- Paperback: 272 pages
- Publisher: Vision Paperbacks / Satin Publications; New edition edition (18 May 2006)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 190413291X
- ISBN-13: 978-1904132912
- Product Dimensions: 17.2 x 11 x 2.4 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 248,614 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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More About the Author
Product Description
Synopsis
Driven to the French Foreign Legion by a need to escape and a sense of adventure, Tony Sloane was selected for one of the Legion's crack regiments. He spent five years in this most mysterious of all armies, becoming one of the few foreigners to be promoted to corporal, and to become an instructor. From his basic training in the south of France and Corsica to war-zone operations in South Africa, Sloane describes the day-to-day reality of Legion life - including the tedium in which alcohol-fuelled grudges can fester, his time in solitary confinement, and the sheer adrenaline of the battlefield. This is a true account of events that were sometimes glorious and sometimes appalling.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
51 of 53 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Finally something to get your teeth into that does not have the obvious mistakes and exagerations within many military autobiographies. I served within the Foreign Legion also and therefore tend to read what other people have written, much of it disappointing, exagerated, I imagine to bolster self-ego and sales! Tony Sloanes account doesn't glorify war or the Legion, He tells it as it is and with no punches pulled. I read this book from cover to cover within a couple of days...I thank him for finally bringing some of the similar experiences that I had onto black and white. Of all the Legion books I have read this would be the one I reccommend.
18 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is a fantastic story, Tony starts off life homeless and down on his luck and turns it around, has the courage to stick out one of the toughest and strictest military regimes on the planet, despite being the youngest serving member of his unit. it is a tale of courage, grit and determination and an enlightening insight into life in the French Foreign Legion Paras. It truly excels other books on the Foriegn legion with his down to earth and blatent honesty. He then continued his career with the British paras, and I suspect the SAS. I cannot possibly imagine the strength of character required to achieve such feets. This is a book to inspire. It does remind me slightly of A Child Called It. It is not simply a book about the Legion, It has a strong element of pyschology inside which deal withs many problems faced by all of us. Well worth keeping on the book shelf!
27 of 29 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I would like to say that I really enjoyed reading this book. It is a no-nonsense book with graphic details of the hardship, brutality, physical/psychological demands placed on a raw recruit joining the Legion. However, there is a soft and simple side to their harsh regime especially the tight, unbreakable bond to his fellow comrades. This book highlights the start of the relationship of Tom Sloane as a teenager who joins the French Foreign Legion and gradually becomes a trained killer for one of the most elite forces in the world. His experiences are clearly vivid with the training, relationships with other legionnaires and to the ordinary people of France and Africa that he encountered. It is a honest account of what life is like in the Legion.
I would recommend this book to anyone. Through my judgement and other ex-professional soldiers who work along with me truly agree that this is an exceptional and powerful book to read.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Unsuited for Civilian Life
Read this book after reading Simon Murray's book about the Legion which I enjoyed.
Straight and personal account of what life in the Legion does to you (in the late 1980s) but... Read more
Straight and personal account of what life in the Legion does to you (in the late 1980s) but... Read more
Published on 24 Oct 2009 by Mr. G. P. Emsden
Excellent read
Though i've never served in the armed forces, i have always found the military interesting. Having read many books on the SAS for example, i stumbled upon this title in a bargain... Read more
Published on 23 Oct 2009 by Mr. A. D. Steele-leith
I disagree
with the triumphant reviews on this book. For my opionion is a boring record of drunked mates experiences, military memories in FMJ's (first hour) style and only some (o very... Read more
Published on 6 Nov 2008 by Empe
The True French Foreign Legion
An excellent insight into the modern Legion whilst dispelling many of the myths surrounding this elite fighting force.
Published on 27 Aug 2007 by Mr. J. W. Howarth
A decent read
This was a fairly decent read. I recall some former friends of mine who once ran off from our unit to join the Legion. Read more
Published on 18 July 2007 by Mad_Dog
Believable and enjoyable
Finally a memoir that gives the sort of details readers like me want. The chronology goes a bit funny sometimes, and it would have been more exciting if he'd seen active service... Read more
Published on 17 July 2006 by JBS
The sex secrets of the French Foreign Legion
An interesting read...especially the part about the crabs, and I don't mean the sea creatures. Tony Sloane's adventures are thrilling to all the senses, except for taste. Read more
Published on 21 Oct 2005
Best book on the Foreign legion since 'Legionnaire'.
At last the authentic voice of the legion after so many books dealing in exaggeration or half truths. Read more
Published on 3 Oct 2004
Surprisingly Accurate
I was fortunate enough to review and comment upon Sloane's book prior to publication. Having also written about my experiences in the Foreign Legion, I have to say that his... Read more
Published on 16 Sep 2004 by Jaime R. SALAZAR
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