The Legion; always last in the parade because…at the pace of “the crawl,” all the units before have to stop and wait on the Legion. The important point is this: The Legion never stops…
There is a reason for The Crawl that allows them to be more rested and able to march farther. A cadence of 80 beats per minute vs. the regular 120 beats that others usually march to.
Likewise the British Light Infantry (Rifle Regts and Gurkhas) always last to allow the slower paced Regts to be well in front before they 'run' at 140 paces to the minute.
When I first saw the Foreign Legion in Tchad they were guarding a fuel tank at the Airport. A local army soldier standing in front of him with a uniform 2 sizes to big, drooping shoulders, a rifle slung over his back as he melted in the sun. Behind him stood at attention a Legionnaire with thick biceps wrapped tightly in his uniform cuffs, kêpi blanc, full beard, rifle held high across his chest at the ready with a glare that said, "if you cross over here and I shall show you the business end of my FAMAS". No messing around.
@@mmadanyparfaitvosconnaissa8454 are you sure about that ?? they give everything they have for fighting for France, does that mean anything to you ? most of legionnaires are foreign guys, from all over the world. They give their heart, their liberty for this wonderful country, France
@@FaNaTiiiKz65 Coûte cher beaucoup trop cher pour le peu qu’elle rapporte cette légion étrangère et elle devra être prochainement dissoute, d’autant plus que les divers commandos français peuvent faire exactement tout ce qu’elle fait, pour nettement moins cher et peut-être même beaucoup mieux !
It is not common knowledge that the FFL takes in among others criminals, convicts, the stateless and gives them a new lease of life and to impart a new purpose for them. They are the closest thing to "turning back the clock" for people full of regret or emptiness. The only requirement is that they learn and speak French. No other organisation, military or otherwise, serves humanity more than the FFL. When a person joins the FFL and serves faithfully, he can expect brotherhood, camaraderie, a sense of belonging, new identity, new purpose, and even new citizenship. If I were any younger, I'd join the FFL in a heartbeat! Thank God for the French Foreign Legion!!!
@@sperrfeuer4158 Where I'm from, the the only thing people know of France is Paris, Eiffel Tower and french fries. The FFL, nope. The fact that they take in lost souls, even less.
It's the way the legion marches, french regulars March faster. That's why in this parade the regulars use the whole champs-elysees and the legion enter half way down. Also when the regulars reach the Arch de triomphe, the seated dignitaries and the president their formation splits in two and go either side of them, whereas the legionnaires follow to the left (they split for no one)
Precision: the parade starts from the Arc de triomphe to reach the Place de la Concorde, where are the Head of State and foreign dignitaries. It is therefore in place de la Concorde that the regiments split in two, except the Legion.
During WW2 the Legion was split in two some were with vichy France and others joined french free forces, if i remenber well they have fought each others in Syria which was controlled by vichy France as protectorate.
@@richardbrown6565 I dont want to argue with you Sir but i tought that sort of wearing,leather apron and axe,where "In Le Maquis fighters"They were the first row soldiers to open the way in Le Maquis,unfriendly place full of all sort of vegetation,spines ect...barens ect...
@@MrStevemarc After the glorious defeat of Camerone in Mexico, the Mexican General, realizing how few were these french soldiers who had resisted his whole army, is said to have declared "One can refuse nothing to men like you". And he and his troops saluted them.
@@daveanderson3805 In my opinion USMC is inferior compare to the Legion. I have seen a lot of documentaries about the USMC and a lot about the Legion. At the Legion some guys are kicked out just atfer they get out the bus, you must be like an athlete even before joining.
More like a swagger than a march. I too have experimented with it. I sang The Battle Hymn of the Republic in my head at 88 bpm to keep my steps in time. Your comment has renewed my interest in this. I should try again over longer distances.
Standing ovation for them as usual. Only the legion has its own music band btw, for the other army corps, there is 1 band playing near the presidential vip area during the entire parade. 14th July parade is really amazing.
