Does France really send the foreign legion to battle first?
I have heard from foreigners and read on a couple websites that France does not send all-French units to battle anymore. It is always the foreign legion (which does include French people). I looked this up but did not find any real statistics. Is it true? Where would I find real statistics?
French troops fighting in Afghanistan consists of the French Foreign Legion infantry, armoured cavalry (tanks), and engineer units + French Army Marine infantry and artillery units + French Army engineer and signal (communications) units.
(Les Troupes de marine, meaning Navy troops, are actually part of the French Army. This is different from les Commandos Marine, meaning Navy commandos, and les Fusiliers Marins, meaning Sailor Riflemen, who are part of the French Navy.)
Afghan War Order of Battle: France: Army (Land):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afghan_War_order_of_battle
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troupes_de_marine
France’s 6th Light Armoured Brigade which took part in Operation Daguet during the Gulf War consists of the French Foreign Legion infantry, armoured cavalry (tanks), and engineer units + French Army Marine infantry and artillery units + French Army signals (communications) units.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/6th_Light_Armoured_Brigade_(France)
During France’s colonial era (even as recently as France’s colonial war in Indochina in the 1950s) its military were, in general, divided into two groups: the Metropolitan Army, i.e., those units based inside France, and the Colonial Army, i.e., those units serving overseas. The name designations may have changed, but the general grouping is still the same: France’s front-line troops are still the Foreign Legion and the Army Marines.
And you must remember that France still had mandatory military conscription until 1996. France would never send momma’s little boy doing his mandatory military service into an overseas war. Even without conscription today, it would be a safe bet that an infantryman in “L’Armée métropolitaine” would not see combat in any present-day war.
I can answer thae part where you ask if they send the legion first. Yes they do where to find the stats?
No, the Legion is just one unit.
Yes it is true. The way France sees it is, they are still contributing but not putting REAL French blood in danger.