“We are French officers! Andrey Ivanov daily life of the French under Napoleon.

“My happiness lies in not managing anything; I would be very unhappy if I had 100 thousand francs of income in lands and houses. I would immediately sell everything, or at least three-quarters, at least at a loss, in order to buy an annuity. Happiness for me is not managing anyone and not being controlled..."

Ten years have passed since his first arrival in Paris, Henri Bayle is now in a good position and is participating in the work State Council. But where is that beautiful Parisian woman he dreamed of? He is suddenly attracted to Mrs. Benyo, a “blue stocking” who, according to reviews, is not at all attractive in appearance. But she is smart, she has delicate taste. Bayle enjoys spending time in her salon.

This respite between wars, “great but useless,” will also pass. On July 23, 1812, Henri Bayle received an audience with Empress Marie-Louise. His briefcase contains ministerial reports and hundreds of letters for the army. Sister Polina sews gold louis d'or into the belt of his jacket - as many as will fit.

On the day of departure, he writes her a farewell letter:

Chance, my dear friend, provides me with an excellent reason for correspondence. Today at seven o'clock in the evening I go to the banks of the Dvina. I came here to receive orders from Her Majesty the Empress. The Empress honored me with a conversation in which she asked about the route I intended to follow, the duration of the journey, etc. Leaving Her Majesty, I went to His Highness the King of Rome. But he was asleep, and the Countess de Montesquiou had just told me that it was impossible to see him before three o'clock. So I'll have to wait about two hours. This is not particularly convenient in a dress uniform and lace. Fortunately, it occurred to me that my title of inspector would give me, perhaps, some weight in the palace; I introduced myself, and they opened a room for me, which is now unoccupied by anyone.

How green and how calmly beautiful Saint-Cloud!

Here is my route to Vilna: I will go very quickly, a special courier will go ahead of me to Konigsberg. But there the sweet consequences of the robbery begin to make themselves felt. Near Kovno they are felt twice as much. They say that in those places, within fifty miles of a distance, you will not meet a living creature. (I think that all this is very exaggerated, these are Parisian rumors, and this says everything about their absurdity.) The Prince Chancellor wished me yesterday to be happier than one of my comrades, who traveled from Paris to Vilna for twenty-eight days. It is especially difficult to move forward in these plundered deserts, and even in an ill-fated little Viennese carriage loaded with many different parcels - everyone who could give them to me to hand over.”

Napoleon “crashed into Europe like a wild boar into a beet field,” says one of Maurice Montagu’s heroes. “The career of this adventurer is a resounding slap in the face to old prejudices. And then, whatever you say, he is undoubtedly a product of the revolution; he is a child of the republic, and your troops in their march across Europe are bearers of the idea of ​​freedom. The best proof of this is that other nations do not hate you, while kings, emperors and crown princes have formed a close league in their secret enmity against you, the rebels that they consider you and this great rebel to be ... "

The emperor strengthened the army with soldiers from allied and conquered countries. These were unreliable friends who, in the turmoil of battle, could shoot in the backs of their superiors - the French officers.

France waged war on the Iberian Peninsula, but the emperor included the Spaniards in his army. What this sometimes led to can be seen from the story of Lieutenant Coignet. It happened in 1812, on the way from Vilna to Vitebsk

“One burnt forest lay to the right of our path, and when we caught up with it, I saw that part of my battalion had gone right there, into this burnt forest,” says Coignet. - I'm galloping to bring them back. Imagine my surprise when suddenly the soldiers turned to me and started shooting at me... The conspirators were soldiers of Joseph... (brother of Napoleon, the Spanish king), all Spaniards without exception. There were 133 of them; not a single Frenchman was mixed up among these robbers.”

The next day the Spaniards were captured by French cavalry. The colonel decided to shoot half of the criminals. They drew lots. Sixty-two Spaniards received black tickets and were immediately executed.

Napoleon trusted his obstinate relative Bernadotte to command either the Bavarians, or the Poles, or the Dutch and Spaniards, or the Poles and Saxons.

And in the battle of Leipzig in 1813, the Saxon units would immediately go over to the side of the enemies of France, which would significantly change the balance of forces. By that time, Bernadotte will have time to cheat on Napoleon.

