Fifteen-hundred.

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Fifteen-hundred Frenchmen against Russia? Not necessarily Frenchmen however!

As Macron has promised the French are now officially active the Ukraine Conflict?

French Foreign Legion [FFL] on the way with combat contingents.

"France sends combat troops to Ukraine battlefront"

"Will the deployment of a Foreign Legion unit commanded by French officers trigger a wider European war?"

From https://asiatimes.com | By STEPHEN BRYEN | MAY 4, 2024.

"France has sent its first troops officially to Ukraine. They have been deployed in support of the Ukrainian 54th Independent Mechanized Brigade in Slavyansk. The French soldiers are drawn from France’s 3rd Infantry Regiment, which is one of the main elements of France’s Foreign Legion"

[. . . .]

"The initial group of French troops numbers around 100. This is just the first tranche of around 1,500 French Foreign Legion soldiers scheduled to arrive in Ukraine."

"tranche: noun - A portion of a total"

"These troops are being posted directly in a hot combat area and are intended to help the Ukrainians resist Russian advances in Donbas. The first 100 are artillery and surveillance specialists"

See a very recent blog entry the topic French combat entry the Ukraine Conflict! I cannot help to think this will not go well! Legio Patria Nostra!

coolbert.

Stabilize.

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Consider this action within context of the Ukraine Conflict?

"French Foreign Legion [FFL] to Secure South Yemen Gas Exports"

"France negotiating for access to Yemen"

From news.antiwar.com by Jason Ditz Posted | August 19, 2022.

"It may sound like a bad adventure movie, but the French Foreign Legion could find itself in Yemen trying to stabilize and control areas."

POTENTIAL NATURAL GAS [NG] PRODUCTION LOCATIONS "STABILIZED AND CONTROLLED".

"Recent fighting and exchanges of government figures in South Yemen’s Shabwa Province could be portending a deeper involvement, as France is reportedly negotiating for access to the area."

"France is interested in the potential of gas exports from Balhaf. Europe could use more exports with the Russia War. restricting supply to central Europe."

"Though Yemen isn’t a large exporter of gas in the best of times, it virtually exports nothing during the ongoing war. France seems keen to try to boost it from nothing to something."

BOOST PRODUCTION ON NG FROM NOTHING TO SOMETHING. ALL THE WHILE AND FOR SOME TIME A WAR OCCURRING IN YEMEN! GOOD LUCK THAT MON AMI. 

Consider this to be a repeat of the "Banana Wars" from a period of one-hundred years ago? American military forces interventionists in unstable nations, restoring order for the greater good of capitalist investors and commercial interests.

"The Banana Wars were a series of conflicts that consisted of military occupation, police action, and intervention by the United States in Central America and the Caribbean between the end of the Spanish–American War in 1898 and the inception of the Good Neighbor Policy in 1934"

The various European nations now in mad-scramble dash to find alternative sources of energy including NG. Not any longer content with being obliged and grateful to the Russian.

coolbert.

Archaeology?

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"War ... huh ... yeah What is it good for?" - Edwin Starr.

Archaeology?

"When Napoleon Bonaparte invaded Egypt in 1798, however, it was more than just a military enterprise, for he brought along one-hundred sixty 'Savants.'”

"savant: - - 1: a person of learning especially : one with detailed knowledge in some specialized field (as of science or literature)"

DISCOVERY OF THE ROSETTA STONE??

1. "Write like an Egyptian"

A book review as written by John Steele Gordon.

"It was the greatest puzzle in the world. For three thousand years the ancient Egyptians covered the walls and ceilings of their temples and tombs with a form of writing known as hieroglyphs. More, the bone-dry climate of Egypt had preserved vast quantities of this hieroglyphic text written on papyrus."

NONE of the ancient Egyptian writing could be read prior to the Napoleonic military expedition to Egypt. French troops doing routine military excavation for fortifications accidentally uncovering the Rosetta Stone. That relic providing the key that allowed savants such Champollion to decipher the aged and venerable texts.

2. Jean-Luc Carbucci. The Archaeologist.

"In addition to being a grand military chief, Général Carbuccia . . . was an archaeology enthusiast. Under his orders, his regiment, the 2nd Foreign Regiment [FFL] commenced the various campaign operations of digging, clearing, excavating, recovering, protecting and preserving the Ancient Roman City of Lambaesis. This Ancient City was the military Capital of Roman Numidia. Colonel Carbuccia reconstituted accordingly in recovery the entire geography of the Ancient Roman Province."

