Known for its austerity and discipline, deprivation and sacrifice, the French Foreign Legion is perhaps the most intriguing and famous fighting force in the world. For 170 years, jobless, homeless and loveless men have found in the Legion a sense of purpose worth all the rigors and risks of serving in the world's longest-standing mercenary army. Douglas Boyd tells the eventful story of the Legion from its inception in 1831 to defend France's colonial interests, to the Legion of today involved in peacekeeping and humanitarian duties worldwide. The author also examines the reasons behind the love-hate relationship between France and the foreigners she pays to spill their blood for her, which are at the core of the Legion's history.
