| Legión Española | |
|---|---|
Emblem of the Spanish Legion |
|
| Active | January 28, 1920 - present |
| Country | Spain |
| Allegiance | God, King, Spain |
| Branch | Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Role | Shock combat |
| Size | 8,000 |
| Garrison/HQ | Ronda (Malaga) Viator (Almeria) Melilla, Ceuta. |
| Nickname | Novios de la muerte (Grooms of Death) |
| Motto | Legionarios a luchar. Legionarios a morir! (Legionnaires, to fight. Legionnaires, to die!) |
| March | Canción Del Legionario (Official Quick march), Tercios Heroicos, Novio de la Muerte (Official hymn and slow march) |
| Anniversaries | September 20 |
| Engagements | Rif War Spanish Civil War Ifni War Yugoslav Wars Afghanistan Iraq Operation Libre Hidalgo UNIFIL |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
José Millán Astray Francisco Franco |
[[File:III Rally Ciudad de Ceuta, acto Castrense en al acuartelamiento García Aldave (11).JPG|thumb|right|200px|Ceuta Garrison of the Legion]] [[File:III Rally Ciudad de Ceuta, acto Castrense en al acuartelamiento García Aldave (3).JPG|thumb|right|200px|]]
The Spanish Legion (Spanish: Legión Española, La Legión or colloquially El Tercio), formerly Spanish Foreign Legion, is an elite unit of the Spanish Army and Spain's Rapid Reaction Force. Founded as the Tercio de Extranjeros ("Foreigners Regiment"), it was originally intended as a Spanish equivalent of the French Foreign Legion, but in practice it recruited almost exclusively Spaniards and Spanish expatriates from Spanish-speaking countries.
Contents |
The Spanish Foreign Legion was formed by royal decree of King Alfonso XIII on January 28, 1920, with the Minister of War José Villalba Riquelme stating, "With the designation of Foreigners Regiment there will be created an armed military unit, whose recruits, uniform and regulations by which they should be governed will be set by the minister of war." In the 1920s the Spanish Foreign Legion's five battalions were filled primarily by native Spaniards (since foreigners were not easy to recruit) with most of its foreign members coming from the now independent Republic of Cuba.
Historically there had been a Spanish Foreign Legion which preceded the modern Legion's formation in 1920. On 28 June 1835, the French government had decided to hand over to the Spanish government, lock, stock, and barrel, the French Foreign Legion in support of Queen Isabella's claim to the Spanish throne during the First Carlist War. The French Legion, with around 4,000 men, landed at Tarragona on 17 August 1835. This became the First Spanish Legion until it was dissolved on 8 December 1838, when it had dropped to only 500 men. The British Legion (La Legión Británica) of the Spanish Legion also fought during the First Carlist War. This Legion fought for the fortified bridge of Arrigorriaga on September 11, 1835
The Spanish Legion was modelled on the French Foreign Legion. Its purpose was to provide a corps of professional troops to fight in Spain's colonial campaigns in North Africa, in place of conscript troops that were proving ineffective. The first commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel José Millán-Astray Terreros, referred to his unit as ‘La Legión’ from the start but this only became part of the unit’s title from 1937.[1]
In the original Tercio de Extranjeros there were, amongst others, one Chinese, three Japanese, one Maltese, one Russian, and one black American.[2] However, soon the majority of its members were Spaniards who joined to fight outside of European Spain.
Tercio (lit. 'a third') is an archaic term that roughly translates as ‘regiment.' There is no equivalent word in English. Dating from the 16th century, the name was chosen to evoke the era of Spain's military supremacy as the leading Catholic power in Europe under the Hapsburg Emperors. Organised into tercios in 1534, the Spanish infantry gained a reputation for invincibility.(See- Esprit de Corps below)
In 1925, the unit title was changed to Tercio de Marruecos (‘The Tercio of Morocco’) This was soon abbreviated to ‘The Tercio’. In 1937 at the height of the Spanish Civil War, the name of Tercio de Marrueco was officially changed to La Legion, the name by which it is still known today.