@@feonor26 Yes you're right there, but I think that what he means is that on the 14th of July parade on the Champs Élysées in Paris only the Foreign Legion marches to the music of its own band whereas most if not all of the other units do so to music that comes out from loud speakers all down the length of the Champs Élysées.
FFFFFFFfffff I remember trying to teach my American ex in laws how to say Chams E…I’m not going to attempt the rest because I can’t find accents. As a European I take it for granted that people know to pronounce well known sights of significance, they didn’t have a clue! They were extremely alarmed when I told them there’s a tunnel under the sea between 🇬🇧 and 🇫🇷😂 Most of the in laws and extended family have never left their state! One of them asked if 🇬🇧had a navy! 🤦🏼♀️ They didn’t appear to have any knowledge beyond their little world and stereotypical nonsense, like all Brits drink copious amounts of tea 🤢with milk 🤢 served in a China cup & saucer with a biscuit 🤢. Oh, of course they won all wars, including ones they weren’t in 🙄 and any of the great inventions Americans did it 🙄 Other than that they were nice people, except my ex 😂
As retired military officer from another country, I have the utmost respect for these warriors. They should be proud of who they are and who they have become.
@@mabufang2217 tu te réveilles lâchement seulement à 14 heures gauchiste invétéré qui déteste Zemmour dt tu n’as même pas capable de voir que la convention est close depuis très très longtemps ?
When their headquarters was in Marseille the sign outside said Legion Estrangere open day and night for recruitment. I pointed it out to my husband and an old Frenchman laughingly asked me if I was going to make him join. Nah! I replied. The Legion are always immaculately dressed, not a hair out of place.
It's the way the legion marches, french regulars March faster. That's why in this parade the regulars use the whole champs-elysees and the legion enter half way down. Also when the regulars reach the Arch de triomphe, the seated dignitaries and the president their formation splits in two and go either side of them, whereas the legionnaires follow to the left (they split for no one)
@@zakihasibuan417 It's a tradition inherited from the traditional marching speed of the Regiment de Hohenlohe (Hohenlohe Regiment) which was the predecessor unit of the FFL. No practical military reason, just one of the many traditions of the FFL. The slower speed is why the FFL is always the last unit to parade.
Die Legion hat sogar eine eigene Version von "Der gute Kamerad", sie können wählen, ob sie auf Französisch singen möchten. Aber normalerweise singen sie das Original auf Deutsch.
In het jaar 1959 heeft men in Parijs getracht om me te ronselen voor het Legioen. Ik ben ervoor weggelopen. Achteraf denk dat ik het had moeten doen. Maar ja...., achteraf!
Ummm .... let's learn a bit of history, shall we? Go here -> en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Foreign_Legion and check out these two paragraphs, of which the following is an excerpt: "Also notable is the marching pace of the Foreign Legion. In comparison to the 116-step-per-minute pace of other French units, the Foreign Legion has an 88-step-per-minute marching speed. It is also referred to by Legionnaires as the "crawl". This can be seen at ceremonial parades and public displays attended by the Foreign Legion, particularly while parading in Paris on 14 July (Bastille Day Military Parade). Because of the impressively slow pace, the Foreign Legion is always the last unit marching in any parade. ..... Contrary to popular belief, the adoption of the Foreign Legion's slow marching speed was not due to a need to preserve energy and fluids during long marches under the hot Algerian sun. Its exact origins are somewhat unclear, but the official explanation is that although the pace regulation does not seem to have been instituted before 1945, it hails back to the slow marching pace of the Ancien Régime, and its reintroduction was a "return to traditional roots". This was in fact, the march step of the Foreign Legion's ancestor units - the Régiments Étrangers or Foreign Regiments of the Ancien Régime French Army, the Grande Armée's foreign units, and the pre-1831 foreign regiments."
