German soldiers recruited into French Foreign Legion, to fight in Indochina

Hi Mike, one thing I must add was that there were indeed former WWII German Soldiers serving actively in our military. I cant think of this one Gents name off-hand but he was an accomplished Sniper who served in either the Marines or the Army and I think he earned his rep in either Korea or early Nam. I would know his name immediately if I saw it in a list of names? I just cant think of his name off-hand? I remember in some interview I saw a number of years ago that Carlos Hathcock did for the History Channel when it was still worth a damn? that he mentioned something about that sniper im talking about and if im not too sadly mistaken? I THINK he was in the Special Forces?? just cant recall exactly what or when?

 

There's some information about Germans (and others) in the FFL in the book "Death in the Ricefields" by Peter Scholl-Latour. The author was a German journalist who worked in SE Asia and it's about Viet Nam from the time the French re-colonised it in late 1945 until the fall of Saigon. According to the book, there were two companies of FFL on the Andus, the first troopship. Two-thirds of those two companies were German, mostly ex-PoWs who didn't - for a variety of reasons - want to return to Germany. Some Wehrmacht, some SS, even Kriegsmarine. There were also some fictitious "Belgians" who were really French: ex-collabos from the Anti-Bolshevik Legion and even the Charlemagne Brigade of the SS. De Gaulle had offered an amnesty to them providing they had not engaged in operations against the Resistance (how could they know?) - if they served five years they could return home with the slate wiped clean.

 

Technically ex Charlemagne members had no French blood on their hands , since they were engaged on the Ostfront and ended up in Berlin. Of course it is hard to check what they did before signing up for the LVF.

 

Reference the post of A-58 on 11 March, of course you have right. I will remember it in the future.
Reference the amazing post of C.Evans of 15 March, i would like to mention that one of the best jokes for Monica is relative to the presidents JFK and B.Clinton. JFK said to the Germans of Berlin in his famous speech 'Ich bin Berliner.
B.Clinton said to Monica 'Dortmund'!!..... (it is the name of a German city, but you must know the german language to understand the joke).

 

Heh heh, I understand more of the language than I can speak ;-)) but that is also why we keep Gebirgsjager (Ulrich) around for ;-))

The thing about Hans, I still have one of two "Honorary" Member of the all German Battalion calling cards he sent me. The other I gave to RKT Remy Schrijnen, back in late 1999. Since Remy passed away? I don't know whats become of his Estate? im HOPING one of his relatives was good enough to keep it. I'd hate to see Remys things for sale, and also the fantastic story that would be made about him having one of those FFL AGB CCs. Can you imagine the stories that could be made up about Remy serving in that Battalion? when he had not ;-))