| French Foreign Legion | |
|---|---|
| |
| Weapons | Camillus, MAS-36 Rifle, Browning Automatic Rifle |
| Origin | various foreign countries and sometimes France |
| Activities | Fighting for France |
| Service | 1831 - present |
| Battle Status | Defeated by the Gurkhas |
| Experts | Cpl. Nick Hughes (FFL Recon Diver/Commando)
Geoff Wawro (PhD French Foreign Legion Historian) |
- "Any time there's a conflict anywhere in the world that involves France, the French government sends the Legion, and if we get wiped out and destroyed, the people in France don't give a damn because its a bunch of foreigners. We know we're going to get sent where no one else wants to gets sent and that's what makes us unique and that's what makes us deadly." -Nick Hughes, former Legionaire
The French Foreign Legion, the elite army of real-life expendables who France sends to do its dirty work;
vs. the Gurkhas, the fearless mountain assassins who take on the British Empire's most dangerous missions.
Stats[]
- Circa - 1940 - 1945
- Age - 27
- Height - 5' 8"
- Weight - 155 lbs
History[]
The French Foreign Legion (Légion étrangère in French), is a unique military unit in the French Army that was founded in 1831. Recruits often included failed revolutionaries from the rest of Europe, soldiers from disbanded foreign regiments, and troublemakers in general, both foreign and French. Commanded mostly by French officers, it was specifically created for foreign nationals wishing to serve in the French armed forces, although it is also open to French citizens.
First used in the French conquest of Algeria (which would serve as the Legion's home base until 1962), the Foreign Legion was set up as a supporting defense of the French empire in the 19th Century. Since then, the Legion has been involved in numerous conflicts, including the Franco-Prussian War, both World Wars, and the Persian Gulf War.
Weapons[]
| Short Range | Camillus |
| Medium Range | MAS-36 Rifle |
| Long Range | Browning Automatic Rifle |
| Tactics | Active Defense |
X-Factors[]
Psychological Warfare: 87 (their skills with the camillus knives)
Discipline: 76
Training: 90 (they went through some of the harshest training in the world under extreme conditions in the deserts of North Africa)
Physicality: 84 (their training in the deserts is so harsh that those not physically fit would die or be removed from training)
Audacity: 88 (because they are willing to die and fight to the end rather than surrender)
Tenacity: 79
Simulated Battle[]
Gurkhas
French Foreign Legion
The battle begins with 5 relaxed French Foreign Legionnaires milling about at their campsite. Not far away, a squad of 5 Gurkhas are preparing an ambush. A legionnaire sentry relieves his fellow guardsman as the lead Gurkha cuts a hole in the legion's barbed wire fence using wire snips. The sentry watches along the perimeter of the camp site, unaware of the Gurkhas' position. A Gurkha takes aim with his Lee-Enfield No. 4 and fires, alerting the rest of the legion. The legion immediately scramble for defensive positions, firing their MAS-36 rifles and BAR machine guns while the Gurkhas fire back with their Lee-Enfields and Bren machine guns. As his position begins to crumble, the sentry attempts to leave his sandbag cover, but is shot down in the crossfire. 
An African legionnaire quickly recocks his bolt action MAS and fires, killing a Gurkha. 
He quickly fires off one more shot before running back for cover behind sandbags.
As the rest of the small legion falls back, the Gurkhas start to advance, taking position in front of the sandbags and continuing to lay down covering fire as two Gurkhas run up through the camp, dodging small artillery fire and jumping over the barbed wire barricade. A Gurkha jumps out of cover and briefly stops to clear a jam in his Bren machine gun, but is shot by a legionnaire who gets up from his position and fires his BAR at the Gurkha. As soon as he's visible, a Gurkha behind a nearby tree shoots him in the head with his Enfield rifle.
While the other Gurkhas inspect the tents for any other legionnaires, the African legionnaire pops out of cover behind sandbags and shoots one of the wandering Gurkhas in the head. The other Gurkha sniper quickly retaliates by shooting him in the head while he's still standing. As the Gurkhas draw closer to the 2 remaining legionnaires, the lead legionnaire jumps out of cover and fires his MAS at the lead Gurkha. The Gurkha takes cover behind a tent as the 2 legionnaires unload the rest of their ammo at the retreating Gurkhas. As they retreat, the lead Gurkha gestures to his partner to split up as the 2 legionnaires come charging at them. Nearby, the other legionnaire cautiously searches for his prey, aiming his rifle. The lead Gurkha sneaks up behind him and brings his kukri blade down, cutting through the legionnaire's kepi and into his skull. The other Gurkha, armed with his kukri, is also brought down from behind as the lead legionnaire grabs him from behind and stabs him in the neck with his Callimus knife.
The two leaders soon confront each other near a hillside, knives in hand as a knife fight showdown ensues. Both leaders step to each other, daring the other to attack. As soon as they come closer to each other, they begin to swing at each other, with the Gurkha scoring the first strike with a backhanded cut across the left cheek. The Gurkha goes in for a follow-up strike, but the legionnaire counters with a strike across the right cheek that causes the Gurkha to stumble down the hillside. As soon as he regains his balance, the legionnaire goes in for a strike and follows up with a thrust. The Gurkha recovers and moves out of the way, causing the legionnaire's Callimus to get stuck in a log that was behind the Gurkha. As the legionnaire tries to free his knife, the Gurkha takes the opportunity to slash his opponent diagonally across the back and kick him. The legionnaire frees his knife and swings his knife 180 degrees, causing the Gurkha to jump back. After the Gurkha slashes the legionnaire twice across the face, the legionnaire goes in for a thrust attack in desperation, but the Gurkha grabs him arm and stops him. He then swings his knife, slashing through the legionnaire's throat. As the legionnaire victory
Trivia[]
- FFL Documentary [1]
- Similar to the FFL, the Roman Army had Auxiliaries, who were non-citizens who enrolled in the army to gain citizenship. Unlike the FFL, Auxiliaries were high in numbers and made up half of the Roman Army after 200AD.
- Because any foreigner can join the FFL, there are some Gurkhas in the FFL [2].
- The FFL wasn't the first time France used large numbers of non-French peoples. Napoleon conscripted many types of Europeans during the Napoleonic Wars. Only half of Napoleon's army was French when he invaded Russia.
- The French Resistance of WW2 was not as successful as it was rumored to be. The resistance was dis-unified (frequently fighting among themselves), lacking communication, and their leadership was so ineffective that most of their officers were British instead of French. While the Nazis were indeed unpopular occupiers, their fascist repression crippled the resistance enough to keep it underground for the majority of the war.
- Before the USA joined WWI, president Woodrow Wilson attempted to avoid joining the war (even after The Sinking of the RMS Lusitania on 7 May 1915). Those Americans willing to join the Allies in retaliation would join the Canadian or British Army, with some managing to join the French Foreign Legion as well.
- The Lafayette Escadrille was a French airforce consisting of Americans. Their banner was the head of Native American general Sitting Bull.
- Many North African colonies of the French Empire recruited many Africans into the French army as the Senegalese Tiraileurs (200,000 in WWI). In WWII: their ferocity and success in battle insulted the Nazis, who sent the Waffen SS to execute African-French POWs due to the Nazi's white-supremacist extremism. [3]
- Xavier Declie, one of the experts of the Musketeers, served in the French Foreign Legion.
- This is the second match-up where the opponents are contemporaneous allies (they both fought for the Allies during World War II).