Scandinavian Books

[Peter Lyderik]

detvarsådet

[hannibal]

Peter, excellent list, but do you think you could also write in brackets for each book which period does it cover? Algeria, Indochina 1935-1945, Indochina 1945-5, WW1, WW2 etc. Merci d'avance.

[Satyr]

http://www.mememedia.dk/images/fremmed_index.jpg
(Anton)

i have read "Bag fjendens linier: fire år i fremmedlegionen" and "til det yderste"
The first is by far the best book of the two, with a lot of his own pictures.
Crazy stuff that happened in Indochina. Apparently he (Anton) became close friends with Captain Hora, which also wrote a book called 'Mon tour du monde en 80 barouds' (my trip around the world in 80 fights, or something like that). If anyone know whether or not his book has been translated to english, norwegian or danish then please tell me, it will be greatly appreciated.

Peter, http://www.livres-legion-etrangere.com/french-foreign-legion/j-echange.htm Lots of legion books there. Hope it can help you in some way..

[yatez 44]

Hell in a very small place (excellent book about Dien Bien Phu). Officers in the US army where told to read it before deploying to Vietnam. But still ended having problems holding a valley at (correct me webmaster) K-san---valley

[Terry]

Unlike Dienphu, we NEVER lost Khe Sanh. After the completion of Operation Pegasus, the lifting o the seige, Khe Sanh was NO LONGER of strategic value so we abonded the site. We reocupied the site 1971 when we backed the invasion of Laos.

I first read Dr Fall's book in January of 1968 weeks before my deployment to Vn. About all it did them was make me thing---WHAT THE HELL AM I GETTING MY SELF INTO

[hannibal]

What can I say, Peter? The list is a perfect example of ALMOST PERFECTION! :D Thanks for putting the names of the campaigns. Too bad none of these Finnish books is about WW1 or WW2. I am also a bit disappointed about the lack og Legion literature in Norway. One book only and even this from 1980s? :confused: :)

As I said your list is "Almost Perfect". I have only one book (well, sort of) to add, which I believe you failed to mention on this magnificient list of yours:

"Beredskapsminnen från Övre Norrland 1939-1944" - this 271-page-long book of Swedish WW2 accounts was written by about twenty different authors - among them is also about twenty page long account of Sergeant ASSAR TANO, a Swedish legionnaire from Tornio Valley, who had fought with the 13th DBLE at Narvik in 1940. His entire account is dedicated to that battle. I think he deserves to be mentioned.

Please if you find or think of any other titles feel free to put them on this list.

[Peter Lyderik]

Thanks for the tip, Hannibal.

As a matter of fact, the purpose of this list is to get people to add Scandinavian titles about the legion, which is not there. So when it comes to Norway forexample, there has to more memoirs and/or books about the legion. So everybody, fell free to fire away if you know of a Scandinavian legion book, which is not on the list.

[hannibal]

Thanks for the tip, Hannibal.

You are welcome, Peter. Glad to be of some help. :) Here are some more book(s) or information about the recent books that I have found:

As a matter of fact, the purpose of this list is to get people to add Scandinavian titles about the legion, which is not there. So when it comes to Norway forexample, there has to more memoirs and/or books about the legion. So everybody, fell free to fire away if you know of a Scandinavian legion book, which is not on the list.

Sweden:
- Beredskapsminnen från Övre Norrland 1939-1944 by Sgt. ASSAR TANO (Narvik 1940). Assar Tano is one of the authors.

- En svensk fremmedlegionær ved Narvik 1940 by Magnus Pettersen from Årbok for Ofoten (1995). About Sgt. Assar Tano.[/B]

Denmark:
- I fremmedlegionens fodspor by TINSOLDATEN, 1926. (Maroc 1920'es). Tinsoldaten is pseudonym for C.W.D. BLANKENSTEINER.

Norway:
- Mine fem år som legionær by Øystein Paulsen. Paulsen served five years as a Legion paratrooper (probably 2ème REP?) in Tchad, Suriname (probably mean French Guyana?) and Djibouti. So says a short summary I was able to find.

