnaires. While only one of several Legion units involved in Indochina, the [[1st Foreign Parachute Battalion]] (1<sup>er</sup> BEP) particularly distinguished itself, while being annihilated twice. It was renamed the [[1st Foreign Parachute Regiment]] (1<sup>er</sup> REP) after its third reformation.<ref name="ReferenceB">{{citation |url=http://2rep.legion-etrangere.com/mdl/info_seul.php?id=102&idA=45&block=16&idA_SM=43&titre=1er-bep-1948-1955 |work=Official Website of the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment |title=History of the 2e REP, the 1st Foreign Parachute Battalion ''1er Bataillon Etranger de Parachutistes'' |access-date=10 August 2015 |archive-date=1 July 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150701122834/http://2rep.legion-etrangere.com/mdl/info_seul.php?id=102&idA=45&block=16&idA_SM=43&titre=1er-bep-1948-1955 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The 1<sup>er</sup> BEP sailed to Indochina on 12 November 1948 and was then engaged in combat operations in Tonkin.<ref name="ReferenceB"/> On 17 November 1950 the battalion parachuted into That Khé and suffered heavy losses at Coc Xa. Reconstituted on 1 March 1951, the battalion participated in combat operations at Cho Ben, on the Black River and in Annam.<ref name="ReferenceB"/> On 21 November 1953 the reconstituted 1<sup>er</sup> BEP was parachuted into Dien Bien Phu.<ref name="ReferenceB"/> In this battle, the unit lost 575 [[killed in action|killed]] and [[missing in action|missing]].<ref name="ReferenceB"/> Reconstituted for the third time on 19 May 1954, the battalion left Indochina on 8 February 1955.<ref name="ReferenceB"/> The 1<sup>er</sup> BEP received five citations and the [[fourragère]] of the colors of the [[Médaille militaire]]<ref name="ReferenceB"/> for its service in Indochina. The 1<sup>er</sup> BEP became the [[1st Foreign Parachute Regiment]] (1<sup>er</sup> REP) in [[Algeria]] on 1 September 1955.
 
Dien Bien Phu fell on 7 May 1954 at 17:30.<ref name="rcp1.terre.defense.gouv.fr">{{citation |url=http://www.rcp1.terre.defense.gouv.fr/index.php?page=12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120303170727/http://www.rcp1.terre.defense.gouv.fr/index.php?page=12 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2012-03-03 |work=Official Website of the 1st Parachute Chasseur Regiment 1st RCP |title=Section Historique, L'Indochine of the 1st Parachute Chasseur Regiment }}</ref> The couple of [[hectare]]s that were the battlefield today are corn fields surrounding a [[stele]] which commemorates the sacrifices of those who died there. While the garrison of Dien Bien Phu included French regular, North African, and locally recruited (Indochinese) units, the battle has become associated particularly with the paratroops of the Foreign Legion.

During the Indochina War, the Legion operated several [[Armored Train of the Foreign Legion|armoured trains]] which were an enduring ''Rolling Symbol'' during the chartered course duration of [[French Indochina]]. The Legion also operated various [[Passage Company of the Foreign Legion (CPLE)|Passage Companies]] relative to the continental conflicts at hand.

===Algerian War 1954–1962===

==== Foreign Legion paratroops ====
{{Main|French Air and Space Force|List of French paratrooper units|10th Parachute Division (France)|25th Parachute Division (France)}}

[[File:Insigne du 1° REP.jpg|thumb|upright|1st Foreign Parachute Regiment formed and commanded by<br /> [[List of French paratrooper units|Legion]] Lieutenant Colonel [[Pierre Jeanpierre|Pierre Paul Jeanpierre]] (1912–1958)<ref name="2rep.legion-etrangere.com">{{citation |url=http://2rep.legion-etrangere.com/mdl/info_seul.php?id=105&idA=48&block=16&idA_SM=43&titre=1er-rep-1955-1961 |work=Official Website of the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment |title=History of the 2e REP, the 1st Foreign Parachute Regiment ''1er Régiment Etranger de Parachutiste'' |access-date=10 August 2015 |archive-date=1 July 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150701122200/http://2rep.legion-etrangere.com/mdl/info_seul.php?id=105&idA=48&block=16&idA_SM=43&titre=1er-rep-1955-1961 |url-status=dead }}</ref>]]

