Thread: Waffen-SS and French legion
View Single Post
  #4 (permalink)  
Old January 5th, 2003, 02:07 PM
AndyW AndyW is offline
Member
  
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: Germany
Posts: 815
Salute!: 0
Saluted 0 Times in 0 Posts
AndyW is an unknown quantity at this point
Post
After WW II, "La Legion Étrangère" consited to a large percentage out of Germans. After the war in Algeria ended in 1962, the "German" proportion was lowered, but you will feel the "esprit allemandes" until today in the Legion (rather bizarre watching French or Serbian legionaires singing German military songs).

In WW II, German legionaires faught against the Wehrmacht, others were drafted into a German penalty Batallion.

Until 1965, approx. 125,000 Germans served in the French Legion. It's notable that they didn't have to swear an oath on France but on their unit.

"Legio patria nostra"!

Cheers,
__________________
"Gentlemen! You can't fight in here, this is the War Room!"
(President Merkin Muffley in "Dr. Strangelove")
Reply With Quote