In 1808 it began big war in Spain. In previous years, Napoleon had done traditional recruitment, but now he goes further.

In each department he identifies ten families, ancient and rich, and in Paris - fifty. All these families must send boys between the ages of sixteen and eighteen to the military school of Saint-Cyr. Its graduates will become second lieutenants.

Ministerial circulars are aimed at finding eighteen- and nineteen-year-old boys in lyceums who “know military exercises,” who are immediately made non-commissioned officers and second lieutenants. The exact implementation of these circulars leads to the fact that lyceums send hundreds of their students to military service.

And it cannot be said that young people opposed this. For the most part, she was imbued with enthusiasm. “Almost everywhere,” Fourcroy said back in 1805, “I saw that young people obeyed without murmur and without reasoning the younger corporals and sergeants who had achieved a well-deserved rank thanks to their intelligence and zeal.”

Maybe he just wants to please the emperor? But here’s what one gymnasium director says: “All French youth only think about the military; scientifically one cannot expect much from it, at least under the present circumstances.”

“In the schools,” says another witness, “young people refuse to study anything except mathematics and the art of war; many ten or twelve year old boys begged their parents to allow them to follow Napoleon.”

“Uniform, one uniform!” Military personnel are held in high esteem everywhere - in theaters they do not stand in line at ticket offices, in cafes they can snatch a newspaper from someone else if all copies have already been sorted out. And this does not cause protest!

A cadet at the Saint-Cyr military school named Gaspard Richard de Soultre wrote to his father that his senior comrades had been promoted to sub-lieutenants. This is the atmosphere in which this happened: “The school was shaken by the cry repeated a thousand times: “Long live the Emperor!” Officers!!! We are French officers!”

This was on the eve of the Russian campaign.

The Emperor of the French was also the King of Italy. His adopted son Eugene Beauharnais will lead the 4th Corps to Russia Great Army, consisting of Italians.

At the end of 1812, Napoleon ordered the Roman Prince Patrizzi to send two sons to the Flèche military school - one seventeen, the other thirteen years old, and he uses gendarmes to deliver the young men to the place of study. More than 90 other Italians of noble families study here: Doria, Pallavicini, Alfieri. He does the same with young people from the Illyrian provinces, the states of the Rhine Confederation. Boarders received 800 francs per year. Not all parents were allowed to accompany their children: Prince Patrizzi was detained on the way to Marseille and was not allowed further.

After the death of the army in Russia, Napoleon will choose 10 thousand young people from noble French families, including the sons of members of the Convention and the Vendeans. This wonderful corps was called the “Guard of Honor”.

Russia has long been eyeing high military technologies. However, as a report that recently appeared on the Internet, prepared after the Russian-French naval exercises, shows, there are technologies that cannot be imported.

According to the schedule, on the bpk* there is little time for rest and personal time for the crew

French military personnel (not on duty) only have the opportunity to rest for 12 hours at night, while Russian servicemen actually have no more than 6 hours.

Numerous and lengthy cleanups

Scheduled tidying on the French ship is carried out once a day. At the same time, the instrument technician, having a large set of items and tools household chemicals, he himself determines whether it is enough for him to just sweep or whether he needs to wash the object. Then, during the day, the instrument technician independently monitors the situation at the tidy site and, if necessary, further restores order.

Slippery deck: both on the top and in the interior

A metal deck, especially when wet or covered with diesel fuel, is very slippery. High probability of falling and injury due to excitement. Guests on the ship often slipped. On French ships (also on American, British and Norwegian) the deck is covered with a special durable rough paint that prevents slipping even when wet. Inclined ramps also have a special coating that resembles sandpaper in structure and prevents slipping.

Many commands for shipwide broadcast

At the "Tourville" level, only commands were given over the ship's general broadcast to rise and to begin training in life-threatening safety and rescuing a man overboard. All planned activities, including shift changes, were carried out without commands; the crew acted independently in accordance with the daily routine and plan for the day.

