Why does the French Foreign Legion seem to have more deserters than other militaries?

BEAU GESTE—Hollywood's romantic view of the Legion: British aristocrats in search of oblivion. The brutal treatment was right even if the sordid purpose of the heroic Legionnaires was left typically unexplained.

BUT BEFORE ANSWERING THE QUESTION, A BRIEF NOTE ON THE LEGION ETRANGERE AS A UNIQUE MILITARY FORMATION

•Elite corps created in 1831 chiefly as a colonialist "pacification" force
•Only French nationals can be officers
•Chiefly cut its teeth in Algeria and Spain, during the Carlist Wars.
•Traditionally, most recruits came from Germany and Spain
•Many ex-Wehrmacht conscripts joined after WW2

The Legion on parade in Paris, sporting their strange uniforms and peculiar tools of the trade.

The French Foreign Legion (French: Légion étrangère) (FFL; French: Légion étrangère (French pronunciation: ​[leʒjɔ̃ etʁɑ̃ʒɛʁ]), L.É.) is a military service branch of the French Army established in 1831. The Legion is unique in that it was, and continues to be, open to foreign recruits willing to serve in the French Armed Forces. However, when it was founded, the French Foreign Legion was not unique; other foreign formations existed at the time in France.

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Commanded by French officers, it is open to French citizens, who amounted to 24% of the recruits in 2007.^[5] The Foreign Legion is today known as a unit whose training focuses on traditional military skills and on its strong esprit de corps, as its men come from different countries with different cultures. This is a way to strengthen them enough to work as a team. Although it is part of the French military, it is the only unit of the military that does not swear allegiance to France, but to the Foreign Legion itself.^[6] Consequently, training is often described as not only physically challenging, but also very stressful psychologically. French citizenship may be applied for after three years' service.^[7] Additionally, any soldier who becomes injured during a battle for France can immediately apply to be a French citizen under a provision known as "Français par le sang versé" ("French by spilled blood").^[7] As of 2008, members come from 140 countries.

Since 1831, the Legion has suffered the loss of nearly 40,000 men on active service in France, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Madagascar, West Africa, Mexico, Italy, the Crimea, Spain, Indo-China, Norway, Loyada, Syria, Chad, Zaïre, Lebanon, Central Africa, Gabon, Kuwait, Rwanda, Djibouti, former Yugoslavia, Somalia, Republic of Congo, Ivory Coast, Afghanistan, Mali, Sahel and others.

Today's Legionnaires: more like elite special forces, except for the high content of non-French nationals, representing up to 146 ethnicities.

The French Foreign Legion was primarily used to protect and expand the French colonial empire during the 19th century. The Foreign Legion was initially stationed only in Algeria, where it took part in the pacification and development of the colony. Subsequently, the Foreign Legion was deployed in a number of conflicts, including the First Carlist War in 1835, the Crimean War in 1854, the Second Italian War of Independence in 1859, the French intervention in Mexicoin 1863, the Franco-Prussian War in 1870, the Tonkin Campaign and Sino–French War in 1883, supporting growth of the French colonial empire in Sub-Saharan Africa and pacifying Algeria, the Second Franco-Dahomean War in 1892, the Second Madagascar expedition in 1895, and the Mandingo Wars in 1894.

In World War I, the Foreign Legion fought in many critical battles on the Western Front. It played a smaller role in World War II than in World War I, though having a part in the Norwegian, Syrian and North African campaigns. During the First Indochina War (1946–1954), the Foreign Legion saw its numbers swell. The FFL lost a large number of men in the catastrophic Battle of Dien Bien Phu. During the Algerian War of Independence (1954–1962), the Foreign Legion came close to being disbanded after some officers, men, and the highly decorated 1st Foreign Parachute Regiment (1^er REP) took part in the Generals' putsch. Notable operations during this period included the Suez Crisis, the Battle of Algiers and various offensives launched by General Maurice Challe including Operations Oranie and Jumelles.

SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA
Also see this: Origins of the French Foreign Legion

Bonus question

Vincent Godenir, lived in France 

Answered Feb 19, 2017

What a fascinating question!