Excavations by the French Foreign Legion while doing colonial duty uncovering Roman ruins North Africa. Relics as discovered allowing a reconstruction of ancient Roman life as at the time poorly understood if that! Lots of hard work maintaining fitness for combat, troops not soft and weak from lack of activity!

Further in the modern context we have the Ukraine Conflict.

3. "Ukrainian Soldiers Discover Archaeological Treasures While Digging Defenses in Port City Odessa"

From ARTnews ^ | May 16, 2022 | article by Tessa Solomon the tip from Freeper.

"Ukrainian soldiers discovered a trove of artifacts while digging ditches in anticipation of a Russian strike in the port city Odessa, the Ukrainian military announced last week. Members of the Ukrainian 126th Territorial Defense unearthed amphorae, or ancient containers used to store and transport liquid and dry goods, according to Heritage Daily, which first reported the news"

Odessa a site of settlement from the Classical Greek period. A trading post ancient and as you can well imagine artifacts just waiting to be discovered. As has been now!

For those of you who are pedantic the spelling of Odessa is correct if using the Russian language. Odesa as correct in the Ukrainian language.

coolbert.

Freerunner.

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I like this and expected devoted readers to the blog to do so also.

Major Gerald, French Foreign Legion [FFL] versus a freerunner/parkour enthusiast, FFL obstacle course. WHO will win?

"ASSAULT COURSE : LEGION VS PARKOUR!"

- The freerunner Clément Dumais run again[st] Major Gerald from Foreign Legion.

"For this new challenge, professional free runner Clément Dumais accepted to run against Major Gérald from the French Foreign Legion on his track, an assault obstacle course. Who will master this particularly trying course?"

Freerunning and Parkour totally new concepts I had never heard of. Many devoted readers to the blog I expect the same also.

"Freerunning is an athletic and acrobatic discipline incorporating an aesthetic element, and can be considered either a sport or a performance art, or both. Freerunning is similar to parkour, from which it is derived, but emphasizes artistry over efficiency and speed. Freerunning involves interacting with physical obstacles in creative ways, such as by climbing, jumping or running; the obstacles may be purpose-built or may be part of a pre-existing natural or man-made environment. The movements are usually adopted from other sports, such as gymnastics, tricking or breakdancing. Freerunners can create their own moves, flows and lines in different landscapes. Practitioners of freerunning usually do parkour as well."

"Parkour  . ,. .  is an athletic training discipline in which practitioners . . . attempt to get from point A to point B in the most fluid way possible, without assisting equipment and in the fastest and most efficient way possible. With roots in military obstacle course training and martial arts, parkour includes running, climbing, swinging, vaulting, jumping, plyometrics, rolling, and quadrupedal movement—whatever is suitable for a given situation."

See the video courtesy You Tube:

"If your French is not up to where it should be, just click the settings part of the video in YouTube, then subtitle/cc, then autotranslate, then English, and that will work for you just fine."

French Foreign Legion [FFL] can be very selective with regard to recruiting and acceptance of wannabee legionnairres. Intake personnel carefully screened and expected to have a degree of physical fitness and aptitude demonstrably so prior to induction. Other military services of other nations also demanding in this regard.

Those FFL troops desiring to rise to the rank of sergeant in the FFL must complete that course in three minutes fifteen seconds!! Amazing.

Major Gerald a very physical specimen, wearing combat boots while completing the obstacle course. Each of those boots weighing about three pounds [1.3 kilograms]. Major Gerald also knows the various techniques as applicable to the course.

Major Gerald FFL has a whole series of such You Tube video on the Internet. So see for yourself.

coolbert.

Scurrilous.

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Germans in Vietnam? Germans? 

That allegation that the French Foreign Legion [FFL] during the First Indo-China war had recruited to service large numbers German nationals of dubious character, many having served in German units during World War Two the activity of which was characterized by war crimes and heinous atrocity.

Bernard B. Fall, writing in the context of the First Indochina War, has called the notion that the Foreign Legion [FFL] was mainly German at that time:

"a canard [a lie with malice] . . . As a rule, and in order to prevent any particular nation from making the Legion into a Praetorian guard [forming, or resembling the Roman imperial bodyguard], any particular national component is kept at about 25 percent of the total. Even supposing (and this was the case, of course) that the French recruiters, in the eagerness for candidates would sign up Germans enlisting as Swiss, Austrian, Scandinavian and other nationalities of related ethnic background, it is unlikely that the number of Germans in the Foreign Legion ever exceeded 35 percent. Thus, without making an allowance for losses, rotation, discharges, etc., the maximum number of Germans fighting in Indochina at any one time reached perhaps 7 000 out of 278 000. As to the ex-Nazis, the early arrivals contained a number of them, none of whom were known to be war criminals. French Intelligence saw to that. Since, in view of the rugged Indochinese climate, older men without previous tropical experience constituted more a liability than an asset, the average age of the Legion enlistees was about 23. At the time of the battle of Dien Bien Phu, any Legionnaire of that age group was at the worst, in his 'Hitler Youth' shorts when the [Third] Reich collapsed."

