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Rating: 
Summary: the fighting force
Review: nov.11,04
The LEGGIONAIRE, van damme escape fomhis country
as a fugitive and join the french legion
he landed in morroco and was trained
the moors/rebels invaded their garrison
kill allthesoldiersand burn
he was only left alive.AmovieIsaw yr1999
butwhat I read in the book the legion
was foundedin march1831
bykinglouisphilippe
Rodrigo T. Vicente
BSCmanagement march2003
urioscollege
butuancity phillipines 8600
hope I can read the book
Rating:
Summary: A Fine Work on the Legion, but With Some Flaws.
Review: At 634 pages plus references, this book is a lot of "Legion", and the reader will not be able to finish it on the plane. Professor Porch is to be commended on the thoroughness with which he treats his subject, but the lay reader may find some of the development excessively long, perhaps to the point of preventing a clear understanding of the main subject. For this hypothetical reader, the tale could have had twice the impact with half the words. An additional flaw is that, rather surprisingly after all the detail on historical matters, the treatment of the Legion in modern times is skimpy, and the book would have benefitted from a really strong closing chapter on the Legion today.But precisely because it is highly detailed, the book can be mined for fascinating insights. The reader can learn about Cole Porter's Legion career and what Legionnaires really think of Beau Geste soldiers. Does the Legion really fight to the last man? Find out about mercenaries, idealism, cruelty, boozing, fighting in the ranks, mutinies, and many other aspects of Legion life. The book will almost surely be an eye-opener for some with preconceived notions (and we all have them where the Legion is concerned), but the author always gives documentation for his claims. This is a useful reference on the French Foreign Legion and a rewarding read for anyone interested in the subject.
Rating:
Summary: Best book to date about the Foreign Legion
Review: Douglas Porch is perhaps one of the most widely acknowledged experts on the history of the French army. THE FRENCH FOREIGN LEGION: A COMPLETE HISTORY OF THE LEGENDARY FIGHTING FORCE is but one of his many thoroughly reseached and well-argued historical studies. The subtitle is incorrect though as there is no such thing as a 'complete' history. For one thing, Porch ignores the post 1962 Legion and its numerous excursions in such exotic locales as Chad, the former Zaire, Djibouti, Lebanon, and the Persian Gulf. Beyond this questionable title selection and the aformentioned omissions, there is little cause for complaint as this book is probably the most balanced and comprehensive study of the Foreign Legion yet undertaken. There have been many personal memoirs and battle histories published but this is the first significant attempt at an institutional history. Porch is less concerned with battles (though they are an integral factor) than he is with the Legion's function as a social institution. He focuses on such elements as organization, recruitment, desertion, discipline, morale, alcohol consumption, and combat performance. The Legion was initiated in 1830 to rid France of unwanted foreign emigres and to provide forces for unpopular service in the colonial empire, primarily Algeria. The Legion also provided an outlet for some of the dregs of both French society and the army. The nature and origins of recruits changed over time and reflected the outcome of varous European conflicts in that members of the losing side, be it Spanish republicans in the 1930s or German Nazis in the 1940s, for example, invariably swelled the Legion's rolls. Desertion was an endemic problem but was generally viewed as removing malcontents and improving the overall quality of a unit. It also could be an opportunity for a legionnaire to make a personal statement of creativity and a successful exit was not necessarily the true object. This demonstates some of the unreality of Legion life and its many differences with regular army formations, whether French or not. A variety of factors and concepts combined to create some cohesion, particularly in combat, out of a hodge podge of humanity. Porch has concluded that psychological reasons such as anonymity, a fresh start in life, sense of purpose, and potential for advancement were attractive inducements for enlistment and service. The dismal pay scale certainly belies the traditional jibe that legionnaires were simply mercenaries. Porch also explores the role of discipline and finds that it was generally more verbal than physical. When it did manifest itself physically it could be cruel and unorthadox but frequently appeared worse than was actually the case. These measures were more lenient than death by firing squad which was used for a variety of offenses in regular army formations. Porch also describes the chronic lack of non-commissioned officers which is in contrast to many more traditional armies. He states that there was a strong democratic element in the ranks and a tyrannical sergeant, such as the antagonist in the famous novel BEAU GESTE, would have been quickly eliminated by the men. Porch states that of the many myths about the Legion, some were created internally but many more arose from literary and film endeavors which romanticized the Legion in the popular culture of western nations. The Legion has usually lived up to its awesome battle reputation but boring garrison duty has brought out the worst, particularly Alcoholism as well as other deleterious activites. He also argues that combat performance has tended to be better in small colonial conflicts rather than in major conflagrations such as the two world wars of the twentieth century. He also notes that the Legion has not excelled in engineering feats or in the pacification of local populations during guerrilla wars. Porch's assessment is that the Legion has been an asset to France despite periods of neglect and political disaffection. Porch's study is well-documented, insightful, and highly analytical. His writing style is both thought provoking and somewhat unpredictable as he continually engages the reader's attention. His notes are meticulous and his bibliography is extensive. His maps are generally good although his editors could have done a better job of placement relative to the pertinent sections of the text. This is the best book about the Foreign Legion to date and is highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best
Review: I've read 3 books on the French Foreign Legion. Of the 3, this one was the finest. It had good info, captivating narrative, and good editing (no mistakes). Since I've read Porch's book, I ordered the other 2 Legion books, but they did not measure up. I'll be reading Mcgorman's book soon and I'll write a review on that one. This book is an excellent buy and very entertaining.
