Foreign Legion in the Sahara

[fernando]

What took you so long, Wayne ?

[Jim McDougall]

It has long been an affinity of mine to find often obscure topics in arms history and try to discover more on these areas, and this, with the Foreign Legion (Regiment Etranger) of course seemed a good one.

As has been seen, for some of us, the stories of the Foreign Legion we were exposed to in our younger years are long remembered, just as would be the case with young boys yearning for adventure. Ironically in the movie "Beau Geste" which I unfortunately used anecdotally here, the opening scenes had to do with young boys dreaming of adventure, which of course brought in the "Legion'.
It would be hard to look into this topic without these elements brought to the fore.

In seeking more information as I had hoped for here, I have gone into a number of references and it seems there is a remarkable lack of information on the Foreign Legion in the 19th century, particularly in North Africa. That was primarily the reason for the use of the movie in opening, as this has been virtually the only context generally remembered as noted in the discussion.

I finally found a source which might explain this situation, from "French Foreign Legion" (Martin Windrow, 1971,p.3) ;
"...it is arguable that no body of fighting men in the whole history of European arms has been so inundated with ill informed publicity as the French Foreign Legion. For more than a century this famous corps has been alternately libelled and romanticized by a steady stream of sentimental fiction, ill founded horror stories in the popular press, indignant newspaper leaders, and catch penny film and television scripts. Some of the most persistent myths are still in wide currency today".

This is an intriguing opening for a history of a famed military group, and which explains here that it was known more for being notorious than elite it seems.
This seems much more the case for the years of the 19th century, which of course is the period for which I sought information here.

In further explaining the romanticizing of the Legion, this reference in describing Algeria (the region of interest noted 1867-82 the period setting for the "Beau Geste" novel) says,
"...the years 1867-75 were unhappy for the officers and men of the Regiment Etranger. Minor tax gathering sorties alternated with road building and deathly monotonous garrison duty in tiny posts in the Sahara. It was in conditions such as these that the abuses sprang up of which novelists have made so much".

While once again having to strain the patience of the parameters of the forum ajenda by using the "Beau Geste' fiction in analogy, it appears this period is indeed that intended in the original novel, despite its 1926 publishing.
Here also, we can see the distortion of the perception of the Legion which might account in degree for the lack of specific attention in the body of published material on French arms history as pertains to these regions and times.

What I have been able to find however suggests that the Chasspot rifles and later the Gras rifles were primary weapons used by the Legion in these areas and times.
The rest is as they say, history, and as this topic seems at a terminus here, I'd like to thank you guys for the entries and participation.

[kronckew]

Jim, The most famous Day in the history of the FFL is Camerone Day, 30 APRIL, which remembers the battle in Mexico on that day in 1863. Wiki tells the tale better than I can. It is the heart and soul of the Legion, and should be the stating point for your research into the FFL in the Americas.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Camar%C3%B3n

[Jim McDougall]

Originally Posted by kronckew

Jim, The most famous Day in the history of the FFL is Camerone Day, 30 APRIL, which remembers the battle in Mexico on that day in 1863. Wiki tells the tale better than I can. It is the heart and soul of the Legion, and should be the stating point for your research into the FFL in the Americas.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Camar%C3%B3n

Thank you so much Wayne! well noted, and as it seems I am always studying Spanish Colonial subjects and history of Mexico, thats a perfect area to continue.

[fernando]

Originally Posted by Jim McDougall

... While once again having to strain the patience of the parameters of the forum ajenda by using the "Beau Geste' fiction in analogy, it appears this period is indeed that intended in the original novel, despite its 1926 publishing...

Concerning dates, P.C. Wren published the novel in 1924 (1925 in USA) and the movie came to the screens in 1939, featuring a period of the Legion quoted as pre-1914.

[Jim McDougall]

Originally Posted by fernando

Concerning dates, P.C. Wren published the novel in 1924 (1925 in USA) and the movie came to the screens in 1939, featuring a period of the Legion quoted as pre-1914.

Actually that is correct, though the copy I have of the novel is published by Grosset & Dunlap and dated 1926, and seen as a first edition. It would seem this was published promotionally as it specifies the Paramount pictures movie starring Ronald Coleman in that year, movie stills are throughout the book.
The 1939 movie starring Gary Cooper was a remake.

The phrase pre WWI is used in describing the period set for the story as is often the case with historical fiction to allow certain latitude in the plot and developments. It does seem understandable as specific dates would be of course confining and subject to too much critical scrutiny. As it is, the circumstances and descriptions in the text seem to allude to the period I had mentioned in Algeria in the 1870s-80s and thus the demeanor of the Legion that was popularly held at the time of the novel, as also described.