Consider also: Total numbers [by nationality] French Foreign Legion: [from inception until NOW!]

* Germany - - 210,000

Followed by:

* Italy - - 60,000
* France - - 50,000

* Spain - - 40,000
* Belgium - - 40,000
* Switzerland - - 30,000

Germany has contributed the most Legionnaires by far!! It takes the next five nationalities combined to exceed the German total! This from FFL records too!

Allegations unverified, not substantiated, scurrilous and even libelous? But widely believed?

coolbert.

Moz II.

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Additional flash precedence message traffic!

More Mozambique. Courtesy acknowledged African authority and thanks to same.

"Big story developing in Northern Mozambique.  French Foreign Legion [FFL] have moved in in a bid to rescue hostages. It seems that there are quite a few Westerners dead and man in hiding from the Jihadis in the jungle. Their infiltration [jihadi] has been tactically excellent. Nothing in the international media about any of this."

"I received an audio recording made by one of Dyck's guys on Friday night describing their day . . .  It appears these insurgents are very tactically astute in how they have executed this raid on Palma, putting in a feint on a nearby town to cause the population to flee to Palma and joined them, concealing their weapons knowing no one would be screening the fleeing villagers on arrival. Once in Palma they unwrapped their weapons and put in an attack at 3 points."

 "Most of the expats [expatriates] in the area fled to the Amarula Palma hotel (+_200) and after surrounding it and waiting, the insurgents put in another feint against the Italian Bonatti camp on Friday evening very nearby. When this was going in a South African led a 17 vehicle convoy escape out of the hotel and this was ambushed by the insurgents at the entrance where only 7 vehicles escaped and a number of expats were killed, with some vehicles turning back to the hotel. The last I heard the hotel had since been overrun, but not yet confirmed."

 "Apparently these expats were of the belief there were boats at a beach nearby waiting to evacuate them but one of Dyck's choppers did a recce [reconnaissance] earlier and saw nothing which they reported back to the hotel and told them to sit tight and they would be back in the morning to evacuate them once they had rearmed and refueled. "

 "The government Mi's [Soviet/Russian Mi helicopters] that were meant to be taking over ops from DAG [Lionel Dyck PMC] flew in on Friday, one took hits from ground fire and put down at the airfield, another put down through a maintenance issue and others flown by Ukrainians put down at the nearby airfield and refused to get involved. When they flew out, they overflew a government troop relief advancing towards Palma and shot them up believing they were insurgents."

 "An Olympic [mess] other than DAGs choppers flying rescue and attack sorties throughout. There are now expats and locals scattered all over the shateen [bush, forest] there. Foreign Legion [FFL] were en route from a nearby location but to assist in evacuations not kinetic operations."

FFL THEIR MISSION STRICTLY TO EVACUATE EXPATS AND NOT ENGAGE THE ADVERSARY JIHADI!

This story continues!

coolbert.

Cafard.

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"His madness may turn into a senseless explosion or fit of fury; men suffering from 'cafard' will run a bayonet through their comrade’s body, without any reason, without any outward cause.  Sometimes they rush out into the desert; sometimes they tear every piece of their outfit into rags, just to vex themselves and others thoroughly."

Once more from the Internet web site "Kaiser Cross" and thanks to same yet again a description of what is termed in modern parlance PTSD. Post-Traumatic-Stress-Disorder. Physiological and psychological breakdown of a soldier a result of extended exposure to extreme conditions of danger and deprivation. 

"The 'Cafard' in the Foreign Legion".

Within the ranks of the French Foreign Legion [FFL] hard and unremitting military duty in the remote areas of the North African desert exacerbated by extreme loneliness and isolation leading to insanity.

“'Le Cafard' is a form of depression . . . The 'Cafard' is described as a depression that feels like a cockroach crawling inside the brain, slowly driving the victim insane."

Those of you interested might want to view this PowerPoint presentation listing all those "WARRELATEDILLNESS" nowadays termed PTSD.