The Spanish Legion's first major campaign, for which they are still famous, was in Spanish North Africa. In 1920 Spain was facing a major rebellion in the Protectorate of Spanish Morocco, led by the able Rif leader Abdel Krim. On September 2 of that same year, King Alfonso XIII conferred command of the new regiment on Lieutenant Colonel of Infantry José Millán Astray, chief proponent of its establishment. Millán Astray was an able soldier but an eccentric and extreme personality. His style and attitude would become part of the mystique of the Legion.
On September 20, 1920. the first recruit joined the new Legion; this date is celebrated yearly. The initial make-up of the regiment was that of a headquarters unit and three battalions (known as Banderas, lit. "banners"- another archaic 16th century term). Each battalion was in turn made up of a headquarters company, two rifle companies and a machine gun company. The regiment's initial location was at the Cuartel del Rey en Ceuta on the Plaza de Colón. At its height, during the Spanish Civil War, the legion consisted of 18 banderas, plus a tank bandera, an assault engineer bandera and a Special Operations Group. Banderas 12 through 18 were considered independent units and never served as part of the additional tercios into which the Legion was organised.
Francisco Franco was one of the founding members of the Legion and the unit's second-in-command, concurrently commanding the 1st Legion Bandera. The Legion fought in Morocco in the War of the Rif (to 1926). Together with the Regulares (Moorish colonial troops), the Legion made up the Spanish Army of Africa. In 1934 units of both the Legion and the Regulares were brought to Spain by the new Republican Government to help put down a workers revolt in the area of Asturias.
Under the leadership of Lieutenant Colonel Juan Yagüe the Army of Africa played an important part in the Spanish Civil War on the Nationalist side. The professionalism of both the Legion and the Regulares gave Franco's Nationalists a significant initial advantage over the less well trained Republican forces. The Army of Africa remained the elite spearhead of the Nationalist armies throughout the Civil War. Following the Nationalist victory in 1939, the Legion was reduced in size and returned to its bases in Spanish Morocco. It was only after then that the Legion attained its present composition of 4 Tercios, and the names given to them (the 4th Tercio of the Legion was established later in 1950):
When Morocco gained its independence in 1956 the Legion continued in existence as part of the garrison of the remaining Spanish enclaves and territories in North Africa. The Legion fought Arab irregulars in the Ifni War in 1957-58.
On June 17, 1970, Legion units opened fire and killed eleven pro-independence demonstrators at the Zemla quarters of El-Aaiun in the Western Sahara, (then still the Spanish Sahara). The incident, which came to be called the Zemla Intifada, had a significant influence on pushing the Sahrawi anticolonial movement into embarking on an armed struggle which still goes on up to the present, though Spain has long since abandoned the territory and handed it over to Morocco.
Through the course of the Legion's history Spaniards (including natives of the colony of Spanish Guinea) have made up the majority of its members, with foreigners accounting for 25 percent or less. During the Riff War of the early 1920s most of the Foreigners serving with the Legion were Spanish speaking Latin Americans. After 1987 it stopped accepting foreigners altogether and changed its name to the Spanish Legion.
In the 2000s (decade), after the abandonment of conscription, the Spanish Army again accepted foreigners from select nationalities. Male and female native Spanish speakers, mostly from Central American and South American states, were included. Recruits were required to have a valid Spanish residence permit. Promotion prospects for foreigners were, however, reported to be limited.
Today, acceptance to the Spanish Legion is based on the following criteria:[3]
In recent years, the Spanish Legion was involved in Bosnia as part of the SFOR. It also took part in the Iraq War, deploying in Najaf alongside Salvadoran troops, until the new Spanish government of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero fulfilled its electoral promises by withdrawing Spanish troops from Iraq. The Legion units deployed in Iraq were involved in several operations against the insurgency. In 2005, the Legion was deployed in Afghanistan as part of the NATO-led International Stabilisation Force (ISAF). In 2006, the 10th Bandera was sent to Southern Lebanon as part of United Nations' Operation UNIFIL.[5]
The Spanish Legion nowadays is mostly used in NATO peacekeeping missions. It currently numbers 5,000 in a Brigade of two tercios (regiments) based in Ronda, Viator and Almería (Andalusia). Two other independent tercios are deployed in the Spanish African enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla as part of their respective garrisons. The Legion is directly controlled by the Spanish General Staff.
Although the detachment at Málaga was transferred away, each year a platoon of legionaries returns to march in the Holy Week procession with the Christ of the Good Death, a life-size effigy of Christ Crucified, adopted by the Legion as Patron in the 1920s.