Can someone please explain to me what is the meaning of this "equipment" in the Legionares? I adore this "outfit".. 🎃.. ❤️.. Thanks for the explanation.
I'll try to list as much as I can, anyone else is free to add or correct me. the FFL is probably one of the richest in its history so that is shone on their modern uniforms. Let's start from the top: White Kepi: the Kepi in it of itself is a common French head gear since it evolved from the old shako of the Napoleonic age. The white color comes from the old khaki covers that turned white from the hot North African sun. Epaulets: These are also from the Napoleonic age when they were used to mark elite troops alongside fancier hats like bearskins. They broadened the shoulders and their colors denoted their unit. In this case, it's green-orange with gold trim. Blue Cummerbund (the cloth wrapping you see under their belts): This is from their old North African uniforms where they supposedly helped with stomach troubles. No idea if that actually worked or not...... These are specific to the pioneers (combat engineers in modern lingo): Beard: Again, Napoleonic thing where ALL pioneers and sappers wore beards as a looks thing and as an early form of industrial protection for flying woodchips and other hazards from chopping things with their axes. Apron: Same as beard. Especially important back then when you did such a dirty job but fought in your dress uniform. Axe: Since pioneers and sappers were traditionally meant to run ahead of the unit and clear obstacles, they were armed with axes which also made great impromptu melee weapons. This is also why they march at the head. The rest of the uniform is standard to the rest of the French Army.
@@lordazn, thank You very much for Your time and explanation.. 👍.. I'm fascinated, on some way, with the apron & axes... Those two things were the reason i write a question... I don't know why, but those two things are very attractive to me.. (maybe i was Legionare in past life 😁).. I am a war veteran, special army forces, but i feel big respect for those symbols, some kind of a fear, just when you standing in the front of the Samurai suit in museums.. Nice day to You and thanks.. 👍..
The FFL is like the United Nations, full of people from different ethnicities. They have the Caucasians, Africans, Asians, Polynesians, Arabs and what not. The thing that unites them is the French language and the brotherhood. Pretty unique among militaries. Viva la France!!
Ça fait des décennies qu’ils font plus rien du tout de spécial et maintenant n’importe quelle armée nationale sérieuse peut faire facilement tout ce qu’ils font et peut-être même mieux !
Magnifique totem, je ne sais pas si on l'appelle comme cela, mais il est très beau. Le symbole ? Je pense que chacun a son idée, mais c'est une idée qui "n'est pas dans le commerce".
Je pense que vous parlez du Chapeau chinois ? Je me demande si son origine ne remonte pas à la Guerre des Boxers en Chine ou aux premières troupes envoyées en Indochine au 19e siècle. A approfondir...
Old tradition to remember the pioneer corps. Back in times, the first corps sent to open the way cleaned the path, cuting tree, building roads/ponts while fighting. dont know why its one sided apron, maybe back in time to carry more easily the weapon too.
they were fighting at monte cassino in italy and they landed in provence in august 1944. before that, they saved the ass of the 8th army during the battle of gazala
Ils ont permis aux anglais de pouvoir Évacuer Dunkerque alors avant de l ouvrir mon grand père est mort a Dunkerque tué d une balle dans la tête pendant que les anglais embarquait toujours a vouloir donner des leçons la perfide Albion
It's a good deal for the French. They pick up the lost disaffected youth of Europe. Turn then into soldier's.. then they can be first into any crisis. But the brilliant thing for the French is they could loose 500 or 600. No French families crying over body bags... Cynical or what?
Axe and apron are the uniform in days past for the sappers or road builders...they'd be up front chopping trees,making roads that sort of thing.more or less clearing a path for the regiment....now they have helicopters, mobile transport...I hope this helps.
Get to be one and you will notice there attitude and why they have it. The march is just a small point. Consider how much crap The Legion gave them selves. The people still love them. I still remember the bus ride and not understanding why they waved at us. Than I leaned.
