John Parker (1) (1938–)

As I knew nothing about the Foreign Legion other than what I've picked up through movies and general references in the media, I thought this book might provide an interesting insight into what life is like as a Legionnaire. What I found instead was not so much a description of life in the Foreign Legion as a survey of its history and battles. That does not mean the book was not interesting; I learned a great deal. But I wish the book gave a deeper view into daily life in the Legion. If you show more want a general history of the Foreign Legion, this is the book for you. If you want to see what life would be like if you joined the Foreign Legion, this gives you only a glimpse (probably enough to decide whether life in the Legion is for you, but not many details). show less

I initially had high hopes for this book, but was sorely disappointed. The writing is flat and the description of most events is superficial. I did enjoy the chapters which contained excerpts of letters from the two Stewart brothers who served as officers in WW I. The portion concerning the North African campaigns were good.
Overall, you would be better off going to wikipedia to get detailed information on the various battles. I did this to get information on the battle of Magersfontein of show more the Boers Wars. Wiki was much more informative. show less

Essentially a unit history of the 7th Armoured from North Africa to Iraq. P 122-123 describes the failed first special operation of David Stirlings Special Air Service (later SAS). Only 4 of the 56 men returned. Objectives not met. Posthumous VC. A bit on the Long-Range Desert Group. Otherwise fairly traditional armour unit history. The Iraq war section discusses WMD, and unindexed are friendly fire incidents (327-328). Illustrated. Indexed.

Solid history written with assistance from the British War Museum and the Royal Marines Museum. Good factual overview.