Foreign legion

Foreign legion or Foreign Legion is a title which has been used by a small number of military units composed of foreign volunteers.

It usually refers to the French Foreign Legion, part of the French Army established in 1831.

It can also refer to:

In military

• Foreign volunteers, a general term for troops joining a foreign army
• Mahal (Israel), Israeli equivalent of the foreign legion
• Russian Foreign Legion
• Spanish Legion, a quasi-independent unit of the Spanish Army originally intended as an equivalent to the French Foreign Legion
• Brigade of Gurkhas, light infantry unit of the British Army largely manned by ethnic Nepali.

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)
• Rhodesian Light Infantry, informally known as "Rhodesian Foreign Legion" (1961–1980)
• International Legion, created in 1860 by Giuseppe Garibaldi
• International brigades, of the Spanish Civil War
• Recruited Foreigners Regiment, Värvat främlingsregemente, Swedish Regiment made up of Polish deserters during the Great Northern War

In culture

• Foreign Legion (band), a punk band from South Wales
• Foreign Legion (album), an album by Murfreesboro
• Foreign Legion (Tin Hat album), an album by Tin Hat
• Foreign Legion (hip hop crew), a hip hop crew from Oakland, California
• Foreign Legion (wrestling), a loosely affiliated group in Mexican wrestling

See also

• Swiss Guard