Semi-OT: Our Spanish Member?

[pmulcahy11b]

Don't we have someone here who is a Spanish AF vet? I'd like to pick his brain about the Spanish Foreign Legion. Shout out if you read this!

[Marc]

Bon dia!

Ei Paul! I suppose I’m the Spanish member you were talking about. But if the AF acronym means Air Force, here we have a mistake. I served in the Signal Company, Headquarters Battalion of the Spanish Airborne Brigade, or “Brigada Paracaidista” (BRIPAC), that belongs to the “Ejército de Tierra”, the Spanish ground forces.

First of all and talking about the Legion, we cannot talk about it to be “Foreign”, at least not in the present day. I know that it’s the name commonly used in English to talk about this unit, but in Spain this adjective is never used. It is only “La Legión Española” or “La Legión”, the Spanish Legion. So, although the Spanish Legion is an old (1920) colonial force inspired in the French Foreign Legion, and with the clear will to incorporate foreign soldiers, it always has been formed by about 90% of Spanish citizens in its ranks. In fact, during a few years it was not allowed to the foreigners to enlist in “La Legión”, but in the present day I think that this prohibition does not exists.

When I was in the airborne brigade, the future members of the BRIPAC and the future members of the Legion performed the same basic training, in the special instruction center of the BRIPAC in Alcantarilla (Murcia), with the only difference of the airborne training. So, the companies (4) were a mix of candidates for both units with our instructors being from both units, too. The intention was to promote the collaboration between the future “Legionarios” and paratroopers. So I made some friends in the Legion, all from the south of Spain. In fact, the Spanish parachute brigade has its origins in the Legion and the paratroopers still have the title of “Caballero Legionario” (literally Gentleman-Legionario).

The Legion is the shock infantry force of the Spanish Army. Well trained and highly motivated. For my taste, and I suppose for my Catalans origins, the ideology of the units remembers me too much to others times. It was the shock force of the Nationalist Army that arose in arms against the Republic during the Spanish Civil War. Even Francisco Franco, the Spanish dictator that ruled Spain from 1939 to 1975 had been the commander of the Legion.

With the new professional army, the democracy, the time and the new blood, the Legion has become the first Spanish unit to be deployed in any international mission. Anyway, when the normal Spanish citizen thinks about the Spanish Army, probably the image of a member of “La Legion” is the first thought that comes to his/her mind. They are considered hard, proud, reliable and the archetype of t how a Spanish soldier must be.

The Legion has a lot of particularities and traditions that differences it from other units. I recognize that I’m not very impressed by these differential elements, but people seem to love them. They wear a different uniform in the parades, wearing their traditional “chapiri” (a cap) and marching at double speed than the others…well, with no will to offend, every army has its own ration of stupid traditions.

In the present day the Legion is composed by one Brigade with two infantry “Tercios”. The “Tercio” is a unit composed by two “Banderas” (Battalions). Of course, you must add the HQ Bandera, NBQ company, Signals company, Engineers Company, Antitank Company, Logistics, and Recon Company.

If interested in any other information, just ask for it. I can make a search and translate the material for this post. BTW, why this interest in "La Legión"?

[pmulcahy11b]

First, I can't believe I mistook a fellow paratrooper for an Air Force person! Apologies!

I was looking at the Osprey book about the Spanish Foreign Legion (or I guess, it should be just "Spanish Legion"), and realized I just don't know that much about it, and then I remembered I could get information straight from source, so to speak. Then maybe get a decent workup of their character generation in T2K.

[Marc]

Originally Posted by pmulcahy11b

First, I can't believe I mistook a fellow paratrooper for an Air Force person! Apologies!

Of course, no need to apologies.