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One can write 1000 pages of text about a legion of foreigners without writing everything, so a lot of things are not mentioned here. Most of the texts are taken from wikipedia

O legiji stranaca se može napisati 1000 stranica teksta a da se ne napiše sve, pa puno stvari nije ovdje spomenuto. Većina tekstova je preuzeta sa wikipedije


La Légion étrangère


The Legion of Foreigners (French La Légion étrangère) was founded on March 10, 1831. In order to save the blood of French citizens during the colonial conquests, Louis Philippe recruited volunteers between the ages of 18-40 from other countries.

The Legion of Foreigners is one of the most famous parts of the French Army (Armee de Terre). This integral part is made up of volunteers from many countries, regardless of their ethnic, religious or linguistic affiliation. The only conditions for joining this unit (besides the physical ones) are loyalty to the French Republic and enough knowledge of the French language to understand the orders. Although it is composed of volunteers from different countries and cultural areas, the officer cadre of the legion consists exclusively of French, which means that volunteers at best have the opportunity to reach the ranks of non-commissioned officers.



One of the first tasks of the legion was to conquer Algeria. This mission lasted until 1835, when Algeria fell into the hands of the Spaniards. Apart from Algeria, after the reform, the legion also took part in military campaigns against Italy (1859) and Mexico (1863), where the most famous battle of this unit took place on April 30, 1863. Namely, 3 officers and 63 legionnaires managed to resist the attack of about 800 Mexicans in the Camerona plantation area one day. In this battle, almost all the legionnaires die, while 5 of them decide to fight to the last, and chest to chest, with bayonets on, the three go to their deaths. The only two surviving legionnaires sign the capitulation only on condition that they keep their weapons and take care of the dead. This day is celebrated in the legion as the greatest holiday, and metaphorically it shows the loyalty of the legion to France and the fight to the last.
Since then, on all flags of the regiments in honor of the fallen, this date and the name of the battle are stated below the emblem of the unit. To this day, this unit has gone through many battlefields and thus defended the interests of the French Republic.

Structure and arrangement

The Legion of Foreigners is organized into 8 regiments (regiments), one brigade and two attachés.
• 1° Régiment etrangér (Aubagne, Francuska), Pješadijski regiment
• 1° Régiment etrangér de de cavalerie (Orange, Francuska), Regiment kavalerije (konjica)
• 1° Régiment etrangér de genié (Laudun, Francuska), Pionirski regiment
• 2° Régiment etrangér de genié (Saint Christol, Francuska), Pionirski regiment
• 2° Régiment etrangér de d´Infantrie (Nîmes, Francuska), Pješadijski regiment
• 2° Régiment etrangér de parachutiste (Francuska Gvajana), Padobranski regiment
• 3° Régiment etrangér de d´Infantrie (Castelnaudary, Francuska), Pješadijski regiment
• 4° Régiment etrangér (Calvi, Korzika), Pješadijski regiment
• 13° Demi-brigade de Légion etrangér (Džibuti), Deminerska brigada specijalnih namjena
• Detachement de Legion étrangér de Mayotte (Mayotte, Indijski okean), Odjel na Mayotte
• Groupement de Recrutement de Légion étrangér, Centar za rekrutaciju.
Regiments have different strengths, while the name regiment derives from historical views of structure. In terms of numbers, the strongest regiment is 2 ° R.E.I. Although the names of the regiments more closely indicate their purpose, they originated from the historical structure and today lose their meaning. All regiments can be designated as light motorized regiments within the Army (Armeé de Terre), while 2 ° R.E.P. as part of the ground forces it operates as part of the Armee de l´Air (air force).
Part CODE
• Art. 1 - Legionnaire, you are a volunteer who serves France with honor and devotion.
• • Art. 2 - Every legionnaire is your brother in arms regardless of his nationality, his race or his religion. You show him the solidarity that connects members of the same family.
• • Art. 3 - Respect for tradition, devotion to leaders, discipline and brotherhood are your strength, courage and loyalty are your virtues.
• • Art. 4 - Proud of your Legionnaire status, you show it in uniform, which is always impeccable, your behavior is always dignified and modest, the living space is always clean.
• • Art. 5 - As an elite soldier, you will train hard, you will always maintain your weapon as your greatest treasure, you will always take care of your physical fitness
• • Art. 6 - The mission is sacred, you will carry it out to the end, you will respect the laws, customs of war, international conventions at the cost, if necessary, of your life.
• • Art. 7 - In battle, you will act without emotion and without hatred, you will always respect the defeated enemy, you will never leave your dead or wounded, nor will you ever surrender your weapons.