Creation in 1831:

The French Foreign Legion traces its origins back to 1831, when the King of the French Louis Philippe decreed that the various foreign infantry regiments serving in the Royal Army would be gathered into a single, homogeneous unit: the Foreign Legion. At the time of its creation, the FFL was thus comprised six infantry battalions. The first three battalions were made of Swiss and German soldiers, the fourth battalion was Spanish, the fifth battalion was Italian and the sixth battalion was Belgian and Dutch. However, this organisation was only a temporary measure since the royal decree stated that any foreigner could be accepted in the future, regardless of nationality.

In particular, during the first years of its existence, the FFL accepted many Polish recruits (Poland was partitioned between Prussia and Russia at the time and suffered from revolts and foreign oppression), prompting the creation of a 7th (Polish) battalion.

Legionnaire in 1832

Early history (1830s-40s):

During the 1830s, the FFL was heavily engaged in Spain (which was suffering from a violent civil war). Amid the chaos of the First Carlist War, many Spanish soldiers elected to join the FFL, which saw an influx of Spanish recruits. However, the Legion suffered horrendous casualties during the war. Of the 6000+ soldiers sent to Spain to fight in the First Carlist War, only 222 would return to France.

Following the First Carlist War, the Legion was completely reorganized. From 1835-onward, the Legion’s battalions became largely homogeneous, comprising many different nationalities. The FFL also acquired cavalry and artillery units around that time. Ironically, it is also around that time that the FFL saw a massive influx of French recruits. The dramatic battles fought by the FFL in Spain and North Africa during the 1830s cemented its romantic reputation as a glorious corps of heroes, attracting many disenfranchised French youths. In addition, the FFL was also used by the French Government as a convenient tool to dispose of undisciplined soldiers and minor criminals.

Therefore, during much of the 19th century, the Legion would be composed of ~45–50% French recruits (either romantic youths or lowlife-criminals). The foreign recruits were mostly of German origin, followed by the Belgian, the Swiss and the Italians.

Légionnaire in 1840

Post Franco-Prussian War (1871):

In 1871, following the Franco-Prussian War, all German citizens would be barred from recruitment into the FFL, although the Legion’s pre-existing German soldiers were not expelled. As a result, the Legion lost its primary source of foreign recruits. On the other hand, the Legion saw a massive influx of French recruits from Alsace and Lorraine (which had been ceded to Germany following the War).

In 1897, a census was made about the Legion’s composition:

• 45% French (including 22% from Alsace and Lorraine)
• 20% German
• 14% Belgian
• 7% Swiss
• the remaining 14% were a wild assortment of Italians, Spanish, Dutch, Austrians, Americans, Russians, Turks, Armenians, Egyptians, British, Serbs, Tunisians, Romanians, Greeks, Scandinavians, Portuguese, Senegalese and even a few Hindus.

Légionnaire in 1870

First World War

In 1914, at the outset of the First World War, the Legion sent out a massive call for new recruits. All foreign males living in French territory were invited to join the Legion. Most of them were Russian, followed by Italian, Swiss, Belgian and British recruits. Recruitment from the North African colonies was also expanded to include two battalions of zouaves and one battalion of Algerian tiralleurs. It is worth noting that at the time, most French citizens were drafted in the regular Army regiments instead. The proportion of French recruits in the Legion fell at an all time low. German recruits had also completely vanished from the Legion’s ranks at that time.

Légionnaire in 1915

Inter-war period:

I don’t know the exact year, but the recruitment of German-born recruits was reintroduced sometime after WWI. As tensions rose in Europe, the Legion became a haven for political exiles. In particular, the FFL recruited 13000+ Spanish exiles following the Spanish Civil War. The Legion also a massive influx of recruits from Germany, Austria and Italy, fleeing these countries’ rising totalitarian regimes. In 1940, 28% of recruits were Spanish, 17% were German (or Austrian).