- Legionen er vårt fedreland by Jan Bjørkelund (På omslaget: En norsk fremmedlegionærs beretning. Campaigns: ? I suspect French Indochina)

- Fata morgana: oplevelser i den franske fremmedlegion by Freddy Bernhoft, Kristiania, 1911, 93 s. (No idea what is this about)

[viström]

Kallista hiekkaa: Suomalainen muukalaislegioonalainen Algerian sodassa 1954-59 by Jaakko Lappeteläisen & Heli Santavuori, 2004. (Algerian War)

I just had made a thread about this book also parts of it available as a ebook
http://www.cervens.net/legionbbs/showthread.php?t=1607
Maybe I should borrow it from a library

[Peter Lyderik]

Here is another Danish book I just found out about.

Fremmedlegionær og dansk oberst : Oberst Carl Engholm’s erindringer i krig og fred 1913-1979 by Carl Engholm, 1996. It is about Engholm's military career, and starts when he 17 years old joins the Legion, he is born in 1913, but seems mainly to be about his time in the resistance during WW 2, and the Danish army. Info is from the site of The Royal Danish Garrison Library, www.kgbmil.dk, if anyone wants to have a look what they have.

[Peter Lyderik]

And two Norwegian books

Det hendte i Marokko : en nordmanns opplevelser i fremmedlegionen by Ole A. Dovre, 1945. Don't know when it is taking place, but from the title it is happening in marocco. A small book, only 70-80 pages according to the info from the Norwegian National Library.

Henrik Angell : en nordmann på tvers by Roy Andersen, 2000. Henrik Angell (1861-1922), Norwegian officer, joined the Legion in 1918 and served on the Western front, and after the war in Murmansk.

http://innhold.bibsys.no/bilde/forside/stor/STOR_150020498.jpg

[hannibal]

Some new Swedish books about FFL:

SWEDEN:

- Boberg, Wilhelm: Legionären: Skildring av en svensk, som hemkommit från Franska främlingslegionen efter 6 års tjänst : [Undert.: Legionären]. (???)

- Häll, Knut E.:Soldaten som inte kunde dö: svensk äventyrare i Främlingslegionen. (Marocco in mid-1930s)

- Jönsson, Gösta V.: Fem års tjänst i franska främlingslegionen. (First published in 1942. Syria and French Indochina. Enlisted in the Legion in 1929). I wonder if he stayed in the legion enough to fight with the Japanese or Allies in Tonkin (5eme REI) or Syria (6e REI)).

- Forsberg, Harry: Jag var främlingslegionär. (First published in 1942. Enlisted in the Legion in Marseille in 1936. Stayed in the Legion until 1942. Anyone know where was he stationed?!)

- Kerfve, Axel: I främlingslegionens våld: en svensk pojkes äventyr i främlingslegionen: berättelse för ungdom. (???)

- Kurten, Bertel: Fem år i främlingslegionen. (Enlisted in the FFl in mid-1920s. Served in French North Africa)

- Stjernström, Edvard: I franska främlingslegionen: minnen af en svensk legionär. (Published two volumes in 1901-03. Servied in the FFL in 1890s - North Africa and also Tonkin, I think)

- Swahn, Widar: Marschera eller dö: en svensk i franska främlingslegionen. (First published in 1941. Enlisted the Legion in 1921 - French North Africa)

- Swahn, Widar: Med döden för ögonen: en svensks upplevelser i franska främlingslegionen (-i-)

- Söderqvist, Erik: Med döden för ögonen: en svensks upplevelser i franska främlingslegionen. Published in 1932, so I presume it is about WW1 or Marocco in 1920/30s.

- Thour, Arne: Dånande hovar: äventyrsberättelse från Nordafrika och franska främlingslegionen (??)