The Legion remains a harshly disciplined elite unit.
The present composition of the Spanish Legion is as follows:
Legion Brigade "HM King Alfonso XIII" comprising 2 Tercios with elements in Viator (Almeria) and Ronda (Malaga)
1st Legion Tercio "Great Captain Gonzalo Fernandez de Coroba" (Melilla)
2nd Legion Tercio "Duke of Alba" (Ceuta)
The Legion formerly had a special operations unit known as the Bandera de operaciones especiales de la legión (Legion Special Operations Company or BOEL). The members of this unit, who were volunteers from other banderas of the Legion, received training in: SCUBA/Maritime Warfare, Arctic and Mountain Warfare, Sabotage and Demolitions, Parachute and HALO techniques, Long Range Reconnaissance, Counter-terrorism and CQB, Vehicle insertion, Sniping and SERE (Survival, Escape, Resistance and Evasion). Much of the training was undertaken in Fort Bragg (USA). In 2002 the BOEL was renamed Grupo de Operaciones Especiales "Maderal Oleaga" XIX and was moved to Alicante. GOE XIX currently accepts applicants from other light infantry units and no longer forms part of the Legion.
The military ranks of the Spanish Legion are the same that in the rest of the Spanish Army, promotion conditions are, as well, the same as in the rest of the army. Formerly it had its own rank system for non-commisioned officers.
Basic Training lasts 4 months and takes place in Caceres or Cadiz. It includes basic military skills, forced marches and a stringent assault course. After the second month, the recruit signs a 2 or 3 year contract. After finishing basic training the recruit joins one of the tercios, in there he receives further training, mostly focused on parading and legionnare tradition. This is the same process as in the rest of units in the spanish army.
From its establishment the Legion was noted for its plain and simple uniforms, in contrast to the colourful dress uniforms still worn by the Peninsular regiments of the Spanish Army until the overthrow of the Monarchy in 1932. This was part of the cult of austerity favoured by a unit that considered itself on more or less continual active service.
The modern Legion has the same camouflage dress for active service and ordinary duties as the rest of the Spanish Army but retains the unique, sage green Tropical uniform for semi-formal barrack dress and as the basis of Legion parade uniform. Perhaps the most distinctive feature of the modern Legion uniform is the khaki "gorrillo" cap or "chapiri", with red hanging tassel and piping.
Contrary to usual military practice, Legionaries are allowed to sport beards and are permitted, when in their Tropical dress uniform, to wear shirts open at the chest.
The basic weapons used by the Legion are the same as those used by the rest of the Spanish Army. These include the G36V rifle, the CETME Ameli machine gun, the Star 9mm sub-machine gun and pistol, and LAG-40 grenade launchers.
The Legion uses use Land Rovers, BMR, Nissan trucks, and other American and British-made vehicles.
Millán Astray provided the Legion with a distinctive spirit and symbolism intended to evoke Spain's Imperial and Christian traditions. For instance, the Legion adopted the regimental designation of tercio in memory of the 16th century Spanish infantry formations that had toppled nations and terrorized the battlefields of Europe in the days of Charles V. Millán-Astray also revived the Spaniard's ancient feud with the Moors and portrayed his men first as crusaders on an extended Reconquista against the Islamic civilization, and later as the saviours of Spain warding off the twin evils of Communism and democratic liberalism defeating the dangerous spectre of 'Eastern Atheism'.
The Legion's customs and traditions include the following:
Novio de la Muerte (Bridegroom of Death) is the official hymn and regimental slow march of the Spanish Legion, made in 1921 with words by Juan Costa set to music by Fidel Prado.
El Novio de la Muerte
Nadie en el Tercio sabía
quién era aquel legionario
tan audaz y temerario
que en la Legión se alistó.
Nadie sabía su historia,
más la Legión suponía
que un gran dolor le roía
como un lobo el corazón.
Si alguien quién era le preguntaba,
con dolor y rudeza le contestaba:
Soy un hombre a quien la suerte
hirió con zarpa de fiera,
soy un novio de la muerte
que va a unirse en lazo fuerte
con tan leal compañera.
Cuando más rudo era el fuego
y la pelea más fiera,
defendiendo su Bandera,
el legionario avanzó.
