The author also examines the reasons behind the love-hate relationship between France and the foreigners she pays to spill their blood for her which are at the core of the Legion's history. ALSO BY DOUGLAS BOYD HISTORIES April Queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine Voices from the Dark Years The French Foreign Legion The Kremlin Conspiracy Blood in the. But what is it that attracts men from so many countries and social backgrounds to accept the harsh discipline of this legendary mercenary army with a rigid code of honor straight out of the nineteenth century? Douglas Boyd tells the eventful story of the Legion from its inception in 1831 to defend France's colonial interests, to the Legion of today involved in peacekeeping and humanitarian duties worldwide.

Perhaps the greatest praise of the book is the fact that legionnaires liked this history of their incredible army so much that they elected author Douglas Boyd an honorary ex-legionnaire. The Legion has never had any problem attracting recruits: seven out of ten applicants are still rejected. Douglas Boyd’s The French Foreign legion explains the history and the aura, with fifteen historic photographs and eleven battle/campaign maps. Historian and former BBC TV producer Boyd (The French Foreign Legion) draws. One of the rewards for which men sign on with the Legion is French citizenship, and every legionnaire may claim it after serving three years with good conduct. History (U.K.) (IPG, dist.), 29.95 (288p) ISBN 978-0-7524-9700-6. For 170 years, jobless, homeless and loveless men have found in the Legion a sense of purpose worth all the rigors and risks of serving in the world's longest-standing mercenary army. Known for its austerity and discipline, deprivation and sacrifice, the French Foreign Legion is perhaps the most intriguing and famous fighting force in the world.

The french foreign legion douglas boyd