Légionaire in 1920 (tropical uniform)

Post WW2:

The end of the Second World War saw a massive influx of former Wehrmacht soldiers into the FFL. During WW2, the Wehrmacht drafted many French citizens from Alsace and Lorraine. These conscripted French citizens were famously called the “malgré nous” (“against our will” in French), for having been drafted into the German Army. Following the war, many of those soldiers faced persecution and stigmatization for having “served the enemy”. Many of those french-born ex-Wehrmacht conscripts joined the FFL as a result. Other recruits were German soldiers that simply did not know any other life but the Army at this point but couldn’t find employment in post-WW2 Germany. And finally, we cannot ignore the fact that many recruits were ex-Waffen-SS soldiers who joined the FFL to escape prosecution. Generally, the FFL shunned these recruit, with any man sporting the characteristic blood-type tatoo being refused entry into the Legion. However, many former SS soldiers undoubtedly slipped through the cracks. As a result, during the Indochina War (1946–1954), 60% of the Legion was believed to be of German origin. It is the only time in the Legion’s history where it was so dominated by a single nationality.

Légionaire in 21st century

Modern era:

Modern legionnaire: armed to the teeth, chiefly used from meddling in other nations' affairs.

In 1970, ~60% of recruits came from just five countries: Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Spain and Belgium, with an extra 10% being French citizens. Nowadays, the Legion is a lot more diverse. With the fall of the Iron Curtain, the FFL recruited a lot of volunteers from Eastern Europe. With globalization and increased immigration, the Legion is also starting to see more and more recruits from Latin America and Sub-Saharian Africa. While the Legion is a bit tight-lipped on its current ethnic composition, it is known that 146 different nationalities are currently serving in the FFL. Currently, the Legion may be the most ethnically diverse it has ever been since its creation in 1831.

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Now for the main question—

The desertion numbers in the French Foreign Legion are indeed exorbitantly high. There is an old saying in the Legion that if you haven’t tried to desert at least once, you can’t call yourself a legionnaire.

From the dozen of former legionnaires that I had a chance to meet, more than half deserted before they finished their five-year contract with the Legion. Especially British citizens seem to have a very high desertion rate.

This has many reasons:

Wrong motivation

Many people join the Legion for the wrong reasons. They have been accused of a crime at home or their girlfriend broke up with them and they think that the whole world is going to end. After a month in the Legion’s basic training camp in Castelnaudary, however, things look very different.

They figure out that their problems at home weren’t as big as they thought they were and that the Legion sucks. All they want is to get out.

Others seek adventure. A friend of mine who served in the Legion’s famous 2nd parachute regiment told me that it took a year until he was allowed to leave the barracks for the first time. During this first year, he was treated like garbage. Adventures look a lot different than a legionnaire’s every day schedule.

Then there are the professional soldiers who join the Legion, because they think it’s a professional and elite unit. After having cleaned the corridor of their company building for the hundredth time with a tooth brush, many of them change their mind.

On the other hand, military training isn’t worse than in any other French unit, but when you are from Britain, for example, and you want to become a professional soldier, you would better stay in the British Army.

Abuse and brutality

Many people can’t cope with the abuse they face in the Legion. It’s a completely normal thing to get beaten by a Corporal, because you didn’t clean your boots properly or because the Corporal just doesn’t like your face.

The training is brutal. You might break your leg and still be expected to continue training. The words “human rights” do not exist in the Legion and there is no possibility to file a complaint or to address the problem otherwise. While a volunteer from a country that uses physical violence in their military won’t have a problem with this kind of conduct, an American or Brit will be appalled and disgusted.

The only solution

When you are in the Legion and you figure out that you don’t like it, desertion is the only way out. You can’t go to your Sergeant and tell him that you’ve changed your mind.

It’s very easy!

The first recruits already desert the Legion during basic training. The Legion is not a prison and it’s really not a problem to go to the next train station on your first day off and buy a ticket for Rome or Madrid. No one will stop you! In a way, desertion in the Legion functions as an additional selection process to remove unwanted and unmotivated soldiers.

Impunity

There are no legal consequences for a successful deserter. Unlike in some Hollywood movies, there will be nobody looking for you. You can go back to your home country, sort your problems out (if you had any) and relax. You can even go back to France for your holidays, no problem.

Of course, desertion is not an option. Anyone who is interested in joining the Legion shouldn’t think, “Oh, well, if I don’t like it, I’ll just fuck off from there!”

Although most deserters don’t get caught, if they do, they will go through hell. The Legion won’t kick you out, just because you tried to desert, but they will keep you for at least another couple of months. Being in a Foreign Legion military prison as a deserter is very much like being a Prisoner of War. It will mentally break you and you’ll probably have to deal with psychological problems for the rest of your life. Don’t do it!