Hygiene on board

On French destroyers (Tourville is more than 30 years old), there is always hot and cold fresh water in all cabins and showers... The French officers were surprised that on the most modern Russian ship delivery to cabins hot water not even provided for by the project, and cold food was served once a day for ten minutes. The entire crew (450 people) were washed every 10 days for 8 hours. Taking into account the number of showers, 3-4 minutes were allocated per person. In this regard, French officers drew attention to appearance Russian sailors. By the end of the voyage, the sailors were diagnosed with lice.

The attitude of seniors in rank and position towards juniors, especially sailors

This is a topic that French liaison officers have addressed special attention. On the BOD they often shout, swear, and often insult subordinates (even senior officers in the presence of sailors)... On this issue, French officers noted that such an attitude towards people in France is unacceptable.

A large number of officers on the ship

There are 24 officers for every 300 crew members of the Tourville unit. The Admiral Chabanenko BPV, with a slightly larger total crew, has twice as many officers, and taking into account those seconded, four times as many. The French officers were surprised by the number of senior officers, especially captains of the 1st rank - seven (on the Tourville there is only the commander), with unclear functions.

Conflicting commands are given

When the commander, the chief of the marching staff and the TG commander were on the navigation bridge at the same time, conflicting commands were often given. The French liaison officers were surprised that someone was challenging the ship's commander's decision.

Complex planning organization

At the Tourville unit, all issues of the joint exercise were dealt with by an operations officer with the rank of captain of the 3rd rank... He himself made decisions on all issues (he consulted with the commander only on certain complex problems) and immediately after coordinating the issues with the Russian liaison officer gave the appropriate commands to the watch officers... On the bpk final decision The TG commander answered all questions. Plans often changed several times during the evening. As the French translators noted (from the voices in the radio communication), the change of commander on the navigating bridge of the BPC with the chief of the marching staff entailed a change in plan. Late in the evening the plan was adjusted again (probably already by the commander of the TG)... In Brest after two hours collaboration on planning final stage During the exercise, the French side (represented by a captain of the 2nd rank from the operational department of the base and a captain of the 3rd rank - an operations officer for the Tourville military unit) asked the chief of the field headquarters (representing the Russian side) a question: “We agree, but this is the final decision Russian side?" To which the answer was given: “I cannot make a decision. We must wait for the admiral.” This caused bewilderment among the French, and with the arrival of the TG commander, planning began all over again.

Lack of satellite phones on the bpk

There are two satellite telephones at the Tourville station. One is located on the navigation bridge to resolve service issues. The second is located in the central corridor and is intended to connect the crew with the house. The crew conducts personal conversations for a fee, using cards that are purchased in advance at the base. In addition to satellite telephone communications, French destroyers also have Internet access and are standardly equipped with satellite television antennas.

Other features noted by French and Russian liaison officers

The food on French Navy ships is much better and more varied. The main components of the menu are seafood, meat and vegetables. During the week the Russian officers were on board, the menu was not repeated. According to French sailors, repeats begin to appear when a ship has been at sea for more than a month. Unlike the Russian BOD, where the diet deteriorates as you move from the commander's cabin to the officers' and midshipmen's wardrooms and then to the crew's mess, on French destroyers and multi-purpose ships there is one galley and the food is the same for everyone...

All household waste on French ships, while at sea, it is crushed and stored in garbage bags in a special room. When calling at a national or foreign port, garbage (for a fee or free of charge) is handed over for disposal. Nothing is thrown overboard. In our country, everything is thrown overboard, so when docked in a foreign port, oil stains and household debris often floated along the side.

From everything he saw and heard, the author of the report concludes: “International military cooperation at sea continues to develop and is moving to more high level from visiting ships to conducting joint actions at sea. Taking this into account, the unofficial opinion of the French side about the Russian Navy deserves attention. The best in their experience (for example, covering decks with special paint and equipping combat service ships with satellite communications phones) can also be used in the Russian Navy." Apparently, the Russian captain of the 2nd rank, who wrote the report, proceeds from the fact that about the use everything else in the Russian Navy can’t be dreamed of yet.

Marshals and generals

Marshals and generals were the highest military class Napoleonic France, whose task was not only to defend his state, but also to raise the prestige of the new imperial power to the level of the old regime. Therefore, the uniforms of senior commanders were distinguished by special wealth and splendor, which were supposed to emphasize the peculiarity of their position and the greatness of the deeds performed by the commanders.

