Just as he was about to put the cupful of soup to his lips, one of the Spaniards, with a mighty guffaw, reached his hand into the cauldron and pulled out by the hair one of the Arab heads."įor 131 years, Algeria was the Legion's home, and the French claim on the north African country became deeply enmeshed with the identity of the force itself. "They called over a German and invited him to fill his tin mug. One evening, his comrades prepared a pot of soup. Murray described a "systematic destruction" designed to rob Algerians of any potential refuge.Īfter one firefight his unit was ordered to hack heads from the bodies of rebels for future identification. Legionnaires from the parachute regiment pose for a photo in Algeria. Its blurb promises a glimpse into "one of the most ramshackle and soul-destroying military organisations on Earth". While serving in the Australian Army reserves in Malaysia he had read another tome, Marching with the Devil, by former Australian legionnaire David Mason.
Perversely, such tales have only burnished the Legion's myth. There were allegations he was also assaulted.Īfter begging for water, the recruit eventually collapsed, and died hours later from a cardiac arrest. He was kept out in the sun, even during breaks, and forced to complete a punishing hill climb.
In 2008, a 25-year-old Slovakian recruit died from heatstroke during training in Djibouti in temperatures of 38 degrees Celsius.Īfter he complained of a sore knee, a superior took his water, poured it out and ordered none be provided to him. Most of this conduct appears to have ceased, but the culture endures. Patrols are often arduous, with troops carrying heavy equipment over long distances in varying terrain.
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