page_title: History of the French Foreign Legion
section_title: Gulf War
hierarchical_section_title: History of the French Foreign Legion / Gulf War
caption_attribution_description: English: An honour guard from the French Foreign Legion's 6th Battalion stands at attention as they await the arrival of Lt. Gen. Khalid Bin Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz, commander of Joint Forces in Saudi Arabia, during Operation Desert Shield. (Released to Public)
context_page_description: The French Foreign Legion has had a long and unique history amongst the units of the French Army. The French Foreign Legion was historically formed of expatriate enlisted personnel led by French officers. Founded by a royal ordinance issued by King Louis Philippe of France on March 9, 1831 with aim of bolstering the strength of the French Army while also finding a use for the influx of refugees inundating France at the time. The Foreign Legion subsequently found a permanent home in the ranks of the French military. The Foreign Legion's history spans across Conquest of Algeria, the Franco-Prussian War, numerous colonial exploits, both World Wars, the First Indochina War, and the Algerian War.
context_section_description: In September 1990 the 2e REI, 6e REG and 1e REC were sent to the Persian Gulf as a part of Opération Daguet. The Legion force, comprising 27 different nationalities, was attached to the French 6th Light Armoured Brigade, whose mission was to protect the Coalition's left flank.
  After the four-week air campaign, coalition forces launched the ground war. They quickly penetrated deep into Iraq, with the Legion taking the Al Salman Airport, meeting little resistance. The war ended after a hundred hours of fighting on the ground, which resulted in very light casualties for the Legion.
caption: An honour guard from the French Foreign Legion's 6th Battalion
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