Rating:
Summary: A Lot of Legion Here: Really a Social History of the Legion
Review: If you are looking for a complete history of the Legion with almost every hopeless engagement listed and the details of "faire Cameron" (the propensity of the legion to battle in hopeless battles to the death, then you may be a little disspointed. I say "a little" because this book is really a great read, but it is NOT a military history.
It is strong on some aspects of the campaignes such as the early ones in Algeria, Spain, Madagascar, Mexico and latterally in Indochina and Algeria, but it does miss whole parts of campaigns in French North Africa and is a little sparse on WWI and WWII in my opinion(especially the sterling actions of the French and the legion at Cassino in 1944).
This book is really a massive social history of the Legion. Its place in the hearts and minds of the French People, the legionnaire, and how the legionnaire was viewed by those whose lands he soldiered in and fought against. As such there is a very clever interweaving of the statistical information on numbers of recruits, dessertions, composition of forces. Porch uses the very much reoccuring theme of dessertion in La Legion to such an extent that dessertion in a sense defined the legion -- you were not considered a true legionnaire until you had tried to desert at least once.
He analyses the mentality of brutality that seemed endemic in this force and although he finds it repugnant at times he does see it as necessarily standing outside the experiences of French Line Regiments.
Another theme is the supposed reason for enlistment. For the majority of recruits over the entire time of La Legion, the main reason for people joining was to mainly for escape and the espirit du corps. This was augmented over time after recruits got in and they fought really only for the sake of fighting and protecting the name of regiment. In times like WWI and WWII when ideals motivated recruits, the traditional mindset of the legionaire often came into comflict with those of idealists. Therefore the effectiveness of the recruits may become compromised.
I particularly enjoyed the frightening detail of the massive sweeps in Indochina and the feeling of absolute hopelessness in the horrific infantry battles in the jungles. Whole regiments getting wiped out in forgotten battles.
This is a massive read. Porch is a solid historian and writes very well. I would read other of his books gladly.
Rating: 
Summary: Good research, but very long & lots of detail
Review: In terms of research & detail, this book is unparalleled for the period it covers (the founding of the Foreign Legion until the 1980s. The problem is that is gives too much detail. There are some 500+ pages of very fine print, and it takes a long, long time to read. The only reason I finished the book was I had already read 100 pages by the time I realized how slow it was going to be. At that point, I felt I'd invested too much time not to finish. What might be breathaking narratives are convoluted with arcane details. For historical purposes, this might be good... but for a less voluminous, easier-reading history of the French Foreign Legion, which also covers more current information, I suggest John Parker's "Inside the Foreign Legion."
Rating:
Summary: A Fine Work on the Legion, but With Some Flaws.
Review: In terms of research & detail, this book is unparalleled for the period it covers (the founding of the Foreign Legion until the 1980s. The problem is that is gives too much detail. There are some 500+ pages of very fine print, and it takes a long, long time to read. The only reason I finished the book was I had already read 100 pages by the time I realized how slow it was going to be. At that point, I felt I'd invested too much time not to finish. What might be breathaking narratives are convoluted with arcane details. For historical purposes, this might be good... but for a less voluminous, easier-reading history of the French Foreign Legion, which also covers more current information, I suggest John Parker's "Inside the Foreign Legion."