* Nostalgia. [Napoleonic Wars]

* Melancholy. [American Civil War]

* Soldier's Heart. [American Frontier]

* Shell Shock. [World War One]

* Combat Fatigue. [World War Two]

* PTSD. [Vietnam]

coolbert.

Imbecile.

This is coolbert:

Have you ever done it ze' French way?

From over eleven years ago another instance of the forest-fire within the military dimension. Originally posted in 2009 this story edited and re-posted.

"Foreign Legion shooting practice triggers huge wildfire in France"

Thanks to the British Guardian and the article as originally by Angelique Chrisafis.

"Drill instructor suspended after blaze forces evacuations in Marseille"

"A French Foreign Legion drill instructor was suspended today amid political fury over an 'imbecilic' shooting practice that started one of France's biggest wildfires in recent years."

"The fire broke out during a shooting exercise by the First Foreign Legion Regiment on their base outside Marseille yesterday after soldiers fired non-regulation tracer bullets that caught fire on scrub-land in summer temperatures."

Scrub-land [shrub-land] as described the maquis. Also referred to as the garrigue. Extremely susceptible to fire. A flora not really natural either as that term understood. 

"Deforestation of the indigenous oak forest since the Late Bronze Age, for cultivation of olives, vines and grain, the introduction of sheep and especially goats and charcoal-making for heat and iron-working, exposed the land surface to weathering and resulted in erosion of the topsoil. The wild garrigue, then, is a man-formed landscape."

WOODED AREAS [OAK FOREST] FROM PRE-HISTORIC TIMES LEVELED FOR A VARIETY OF PURPOSES. TIMBER QUITE OFTEN FELLED [AND NOT REPLACED] AND USED IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF WARSHIPS.

Not only France but the entire Mediterranean area the flora consisting of a maquis or garrigue scrub-land. IN LARGE MEASURE AS A RESULT OF WARFARE.

coolbert.

Obstacles.

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I recommend highly without reservation or qualification these You Tube video and thanks to You Tube.

French Foreign Legion [FFL] combat training courses. Obstacle courses. Desert and jungle.

1. CECAP.  The Combat Training Center at Arta Beach (CECAP), or Centre d'entraînement au combat d'Arta Plage, is a French Army training facility located in Arta, Djibouti.

Obstacle course. "It is by 50 ° C. [122 F.] in the shade and 80 per cent humidity"

This course looks very dangerous. Each man wears a harness attached to a safety line. Nonetheless, one wrong move and you could be gone.

A water obstacle course. And must be completed as a team. A single man could not get through the course by himself.

A land obstacle course that also must be completed as a team. Team building and physical fitness combined

2. CEFE. The Jungle Training Center (CEFE), or Centre d'entraînement à la forêt équatoriale, is a French Army jungle warfare school located in French Guiana.

Jungle course. Both individual and team building obstacles must be overcome. Lots of water. I especially like the event where the troop has to swing rope-to-rope Tarzan like. It is reputed the record time for completing the course is 45 minutes. It is also reputed that a unit of U.S. Marines took seven hours to complete the same course. One woman present in the video completing the course along with the men!

Such obstacle courses function as a filter mechanism. The soldier without a whole lot of motivation and "try" will fail these type of courses. Officers are able to separate the enlisted into two groups. Those that "can" and those that "cannot".

French Foreign Legion [FFL] troops the selection process meticulous. Only the best prospects are selected for enlistment. An elite force undergoing the most arduous training. As you can see for yourself.

AND YES, NONE OF THAT LOOKS EASY!!

coolbert.

Dubonnet.

This is coolbert:

I get ideas for blog entries from the most interesting sources.

Back to the topic of military prophylaxis. Medical measures taken to prevent illness, weakness, or death among the troops. Thank you also Dubonnet for the poster!

"pro·phy·lax·is - - noun - - action taken to prevent disease, especially by specified means or against a specified disease."

1. Dubonnet apertif!

"Dubonnet is a sweet, aromatised wine-based aperitif with 15% alcohol by volume. It is a blend of fortified wine, herbs, and spices (including a small amount of quinine), with fermentation being stopped by the addition of alcohol."

"aperitif - - an alcoholic drink taken before a meal as an appetizer"

"Dubonnet was first sold in 1846 by Joseph Dubonnet, in response to a competition run by the French Government to find a way of persuading French Foreign Legionnaires in North Africa to drink quinine. Quinine combats malaria but is very bitter."

