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The French Foreign Legion book cover
The French Foreign Legion
1974
First Published
2.85
Average Rating
180
Number of Pages
From its founding in 1831 to the present day, the French Foreign Legion has been surrounded by an aura of mystery & romantic adventure. Drawing on recently released material & 1sthand research, renowned military historian John Laffin sorts myth from reality to reveal the Legion in its true colors. Here's the real story of this remarkable fighting force: its exceptional officers, its rank & file (which at one time comprised as many as 45 nationalities), its campaigns & battles (in Mexico, Syria, the Sahara, the Atlas Mountains & during the two world wars) & much more. With special chapters covering the Legion's philosophy, structure, discipline, off-duty exploits & lore, this intensely readable history is bound to have a wide appeal apart from its value to the student of military history. As Laffin himself so aptly puts it: "If ever there was romance in war, then the Foreign Legion has epitomized it."
Avg Rating
2.85
Number of Ratings
13
5 STARS
0%
4 STARS
15%
3 STARS
54%
2 STARS
31%
1 STARS
0%
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Author

John Laffin
John Laffin
Author · 11 books

John Laffin was a prolific author with nearly 130 books to his name. Many of his books concerned military history. Laffin's parents both served in WWI, his father in the 20th Battalion and his mother as a nurse. In 1940, aged 24, having worked with Smith's Weekly and The Wagga Advertiser, he enlisted in the 2nd AIF. He trained as an infantryman and later completed an officer course before serving in New Guinea. While convalescing in Sydney in 1943 he met his wife Hazelle. After the war Laffin worked for a number of newspapers and magazines, wrote short novels and began his own feature service and editing unit. With his family he left for England in 1956 where he resided for nearly 40 years. He wrote articles for Australian newspapers and taught English, history and geography in secondary colleges. Laffin traveled extensively in Europe, especially the Western Front areas of WWI and in the Middle East. He returned to Australia in 1995 but Hazelle developed heart problems and died in early 1997. He is survived by his two daughters, Bronwen and Pirenne, and a son, Craig.

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