Marshals and generals of France wore single-breasted tailcoat-type uniforms made of dark blue cloth top quality with a high stand-up collar and round split cuffs. And small field uniform, and the full dress uniform of marshals and generals was decorated with gold embroidery in the form of garlands of oak leaves with acorns, which went along the collar, chest and cuffs of the uniform; Marshal's embroidery was wider and more abundant than general's. The full dress uniform was distinguished by even richer embroidery, which ran not only along the collar, chest and cuffs, but also along the shoulder and sleeve seams, along and around the pocket flaps, along the waist and folds of the hem. In fact, the rich gold decoration covered almost the entire ceremonial marshal's uniform, leaving the blue cloth visible only in a few places. Gold general and marshal epaulettes were also richly decorated with embroidery and applique; marshal epaulettes were distinguished by crossed blue marshal batons embroidered on the upper fields, intertwined with a red order ribbon. In full dress uniform, the white vest worn under the uniform was also embroidered in gold; in the small form the vest was worn without embroidery. In both full and small uniforms, marshals and generals wore narrow white culottes and high boots of the heavy cavalry type with brass spurs. A mandatory part of the general and marshal's uniform was a wide belt scarf made of gold and white silk threads, wrapped several times around the waist. Another mandatory attribute that distinguished marshals from generals was the marshal's baton, decorated with images of imperial eagles. On their heads, the generals wore a black felt double-cornered hat, richly decorated along the edges of the brim with gold figured braid with floral patterns. Marshals, in full dress uniform, sometimes wore lush plumes on their hats made of long white heron feathers, but in general, wearing plumes on bicornes was not accepted in the French army, and was very rare. The winter marching uniform for the generals was a dark blue woolen cloak with a high collar and piping, the edges of which were richly decorated with embroidery, like on a uniform. As for the weapons of generals and marshals, in the French army there was no strict requirement to wear regulated swords, and many commanders armed themselves with the weapons that they liked; Among the French commanders who had rich combat experience, the saber was a more popular weapon than the sword...

Cavalry generals usually wore the uniforms of the cavalry branches they commanded, distinguished from officers by general's epaulettes, waist scarves and more expensive uniform trim.

The uniform of the French marshals: full dress (depicted by Marshal de Marmont) and small marching winter uniform (depicted by Marshal MacDonald).

Marshal of France's baton (belonged to Marshal Dove)

Officers

Officers of the French army, like the Russian one, were divided into two categories: chief officers (ranks from ajudan to captain) and staff officers (from major to colonel). Both of them wore general shape several types. Leaving no attention various types clothes intended for balls, work and walks around the city, we will focus on two main types of uniforms: marching, in which the French wore most of the time, and ceremonial, in which the French troops entered into battle, considering the battle a holiday. In the line infantry, the dress uniform was a dark blue tailcoat-type uniform with tails, white lapels, red cuffs and collar; white leggings were tucked into boots. On the uniforms of light infantry officers, the lapels and cuffs were blue with white piping; on their feet they wore blue chakchirs and soft boots of the light cavalry type. Both of them with ceremonial uniforms wore shakos with sultans different colors, decorated with cords and labels.

During the campaign, the described uniforms were replaced by single-breasted tailcoat-type uniforms without lapels and gray leggings tucked into boots with the tops turned inside out; The plumes were removed from the shakos, colored pom-pom balls were attached instead, the cords and labels from the shakos were also unfastened. Many officers on a campaign wore lighter double-cornered hats or caps instead of a shako; in winter, officers dressed in overcoats.

The external difference between chief and staff officers was in the epaulettes: chief officers had an epaulette on the left shoulder with fringe, and on the right - without fringe; For staff officers, both epaulettes had fringes. Ranks were determined by embroidery on the upper field of the epaulette.

In the light cavalry, differences in ranks were determined not only by the epaulettes, but also by the number of angular braids sewn onto the sleeves and chakchirs.

The uniforms of the infantry regiments of the Great Army were distinguished by their amazing diversity. Even among purely French units, one could sometimes find the most bizarre combination of the type of shako and the color of the cuffs, not to mention the peculiarities of the uniform of the armies of France's allies. However, it is possible to identify the general, most characteristic features and features of infantry uniforms of the French army. These are the ones we will look at in this article.