Rating:
Summary: Near Complete History of the Legion
Review: This book contains a lot of impressive research on the history and combat performance of the Legion. Unlike other books on this subject Mr. Porch has decided to take an objective, analylitical approach toward his study of the Legion. This may put off some readers because Porch's work is long, and does not contain a lot of exciting passages. This is a serious study of the Legion's origins, history, and combat performance. Those who stick with this long read will find it rewarding, but also time consuming! There is lots of fascinating information here buried between the sometimes excessive analysis. A lot of focus is placed on Legion morale, combat effectiveness, and desertion. Porch spends large portions of time disecting these topics at length throughout the book to try to determine the real efficiency of the Legion and to seperate the myth from the reality. His conclusions are that the Legion performed best when used in colonial operations. It was not suited for European conflicts and World Wars, even though it did perform well in them. The often delicate pyschological make-up of the average Legionaire meant that he was not suited to perform certain tasks. The Legion prides itself on being a corps d'elite of the French army, even though the Legion itself often disdains that asscoiation. The love-hate relationship between France and her Legion is well illustrated in this book. Indeed, this was the very reason why it was formed in 1831 to safely deposit troublesom foreign elements of society. The Legion seeing this, has responded by imposing an insular discipline over the years which either consumes the recruit, or destroys him in the process! For the length of this book, Porch could spend somewhat more time describing the Legion's battles and campaigns. The famed battle at Camerone in Mexico, now so much apart of Legion lore, gets scarsely a few pages, while the Dohomey and Madacascar campaigns receive lengthy treatments. The coverage of topics is sometimes uneven. One of the best early chapters is on the Carlist Wars of Spain in 1838 and how the Legion was loaned out to serve Queen Isabel in what was to become a long and thankless campaign. Then strangely, both the Crimean War and the Italian War of 1859 get just a small chapter together. The constant references to Legion performance and desertion are a bit redundant after a while. Still, there is much that is worthwhile here. The inter-war years chapter when General Rollet attempts to create the traditions of the Legion during the difficult Rif War of the 1920s provides a lot of interesting debate on the popular image we have seen of the Legion in movies and books. Like most Legion histories this one ends after the loss of Algeria in 1961 and provides only a brief look at the attempted challenege to de Gaulle's policy there. There is no chapter on the Legion today which would really round off this book and help make it the deffinitive history which it purports itself to be. Overall I found this book to be well researched, somewhat dry at times, filled with interesting information and analysis. No Legion buff should be without it as it discusses many aspects of the corp's history not often covered. The book probably could have been made shorter and covered effectively just as much material. There is a good collection of pictures which does enhance the work, and the few maps provided are helpful, if sparringly used. You won't find a lot of Legion lore and heros here, in fact many famous names mentioned elsewhere are deliberately ignored here because the author wishes to have a more detached approach toward this subject. Still, this book will reward the Legion grognard who fights his way through it!
Rating:
Summary: Near Complete History of the Legion
Review: This book contains a lot of impressive research on the history and combat performance of the Legion. Unlike other books on this subject Mr. Porch has decided to take an objective, analylitical approach toward his study of the Legion. This may put off some readers because Porch's work is long, and does not contain a lot of exciting passages. This is a serious study of the Legion's origins, history, and combat performance. Those who stick with this long read will find it rewarding, but also time consuming! There is lots of fascinating information here buried between the sometimes excessive analysis. A lot of focus is placed on Legion morale, combat effectiveness, and desertion. Porch spends large portions of time disecting these topics at length throughout the book to try to determine the real efficiency of the Legion and to seperate the myth from the reality. His conclusions are that the Legion performed best when used in colonial operations. It was not suited for European conflicts and World Wars, even though it did perform well in them. The often delicate pyschological make-up of the average Legionaire meant that he was not suited to perform certain tasks. The Legion prides itself on being a corps d'elite of the French army, even though the Legion itself often disdains that asscoiation. The love-hate relationship between France and her Legion is well illustrated in this book. Indeed, this was the very reason why it was formed in 1831 to safely deposit troublesom foreign elements of society. The Legion seeing this, has responded by imposing an insular discipline over the years which either consumes the recruit, or destroys him in the process! For the length of this book, Porch could spend somewhat more time describing the Legion's battles and campaigns. The famed battle at Camerone in Mexico, now so much apart of Legion lore, gets scarsely a few pages, while the Dohomey and Madacascar campaigns receive lengthy treatments. The coverage of topics is sometimes uneven. One of the best early chapters is on the Carlist Wars of Spain in 1838 and how the Legion was loaned out to serve Queen Isabel in what was to become a long and thankless campaign. Then strangely, both the Crimean War and the Italian War of 1859 get just a small chapter together. The constant references to Legion performance and desertion are a bit redundant after a while. Still, there is much that is worthwhile here. The inter-war years chapter when General Rollet attempts to create the traditions of the Legion during the difficult Rif War of the 1920s provides a lot of interesting debate on the popular image we have seen of the Legion in movies and books. Like most Legion histories this one ends after the loss of Algeria in 1961 and provides only a brief look at the attempted challenege to de Gaulle's policy there. There is no chapter on the Legion today which would really round off this book and help make it the deffinitive history which it purports itself to be. Overall I found this book to be well researched, somewhat dry at times, filled with interesting information and analysis. No Legion buff should be without it as it discusses many aspects of the corp's history not often covered. The book probably could have been made shorter and covered effectively just as much material. There is a good collection of pictures which does enhance the work, and the few maps provided are helpful, if sparringly used. You won't find a lot of Legion lore and heros here, in fact many famous names mentioned elsewhere are deliberately ignored here because the author wishes to have a more detached approach toward this subject. Still, this book will reward the Legion grognard who fights his way through it!
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