The legion was heavily engaged in fighting against the [[National Liberation Front (Algeria)|National Liberation Front]] and the [[Armée de Libération Nationale|Armée de Libération Nationale (ALN)]]. The main activity during the period 1954–1962 was as part of the operations of the [[10th Parachute Division (France)|10th Parachute Division]] and [[25th Parachute Division (France)|25th Parachute Division]]. The [[1st Foreign Parachute Regiment]], 1<sup>er</sup> REP, was under the command of the [[10th Parachute Division (France)]], 10<sup>ème</sup> DP, and the [[2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment]], 2<sup>ème</sup> REP, was under the command of the [[25th Parachute Division (France)]], 25<sup>ème</sup> DP. While both the 1st Foreign Parachute Regiment (1<sup>er</sup> REP), and the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment (2<sup>ème</sup> REP), were part of the operations of [[List of French paratrooper units|French parachute divisions]] (10<sup>ème</sup> DP and 25<sup>ème</sup> DP established in 1956), the Legion's [[1st Foreign Parachute Regiment]] (1<sup>er</sup> REP), and the Legion's [[2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment]] (2<sup>ème</sup> REP), are older than the French divisions. The 1<sup>er</sup> REP was the former thrice-reconstituted [[1st Foreign Parachute Battalion]] ([[List of French paratrooper units|1<sup>er</sup> BEP]]) and the 2<sup>ème</sup> REP was the former [[2nd Foreign Parachute Battalion]] ([[List of French paratrooper units|2<sup>ème</sup> BEP]]). Both battalions were renamed and their Legionnaires transferred from [[First Indochina War|Indochina]] on 1 August 1954 to [[Algerian War|Algeria]] by 1 November 1954. Both traced their origins to the [[Parachute Company of the 3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment]] commanded by Legion Lieutenant [[Jacques Morin]] attached to the [[1st Parachute Chasseur Regiment|III/1<sup>er</sup> R.C.P]].<ref name="ReferenceA">{{citation |url=http://2rep.legion-etrangere.com/mdl/info_seul.php?id=101&idA=43&block=16&idA_SM=0&titre=historique-du-2e-rep |work=Official Website of the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment |title=History of the 2e REP, The origins |access-date=10 August 2015 |archive-date=29 August 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150829080600/http://2rep.legion-etrangere.com/mdl/info_seul.php?id=101&idA=43&block=16&idA_SM=0&titre=historique-du-2e-rep |url-status=dead }}</ref>

With the start of the [[Algerian War|War in Algeria]] on 1 November 1954, the two foreign participating parachute battalions back from [[Indochina]], the [[1st Foreign Parachute Battalion]] (1<sup>er</sup> BEP, III Formation) and the [[2nd Foreign Parachute Battalion]] (2<sup>ème</sup> BEP), were not part of any French [[List of French paratrooper units|parachute divisions]] yet and were not designated as regiments until September and 1 December 1955 respectively.[[File:Paschal_002.jpg|thumb|right|Good Conduct Certificate, Lt Col Paul Paschal (1919–1994), 1er REP, 15 August 1960]]