TROOPS UNWILLING TO TAKE MEDICATIONS, PROPHYLAXIS AS PRESCRIBED. TASTE OF THE MEDICINE [QUININE] TOO BITTER. MIX IN A LITTLE ALCOHOL AND THE TROOPS THEN MORE THAN READY TO TAKE THE MEDICINE!

2. Also from the Internet web site of Dr. Andrew Weil a discussion of the shelf-life and potency of vitamins pills with the military connection. As extracted and copied more or less in entirety.

"Pills Past Their Prime?"

"Is it safe to use medications that are past the expiration date stamped on the package? If so, will the drugs be as effective as they were prior to the expiration date? What about supplements?"

"With a few specific exceptions, it is generally safe to use drugs that have passed their expiration dates. We know this thanks to a study carried out some years ago by the FDA at the request of the Department of Defense, which maintains enormous stores of drugs of all kinds for use by the military. Defense authorities wanted to know whether the drugs in its warehouses were potent and worth keeping after their expiration dates had passed. The study showed that 90 percent of more than 100 drugs, both prescription and over-the-counter, were perfectly good to use even 15 years after the expiration dates."

And thank you DoD and Dr. Weil.

Devoted readers to the blog check all your pill bottles of vitamins and rest assured even if the expiration has has passed you are still able to consume without danger! Vitamin tablets still good!

coolbert.

FSAALE.

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I found this to be mildly surprising. Hmong hill-tribesmen, people from Laos, having fought first for the French and then the Americans during both Indo-China Wars, having found refuge and evidently prospering in South America.

FSAALE.  Federation of Foreign Legion Alumni Societies.

3 REI Legion-Etrangere. French Foreign Legion Third Infantry Regiment, French Guyana.

Commemorative ceremony honoring Hmong that fought and died with the French Union troops during the First Indo-China War.

"On June 26, 2017 at 11:00 am, the inauguration of the memorial to the Hmong fallen in Indochina between 1945-54 in the service of France took place in the village of Javouhey."

"The Hmongs of the community of French Guiana have been mainly present in Cacao and Javouhey for forty years. They are the main fruit and vegetable producers in the department. They were gathered on 26 June to honor their forefathers who had died for France."

"At that ceremony, the Vice-Prefect of Guyana, Claude VO DINH, and General-General Pierre-Jean DUPONT, armed forces in Guyana."

"The Legion was represented by a picket [guards] from a section of the 2nd Foreign Engineer Regiment currently on a short-term mission to French Guiana."

"The Amicale des Anciens of the Foreign Legion Guyana, in the person of its president and its flag bearer, wanted to witness this important moment, grateful to the People [Hmong]."

Nous n'oublions pas!

 coolbert.

Lauzun’s Legion.

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Before there was a French Foreign Legion there was Lauzun's Legions!

Armand-Louis de Gontaut Biron, duc de Lauzun [Duke].

Never heard of this before. Thanks to the Mad Monarchist Internet web site and as extracted from same.

"The Duc de Lauzun, a Life Lesson"

"In the aftermath of the disastrous French and Indian War (Seven Years’ War for Europeans), the French military was reformed in a major way."

To include units comprised of foreign nationals not Frenchmen. Military forces their mission what would be termed overseas duty!!

"A group of eight new units were created, known as legions, of Volontaires étranger de la Marine for overseas service. These units were made up of Poles, Germans, Hungarians and exiles from Ireland and were combined arms formations with each having two fusilier, one grenadier and one chasseur companies as well as artillery and cavalry (hussars) in their own independent companies. The idea was to have units that could move quickly, pack a punch and be able to respond to any given situation with their own infantry, cavalry and artillery components"

Units and troops described their battlefield function depending on the historical context but generally defined as:

* fusilier =  line infantry,  * grenadier =  elite assault troops, * chasseur =  light infantry, *  hussars =  light cavalry.

The Duc his fate most terrible. A valiant military commander and a supporter of the French Revolution himself sent eventually to the guillotine.

coolbert.

Gabon WW2.

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FFE = Free French Exterior.

French forces during the Second World War as under command of Charles de Gaulle.

French military units but NOT always consisting of Frenchmen.

During the Second World War [WW2] those forces of what was called the FFE under the command of Charles de Gaulle of dubious validity. FFE as a movement in totality an alternative to Vichy and as a government-in-exile in that period after the Battle of France, 1940, questionable at best.

At least until the Battle of Gabon, November, 1940.

That first instance [with British support] of FFE combat success. The liberation of Libreville and the French African colony of Gabon. Consider the Battle of Gabon. FFE units with augmentation from the British capturing the Vichy controlled French colony of Gabon in Africa..