Y sin temer al empuje
del enemigo exaltado,
supo morir como un bravo
y la enseña rescató.
Y al regar con su sangre la tierra ardiente,
murmuró el legionario con voz doliente:
Soy un hombre a quien la suerte
hirió con zarpa de fiera,
soy un novio de la muerte
que va a unirse en lazo fuerte
con tal leal compañera.
Cuando al fin le recogieron,
entre su pecho encontraron
una carta y un retrato
de una divina mujer.
Y aquélla carta decía:
"...si algún día Dios te llama,
para mí un puesto reclama
que a buscarte pronto iré".
Y en el último beso que le enviaba,
su postrer despedida le consagraba.
Por ir a tu lado a verte,
mi más leal compañera,
me hice novio de la muerte,
la estreché con lazo fuerte
y su amor fue mi Bandera!
Bridegroom of Death
No one in the Tercio knew
who was that Legionnaire
so brave and temerarious
who in the Legion enlisted
No one knew his past
but all in the Legion assumed
that a great pain gnawed,
like a wolf, at his heart
If anyone asked who he was,
Painfull and rude he answered:
"I'm a man whom Fate
struck with a beast's claw,
I'm a bridegroom of Death
who's going to join with fast bonds,
with such a loyal companion."
When the battle was hardest
and the fight most ferocious
defending his unit
the Legionnaire advanced.
And heedless of the push
of the bold enemy
he died bravely
and the flag he rescued.
While spilling his blood
on the burning ground
murmured the Legionnaire painfully:
"I'm a man whom Fate
struck with a beast's claw,
I'm a bridegroom of Death
who's going to join with fast bonds,
with such a loyal companion."
When he was found at last,
in his chest they found
a letter and a picture
of a woman divine
And in the letter he told her
"If God calls you some day
ask Him a place for me
Soon I'll go to look for you"
And in the last kiss he sent her
his ultimate farewell he blessed
"To go to your side and be with you,
my most loyal companion
I've became Death's bridegroom,
I hold her tight
and her love was my flag"
Composed in 1920, La Cancion del Legionario (The Legionnare's Song) is the official march of the Legion. It was composed by Modesto Romero and Commander Emilio Guiliem Pedemonti.
La Canción del Legionario
I
Soy valiente y leal legionario
soy soldado de brava legión;
pesa en mi alma doliente calvario
que en el fuego busca redención.
Mi divisa no conoce el miedo,
mi destino tan solo es sufrir;
mi Bandera luchar con denuedo
hasta conseguir
vencer o morir.
Chorus
Legionario, legionario
que te entregas a luchar
y al azar dejas tu suerte,
pues tu vida es un azar.
Legionario, legionario
de bravura sin igual,
si en la guerra hallas la muerte,
tendrás siempre por sudario,
Legionario,
la Bandera Nacional.
¡Legionarios a luchar,
legionarios a morir!
II
Somos héroes incógnitos todos,
nadie aspire a saber quién soy yo;
mil tragedias, de diversos modos,
que el correr de la vida formó.
Cada uno será lo que quiera,
nada importa su vida anterior,
pero juntos formamos Bandera,
que da a la Legión
el más alto honor.
Repeat Chorus
The Legionnare's Song
I
I'm a brave and loyal Legionnare
A soldier of the brave Legion I am
In my heart a Calvary I'm carrying
But in the fire of battle I'll choose to stay
My decision's not to live in danger
But to suffer is my destiny
My flag in battle I'll carry on flying
until victory or death I'll shout!
Chorus
Oh Legionnares, Legionnares
Entering always in the fight
And luck isn't found always
another life has been found
Legionnares, Legionnares
The bravery still remains
In war death's the only thing
That's always everyone's companion
Legionnares,
the National Flag.
Legionnares to the fight, Legionnares let us die!
II
We're all heroes unknown
Dreaming to be more better like you,
Many tragedies, in various forms
Helped us shape our lives
Every one of us is different
In the past our lives weren't so important
But when we're formed into a battalion
There's a more higher honor in the Legion
Repeat Chorus
Before it became the Legion's official march, Le Madelon and Tercios Heroicos (Heroic Tercios) by Francisco Calles and Antonio Soler were its official march past tunes.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||