Deutsch Fremdenlegion

What if Prussia had created a foreign Legion on the French model in 1848? Where would it have fought (1848, 1866, 1871, 1914-18, 1939-45?), what kind of reputation would it have now? Would it have habits, or a colonial history like the French one? Would the French and Prussian foreign Legions have engaged each other in battle (1871)?
 
Well, the thing about the Foreign Legions and their offshoots IOTL is that they were almost universally designed to get around legal restrictions on the Army.

The French Foreign Legion, for example, skirted regulations against foreigners joining the Regular Army, allowed the monarchy to make its own independent army unit (a fear of some, may not have actually been causational) and alleviated some of the issues with using conscripted troops in postings like Algeria.

The Royal Dutch East Indies Army meanwhile, skirted some of the same issues regarding conscription for service in the colonies and made a framework for the use of native levies.

The problem is that, as of 1848, there aren't a lot of the same restrictions on the Prussian Army and there is as yet, no problem with colonial postings. I'm assuming 1848 was meant to tie in with the Liberal troubles across the continent, but OTL saw a rise in German provincialism almost as a counter-reaction to the liberal nationalism of '48. A multi-national/provincial unit would likely be seen as a fifth column, a breeding ground for radicals and unlike in France or the Netherlands, would serve no obvious purpose.

The most interesting candidate for a foreign legion analogue would be, in my opinion, a British one. But I can keep my thoughts for another thread.
 
Well, the thing about the Foreign Legions and their offshoots IOTL is that they were almost universally designed to get around legal restrictions on the Army.

The French Foreign Legion, for example, skirted regulations against foreigners joining the Regular Army, allowed the monarchy to make its own independent army unit (a fear of some, may not have actually been causational) and alleviated some of the issues with using conscripted troops in postings like Algeria.

The Royal Dutch East Indies Army meanwhile, skirted some of the same issues regarding conscription for service in the colonies and made a framework for the use of native levies.

The problem is that, as of 1848, there aren't a lot of the same restrictions on the Prussian Army and there is as yet, no problem with colonial postings. I'm assuming 1848 was meant to tie in with the Liberal troubles across the continent, but OTL saw a rise in German provincialism almost as a counter-reaction to the liberal nationalism of '48. A multi-national/provincial unit would likely be seen as a fifth column, a breeding ground for radicals and unlike in France or the Netherlands, would serve no obvious purpose.

The most interesting candidate for a foreign legion analogue would be, in my opinion, a British one. But I can keep my thoughts for another thread.

The British have always had "foriegn legions" especially in times of "international" warfare, such as the seven years war, and the napoleonic wars. French Swiss and Germans formed these legions in the main, however Prussia also had "national regiments" that were formed from lands outwith their control - ok they were German lands, but at the time they were definatley not Prussian. Prussians had no reservation about employing foriegn nationals in their army, and as such found it unnecessary to create a french style legion. That and the fact that they were bereft of a foreign empire until the scramble for Africa, almost precludes the formation of a legion.
 
You just restated my points. While Prussians did use national regiments from among other Germans, they always had them integrated into the core Prussian Army- and the Foreign Legion was from its founding, separate from the French Army. The idea of letting the national regiments work entirely separately would be an idea wholly foreign and unsavory to the Prussians.

The reason I think a formalized British Foreign Legion would be interesting is primarily because of British fears over a standing army, fears that existed for quite a long time following the Commonwealth. While they did use foreign soldiers almost every time they intervened on the continent, there was no formalized system. Also, they had a few of the conditions seen in France for the development of a Foreign Legion.
 
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