Demonstrably after Gabon the FFE their validity much less questionable. FFE was a fighting force and alternative French government in exile in opposition to the Axis powers.

"The Battle of Gabon . . . also called the Gabon Campaign . . . or the Battle of Libreville, occurred in November 1940 during World War II. The battle resulted in the Free French Forces [FFE] taking the colony of Gabon and its capital, Libreville, from Vichy French forces."

FFE combat units but not consisting of Frenchmen as that term generally, ordinarily and commonly understood but rather troops of the French Foreign Legion [FFL].

"The 13th Demi-Brigade of Foreign Legion . . . and, with the Senegalese Tirailleur Regiment of Tchad [STRT] . . . one of the two regiments which rallied as a constituted unit of the Free French Forces (FFL)."

Senegalese black African troops of the type as most favored by the French general officer Charles Mangin also their role in the initial states of FFE combat operations and consolidation of a territorial base for further warfare as waged by the French military during WW2  critical.

But again STRT or FFL hardly Frenchmen.

coolbert.

Beard & Axe.

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Beard man, axe man!

First from the Forces [British] TV channel this interesting item:

1. "The Only Army Rank Allowed To Have A Beard On Parade"

The ancient and venerable tradition continues unabated!!

"Meet the Pioneer Sergeant, the holder of the only position within the British Army allowed to have a beard when on parade."

Pioneer Sergeant John-Paul Tooth.

"Pioneer Sergeants have existed since the 1700s. The tradition began when every British infantry company had one 'pioneer' who would march in front of the regiment."

"He would wear a 'stout' apron, which protected his uniform whilst he was performing his duties, and carry an axe to clear the path for anyone following behind."

"It was also the Pioneer Sergeant's duty to kill horses that had been wounded in battle."

"He would often have to cut off one of the stricken horse's legs so that its rider could receive a new animal - each had a number branded onto its hoof to prevent false claims, such as if a cavalryman had sold his mount."

"Pioneers in those times [1700's] would also carry a sawback sword, pickaxe, billhooks, shovels, and axes. They were traditionally the largest, strongest and most imposing members of the company."

"The pioneer sergeant also acted as the blacksmith for the unit. As a result, he was allowed a beard to protect his face from the heat of the forge."

"Nowadays the Pioneer Sergeant is usually responsible for carpentry, joinery and similar types of work."

Also this!


2. "12 bizarre military parade uniforms: All bearded with aprons, French Foreign Legion at Bastille Day"

The beard, the axe, the apron!!

French Foreign Legion [FFL] pioneers on parade during Bastille Day celebration. The axe, the beard, the apron. I had thought these were retired FFL personnel with the beards but I am wrong. Even Bert can be wrong and is quite willing to admit when so!

Kepi blanc! And don't get those FFL men on the wrong side of you.

 coolbert.

Division Daguet.

This is coolbert:

ONLY from yesterday was any of this made clear to me.

That French light armored division as deployed and participating in combat during the First Gulf War NOT necessarily consisting of Frenchmen as that world Frenchmen normally, ordinarily, and commonly understood.

"The French Light Armored Division: The Legacy of the Division Legere Macanique" By Bell, Raymond E., Jr.

"Division Daguet was the French Army's contribution to the United Nations (UN) coalition that defeated Iraq during Operation Desert Storm. I The ad hoc division had no number designation because its elements came from at least five other French divisions."

"One reason for having such a configuration was the French law prohibiting drafted soldiers from serving outside France except as part of NATO. It was necessary to assemble the desired unit from professional soldiers in other formations of the same type."

"The principal reason for this organization was the desire to field a force specifically tailored to battlefield tasks the French could be expected to execute."

"The division core from the 6th Light Armored Division included the 2d Foreign Legion Infantry Regiment (an infantry battalion using wheeled armored personnel carriers-APCs), the I st Regiment of Spahis (an armored reconnaissance battalion-ARB), the Ist Foreign Legion Cavalry Regiment (ARB), the 6th Command and Control Battalion and the 6th Foreign Legion Engineer Regiment"

As it was in the days of the First Indo-China War so it was during the First Gulf War a French conscript COULD NOT BE COMPELLED DURING A TIME OF WAR TO SERVE OUTSIDE OF FRANCE!

That French light armored division as stated an ad hoc composite unit specifically task tailored for the mission and heavily weighted with personnel etranger. French Foreign Legion. That command nucleus of professional soldiers French long-term serving officers!

The French no longer have conscription so this sort of thing will never again be an issue? I think that is so!

coolbert.