Tradition

Parade in Rome, June 2, 2007
An irreplaceable sign of recognition of the legion of foreigners is a white cap, the so-called Cape Blanc. This type of white hat is worn only by non-commissioned officers and soldiers. The color of the legion's beret is green (Béret vert) and the insignia is worn as in almost all French units on the right. The coat of arms of the legion is a grenade with 7 fire tails that connects the legion with its predecessor, the Hohenlohe regiment. The colors of the legion are green and red. While green indicates soil, red indicates blood. If any part of the unit is on a task, the triangular flag flips upside down so that the green color is down and the red is above. This signifies a state of war, i.e. blood on earth.

The motto of the legion is Legio Patria Nostra, which translated means: the legion is our homeland.
One example of the legion’s independence and roots is the song Le Boudin. This song is sung during the march or, if the units are not on the move, only in a “calm!” Attitude.

Pioneers of the Legion.
It is also an irreplaceable marching step of the legion. While all other units of the French armed forces are marching at a pace of 120 steps per minute, the legion is moving at 88 steps per minute. This exception stemmed from the wars in the Algerian deserts and the difficulty of marching in the sand. On July 14, the day of the national holiday of France, during the parade on the Champs-Elysée, the legion always marches last because of its slower pace. It is also one of the units to which the audience applauds the most during the ceremony. In addition, the pioneers of the legion with their traditional long mustaches and leather aprons are also in this machine. This part of the legion passes in front of the ceremonial tribune with an ax instead of rifles on its shoulders.


Monument aux morte
Danjous proteza ruke
The Legion has two important relics. One is a monument to the fallen legionnaires Munument aux morts at the Aubagne headquarters, which was transferred from Algeria during the 1962 withdrawal. Another relic is a wooden prosthesis of Captain Jean Danjou, who was one of the fallen officers during the Battle of Camerona. This prosthesis is transferred to the monument to fallen legionnaires every year on April 30 by a specially selected legionnaire. This symbolically unites the past and present of the legion.


Recruitment
For many volunteers, the Legion of Foreigners is the beginning of a new life. In principle, men between the ages of 18-40, of medium build, not too tall or too small, not too heavy or too light, have access to the legion. The greatest attention is paid to the health condition of the volunteer. Volunteers with poor eyesight, problems with hemorrhoids, flat feet, problems with the spine or skeleton, and joints are excluded from recruitment and are not allowed access to the legion.

In the beginnings of the legion, volunteers were not controlled on security issues, so many more serious criminals managed to get into the legion. Today, thorough examinations of the security status of the volunteer are being carried out, which is partly being carried out by the French intelligence service. In principle, access is allowed to all those who have not committed the criminal offenses of murder, kidnapping or rape, or who have not endangered the lives of innocents in criminal offenses. This eliminates the myth of a legion of foreigners as an institution for hiding the worst criminals.
After comprehensive health tests, volunteers access military training, which, depending on the volunteer's abilities, can be individual (after basic training) or specified according to the needs of the legion.

After the training, volunteers sign a contract for 5 years of service. For the first two years, they are allowed a 14-day holiday during which they are not allowed to leave France. From the third year, the legionnaire is entitled to a 45-day vacation.
In the first two years, contact with relatives and friends from a previous life was forbidden. Salary (900-1300 Euros, with the addition of food, accommodation and clothes) is paid in cash. Legionnaires are not entitled to a giro account. The only option is to open an account through the regiment. The amount of salary depends on the rank, but it does not differ among individuals. In special tasks, the salary can reach double the value.
The Legion protects its members from outside access. Thus, each legionnaire or volunteer receives a new identity, new identity papers and a Carte d´identité militaire (so-called military ID card) during the training. As part of the new identity is a new date of birth, a new name and surname, the names of the parents and the place of birth. The true identity is known only to the institutions of the legion.
The Legion numbers 7,699 men, of whom 413 are officers, 1,741 non-commissioned officers, and 5,545 legionaries divided into 11 regiments.


Training
The training method in the Legion of Foreigners corresponds to the methodology in the best elite units around the world. Didactics goes in the direction of overcoming one's physical and mental capabilities in service. The simple sentence here is that sweat during training prevents blood on the task. It should be emphasized that the training in the legion, compared to similar units in Western countries, is very sharp and on the verge of humanity.

The training of units is similar to the training of well-known special units such as the S.A.S., Seals or Russian Special Forces units. In addition to extensive training in the basics of warfare and tactics, legionnaires are trained in survival techniques in the worst circumstances, and individually by their own qualifications in the methods of guerrilla combat techniques, language and technical military capabilities.