Soldier and officer of the line infantry 1808-1810. On the fusilier's shako we see a red etiquette. In 1812, this element of the uniform was officially abolished, but in practice continued to be found in many companies and battalions of the line infantry.

Line infantry uniform
Uniform- This is the main element of the uniform of any army. In the French army, the uniform was predominantly blue. The cut and shape of the French infantry uniform varied greatly both by branch of service and by the time of tailoring. Until the beginning of 1812, the uniforms of the French line infantry had long tails and a slit on the chest. A uniform of this type was very common in Europe and was called “French”. But since 1812, a shortened uniform without a cut on the chest was introduced. The coattails have become very short - only 32 cm, and the decorations on them are strictly regulated. On the tails of the Fusilier's uniform was embroidered the blue letter "N" topped with a crown. The coattails of the grenadiers were decorated with red grenades, and the voltigeurs were decorated with yellow hunting horns. The lapels of the coattails of the line infantry were white. The lapels of the line infantry uniform were uncut and also white. The uniforms of corporals and non-commissioned officers differed from the uniforms of privates only in stripes yellow on the sleeves.

Since 1806, line infantry soldiers were required to wear shako as a headdress. But since the headdress could only be changed when the old one was completely worn out, many soldiers continued to wear old-style hats. By the start of the 1812 campaign, all line infantry regiments wore shakos. Exceptions were some grenadier regiments, which continued to wear bear fur hats.

Light infantry 1808-1810 (Officer, huntsman and voltigeur). Voltigeurs wore a red and yellow plume on their shako and epaulets of the same color.

On the shakos of the line infantry there was an insignia - badge. It could be diamond-shaped or eagle-shaped. The badge was one of the elements of regimental distinction. As decorative element On the shako there was an etiquette - a knot with a pigtail. By the beginning of the War of 1812, etiquettes were formally abolished in the line infantry, but many regiments retained them. The serial number of the company of any line infantry battalion was determined by the color of the pompom on the shako. The first company of the battalion had a green pom-pom, the second had a blue one, the third had an orange-yellow one, and the fourth had a purple one. On the pompom was a number indicating the number of the battalion in the regiment.

On their legs, the soldiers wore long white trousers tucked into short leggings.

The equipment of the line and light infantry did not differ from each other, and consisted of a backpack, a cartridge pouch, a cleaver worn on a belt, and a bayonet with a scabbard.

Private, sergeant and officer of the foot grenadiers. 1805-1806 Line infantry grenadiers retained their traditional headdress - fur hats.

Light Infantry Uniform
The uniform of the light infantry regiments differed from the uniform of the line infantry regiments. The main feature of all French light infantry uniforms was peaked lapels.

The uniforms of the light infantry soldiers were entirely blue, with scarlet collars and cuff flaps. The edgings are white, as are the buttons. The vest is blue, as are the pants. Unlike line infantry regiments, shakos appeared in light infantry during the Directory era. The shako of the Carabinieri companies was decorated with a red plume and etiquette. In addition, the carabinieri wore red epaulettes. And also red in the carabinieri companies there were grenades on the lapels of the tails, a lanyard of a cleaver or half-saber and trim on the gaiters. In the Jaeger companies, all of the above elements were green. For voltigeurs these elements were yellow, yellow-red or yellow-green. The equipment and weapons of the light infantry were the same as those of the heavy infantry.

A sultan was placed on the shakos of light infantry soldiers. For the huntsmen it was completely green, while for the voltigeurs it was green below and yellow at the top. The uniform of the huntsman and voltigeur also differed in the shape of the badge on the shako. The huntsman's badge was diamond-shaped, and the vaulter's badge was in the form of an eagle. The trousers and gaiters of the light infantry soldiers did not differ from the uniform of the line infantry soldiers.

Line infantry 1808-1813 The fusilier pictured on the right is uniformed in strict accordance with the regulations. A shako without an etiquette, with a blue pompom, a badge on the shako in the shape of an eagle, white lapels and lapels.

