Books & more: Myth of the Foreign Legion

Fed up, pack your things, start a new life. Who hasn't thought that at least once? And some have chosen the Foreign Legion as their next option. Away from the screen, new name. Start from scratch. Stefan Müller - real name - was probably the same, even though he ultimately doesn't quite freely give his motives. Unlike many who think about it, he left and enlisted in the Legion, serving honorably for five years. When it came time to extend, he decided to turn back towards a new life in Germany. During his years in the Legion, he experienced and saw a lot. There is still a bit of the smell of "foreign people fighting here for France and being sacrificed first" attached to the elite unit. But Müller's report - extremely well-written by Martin Specht - shows beyond the myth, a different Legion: a modern troop that demands everything from its men, celebrates hardness as a rite, discipline as the glue for people from all over the world who find a new home in the Legion as an all-male society.

Stefan Müller talks about the training and the inner life of the Legion, it is a precise look that reflects on the experiences with slight distance and humor. "Myth of the Foreign Legion" reads so well precisely because of Müller's pleasant perspective: he describes, but neither glorifies nor downplays his experiences.

Anyone who goes to the Legion almost certainly wants to go to war. Stefan Müller misses Afghanistan, as the French engagement there ends just before him. So Mali will be his war. The fact that a soldier spends most of his life waiting in vain is a wisdom that this book also describes well. And cleaning, with his own broom. It is exciting, however, that "Myth of the Foreign Legion" strikes a chord with the times: what usually appears in military fringe group publishers suddenly finds a home in the reputable Econ Verlag. And the book has actually made it onto the Spiegel bestseller list. It deserves it, it's a great book that takes us along with Stefan Müller on his personal border walk to his physical and mental limits. He has mastered it with distinction, as his report shows. Highly recommended by SPARTANAT! Ideal for the peaceful holidays after Christmas!

“Myth of the Foreign Legion: My Mission in the Toughest Army in the World“ by Stefan Müller, Econ Verlag, 336 pages, Euro 18,– (book) and Euro 14.99 (Kindle)