Main operations during the [[Algerian War]] included the Battle of Algiers and the Bataille of the Frontiers, fought by 60,000 soldiers including [[List of French paratrooper units|French]] and [[List of French paratrooper units|Legion paratroopers]]. For paratroopers of the Legion, the 1st Foreign Parachute Regiment (1<sup>er</sup> REP) and [[2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment]] (2<sup>ème</sup> REP), were the only known foreign active parachute regiments, exclusively commanded by [[Pierre Jeanpierre|Pierre Paul Jeanpierre]] for the 1<sup>er</sup> REP<ref name="2rep.legion-etrangere.com"/> and the [[2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment|paratrooper commanders]] of the [[2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment|2<sup>ème</sup> REP]].<ref>{{citation |url=http://2rep.legion-etrangere.com/mdl/info_seul.php?id=112&idA=24&block=17&idA_SM=0&titre=ils-ont-commande-le-2eme-rep |work=Official Website of the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment |title=Ils ont commandé le 2éme REP, Regimental Commanders |access-date=19 August 2015 |archive-date=29 August 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150829080615/http://2rep.legion-etrangere.com/mdl/info_seul.php?id=112&idA=24&block=17&idA_SM=0&titre=ils-ont-commande-le-2eme-rep |url-status=dead }}</ref> The remainder of [[list of French paratrooper units|French paratrooper units]] of the [[French Armed Forces]] were commanded by [[Jacques Massu]], [[9th Parachute Chasseur Regiment|Buchond]], [[Marcel Bigeard]], [[Paul Aussaresses]]. Other [[List of French paratrooper units|Legion]] offensives in the mountains in 1959 included operations [[Operation Jumelles|Jumelles]], [[1st Foreign Parachute Regiment|Cigales]], and [[1st Foreign Parachute Regiment|Ariège]] in the Aures and the last in Kabylie.<ref name="2rep.legion-etrangere.com"/>

The image of the Legion as a professional and non-political force was tarnished when the elite [[1st Foreign Parachute Regiment]] [[List of French paratrooper units|1<sup>er</sup> REP]], which was also part of the [[10th Parachute Division (France)|10th Parachute Division]] played a leading role in the generals' putsch of 1961<ref name="2rep.legion-etrangere.com"/> and was subsequently disbanded.

==== Generals' putsch and reduction of Foreign Legion ====
{{Main|Jean Olié|Paul Gardy|Hélie de Saint Marc}}

[[File:Monument aux morts legion para.jpg|thumb|left|upright|[[1st Foreign Parachute Regiment|Marche ou Crève]] and [[2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment|More Majorum]] for Legion [[List of French paratrooper units|Officers]], [[List of French paratrooper units|Sous-Officiers]] and [[List of French paratrooper units|Legionnaires]] of the [[List of French paratrooper units|CEP]]s, [[2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment|BEP]]s and [[2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment|REP]]s of the [[List of French paratrooper units|Legion]]<ref name="auto2">{{citation |url=http://2rep.legion-etrangere.com/mdl/info_seul.php?id=110&idA=23&block=16&idA_SM=22&titre=le-chant-du-2e-rep |work=Official Website of the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment |title=Traditions, Chant du 2e REP |access-date=5 August 2015 |archive-date=13 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150613063637/http://2rep.legion-etrangere.com/mdl/info_seul.php?id=110&idA=23&block=16&idA_SM=22&titre=le-chant-du-2e-rep |url-status=dead }}</ref>]]

[[File:CSPLE-tenue-parade.jpg|thumb|Tenue of a Legionnaire of the ''[[Saharan Méharistes Companies (méharistes sahariennes)|Saharan Mounted Companies of the Foreign Legion]]'' (CSPLE). Often blue or red and worn by all the soldiers of the [[Army of Africa (France)|Army of Africa]]; the Legion however, officially adopted the ''Ceinture Bleue'' (blue sash) in 1882.]]