Pension
After 20 years of service, the legionnaire is entitled to a lifelong pension and health care. The pension is also paid abroad. In addition, after two years of service, legionnaires are entitled to French citizenship. For the wounded and disabled, or legionnaires without other means, the Legion manages a large number of institutions that provide lifelong care in such cases.
Arms


The Legion of Foreigners uses the same weapons as other parts of the French ground forces. The FAMAS-type assault rifle is used as a personal weapon, while the legion is equipped with 1952 machine guns, howitzers, M621 automatic cannons, LRAC F1 anti-tank systems, MILAN and HOT anti-tank missile systems for close support.
Transall C-160 aircraft, Aerospatiale SA 321 Super Frelon, Aerospatiale SA 330 Puma and Aerospatiale SA 532 Cougar helicopters are used as means of transport. On land, mobility is ensured by transporters and light armored vehicles, the most important of which are VAB, FL 501, VLTT P44, Hotchkiss and AMX-10P armored personnel carriers.

HRVATSKI


Legija stranaca (francuski La Légion étrangère) je osnovana 10. ožujka 1831.
kako bi se pri kolonijalnim osvajanjima "štedila krv francuskih državljana“, Luj Filip regrutira dobrovoljce između 18-40 godina iz drugih država.
Legija stranaca je jedan od najpoznatijih dijelova francuske kopnene vojske (Armee de Terre). Ovaj integralni dio je sastavljen od dobrovoljaca iz mnogih zemalja, bez obzira na njihovu etničku, religioznu ili jezičnu pripadnost. Jedini uslovi za ulazak u sastav ove jedinice (uz fizičkih) su odanost Francuskoj republici i toliko poznavanje francuskog jezika da bi se razumjela naređenja. Iako je sastavljena od dobrovoljaca iz različitih država i kulturnih prostora, oficirski kadar legije se sastoji isključivo od Francuza, što znači da dobrovoljci u najboljem slučaju imaju mogućnost dolaska do podoficirskih činova.
Jedan od prvih zadataka legije je bilo osvajanje Alžira. Ova misija traje do 1835. kada Alžir pada u ruke Španjolaca. Osim u Alžiru, legija je poslije reformiranja učestvovala i borbenim pohodima protiv Italije (1859.) i Meksika (1863.) gdje se 30. travnja 1863. dogodila najpoznatija bitka ove jedinice. Naime, 3 časnika i 63 legionara se na području plantaže Camerone uspijevaju jedan dan oduprijeti napadu oko 800 Meksikanaca. U ovoj bici ginu skoro svi legionari, dok se njih 5 odlučuje za bitku do zadnjeg, te prsa u prsa, sa nataknutim bajonetima trojica odlaze u smrt. Jedina dva preživjela legionara potpisuju kapitulaciju samo pod uslovom da zadrže svoje oružje i da se pobrinu za mrtve. Ovaj dan se u legiji slavi kao najveći praznik, a metaforično pokazuje odanost legije Francuskoj i borbu do zadnjeg.
Od tada, se na svim zastavama regimenata u čast palim, ovaj datum i ime bitke navodi ispod amblema jedinice. Do danas, ova jedinica je prošla mnoga ratišta i time branila interese Francuske republike.
Struktura i uređenje
Legija stranaca je organizirana u 8 regimenata (pukovnija), jednu brigadu i dva atašea.
• 1° Régiment etrangér (Aubagne, Francuska), Pješadijski regiment
• 1° Régiment etrangér de de cavalerie (Orange, Francuska), Regiment kavalerije (konjica)
• 1° Régiment etrangér de genié (Laudun, Francuska), Pionirski regiment
• 2° Régiment etrangér de genié (Saint Christol, Francuska), Pionirski regiment
• 2° Régiment etrangér de d´Infantrie (Nîmes, Francuska), Pješadijski regiment
• 2° Régiment etrangér de parachutiste (Francuska Gvajana), Padobranski regiment
• 3° Régiment etrangér de d´Infantrie (Castelnaudary, Francuska), Pješadijski regiment
• 4° Régiment etrangér (Calvi, Korzika), Pješadijski regiment
• 13° Demi-brigade de Légion etrangér (Džibuti), Deminerska brigada specijalnih namjena
• Detachement de Legion étrangér de Mayotte (Mayotte, Indijski ocean), Odjel na Mayotte
• Groupement de Recrutement de Légion étrangér, Centar za regrutaciju.
Regimenti imaju različitu snagu, dok naziv regiment proizilazi iz povjesnih pogleda strukture. Po brojnosti najjači regiment je 2° R.E.I. Iako imena regimenata pobliže označavaju njihovu namjenu, ona su proizišla iz povjesnog ustrojstva te danas gube značenje. Svi regimenti se mogu označiti kao laki motorizirani regimenti u sklopu kopnenih snaga (Armeé de Terre), dok 2° R.E.P. kao dio kopnenih snaga djeluje u sastavu Armee de l´Air (zračne snage).
Kod časti
• Art. 1 - Legionaru, ti si dragovoljac koji služi Francusku časno i predano.
• Art. 2 - Svaki legionar ti je brat po oružju bez obzira na njegovu nacionalnost, njegovu rasu ili njegovu religiju. Pokazuješ mu solidarnost koja povezuje članove iste obitelji.
• Art. 3 - Poštivanje tradicije, privrženost vođama, disciplina i bratstvo su tvoja snaga, hrabrost i odanost su tvoje vrline.
• Art. 4 - Ponosan na svoj status Legionara, to pokazuješ u uniformi, koja je uvijek besprijekorna, tvoje ponašanje je uvijek dostojanstveno i skromno, prostor boravka je uvijek čist.
• Art. 5 - Kao elitni vojnik, teško ćeš trenirati, uvijek ćeš održavati svoje oružje kao svoju najveću dragocjenost, uvijek ćeš voditi brigu o svojoj fizičkoj spremi
• Art. 6 - Misija je sveta, izvršit ćeš ju do kraja, poštivat ćeš zakone, običaje rata, internacionalne konvencije pod cijenu, ukoliko je potrebno, svog života.
• Art. 7 - U borbi, ponašat ćeš se bez emocija i bez mržnje, uvijek ćeš poštovati poraženog neprijatelja, nikad nećeš napuštati svoje mrtve ili ranjene, niti ćeš ikad predavati svoje oružje.