On p.20 of the novel, "..,.lying on his back, his sightless eyes out-staring the sun-lay the commandant, and through his heart, a BAYONET, one of our long, thin, French sword bayonets with its single curved hilt".
This seems a perfect description for the Gras M1874 bayonet which was used from that date until about 1886.

The mention of automobiles in the novel further illustrates the amalgamation of settings and period combined in the story.

[fernando]

Jom, does le Lebel also resemble the author's described design ?


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[Jim McDougall]

Exactly what I have been hoping for, analysis of the bayonets used by the Foreign Legion in Algeria in 1867-85, as per my views on the fictional setting for "Beau Geste" (publ.1924-26).
As I cited in the concurrent thread on European, on p. 20 of the novel,
"...lay the Commandant, and through his heart, a bayonet, one of our long, thin French SWORD BAYONETS with its single curved hilt".

In descriptions of the M1874 Gras bayonet, it is described as the last of the French SWORD BAYONETS, and was in use 1874 through c. 1889. (the preceding chassepot was a yataghan blade type sword bayonet).

While I am unsure of whether the Lebel was used in North Africa in the period suggested, it is well established the Gras 1874 was. The Lebel bayonet is termed of 'epee' type as the blade is of the section for thrusting as used in the epee of dueling style.

P.C.Wren was a vividly descriptive writer, and as a military man, seems to have a good command of military dialogue. While British, there are some ideas he may have at some point actually served in the Legion, but that is unconfirmed. In any case he did spend some time in North Africa.

[fernando]

In the movie ...


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[Jim McDougall]

Originally Posted by fernando

Jom, does le Lebel also resemble the author's described design ?


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Further researching, in the novel, as I noted Wren does use the term sword bayonet numerous times through the chapter where the body of the commandante has the bayonet sticking out of his chest.

Conan Doyle's 'Sherlock Holmes' is mentioned several times, this did not appear until 1887.

The automobile noted as a "Roland' would have been a Rolland-Pillain produced from 1905 and later.

The consolidation of Algeria began around 1890 to about 1914.

In "French Foreign Legion" by Martin Windrow (1971) p.38, Plate C3,
A legionaire c. 1905 is depicted with white kepi, blue tailed coat, and indeed the rifle in use was the 1886 LEBEL with EPEE pattern bayonet.
From these elements, I would say that the depiction of the Legionaires in "Beau Geste" was most probably of that 1905 period (pre WWI) as suggested and the bayonet in the 1939 movie scene is indeed correct.

Interesting exercise !!! and thank you for the assist with reference to the "Rosalie" bayonet and the good close up in the 1939 movie!
Resolved.

[fernando]

Dear Jim,

Now that the riddle is cracked, and if you allow me the diversion, here is a brief story on the "pre-history" of the discussed Legion Etrangere ...

" We can say that it is in some way recreated because it inherits the traditions of the old Legion": there was an Italic Legion, a Legion of the Franks of the North, a Polish Legion, a Portuguese Legion and an Irish Legion. In 1805 , heterogeneous foreign units will henceforth be created: the regiment of the Tour d'Auvergne, the regiment of Isembourg, the regiment of Prussia and the battalion of Ireland. They will become, in 1811, the first four foreign regiments. During the 'Cent-Jours', their number will be doubled. In 1815, these eight foreign regiments of the Grande Armée will form by royal order the Royal Foreign Legion.Then at the option of its dismemberment, in 1818, the Royal Legion becomes the Legion of Hohenhole before declining in 1821 to become the Hohenhole Regiment named after its leader, Prince Louis Aloy of Hohenhole-Waldenburg-Bartenstein, a French Marshal of Austrian nationality. This regiment was disbanded on January 5, 1831 but on March 10 of the same year a new royal ordinance brings the Foreign Legion back to life from its ashes to arm the African Army deployed in Algeria ".

Hereunder the front cover and one of the illustrations of my (massive) copy of the Portuguese Legion, created with the purpose to integrate La Grande Armee, one that Napoleon took up to the Russian campaign.


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[Hotspur]

My second empire fantastique sword suited for French Colonial use. The cutler was Georges Leon of Paris.

Cheers
GC

[Jim McDougall]

Originally Posted by Hotspur

My second empire fantastique sword suited for French Colonial use. The cutler was Georges Leon of Paris.

Cheers
GC

Excellent example Glen, thank you for entering it. I was wondering what sort of swords the officers might have been using and 2nd Empire is right in the time frame we are thinking of, and slightly later.

I wonder if there were outfitter/cutlers who catered to colonial forces in the way many London firms catered to East India Company, and later India Government.