Coming out of a difficult Indochinese conflict, the Foreign Legion reinforced cohesion by extending the duration of basic training. Efforts exerted were successful during this transit; however, entering into December 1960 and the generals' putsch, a crisis hit the legion putting its faith at the corps of the Army.<ref>Comor André-Paul, ''"La Légion étrangère dans la guerre d'Algérie, 1954–1962"'', Guerres mondiales et conflits contemporains, 1/2010 (n° 237), pp. 81–93.</ref>

For having rallied to the [[Algiers putsch of 1961|generals' putsch]] of April 1961, the [[1st Foreign Parachute Regiment]] of the [[List of French paratrooper units|10th Parachute Division]] was dissolved on 30 April 1961 at [[Zeralda]].

In 1961, at the issue of the putsch, the [[Saharan Méharistes Companies (méharistes sahariennes)|1st Mounted Saharan Squadron of the Foreign Legion]]<ref>Note that in the French language, the designation of "Mounted Company" ({{langx|fr|Compagnie Portée}}) means mounted and could be applied for both Motorized or Mounted by other means. The designation of "Motorized Company" ({{langx|fr|Compagnie Motorisée}}) would be strictly limited to being motorized which is not the word being used even if it was motorized. The referral of "Mounted" Saharan Companies ({{langx|fr|Compagnie Saharienne "Portée"}}) is used instead of motorized strictly, even if these units were motorized, to also describe the packing of [[Canon de 75 modèle 1897|artillery]]. The companies could be described as Motorized Saharan Companies of the Legion; however their strict French limitation to motorized only in terms of translation and function would be incorrect as they should be referred to as "Mounted" which would apply for both Motorized or mounting other means.</ref> ({{langx|fr|1<sup>er</sup> Escadron Saharien Porté de la Légion Etrangère, 1<sup>er</sup> ESPLE}}) received the missions to assure [[military police|surveillance]] and [[military police|policing]].

The independence of Algeria from the [[French Algeria|French]] in 1962 was traumatising since it ended with the enforced abandonment of the barracks command center at [[Sidi Bel Abbès]] established in 1842. Upon being notified that the elite regiment was to be disbanded and that they were to be reassigned, legionnaires of the 1<sup>er</sup> REP burned the Chinese pavilion acquired following the [[Siege of Tuyên Quang]] in 1884. The relics from the Legion's history museum, including the wooden hand of Captain [[Jean Danjou]], subsequently accompanied the Legion to France. Also removed from Sidi Bel Abbès were the symbolic Legion remains of [[Ranks in the French Army|General]] [[Paul-Frédéric Rollet]] ( [[Foreign Legion Command|The Father of the Legion]] ), [[Foreign Legion Command|Legion officer]] Prince [[Count Aage of Rosenborg]], and Legionnaire Heinz Zimmermann (last fatal casualty in Algeria).

[[File:Prince Aage.png|thumb|upright|[[Foreign Legion Command|Legion Officer]] [[Ranks in the French Army|Lieutenant-colonel]] Prince [[Count Aage of Rosenborg]] (1887–1940)]]

The Legion acquired its parade song "[[Non, je ne regrette rien]]" ("No, I regret nothing"), a 1960 [[Édith Piaf]] song sung by Sous-Officiers and legionnaires as they left their barracks for re-deployment following the [[Algiers putsch of 1961]]. The song has remained a part of Legion heritage since.

The [[1st Foreign Parachute Regiment]] 1<sup>er</sup> REP was disbanded on 30 April 1961.<ref name="2rep.legion-etrangere.com"/> However, the [[2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment]] 2<sup>ème</sup> REP prevailed in existence, while most of the personnel of the [[Saharan Companies of the French Foreign Legion|Saharan Companies]] were integrated into the [[1st Foreign Regiment (France)|1st Foreign Infantry Regiment]], [[2nd Foreign Infantry Regiment (France)|2nd Foreign Infantry Regiment]] and [[4th Foreign Regiment (France)|4th Foreign Infantry Regiment]] respectively.