I say Peter these Swedes surely have an impressive collection of French Foreign Legion books, eh? :p ;) Unfortunately I couldn't find any details about which period are these books about so anyone with any extra information is feel free to update my list. [Update: Opa, I have found some details - check the link]

URL: http://hum.gu.se/forskning/humanistdagbocker/humanistdagboken_17/s207_218.pdf

Peter, do you know the title of Torsten Nilsson book, if he wrote one? There was one Swedish Sergent Nilsson fighting with the 13th DBLE at Narvik.

Now it is your turn, Peter. :)

[Fabtinus]

I just found this on amazone.com, it is a Danish book, don't know anything about it

Fremmedlegionen: Historien om Frankrigs Fremmedlegion (Unknown Binding)
by Christian Ebbesen (was publisd in 1976)

Fremmedlegionen : den spændende og sandfærdige beretning om verdens skrappeste kampenhed / Christian Ebbesen (this one is from the start of the legion in 1831 and up and including bosnia

[hannibal]

I just found this on amazone.com, it is a Danish book, don't know anything about it ... Hello Fabtinus,
I think Peter and I collect only the titles of those Scandianvian FFL books that have been written as memoires or autobiographies by the ex-legionnaires themselves. The books you have listed are about the general history of the Legion from the start till present time. Something like Douglas Porch book.

[Peter Lyderik]

Actually, I am interested in all kind of Scandinavian books about the legion, memoirs as well as history.

[Satyr]

Danish: not a book, but a website (http://www.fremmedlegion.webbyen.dk/). 1988 - 2003.

[Peter Lyderik]

Here is a link to Finnish, and other, books about the Legion, memoirs and history. Some of the Finnish titles are new to me.

http://www.koalitio.com/wolfman/books.htm

[hannibal]

Actually, I am interested in all kind of Scandinavian books about the legion, memoirs as well as history.Well, I am "only" interested in memoires and diaries. I have seen plenty of general histories of the FFL in different languages and they often don't bring any new information. Most of them are the same, except the language is different. That is why I prefer memoires because ex-legionnaires almost always write details which we cannot find in general history books.

[Fabtinus]

Sorry I didn't know, shall not post the same mistake again

[Peter Lyderik]

Some more Swedish books.

Torsten Nilsson
Främlingslegionär i tre och ett halvt år, Göteborg, 1922 (he deserted)

Axel Kerfve
Flykten från främlingslegionen, Wahlströms, 1941

Widar Swahn
Marschera eller dö : en svensk i franska främlingslegionen, Stockholm, 1946 (early 1920'es North Africa)

[Peter Lyderik]

A Danish book.

Fremmedlegionær 75496 by Wagn S. D. Dantoft, 1961. Don't know when and where it takes place.


A Swedish book.

Främlingslegionen. Minnen och intryck by Gösta Moberg, 1933. The first book about the FFL by Gösta Moberg.

[Assar]

hi
do you know where i can get this artikel?
Assar Tano is my father.You are welcome, Peter. Glad to be of some help. :) Here are some more book(s) or information about the recent books that I have found:



Sweden:
- Beredskapsminnen från Övre Norrland 1939-1944 by Sgt. ASSAR TANO (Narvik 1940). Assar Tano is one of the authors.

- En svensk fremmedlegionær ved Narvik 1940 by Magnus Pettersen from Årbok for Ofoten (1995). About Sgt. Assar Tano.[/B]

Denmark:
- I fremmedlegionens fodspor by TINSOLDATEN, 1926. (Maroc 1920'es). Tinsoldaten is pseudonym for C.W.D. BLANKENSTEINER.

Norway:
- Mine fem år som legionær by Øystein Paulsen. Paulsen served five years as a Legion paratrooper (probably 2ème REP?) in Tchad, Suriname (probably mean French Guyana?) and Djibouti. So says a short summary I was able to find.

- Legionen er vårt fedreland by Jan Bjørkelund (På omslaget: En norsk fremmedlegionærs beretning. Campaigns: ? I suspect French Indochina)

- Fata morgana: oplevelser i den franske fremmedlegion by Freddy Bernhoft, Kristiania, 1911, 93 s. (No idea what is this about)

[Peter Lyderik]

biblioteket...