Foreign legion

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Foreign Legion is a title which has been used by a small number of units of foreign volunteers. It can refer to:

[edit] In military

• Foreign volunteers, a general term for troops joining a foreign army
• French Foreign Legion, elite unit within the French Army established in 1831
• Spanish Foreign Legion, an elite unit of the Spanish Army originally intended as an equivalent to the French Foreign Legion; stopped recruiting foreigners in 1987

The title Foreign Legion has been applied commonly but unofficially to:

• Royal Dutch East Indies Army (KNIL), informally known as "Dutch Foreign Legion" (1830–1950; stopped recruiting foreigners after the Aceh War ended in 1904)
• Rhodesian Light Infantry, informally known as "Rhodesian Foreign Legion" (1961–1980; only accepted white recruits)
• International Legion, created in 1860 by Giuseppe Garibaldi

[edit] In culture

• Foreign Legion (band), a punk band from South Wales
• Foreign Legion (wrestling), a loosely affiliated group in Mexican wrestling
• Tarzan and the Foreign Legion, 22nd book in the Tarzan series
• Foreign Legion (outwar), 22nd book in the Tarzan series