Nezamijenjiv znak prepoznavanja legije stranaca je bijeli kepi tzv. Képi Blanc. Ovu vrstu kape u bijeloj boji nose samo podoficiri i vojnici. Boja beretke legije je zelena (Béret vert) a oznake se nose kao kod skoro svih francuskih jedinica na desnoj strani. Grb legije je granata sa 7 vatrenih repova koja legiju povezuje sa prethodnikom, regimentom Hohenlohe. Boje legije su zelena i crvena. Dok zelena prikazuje tlo, crvena označava krv. Ako se neki dio jedinice nalazi na zadatku, trokutasta zastava se okreće naopako, tako da se zelena boja nalazi dole a crvena iznad. Time se označava ratno stanje, tj. krv na zemlji.
Moto legije je Legio Patria Nostra, što prevedeno znači: legija je naša domovina.
Jedan od primjera samostalnosti i korijena legije je pjesma Le Boudin. Ova pjesma se pjeva pri maršu ili, ako se jedinice ne nalaze u hodu, samo u stavu "mirno!".

Pioniri legije.
Također je nezamijenjiv maršni korak legije. Dok sve druge jedinice oružanih snaga Francuske marširaju u tempu od 120 koraka u minuti, legija se kreće sa 88 koraka u minuti. Ovaj izuzetak je proizašao iz ratova u alžirskim pustinjama i teškoći marširanja u pjesku. 14. srpnja, na dan nacionalnog praznika Francuske, pri paradi na Champs-Elysée, legija zbog svog sporijeg koraka uvijek maršira kao zadnja. Također je jedna od jedinica kojoj publika pri toj svečanosti najviše aplaudira. Osim toga u ovom stroju se nalaze i pioniri legije sa svojim tradicionalnim dugim brkovima i kožnim pregačama. Ovaj dio legije pred svečanom tribinom prolazi sa sjekirom umjesto sa puškama na ramenima.


Legija ima dvije važne relikvije. Jedna je spomenik palim legionarima Munument aux morts u glavnom štabu u Aubagne, koji je iz Alžira prenesen pri povlačenju 1962. godine. Druga relikvija je drvena proteza kapetana Jean Danjou, koji je bio jedan od palih oficira za vrijeme bitke kod Camerone. Ova proteza se svake godine 30. travnja prenosi do spomenika palim legionarima od jednog za to posebno izabranog legionara. Time se simbolično ujedinjuje prošlost i sadašnjost Legije.