Uniforms of line and light infantry officers of the French army

The uniforms of officers were even more varied than those of enlisted men. In general, officers wore uniforms similar in cut and color to those of privates, but made from higher quality cloth. The main difference of the rank were the epaulettes. The buttons of the officer's uniform were gold or silver, and the decorations on the lapels were embroidered with gold thread. Edged weapons were decorated with a gold lanyard. Instead of gaiters, officers wore short boots. Light and line infantry officers differed only in their epaulettes. In the line infantry they were gold, and in the light infantry they were silver.

In general, on army uniforms late XVIII - early XIX centuries fashion has had a very important influence. That is why individual elements of uniforms could change almost every year. In the period from 1789 to 1814, France waged constant wars, in which compliance with regulations and instructions was completely impossible. Therefore, among the infantry units that took part in the campaign against Russia in 1812, it is impossible to identify general regulations regarding uniforms.

Chronicle of the day: The battle at Solovyevo continues

First Western Army
On the night of August 21, the French sent mounted skirmishers to the right bank of the Dnieper, to the village of Pnevo, where part of the Russian Cossack rearguard troops were located. A skirmish ensued, during which the French tried to force the Cossacks to retreat beyond the Dnieper, but the actions of Russian artillery stopped the enemy’s advance. The battle lasted about two hours, the rearguard held its positions.

Meanwhile, the fighting near the village of Solovevo, which began the day before, continued. On the right bank of the Dnieper there were Mariupol and Sumy Hussars, as well as the Polish Uhlan regiments. At 2 o'clock in the afternoon, the French opened artillery fire and forced the Russians to retreat slightly north of the Solovyova crossing. At this position the rearguard entrenched and held the line until 6 pm, and retreated after the bridges over the river were destroyed.

Fighting also took place on the opposite, left bank near the village of Solovevo. General Rosen's rearguard cavalry operating there destroyed bridges across the river. A very important role in the battles of August 21 was played by the Russian 6th Horse Artillery Company, strategically located on the left bank of the Dnieper. After the bridges were destroyed and the rearguards began to withdraw, she stopped the French attack. As dusk fell, the fighting stopped. At 9 pm the First Western Army broke camp near the village of Umolye and headed towards Dorogobuzh.

Third Observational Army
In the town of Divina, Tormasov’s army was joined by a detachment of General Khovansky, who replaced Chaplitsa and formed a new rearguard of the army. The army was still pursued along the Kobrin road by the Schwarzenberg corps, and along the Brest-Litovsk road by the Rainier corps. The newly formed rearguard of Khovansky entered into battle with the enemy vanguard near the town of Knyazha Gura. In this battle, the 1st Combined Grenadier Battalion of the 9th Infantry Division distinguished itself.

First separate building
Wittgenstein Corpus, defeated near Polotsk, retreated along the Polotsk-Sebezh road beyond the river. Driss to the village of Sivoshino. Near the town of Arteykovichi, the army organized a bivouac and was attacked by the troops of General Wrede. The Bavarian offensive was repulsed.

Person: Efim Ignatievich Chaplits

Efim Ignatievich Chaplits (1768-1825)
Efim Ignatievich has a very revealing biography, inconvenient for those who like to inflate Polish-Russian contradictions. After all, his faithful service to Russia and the unconditional authority of an honest and brave officer once again show that not all Poles hated the Empire.

Czaplitz came from an ancient Polish noble family and began serving in Polish army. However, back in the early 1780s. Efim Ignatievich went into Russian service, took part in the siege of Ochakov, the capture of Bendery and Izmail, and was noted by Suvorov as an extremely brave officer.

During the Polish “revolution” T. Kosciuszko, Lieutenant Colonel E.I. Chaplitz was sent to the rebels for negotiations, but the Poles attacked him and captured him, while he received a severe shell shock.

In 1796, Chaplitz participated in the Zubov brothers’ project to conquer all of Western Asia and personally delivered the keys to the captured city of Baku to Catherine II, for which he was awarded the rank of colonel. Naturally, these favors under Paul I led to Chaplitz being dismissed from the army until Alexander’s accession to the throne.

