Legión Española

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Spanish Legion coat of arms
Lt. Col. Miguel Ballenilla at a briefing with U.S. Army General McChrystal in Badghis , Afghanistan
Legion Parade (2008)
The flags of the regiments of the Legion
Two legionaries at a parade
Spanish Legion soldiers in Iraq

The Spanish Legion (Spanish Legión Española ), the former Spanish Foreign Legion, is an elite military unit of the Spanish armed forces . It was founded as the Spanish counterpart to the French Foreign Legion with the name Tercio de Extranjeros , but is no longer a Foreign Legion today. Before Spain gave up its African territories, the Legion was stationed in what was then the Spanish Sahara .

structure

The troop strength of the Spanish Legion is now 8,000 men. It is a large formation of infantry with support and command units of the Spanish army, plus a battalion of paratroopers .

The Legion consists of the Brigada de la Legión "Rey Alfonso XIII" (BRILEG) (in Viator / Almería and in Ronda ), which, in addition to the staff of the Legion (Cuartel General), artillery , logistics , reconnaissance , telecommunications and Pioneer Units (Zapadores), the Tercio “D. Juan de Austria ", 3 ° de la Legion (all named units stationed in Viator / Almería), as well as the Tercio" Alejandro Farnesio ", 4 ° de la Legion (in Ronda) and two individual Tercios, the Tercio" Gran Capitán " 1º de la Legión (in Melilla ) and the Tercio "Duque de Alba" 2º de la Legión (in Ceuta ).

history

The Spanish Foreign Legion was founded by a royal decree issued on January 28, 1920 to set up an elite unit for special use against rebelling natives in Morocco . It was built mainly by José Millán Astray . The proportion of foreign volunteers was around 25%. At the beginning the unit had 500 men and a minimum commitment period of five years. During the Rif War , the Foreign Legion was involved in numerous attacks and massacres against the civilian population. Around a third of the ranks deployed were killed during the war. The majority of serving foreigners came from Portugal, a few hundred from Germany . During the war there were desertions from the army. After the war against the Rifkabylen under Abd el-Krim (1919–1926), the Legion assumed a leading role in the military control of the colonial areas.

In the Spanish Civil War from 1936 onwards, the Legion sided with the rebellious General Francisco Franco against the Republican government. During the 1950s and 1960s, the Spanish Legion fought primarily in North Africa . In 1961 the paratrooper battalion was set up. In 1969, the Legionaries fought in Morocco and adjacent areas. After the death of General Francisco Franco on November 20, 1975, the Spanish Legion was relocated to Spain.

In 1987 the Spanish government decided not to accept any more foreigners into the ranks of the Spanish Legion. Spanish legionaries who are not Spanish by birth continue to serve in the Legion. After 2000, this rule was relaxed so that foreigners whose mother tongue is Spanish can also be accepted into all units of the Spanish army, including the former Foreign Legion.

Today the Spanish Legion takes over UN - peace missions and NATO combat missions, u. a. in Bosnia , Kosovo , Iraq , Afghanistan or the Congo .

Esprit de corps

  • All members of the Legion are addressed as Caballero Legionario (for example: Knight Legionnaire). For women, the title Dama Legionaria (approximately: Lady Legionary) was introduced after their approval .
  • The official hymn of the Legion is La canción del legionario (Eng. "The Legionnaire's Song").
  • The Legion's unofficial hymn is El novio de la muerte (Eng. "The groom of death"). The hymn is sung on festive occasions, such as the parade with the Cristo de la Buena Muerte (sculpture of the "Christ of the Good Death", a paso closely associated with the Legion) to the Semana Santa in Málaga . Legionaries are given the foreign name novios de la muerte (German: bridegroom / friend of death).
  • The motto "¡Viva la muerte!" ("Long live death!"), Allegedly coined by Millán Astray, is closely associated with the Legion in collective memory, but was never an official Legion motto.
  • The cry for help ¡A mí la legión! (Eng. "To me, Legion!") naturalized. Legionaries within earshot of their comrades, like other units around the world, are obliged to unconditionally and fully attempted rescue. Even dead bodies can not be left behind.
  • Legionaries are allowed to wear beards and their shirts openly. Wearing tattoos is also allowed.
  • The Spanish legionaries carry a green boat with red cords.
  • The marching step is much faster than regular Spanish units at 140 to 160 steps per minute.
  • The Legion keeps the eyeball of its founder José Millán Astray like a relic .
  • The Legion's mascot is a billy goat with gold-colored horns, who is always led by a legionnaire on parades. He wears a blanket made from the troop flag and is led on a ribbon in the Spanish national colors.

literature

  • Jörg Steinert: La Legion. The Spanish elite troop. Motorbuch-Verlag, Stuttgart 1997, ISBN 3-613-01852-7 .
  • Sören Sünkler: Europe's elite and special units. Motorbuch-Verlag, Stuttgart 2008, ISBN 978-3-613-02853-1 .

Web links

Commons : Spanish Legion  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. Dirk Sasse: French, British and Germans in the Rif War, 1921-1926 , Munich, 2006, 97-100
  2. caballero legionario - LEO: Translation in Spanish ⇔ German dictionary. Retrieved July 6, 2019 .
  3. dama - LEO: translation in Spanish ⇔ German dictionary. Retrieved July 6, 2019 .
  4. ^ Fundación Tercio de Extranjeros. Ayuda al Veterano de La Legión - >> Cancionero Legionario. Retrieved November 9, 2018 (Spanish).
  5. ^ Legión Española: Revista "La Legión". In: Legión Española. Centro Geográfico del Ejército. Ministerio de Defensa. Ejército de Tierra, accessed November 9, 2018 (Spanish).
  6. Diario Sur: Legionarios cantando El Novio de la Muerte - Semana Santa de Málaga 2016. March 25, 2016, accessed on November 9, 2018 .
  7. Venceréis, pero no convenceréis . In: Wikipedia, la enciclopedia libre . May 3, 2019 ( wikipedia.org [accessed July 2, 2019]).
  8. víctor parkas: Legionarios piden a Amenábar que Millán Astray no grite “¡Viva la muerte!” en su película. May 29, 2018, Retrieved July 6, 2019 (Spanish).
  9. ^ Report in "Express", Cologne, October 13, 2011, p. 21.