Regrutacija
Legija stranaca je za mnoge dobrovoljce početak novog života. U principu pristup legiji imaju muškarci između 18-40 godina, srednje građe tijela, ne previsoki ili preniski, ne preteški ili prelaki. Najveća pažnja se obraća na zdravstveno stanje dobrovoljca. Dobrovoljci sa lošim vidom, problemima sa hemoroidima, ravnim stopalima, problemima kičme ili skeleta te zglobovima, se izuzimaju od regrutacije i nije im dozvoljen pristup legiji.
U počecima legije, dobrovoljci nisu kontrolirani po sigurnosnim pitanjima, tako da je mnogo težih kriminalaca uspjelo ući u sastav legije. Danas se vrše temeljna ispitivanja sigurnosnog statusa dobrovoljca, koja djelimično sprovodi i francuska obavještajna služba. U principu je dozvoljen pristup svima koji nisu počinili krivična djela ubojstva, otmice ili silovanja, ili koji pri krivičnim djelima nisu ugrozili živote nedužnih. Samim time se eliminira mit o legiji stranaca kao ustanove za skrivanje najgorih kriminalaca.
Poslije iscrpnih zdravstvenih testova, dobrovoljci pristupaju vojnoj obuci, koja zavisno o sposobnostima dobrovoljca, može biti individualna (poslije osnovne obuke) ili specificirana po potrebama legije.
Poslije obuke, dobrovoljci potpisuju ugovor na 5 godina službe. U prve dvije godine im je dozvoljen odmor od 14 dana za vrijeme kojeg ne smiju napustiti Francusku. Od treće godine, legionar ima pravo na odmor od 45 dana.
U prve dvije godine je zabranjen kotakt sa rodbinom i prijateljima iz prethodnog života. Plaća (900-1300 Eura, sa dodatkom ishrane, smještaja i garderobe) se isplaćuje u kešu. Legionari nemaju pravo na žiro račun. Jedina mogućnost je otvaranje računa preko regimenta. Visina plaće zavisi od čina, ali se ne razlikuje kod pojedinaca. U posebnim zadacima, plaća može dostići i duplu vrijednost.
Legija svoje pripadnike štiti od vanjskih pristupa. Tako svaki legionar ili dobrovoljac za vrijeme obuke dobija novi identitet, nove osobne papire i Carte d´identité militaire (tzv. vojnu osobnu kartu). U sklopu novog identiteta je novi datum rođenja, novo ime i prezime, imena roditelja i mjesto rođenja. Pravi identitet je poznat samo institucijama legije.
Legija broji 7.699 ljudi, od kojih je 413 časnika, 1.741 podčasnika i 5.545 legionara podjeljenih u 11 regimenti.

Obuka
Metoda obuke u legiji stranaca odgovara metodici u najboljim elitnim jedinicama širom svijeta. Didaktika ide u smjeru prevladavanja svojih tjelesnih i psihičkih mogućnosti pri službi. Ovdje vrijedi jednostavna rečenica da znoj pri obuci sprečava krv na zadatku. Potrebno je naglasiti da je obuka u legiji u poredbi sa sličnim jedinicama zapadnih zemalja vrlo oštra i na granici humanosti.

Obuka jedinica je slična obuci poznatih specijalnih jedinica kao što su S.A.S., Seals ili ruskih jedinica Specnaz. Osim opširne obuke u osnovama ratovanja i taktike, legionari se obučavaju i u tehnikama preživljavanja u najgorim okolnostima, te individualno vlastitim kvalifikacijama u načinima gerilske borbene tehnike, jezičnim i tehničkim vojnim mogućnostima.
Mirovina
Poslije 20 godina službe, legionar ima pravo na doživotnu mirovinu i zdravstvenu brigu. Mirovina se isplaćuje i u inozemstvo. Osim toga, poslije dvije godine službe, legionari imaju pravo na francusko državljanstvo. Za ranjene i invalide, ili legionare bez drugih mogućnosti, legija upravlja velikim brojem ustanova koje se doživotno brinu u takvim slučajevima.
Naoružanje


Legija stranaca koristi isto naoružanje kao i drugi djelovi francuskih kopnenih snaga. Kao osobno naoružanje se koristi jurišna puška tipa FAMAS, dok je za blisku potporu legija opremljena sa mitraljezima model 1952, haubicama, automatskim topovima M621, protivoklopnim sistemima LRAC F1, protuoklopnim raketnim sistemima MILAN i HOT.
Kao transportna sredstva se koriste avioni tipa Transall C-160, helikopteri tipa Aerospatiale SA 321 Super Frelon, Aerospatiale SA 330 Puma i Aerospatiale SA 532 Cougar. Na kopnu je mobilnost osigurana transporterima i lakim oklopnim sredstvima od kojih su najvažniji VAB, FL 501, VLTT P44, Hotchkiss i AMX-10P oklopni transporteri.