Deserter.

This is coolbert:

All this is quite inexplicable and also surprising. The man a graduate of the Military Academy at West Point and now unfortunately going to have to served a term in prison as a deserter. Presumably will receive a dishonorable discharge and maybe be required to pay restitution for his college education. Unheard of!

 "Soldier who deserted, served in French Foreign Legion is sentenced to 4 years in prison"

Understand not only deserted but did so just prior to overseas deployment to a combat zone. Might actually be construed as  desertion in the face of the enemy. During wartime a violation of UCMJ for which the punishment can be DEATH!

"FORT DRUM, N.Y. (Tribune News Service) — An American soldier who deserted his unit on post and joined the French Foreign Legion [FFL] was sentenced to four years in prison Monday"

"The soldier, 2nd Lt. Lawrence J. Franks Jr., also will be dismissed from the Army on charges of conduct unbecoming an officer and desertion with the intention to shirk duty, specifically deployment."
. . . .

"The 2008 West Point graduate left for France without telling his family in March 2009 and joined the French Foreign Legion on a five-year contract using an assumed name."

Served his five year contract and was quite willing to do so with the FFL, but NOT with the U.S. Army!

. . . .

"'He is a man I will never forget and by whom I will always stand,'  'He is more than a born soldier, he is a born gentleman. I would like to have 10 men like that in my team and I would be the happiest of generals.'" - - French Gen. Laurent Kolodziej.

JUST AS LONG GENERAL, AS HE DOESN'T DESERT!

coolbert.

Gao.

This is coolbert:

Is everyone following the events as they transpire in Mali?

From France 24 we have the latest dope on the Mali situation.

That combined force of French and Mali central government troops now on the offensive, moving toward Gao, the stronghold of the rebels.

France has not only dipped the toe in the water but has now plunged in deep.

 "Malian and French troops push towards Gao"

"The Malian army backed up by French troops on Friday moved into the town of Hombori, in their farthest push east towards the Islamist stronghold of Gao. Meanwhile, Islamist fighters blew up a bridge near the border with Niger."

"Mali’s military and French forces have pushed toward the Islamic extremist stronghold in the city of Gao, in their farthest push east since launching an operation two weeks ago to retake land controlled by the rebels, residents and a security official said Friday."

First air power, then helicopter gunships, now armored units and what is next. The French have made their decision to destroy the rebels and are on the road literally to doing so.

These ground units are the French Foreign Legion in action [FFL]? That has not been made evident.

The rebels well armed and trained and prepared, much to the surprise of everyone. Seems a lot of stuff captured and put into use after the fall of Ghaddafi and his Libya regime. NOT merely the technical type of adversary you have seen in Somalia for instance. That technical a pick up truck normally with a heavy machine gun mounted to the cargo bed of the truck. These various Islamic fighters even  having BM-21 multiple-rocket-launchers at their disposal.

"An unnamed Elysee Palace official quoted by AFP said on Sunday that French armed forces had been surprised by the fighting quality and the equipment of the militants they were up against."
"At the start, we thought they would be just a load of guys with guns driving about in their pick-ups, but the reality is that they are well-trained, well-equipped, and well-armed,"

"From Libya they have got hold of a lot of up-to-date, sophisticated equipment which is much more robust and effective than we could have imagined."

The adversary, the rebels, in the main consisting of:

* "The National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) and Islamist Ansar Dine" Tuareg tribesmen often referred to as the Blue Men of the desert. One of those last groups on the planet that still carry a sword as a part of their everyday dress!!

* "the Movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa (Mujao)."Islamic fundamentalists [African Taliban].

* A smattering of combat experienced foreign fighters reputedly associated with Al Qaeda.

* Ansar Dine. [best translated as helpers of the Islamic way]

* "the Signed-in-Blood Battalion".

French strategy will have to include a plan to prevent the various rebel factions from concerted and focused action. Divide and conquer!!

Persons, those pundits that follow such things, are also asking what is the French exit strategy! Well, ask them, these things are neither easy or make for a situation that allows for a quick and easy conclusion. Those dynamic circumstances requiring constant appraisal and change as needed by the authorities in Paris.

coolbert.

Les Frenchmen!

This is coolbert:

Here with more military art.

Similar to but not exactly the same as the military sketch art of Seppings-Wright or Xavier Pick.

What is called French Foreign Legion [FFL] "humor"!

"L'humour à la Légion Étrangère"

Thanks to the artist Monsieur Ignace Fiedos, not sure if the man is alive today but thanks all the same. From the era of the First Indo-China War, the FFL playing a key and ultimately futile and costly role in that conflict.