In 1801, when reinstated in the service, Efim Ignatievich received the rank of major general, and from 1803 he was a member of the sovereign's retinue. He took part in the Austrian and Prussian campaigns, where he distinguished himself in a number of battles and received the Order of St. George, 3rd degree.

Since 1806, Chaplitz was listed as the chief of the Pavlograd Hussar Regiment, at the head of which in July 1812, being part of the 3rd Reserve Observational Army, he defeated a detachment of Saxons at Kobrin, capturing many prisoners. It was Chaplitz who commanded the rearguard of Tormasov’s army, which delayed the increasingly intensified attacks of Schwarzenberg and Rainier.

During the counterattack Russian troops Efim Ignatievich was in the vanguard of Chichagov's army, commanding an infantry corps. At the same time, he dispersed all the newly formed Lithuanian regiments, took Vilna, participated in the operation to encircle Napoleon near the Berezina and, despite a shell shock to the head, continued to fight. After the end of the campaign, he wrote a note justifying Chichagov’s actions near the Berezina.

During the campaign abroad, Chaplitz commanded the allied Polish forces and distinguished himself in a number of battles. After the war he commanded a hussar division. In 1823, due to old age, he was appointed to serve in the cavalry.

The Foreign Legion (French Legion etrangere) is a military unit that is part of the French ground forces. At certain periods of its history, the legion numbered over forty thousand personnel (the 5 marching regiments of the Foreign Legion in August 1914 numbered 42,883 volunteers, representatives of more than 52 nationalities). Currently, about seven and a half thousand people from 136 countries serve in eleven regiments of the legion.

French Foreign Legion Officer's Ring

History and everyday life of the French Foreign Legion

On March 9, 1831, King Louis Philip I signed a decree establishing the French Foreign Legion. Today it is one of the most famous army formations in the world. For almost two centuries, this unit has become overgrown with rumors, acquiring a flair of romance and mystery. The Legion took part in all wars and conflicts in which France was somehow involved, which allows us to consider it one of the main instruments of open and secret foreign policy Paris. Lenta writes about its history and present day.

How steel was hardened

In 1831, France was active fighting in North Africa, colonizing Algeria. Paris needed soldiers. And Louis Philippe I decided to put in the service of the crown the numerous foreigners who settled in the country: Italians, Swiss, Spaniards. And also the French who were in trouble with the law. The officers were recruited from the ranks of the former Napoleonic army. By creating the legion, the monarch killed two birds with one stone. On the one hand, he cleared the country of undesirable elements. On the other hand, he received combat-ready units consisting of daredevils who were ready to do a lot for a second chance in life. Fundamentally important nuance: No one was interested in the newcomer’s past; by serving in the legion, he could wash away any sins and return to civilian life with new documents and a cleaned-up biography. It was then that the tradition was established of not asking recruits for their real names. At the same time, the royal decree initially stipulated the most important condition: The legion can only be used outside of France.

In 1847, Algeria was finally conquered, but the services of battle-hardened legionnaires remained in great demand. In 1854, the legion participated in Crimean War. Seven years later, France, Great Britain and Spain sent expeditionary forces to Mexico to force the country to resume payments on its international obligations. It was during this campaign that the legendary “Battle of Cameron” took place. 65 legionnaires under the command of Captain Danjou took on an unequal battle with two thousand Mexicans and fought back for several hours. Amazed by the tenacity of the defenders, the Mexicans invited them to lay down their arms and surrender. The legionnaires responded by offering the same to the enemy. Almost all of them died, including the commander. Captain Danju's wooden prosthetic arm is now kept in the museum and is revered as a relic. The battle took place on April 30, 1863. This is the day of military glory of the legion.

After Mexico, legionnaires defended French interests around the world: they colonized Africa and Indochina, landed on Taiwan, and participated in various conflicts in the Middle East, the First and Second World Wars. And after World War II, legionnaires had something to do, as France again entered the colonial wars, including in Vietnam. There is information that during this period the formation was replenished with former servicemen of the recently defeated Wehrmacht and SS men - well trained and with combat experience. To avoid reproaches and suspicions of harboring former Nazis, in the “nationality” column, recruiters indicated anything: Austrian, Swiss, Belgian, and so on.

Secrets of the Legion