===Post-colonial Africa===
[[File:Legion1PW.jpg|thumb|left|The [[13th Demi-Brigade of the Foreign Legion]] parading through Roman ruins in [[Lambaesis]], Algeria (c. 1958)]]

By the mid-1960s the Legion had lost its traditional and spiritual home in [[French Algeria]] and elite units had been dissolved.<ref name="ReferenceB"/> President de Gaulle considered disbanding it altogether but, being reminded of the [[Marching Regiment of the Foreign Legion|Marching Regiments]], and that the [[13th Demi-Brigade of Foreign Legion|13th Demi-Brigade]] was one of the first units to declare for him in 1940 and taking also into consideration the effective service of various [[Saharan Méharistes Companies (méharistes sahariennes)|Saharan units]] and performances of other Legions units, he chose instead to downsize the Legion from 40,000 to 8,000 men and relocate it to metropolitan France.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.legionofthelost.com/gallery.html |title=Gallery |publisher=Legion of the Lost |access-date=20 October 2010 |archive-date=23 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180823080854/http://legionofthelost.com/gallery.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> Legion units continued to be assigned to overseas service, although not in North Africa (see below).

=== 1962–present ===

In the early 1960s, and besides ongoing global rapid deployments, the Legion also stationed forces on various continents while operating different function units.

The main Disciplinary Company of the Foreign Legion (CDLE), based on [[Honneur et Fidélité|rules and regulations]] set by [[général]] [[Paul-Frédéric Rollet|Rollet]] in 1931, received serious offenders sent from Legion regiments garrisoned or operating in Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, the Levant and Tonkin (special section of the [[5th Foreign Infantry Regiment]] and later in 1963, part of a Saharan disciplinary section unit of the 5e REI and [[2nd Foreign Infantry Regiment (France)|2nd Foreign Infantry Regiment]]). It was dissolved on July 1, 1964.

From 1965 to 1967, the Legion operated several companies, including the [[5th Heavy Weight Transport Company (CTGP)]], mainly in charge of evacuating the Sahara. The area of responsibility of some of these units extended from the confines of the in-between of the [[Sahara]] to the Mediterranean. Ongoing interventions and rapid deployments two years later and the following years included in part:

* 1969–1971 : interventions in [[Chad]]
* 1978–present : [[Peacekeeping]] operations around the [[Mediterranean Sea|Mediterranean]], including the [[United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon]] during the Global [[War on Terror]]
* 1978–1978 : [[Battle of Kolwezi]] ([[Zaire|Zaïre]])
* 1981–1984 : [[Peacekeeping]] operations in [[Lebanon]] at the corps of the [[Multinational Force in Lebanon|United Nations Multinational Force]] during the [[Lebanese Civil War]] along with the [[31st Brigade (France)|31<sup>ème</sup> Brigade]] which included the [[1st Foreign Regiment (France)|1st Foreign Regiment]] 1<sup>er</sup> RE. [[Operation Épaulard I]] was spearheaded by [[Ranks in the French Army|Lieutenant-colonel]] [[Bernard Janvier]]. The Multinational Force also included the [[British Armed Forces]] [[1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards]], U.S. American contingents of [[United States Marine Corps]] and the [[United States Navy]], the [[French Navy]] and 28 exclusive [[French Armed Forces]] regiments including [[List of French paratrooper units|French paratroopers regiments]], [[List of French paratrooper units|companies]], [[List of French paratrooper units|units]] of the [[11th Parachute Brigade (France)|11th Parachute Brigade]] along with the [[2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment]] 2<sup>e</sup> REP. The multinational force also included the [[Irish Armed Forces]] and units of the French [[National Gendarmerie]], [[Italian Armed Forces|Italian]] paratroopers from the [[Folgore Brigade]], and [[infantry]] units from the [[Bersaglieri]] regiments and [[United States Marine Corps|Marines]] of the [[San Marco Regiment|San Marco Battalion]].

