Spanish Legion: Difference between revisions

| type = Light Infantryinfantry, shock troops

| garrison = {{ubl|Ronda (Málaga)|Viator (Almeria)|Melilla, Ceuta.}}

| march = {{ubl|{{lang|es|Canción Del Legionario}}|(Officialofficial Quickquick march),|{{lang|es|Tercios Heroicos}},|{{lang|es|Novio de la Muerte}}|(Officialofficial hymn and slow march)}}

| battles = {{ubl|[[Rif War (1920)|Rif War]]|[[Asturian miners' strike of 1934]]|[[Spanish Civil War]]|[[Ifni War]]|[[Western Sahara conflict]] <small>(1970-751970–75)</small>|[[Yugoslav Wars]]|[[War in Afghanistan (2001–present)|Afghanistan]]|[[Iraq War|Iraq]]|[[UNIFIL|Operation Libre Hidalgo UNIFIL]]|[[American-led intervention in Iraq (2014–present)|Military intervention against IS in Iraq]]<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.defense.gov/home/features/2014/0814_iraq/20150403_1_Coaltion%20Build_Partner_Capacity_Operations_continue_in_Iraq.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2015-05-08 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150413052727/http://www.defense.gov/home/features/2014/0814_iraq/20150403_1_Coaltion%20Build_Partner_Capacity_Operations_continue_in_Iraq.pdf |archive-date= 2015-04-13 }}</ref>}}

| start_date = {{start date and age|1920|109|2820|df=y}}

[[File:III Rally Ciudad de Ceuta, acto Castrense en al acuartelamiento ''García Aldave'' (11).JPG|thumb|Ceuta Garrisongarrison of the legion]]

[[File:III Rally Ciudad de Ceuta, acto Castrense en al acuartelamiento ''García Aldave'' (3).JPG|thumb|Ceuta Garrisongarrison of the legion]]

[[File:Light Gun E. T..JPG|thumb|105mm [[L118 light gun]] of the Legionlegion Artilleryartillery Groupgroup]]

[[File:Spanish-flag.jpg|thumb|The [[Guión 4 Tercio |4th Tercio Guión]]]]

For centuries, Spain recruited foreign soldiers to its army, forming the Foreignforeign Regimentsregiments ({{lang|es|Infantería de línea extranjera}}) - such as the [[Regiment of Hibernia]] (formed in 1709 from Irishmen who fled their own country in the wake of the [[Flight of the Earls]] and the [[Penal law (British)|penal laws]]). However, the specific unit of the [[Spanish Army]] and Spain's [[Rapid Reaction Force]], now known as the '''Spanish Legion''' ({{lang|es|Legión Española, La Legión}}), and informally known as the [[Tercio]] or the Tercios, is a 20th-century creation. It was raised in the 1920s to serve as part of Spain's [[Army of Africa (Spain) |Army of Africa]]. The unit, which was established in January 1920 as the Spanish equivalent of the [[French Foreign Legion]], was initially known as the {{lang|es|Tercio de Extranjeros}} ("[[Tercio]] of foreigners"), the name under which it began fighting in the [[Rif War]] of 1920–19261921–1926.

Although foreign recruitment spans the Spanish-speaking nations, the majority of recruits are Spaniards. Over the years, the force's name has changed from {{lang|es|Tercio de Extranjeros}} to {{lang|es|Tercio de Marruecos}} (when the field of operations targeted [[Morocco]]), and by the end of the Rif War it became the "Spanish Legion", with several "tercios" as sub-units.

In the original {{lang|es|Tercio de Extranjeros}} there were Latin Americans, amongst others, one Chinese, three Japanese, one Maltese, one Russian, both German & Austrian, one Italian, two Frenchmen, four Portuguese, one Belgian, unknown Filipino and one blackSpanish woman from [[Spanish settlement of Puerto Rico|Puerto AmericanRico]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.strategypage.com/cic/docs/cic107a.asp |title=Combat Information Center analysis, facts and figures about military conflicts and leaders - Military History |publisher=StrategyPage.com |access-date=2011-11-13}}</ref> However, soon the majority of its members were Spaniards who joined to fight outside of European Spain.{{Citation needed|date=May 2010}}

Under the leadership of Lieutenant Colonel [[Juan Yagüe]], the Army of Africa played an important part in the [[Spanish Civil War]] on the [[Nationalist faction|Nationalist]] side. The professionalism of both the legion and the ''Regulares'' gave Franco's rebel troops a significant initial advantage over the less well trained [[Spanish Republican Armed Forces|Spanish Republican forces]]. The Army of Africa remained an elite spearhead until the expansion of the rebel armies after April 1937 led to the legion and Moroccan units being distributed across several fronts. Following the Francoist victory in 1939, the legion was reduced in size and returned to its bases in Spanish Morocco. It was only after then that the legion attained its present composition of 4 Tercios, and the names given to them, the 4th Tercio of the legion was established later in 1950:

[[File:Emblem of the 3rd Spanish Legion Tercio Don Juan de Austria.svg|65px]] [[File:Coat of Arms of the 3rd Spanish Legion Tercio Don Juan de Austria.svg|80px]] [[3rd Legion Tercio "Don Juan de Austria"|3rd Tercio]] "[[John of Austria|Don Juan deof Austria]]"<br />

When [[Morocco]] gained its independence in 1956 the legion continued in existence as part of the garrison of the remaining Spanish enclaves and territories in North Africa. The legion fought ArabMoroccan irregulars in the [[Ifni War]] in 1957–58.

Through the course of the legion's history Spaniards (including natives of the colony of [[Spanish Guinea]]) have made up the majority of its members, with foreigners accounting for 25 percent or less. During the Rif War of the 1920s most of the Foreignersforeigners serving with the legion were Spanish speaking Latin Americans.

** I Spanish Legion Bandera "Comandante FrancoEspaña"

The legion has a special operations unit known as the {{lang|es|Bandera de operaciones especiales de la legión}} (19th Legion Special Operations Battalion or BOEL). The members of this unit, who were (and still mostly are) volunteers from other banderas of the legion, received training in: [[Scuba set|SCUBA]]/Maritime Warfare, Arctic and Mountain Warfare, Sabotage and Demolitions, Parachute and [[HALO jump|HALO]] techniques, [[LRRP|Long Range Reconnaissance]], [[Counter-terrorism]] and [[CQB]], Vehicle insertion, [[Sniping]] and [[Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape|SERE]] (''Survival, Escape, Resistance and Evasion''). Much of the training was undertaken at [[Fort Bragg, North Carolina|Fort Bragg]] (USA). In 2002 the BOEL was renamed ''[[Grupo de Operaciones Especiales "Maderal Oleaga" XIX|19th Special Operations Group "Maderal Oleaga"]]'' (GOE-XIX) and was moved to [[Alicante]], and reported directly to Army HQ as part of the Special Operations Command, with recruitment now being in a national basis, with personnel assigned from various Army units. In 2019-20, the battalion returned to the Legion Command but is not part of the Legion Brigade, assigned as the Legion contribution to Army SpecOps.

Basic training lasts four months and takes place in [[Cáceres, Spain|Cáceres]] or [[Cadiz|Cádiz]]. It includes basic military skills, forced marches and a stringent assault course. After the second month, the recruit signs a 2 or 3-year contract. After finishing basic training the recruit joins one of the tercios, in there he receives further training, mostlytaking focusedfrom on1 paradingmonth to 10 months depending on andthe legionaryspecialty traditionassigned. This is the same process as in the rest of units in the Spanish army.

[[File:Caballero Legionario en Irak.jpg|thumb|100px|Legionaire in Iraq wearing Spanish army desert camouflage.]]

The basic weapons used by the Legion are the same as those used by the rest of the Spanish Army. These include the [[Heckler & Koch G36|G36-E rifle]], its 40mm40&nbsp;mm grenade launcher modular attachment the [[Heckler & Koch AG36|AG36]], the [[Heckler & Koch MG4|HK MG4]] and [[Rheinmetall MG 3|MG3]] machine guns, and the [[Heckler & Koch USP|HK USP]] 9mm pistol.

* A ''"Mística Legionaria"'' (''Legionary Spirit'') (condensed in a twelve-point ''"[[:es:Credo Legionario]]"'', or "Legionary Creed")<ref>[http://www.lalegion.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=53:credo ] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090217064009/http://www.lalegion.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=53%3Acredo |date=2009-02-17 }}</ref>

==Some notable Legionarieslegionaries==

* [[Francisco Franco]], - Generalgeneral and dictator of Spain from 1939 to 1975. Founding deputy commander of the Spanish Legion in 1920, and later commander of the legion from 1923 to 1926.

* [[Nacho Vidal]]. After leaving around 1994, he became a pornographic actor and director.<ref name="Lecturas">{{cite web |title=Nacho Vidal, de rey del porno a finalista del reality Supervivientes 2015 |url=https://www.lecturas.com/famosos/nacho-vidal |website=Lecturas |publisher=Lecturas |access-date=23 October 2019 |language=es}}</ref>

*[[Foreign legionFrench (disambiguation)|Foreign legionLegion]]