A collection of caricatures of FFL commanders and officers, very well done. NOT in a hostile or mocking way, but just what they are, a humorous and good-natured caricature.

For whatever reason, am I imagining this or what,

but many officers in the FFL are bespectacled?

NOT always presenting the military image as

combat arms soldiers but nonetheless those

French commanders usually the most adept,

best trained, highly-motivated!

And cartoons also of a humorous nature, again, good-natured and quite true to life in some instances.

Perhaps the most famous French aviator and

doctor of the conflict, Valerie Andre, would appreciate

this cartoon. Helicopters do often crash from

paper, tape, hats, etc., sucked up into the

engine or wrapping around the rotor!

Tres bien Monsieur Ignace, and thank you. Devoted readers to blog see it all and enjoy!

coolbert.

FFL - - French Guiana.

This is coolbert:

Here, thanks to the New Duranty Times:

"Training Legionnaires to Fight (and Eat Rodents) "

"CAMP SZUTS, French Guiana — There was no other way to put it: Stiven Baird, an American in the French Foreign Legion, looked terrible."

"A week into the legion’s jungle warfare course here in the equatorial rain forest, he was famished after eating nothing for three days but some agouti, a rodent that resembles a large, tailless rat."

"An obstacle course with Tarzanesque leaps from ropes depleted his stamina. A predawn swim in caiman-inhabited waters tested his nerves. Drinking dirty river water disgusted him."



“'I am just exhausted,' the gaunt Mr. Baird, 30, said, before faintly uttering in French, 'Fatigué, fatigué.' But when asked why he joined the legion a year ago, his eyes lighted up a bit as he described an apparently dreary past life as a truck driver in Virginia."

“'I wanted to see the world and learn some French,' he said"

“'There are easier ways to learn French,' said Lt. Col. Daniel Kopecky, an officer in the French Army who was observing Mr. Baird’s predicament."

Stiven, an American in the French Foreign Legion [FFL], is having a hard time? A man his age, without prior military experience, COULD be expected to have a hard time! And yes, there are easier ways to learn French! What is it, the FFL requires each recruit to learn a vocabulary of about 300-400 French words and that is that? How fluent do you become?

Read the whole article. Pretty good.

Good luck Stiven.

coolbert.

Congo

This is coolbert:

More alarming headlines, only today, from the Congo:

"Q&A: Fighting in Congo"

"Tens of thousands of civilians flee in east Congo"

"Tens of thousands of people have fled in heavy fighting in east Congo after rebels seized a key army base near the town of Goma. At least 200,000 people have been displaced in the area in the last two months amid growing concern about a return to full-scale war."

"Nkunda [Rwandan rebel commander], who has been implicated in numerous war crimes, is believed to command around 5,500 highly trained and disciplined fighters [Tutsis].

"The UN has 17,000 peacekeepers in Congo, its largest mission in the world . . . Thousands of demonstrators attacked the UN headquarters in Goma yesterday, smashing cars and office windows in a show of anger."

"UN force is in disarray. The commander of the UN mission, Lieutenant General Vicente Diaz de Villegas of Spain, resigned yesterday citing personal reasons after having been appointed only seven weeks ago."

"diplomats . . . seemed receptive to sending additional battalions and other reinforcements to shore up the U.N.'s peacekeeping force in Congo"

"the force [U.N peacekeepers] can use additional 'capacity' to defeat its attackers."

Right! Additional capacity is needed. Those African peacekeeping troops just do not have the physical or mental wherewithal to deal with the situation. This Spanish general officer - - having been appointed commander of the U.N. force only seven weeks ago - - HAS JUST UP AND LEFT!! What does that say!!

AGAIN, THE WARRING FACTIONS IN THE CONGO KNOW THAT THE AFRICAN UNION TROOPS JUST ARE UNABLE TO DEAL WITH SITUATIONS OF THIS MAGNITUDE!!

Once, more, we see evidence that the nation-state system of government is not appropriate for Africa? What is the alternative? De-populations of entire regions by a combination of endemic warfare and disease is the future of sub-Saharan Africa?

SINCE 1994, IT IS ESTIMATED THAT BECAUSE OF THE NEVER-ENDING "CONFLICT" IN THE CONGO, 3 MILLION PEOPLE HAVE PERISHED!!

No amelioration to an already bad situation is possible?

French Foreign Legion [FFL] troops are needed to stabilize the current crisis? But what then? Answers are lacking!

coolbert.