====Gulf War 1990–1991====

[[File:DesertStormMap v2.svg|thumb|left| The [[6th Light Armoured Division (France)|6th Light Armoured Division]] operating the left flank of the [[Coalition of the Gulf War|34 nations]] [[coalition]] during the [[Gulf War]]]]

In September 1990, the [[1st Foreign Regiment (France)|1st Foreign Regiment]], the [[1st Foreign Cavalry Regiment]], the [[2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment]], the [[2nd Foreign Infantry Regiment (France)|2nd Foreign Infantry Regiment]], and the [[6th Foreign Engineer Regiment]] were sent to the [[Persian Gulf]] as a part of [[Opération Daguet]] along with the [[1st Spahi Regiment]], the [[11th Marine Artillery Regiment]], the [[3rd Marine Infantry Regiment]], the [[21st Marine Infantry Regiment]], the [[French Army Light Aviation]], the [[Régiment d'infanterie-chars de marine]], and components of the [[35th Parachute Artillery Regiment]], the [[1st Parachute Hussar Regiment|1st Parachute Hussard Regiment]], and the [[17th Parachute Engineer Regiment]]. [[Division Daguet]] was commanded by [[Général de brigade]] [[Bernard Janvier]].
[[File:Foreign Legion Bastille Day 2013 Paris t092629.jpg|thumb|250x250px|Legionnaires at the Bastille Day military parade on the [[Champs-Élysées]] in Paris]]
The Legion force, made up of 27 different nationalities, was attached to the French [[6th Light Armoured Division (France)|6th Light Armoured Division]] whose mission was to protect the [[Coalition of the Gulf War|Coalition's]] left flank.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Kent|first1=Arthur|last2=Brokaw|first2=Tom|title=French Foreign Legion Prepares for Persian Gulf War|url=http://archives.nbclearn.com/portal/site/k-12/flatview?cuecard=58510|access-date=7 December 2014|work=NBC Nightly News|publisher=NBCUniversal Media, LLC.|date=13 November 1990|format=Video News Report|quote=Glen Slick is an American bearing arms for President Mitterrand, not President Bush. He's one of 27 nationalities here with the French Foreign Legion.}}</ref>

After the four-week [[Gulf War#Air campaign|air campaign]], coalition forces launched the ground offensive. They quickly penetrated deep into [[Iraq]], with the Legion taking the As-Salman Airport, meeting little resistance. The war ended after a hundred hours of fighting on the ground, which resulted in very light casualties for the Legion. During war, French Foreign Legion engineers operated in support of the [[U.S. Army]]'s [[82nd Airborne Division]], and provided the EOD services to the division. After the ceasefire, they conducted a joint mine clearing operation with a [[Royal Australian Navy]] [[Clearance Diving Team (RAN)|clearance divers]].

==== 1991-2000 ====

* 1991: Evacuation of French citizens and foreigners in [[Rwanda]], Gabon and [[Zaire]].
* 1992: [[Cambodia]] and [[Somalia]]
* 1993: [[Sarajevo]], Bosnia and Herzegovina
* 1995: [[Rwanda]]
* 1996: [[Central African Republic]]
* 1997: [[Republic of the Congo|Congo-Brazzaville]]
* Since 1999: [[Kosovo Force|KFOR]] in [[Kosovo]] and [[North Macedonia]]

===2001–present===

* 2001–2014: [[Operation Enduring Freedom]] phase of the [[War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)|War in Afghanistan]]
* 2002–2003: [[Opération Licorne]] in [[Ivory Coast]]
* 2008: [[EUFOR Tchad/RCA]] in Chad
<!-- * 2011: in [[Libya]].-->
* 2013–2014: [[Operation Serval]] in the [[Northern Mali conflict]]<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887324235104578242993426029234|url-access=subscription |work=The Wall Street Journal|title=France Widens Military Effort in Mali|author1=Drew Hinshaw |author2=David Gauthier-Villars |date=15 January 2013}}</ref> 
*2015–present: [[Opération Sentinelle]] in [[Metropolitan France]].