The Paratroopers of the French Foreign Legion: From Vietnam to Bosnia [Hardcover]

Howard R. Simpson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 1997

From Booklist:

Simpson actually covers only the history and present circumstances of the French Foreign Legion's one remaining parachute regiment, the Second. Based in Corsica, its 1,300 officers and men virtually constitute a miniature, highly mobile, elite army, able to conduct both regular and irregular warfare anywhere in the world. Their history, which constitutes the lesser part of the book, includes battles as well known as Dien Bien Phu and as little known as some interventions in sub-Saharan Africa. Their present condition is unique even within the unique military institution that is the French Foreign Legion, and their officers and men show a range of skills, motivations, ethnic origins, and plans for the future that are in the classic legion mold. Simpson writes favorably but not uncritically of his subject, always with great clarity, sometimes with wit. His conclusion, that the Second Legion Parachute Regiment is a possible prototype for future international rapid deployment forces, is worthy of consideration.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Simpson actually covers only the history and present circumstances of the French Foreign Legion's one remaining parachute regiment, the Second. Based in Corsica, its 1,300 officers and men virtually constitute a miniature, highly mobile, elite army, able to conduct both regular and irregular warfare anywhere in the world. Their history, which constitutes the lesser part of the book, includes battles as well known as Dien Bien Phu and as little known as some interventions in sub-Saharan Africa. Their present condition is unique even within the unique military institution that is the French Foreign Legion, and their officers and men show a range of skills, motivations, ethnic origins, and plans for the future that are in the classic legion mold. Simpson writes favorably but not uncritically of his subject, always with great clarity, sometimes with wit. His conclusion, that the Second Legion Parachute Regiment is a possible prototype for future international rapid deployment forces, is worthy of consideration. Roland Green

About the Author

The late Howard R. Simpson was the author of eight other well-received novels. He also wrote several nonfiction books, including Someone Else's War and Dien Bien Phu --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 162 pages
• Publisher: Potomac / Brassey's; 1st edition (August 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0739412701
• ISBN-13: 978-0739412701
• ASIN: 1574881175
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,057,170 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A comprehensive story of REP and La Légion Etrangère, January 18, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Tampa, Florida USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Paratroopers of the French Foreign Legion: From Vietnam to Bosnia (Hardcover)

This book is very in depth about the 1er and 2eme REP. It covers mostly the second, but it has some history of the first. Out of the entire book, only about 1/3 is history. The rest is the modern organization, weapons, training, people and duties of the last remaining parachute regiment. The author writes well, and much of the book he describes a personal trip he took to Calvi, Corsica to interview, observe, and interact with the legionnaires of the 2eme REP. This book also covers much of the Legion in general, so this book is off all prospective recruits. Buy it, it is a very good book.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A look inside a lifestyle of adventure and tradition., March 28, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Paratroopers of the French Foreign Legion: From Vietnam to Bosnia (Hardcover)

This book, having bought and read it about 18 months ago, finds me now - 31 March 1999 in Metz, France - about to follow in the path of those men written about by the author. Its descriptive narrative combined with historic facts and personal stories of the various men, convinced me after many years of self doubt that this, The French Foreign Legion, is the lifestyle and destiny I seek for myself! It makes for easy reading, that is hard to put down till the end.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Survey of 2REP, November 6, 2006

By 

Kimball O'Hara "all men dream, but not equally" (California, USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Paratroopers of the French Foreign Legion: From Vietnam to Bosnia (Hardcover)

I enjoyed reading Mr. Simpson's book. It's a survey of 2REP with a bit of history of the disgraced and disbanded 1REP. To tell the story of FFL's parachutists, he included some history from the disastrous drop into Dien Bien Phu in the border region between Laos and Viet Nam. 2REP is not a typical FFL regiment and Mr. Simpson does a great job explaining what they do and how they do it (with emphasis on Low Intensity Conflicts).

If you want a novel built around legionnaires or an "I was there" account, this is not the book for you. Mr. Simpson doesn't say it is.

The book gets five stars from me because it covers what it says it's covering with elegance and a sense of insight without sensationalism that is lacking in many similar military accounts.

The only thing left to do is to get Mr. Simpson to go through the jungle training school in Guiana and write about it.