Arab Legion The Arab Legion ( al - Jaysh al - Arabī ) was the regular army of Transjordan and then Jordan in the early part of the 20th century . Creation . In October 1920 , after taking over the Transjordan region , the United Kingdom formed a unit of 150 men called the " Mobile Force " under the command of Captain Frederick Gerard Peake to defend the territory against both internal and external threats . The Legion was based in Zarqa and 80 percent of its men were the local Chechens . It was quickly expanded to 1 , 000 men recruiting Arabs who had served in the military of the Ottoman Empire . On 22 October 1923 , the police were merged with the Reserve Mobile Force , still under Peake , who was now an employee of the Emirate of Transjordan . The new force was named " Al Jeish al Arabi " ( the Arab Army ) but was always known officially in English as the Arab Legion . The Arab Legion was financed by Britain and commanded by British officers . The force was formed as a police force to keep order among the tribes of Transjordan and to guard the important Jerusalem – Amman road . On 1 April 1926 , the Transjordan Frontier Force was formed from cadre drawn from the Arab Legion . It consisted of only 150 men and most of them were stationed along Transjordan ' s roads . During this time the Arab Legion was reduced to 900 men and was also stripped of its machine guns , artillery , and communications troops . In 1939 , John Bagot Glubb , better known as Glubb Pasha , became the Legion ' s commander along with Major General Abdul Qadir Pasha Al Jundi as his deputy commander both transformed it into the best - trained Arab army . World War II . During World War II , the Arab Legion took part in the British war effort against pro - Axis forces in the Mediterranean and Middle East Theatre . By then the force had grown to 1 , 600 men . The Legion , part of Iraqforce , contributed significantly in the Anglo - Iraqi War and in the Syria - Lebanon campaign , the two decisive early victories for the Allies . Top three high - ranking officers representative of Legion participated in the Victory March as follows : ◦Major General Abdul Qadir Pasha el Jundi , O . B . E . ◦Colonel Bahjat Bey Tabbara . ◦Lieutenant Colonel Ahmed Sudqui Bey , M . B . E . 1948 Arab - Israeli War . The Arab Legion actively participated in the 1948 Arab - Israeli war . With a total strength of just over 6 , 000 , the Arab Legion ' s military contingent consisted of 4 , 500 men in four single battalion - sized regiments , each with their own armored car squadrons , and seven independent companies plus support troops . The regiments were organized into two brigades . 1st Brigade contained 1st and 3rd Regiments while 3rd brigade contained 2nd and 4th Regiments . There were also two artillery batteries with four 25 - pounder s each . On 9 February 1948 the Transjordan Frontier Force was disbanded with members being absorbed back into the Arab Legion . Although headed by Glubb , now a Lieutenant General , command in the field was by Brigadier Norman Lash . The Legion was initially withdrawn from Palestine to Transjordanian territory , under instruction from the United Nations , prior to the end of the British Mandate . With the commencement of hostilities the Legion re - entered Palestine with 1st Brigade heading to Nablus and 2nd Brigade heading to Ramallah . The Arab Legion entered Palestine with other Arab Forces on May 15 , 1948 using the Allenby , now King Hussein , bridge as they were advancing to cover the approaches from Jenin , in the north to Alaffoula and from Al - Majame ' a bridge on the Jordan River to Bissan Alaffoula . There was considerable embarrassment from the UK government that British officers were employed in the Legion during the conflict and so they , including a brigade commander , were instructed to return to Transjordan . This led to the bizarre spectacle of British officers leaving their units to return to Transjordan before sneaking back across the border to rejoin the Arab Legion . Without exception all of the affected officers returned to their units . One British MP called for Glubb Pasha to be imprisoned for serving in a foreign army without the King ' s permission . A few days before the war , Legion troops were involved in the Kfar Etzion massacre . At Latrun , the Legion blockaded the Jerusalem highway . The Legion also secured the West Bank for Transjordan . Units of the Arab Legion were engaged in several battles with the Jewish forces including the following : On 9 February 1948 the 3 , 000 strong Trans - Jordan Frontier Force was disbanded with members being absorbed back into the Arab Legion . By the wars end in 1949 , the Arab Legion consisted of over 10 , 000 men manning a 100 - mile front , which then expanded to a 400 - mile front following the withdraw of Iraqi forces . Further clashes with Israel . On September 11 , 1956 , an Israeli force in what the IDF termed one of its retribution operations , Operation Jonathan , raided Jordanian territory at Al - Rahwa , Hebron Sector , attacking the police station and clashing with a unit from the Legion ' s Desert Force . Over twenty soldiers and policemen were killed . In another raid on October 10 , 1956 , an Israeli force , estimated at a motorized infantry brigade , supported by medium - range artillery and combat aircraft , attacked the towns of Hubla , Al - Nabi Illias and Azroun . The assaulting troops fought the Arab legion west of Al - Nabi Illias . One hundred Jordanian soldiers and 17 IDF soldiers were killed during the operation . The Legion generally stayed out of the 1956 Suez Crisis . Jordanian army . On 1 March 1956 , the Legion was renamed as the Arab Army ( now Jordanian Armed Forces ) . In Israel , the Hebrew term " Ligioner " ( ליגיונר ) , i . e . " Legionary " was still informally used for Jordanian soldiers for many years afterwards , also at the time of the 1967 war and its aftermath . Commanders . Note : " Pasha " is a Turkish honorary title in one of its various ranks is equivalent to the British title of " Lord " , and Bey is equivalent to " Sir " .