Who is the most famous mercenary in the world?

There are two most famous mercenary units in the world - the Gurkhas and the French Foreign Legion. Gurkhas are mercenaries recruited by the British from Nepal, a mountainous country located in the western Himalayas. In 1814, Korkha warriors from the Kingdom of Nepal launched a surprise attack on Kashmir and Bhutan. The British used 30,000 people to fight against 12,000 Nepalese people. After two years of bloody fighting, peace was finally achieved. This battle was a lesson to the British, especially the brave spirit of the Gurkha soldiers who would rather die than surrender, which won the admiration of the British. After that, Britain signed a treaty with Nepal and enjoyed the privilege of recruiting Gurkha soldiers. Since then, they have recruited Nepali men for the British army with an average height of 1.6 meters and wearing machetes. There are currently 3,700 Gurkha soldiers in the British army. The Gurkhas from the mountains of Nepal are known for their bravery and fighting skills. Their creed is: "It is better to die than to live cowardly." A senior Indian army general once said: "If a person says he is not afraid of death, he is either You’re lying, or you’re a Gurkha.”

Over the past 200 years, British Gurkha soldiers have traveled to Afghanistan, Palestine, Egypt, North Africa and Iraq, and they have also participated in United Nations peacekeeping operations. . During World War II, the number of Gurkha soldiers in the British army reached up to 110,000. The British army currently has 4 Gurkha infantry regiments with about 3,700 soldiers. To this day, the British army still recruits Gurkha fighters in the mountains of Nepal. As many as 28,000 young people sign up every year, but only 200 are recruited. When Prince Harry served in Afghanistan, he fought alongside the Gurkha Regiment.

Although the average height is only 1.6 meters, the Gurkha regiment is deeply loved by the British royal family for its bravery and loyalty in combat. To date, approximately 50,000 Gurkha soldiers have died on the battlefield, and 13 of them have won the Victoria Cross. Today, Gurkha soldiers still wear the traditional broad-headed scimitar, which is said to be able to chop off a human head with one blow, but soldiers say the main use of the knife today is cooking.

The French Foreign Legion is a regular army force composed of foreign volunteers. It has the same equipment as the regular army. It consists of approximately 8,000 volunteers from 136 countries and regions. It was founded in 1831 on the order of the then French King Louis Philippe (reigned 1830-1848) in order to solve the problem of foreign crime in France and to replenish the French army soldiers who were killed and injured in the war. Volunteers can conceal their nationality and name when joining, and can also assume a pseudonym or change their name. Therefore, many criminals used to join. Since 2000, detailed experience surveys of volunteers have been conducted. People who have served prison terms are no longer able to participate. At the same time, participants can refuse to participate in the battle against the home country. After its formation, it participated in the Algeria and Mexico expeditions, and then the First and Second World Wars. In recent years, it participated in the Congo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the First Gulf War. At the same time, it is not limited to war activities. The French Foreign Legion can also be seen in peacekeeping assistance activities in Myanmar, suppressing riots in Haiti, and disaster assistance for the Indian Ocean earthquake.

Beginning in 1999, according to the adjustment of relevant laws and regulations and the reorganization of the French Army, the status of the French Foreign Legion as a regular force of the French Army has been further strengthened. According to a French general, the Foreign Legion is not a foreign force. , but the French regular army. Therefore, the equipment and organization of the legion will be changed, and the living conditions of soldiers will also be improved. A brief history before the Franco-Prussian War

The French Foreign Legion was founded on March 10, 1831.

1831～1857 Sent to Algeria to suppress local resistance

1831～1833 Old Foreign Legion (Ancienne Legion)

1835～1837 New Foreign Legion ( Nouvelle Legion)

1837 ~ 1855 1st Foreign Regiment (1er Regiment de Legion)

1837 ~ 1855 2nd Foreign Regiment (2eme Regiment de Legion)

1855 ~ 1859 2nd Foreign Legion (2eme Legion etrangere)

844 people died in battle.

Seven regiments were established in 1832

The 1st regiment was composed of Swiss men

The 2nd and 3rd regiments were composed of Swiss and German men

The 4th Regiment is composed of Spaniards

The 5th Regiment is composed of Italians

The 6th Regiment is composed of Belgians and Dutchmen

The 7th Regiment is composed of Poles

The foreign military flag arrived in Algeria in August 1834

It was awarded by the Grand Duke Orion, the eldest son of the King of France, with the letter "Le Roi des francais a la Legion etrangere" (The King of France awarded it to Foreign Legion).

The original slogan of the Foreign Legion was "Valeur et discipline". (Changed to "Honneur et fidelite" in 1920) Spanish Expedition

On June 29, 1835, the Spanish Ambassador and Isabel II signed a support agreement, and about 4,000 foreign soldiers were transferred to Spain.

On December 8, an order was issued to fire foreign soldiers.

In 1838, 63 generals and 500 soldiers were returned to France.

1103 people died in battle between 1835 and 1839

During this expedition, in order to unify the foreign soldiers, according to the order of General Parnell, the original personnel of the same nationality were broken The principle of forming a force adopted the method of forming a force of multinational personnel that is still used today. At the same time, in order to unify the command, the principle of using French when stipulating orders is adopted. December 16, 1835: The New Foreign Legion was established.

Because of the achievements of the Foreign Legion and unable to bear the disintegration of the army, the French government decided to establish a new Foreign Legion.

The two regiments were established on April 1, 1841

The 1st regiment of the Foreign Legion (1er regiment de la Legion etrangere)

The 2nd regiment of the Foreign Legion ( 2eme Regiment de la Legion etrangere)

The slogan of the army was changed around 1840

The slogan of the new Foreign Legion "Honneur et Patrie" (Honor and Fatherland) was changed to the original slogan "Valeur et Discipline" (Courage and Discipline)

The Foreign Legion headquarters was established in Algeria in 1843

The Crimean War on March 27, 1854

France and Britain declared war on Russia, which was at war with the Ottoman Empire. The 1st and 2nd regiments were dispatched to join the British and French coalition forces, which landed on the Crimean Peninsula in November of the same year and surrounded the Russian Black Sea Fleet base.

The base fell on September 8, 1855.

The 349-day offensive and defensive battle finally came to an end.

From 1854 to 1856, 444 people died in battle

The Italian Unification War in April 1859

The 1st and 2nd regiments of the Foreign Legion were incorporated The French and Italian forces fought fiercely with the Austrian army. On June 24, both sides suffered more than 40,000 casualties in one day of fighting, and the Foreign Legion lost 143 soldiers

1863 ~ 1867 Mexico sent troops

The Battle of Cameron on April 30

Three commanders of the Foreign Legion led 62 soldiers in a fierce battle with about 2,000 Mexicans, and 5 survived. Later, the Foreign Legion designated April 30 as Cameron Day.

468 people died in the war

Franco-Prussian War from July 1870 to May 1871

930 people died in the war. Current status. Moved back to France from Algeria in 1962 , stationed in the town of Aubagne, 15 kilometers away from Marseille, has 7,800 troops, including 400 officers and 1,700 deputy officers (informal officers below the platoon). Of the 11 regiments under its jurisdiction, 7 are stationed on the Mediterranean coast and 4 are overseas. The staff has two regiments directly under it: the First Regiment and the Fourth Regiment responsible for education and training. There are 5,800 soldiers from more than 130 countries. There are 66 Chinese soldiers on active duty, ranking 13th in terms of nationality, equal to the United Kingdom and higher than the United States. Over 160 years, 35,000 soldiers died for France.