Canadian Foreign Legion

This just struck me. I know a lot of Americans have served in the Canadian armed forces in multiple wars including WW1,WW 2 and Afganistan for which we actually have a member who is a American who served in Canadian forces.

Now what if the canadians had decided that rather then using these foreigners in their own regular military units had formed a foreign legion in say the early 1900s. What would the effects of this be.
 
What would it have done ?

I mean, I know what they did in the WARS, but the point of the Foreign Legion was sort of to do things when one wasn't at war, per se. If the Canadian Indians had been more warlike or something, maybe...

Best Regards
Grey Wolf
 
I think that Canada's reputation as an internationally benign nation would definately be at risk depending on how this was handled.

French Foreign Legion(s) have fought in a number of conflicts some that had nothing (or little) to do with France - mainly in ex-French colonial countries. As well, they maintain bases around the world in places where they may not be wanted.

During the Algerian Revolution the FFL gained quite a bit of a negative reputation for their apparent heavy handed dealings with the Algerians (this is aside from the two battles they were involved in there). And Candian Foreign Legion would run this same risk is operated in the same way.

If Canada has a FL would it operate in the same way? Conscription of Foreigners and Canadians - then used to protect Canada's interests overseas? Would the CFL have overseas bases like the FFL?

And finally, unless this TL has Canada following a different path what exactly would be Canada's global projection? Would the CFL, much like the Canadian Armed Forces now, work as a Rapid Reaction Force for the UN?

Just my thoughts.
 
With such narrow conscription rules the Spanish Foreign Legion can hardly be called 'Foreign'.

For all intents and purposes, it acts as an elite Spanish force.

That said, the CFL's involvement in UN Conflicts could mirror the SFL model without harming Canada's foreign image.
 
I was thinking the Canadian FL (CFL) would go and hot and cold about recruiting non-Canadians. Just like the Spanish did. During WW2, the CFL would be full of Americans, otherwise not.
 
Right, sorry got you.

I think it could go either way from the conscription element.

I wonder if there's a way to get a CFL base or recruitment centre located in Quebec?
 
Well, you could make Britain have such problems with holding a colonial empire that they could not afford a large garrisson in Canada. They turn to mercs from Europe, and after Canada becomes independent the millitary formation continues to exsist as a Canadian Foreign Legion. But this would require some problems in Canada as well (USA threat, Indian uprisings, or even Russian threats). But in truth, I doubt Canada would be the place for something like this.
 
I was thinking the Canadian FL (CFL) would go and hot and cold about recruiting non-Canadians. Just like the Spanish did. During WW2, the CFL would be full of Americans, otherwise not.
Personally, I think that the government would insist on quotas, that only a certain percentage of the CFL could be American, and that some of the q/u/a/r/t/e/r/b/a/c/k/s generals would have to be Canadian.....:)

Sorry, "CFL" just doesn't bring to mind a military organization...


"Well, Jim, the ball's now in the Rwandan's hands and they've got 70 yards to go to score, what do you think their strategy will be?"

"Bob, you know, our front 4 is big and strong, and they've got to know they can't get through that wall. I think they'll go for a long bomb."
 
A Canadian Foreign Legion could arise in lieu of the Mounties.

In OTL the creation of the North West Mounted Police almost didn't happen. Let's say it doesn't. In TTL Canada decides to utilize a group of foreign mercenaries to police the NWT (perhaps there are franco-phone concerns regarding using anglo- government forces). Thus the Canadian Foreign Legion is formed and proceeds to fill the role of the Mounties in TTL's Canada.

In the 1890's the CFL participates in the Madhist Wars (which a limited number of Canadians did in OTL), relieving Gordon and establishing a reputation for martial excellence. From that point on they become a sort of "Commonwealth" Foreign Legion and become active Worldwide before being officially "Handed over" to the UN as a permanent peacekeeping body by a Pearson analog.
 

MacCaulay

Banned
I was thinking about this at work (where I seem to do all my thinking about AH), and I really figured out the nuts and bolts of it.

Many people have asked the obvious question: Foreign Legions are created to deal with foreign commitments that an army can't fill on it's own. What commitments would the Canadian military have that it can't fill?

We ask this question thinking in the old French and Spanish model: trying to adjust history to make Canadian colonies, etc. But that's the wrong way to do it. There are extensive foreign commitments for the Canadian military and there have been since (oddly enough) the beginning of the end of colonialism: Suez, Cyprus, Bosnia, Central African Republic, Zaire, Afghanistan, etc.

When I joined the CF, my entry was contingent on the fact that I was going to Afghanistan. You see, the Canadian Forces operate differently than the US Army: you have to volunteer twice to go overseas. Once to enter the military and once for foreign service. A Canadian Foreign Legion could conceivably arise in the mid-50s/60s out of a need to make a force that is consistently at the same strength because every member is available for overseas service.

It would never be a large force. If it got beyond 1 or 2 battalions I'd be very surprised. But that's enough to fill the rolls of a peacekeeping contingent so long as the officers are Canadian, which is why Canadian officers volunteer for overseas deployment most of the time: they need a combat service badge on their record to move up the ladder.

That's just my thought on the matter.
 
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