Legionnaire

Legionnaire (1998)

Prologue to the film:

At the height of its glory, the French Foreign Legion was made up of men widely regarded as the scum of the earth.

It was a mercenary army posted to colonies in Northern Africa and Southern Asia...

but its soldiers swore no allegiance to France, only to the legion and to each other.

The legion asked no questions about a man's past...nor did it offer much hope for his future.

It was a hard way to get a second chance in life...

Legionnaire was a 1998 War film, starring (Jean Claude Van Damme) as Alain Lefevre, a French Boxer who is on the run from the Marseilles Mafia for refusing to fix a fight. It is the year 1925 and he joins the French Foreign Legion to escape the assassins who are trying to kill him. The decision puts Alain into the middle of the Rif War in French Morocco. The battles shown in the film are based upon real events. Abd-El Krim, played by Kamel Krifa, was a real life leader of the Rif/Berber rebels who were trying to force the French out of North Africa. Though the film ends with Abd-El Krim victorious, in real life, after early defeats, the French and Spanish ultimately threw a quarter of a million troops at him and his rebels, and Abd-El Krim was defeated and exiled after a bloody 10 month campaign.

The following guns were used in the film Legionnaire:

Lebel 1886

• The Lebel 1886 rifle is the standard service rifle of the French Foreign Legion. Every Legionnaire carries and fires one, with the exception of officers.

Lebel Model 1886 Rifle - 8x50Rmm

A Legionnaire fires his Lebel Model 1886 Rifle during a battle.

Mackintosh (Nicholas Farrell) struggles to reload his Lebel 1886 rifle in a good closeup of the action - 8x50Rmm

Mackintosh (Nicholas Farrell) aims his Lebel 1886 rifle during a patrol in the desert - 8x50Rmm

Exhausted Legionnaires after a forced march. Visible are stacked Lebel 1886 rifles - 8x50Rmm

Pvt. Alain Lefevre (Jean Claude Van Damme) fires his Lebel 1886 rifle during the final battle - 8x50mm

Gewehr 98

• The Berber Horsemen mostly carry German Gewehr 1898 Rifles with a few other types of bolt action rifles of the period mixed in. Most obviously Abd-El Krim (Kamel Krifa) carries one throughout the film.

Mauser Gewehr 1898 - 7.92x57mm Mauser

Abd-El Krim (Kamel Krifa) looks on at the end of the first battle with his Gewehr 98 rifle - 7.92x57mm Mauser

Vast majority of the Berber Horsemen use and fire Gewehr 98 rifle - 7.92x57mm Mauser

SMLE

• Berber Horsemen are also seen using Lee Enfield No 1. Mk III rifles, sometimes in close combat.

Lee-Enfield No.1 Mk.III* - .303 British.

Rif/Berber horseman shoots a wounded Legionnaire with his Lee Enfield No 1. Mk III rifle - .303

Mle 1892 Revolver

• Carried by Capt. Rousselot (Kim Rømer), Lt. Charlier (Anders Peter Bro) and also given to Legionnaire Luther (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) as protection as he tries to sneak through enemy lines.

Modele d’Ordonnance Mle 1892 Revolver

Luther (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) has a drink, while his Mle 1892 Revolver sits at his side.

Lt. Charlier (Anders Peter Bro) is shot during a battle at the oasis, he is wielding his Mle 1892 Revolver

Colt New Service

• Sgt. Steinkampf (Steven Berkoff) and several other characters carry what appears to be a Colt New Service revolver, though this is uncertain.

Colt New Service Revolver - .45 LC. The military version of this revolver is the M1909 (also chambered for .45 Long Colt)

Sgt. Steinkampf (Steven Berkoff) fires what appears to be a Colt Revolver(right) Sgt. Steinkampf (Steven Berkoff) reacts to being wounded in the side, his Colt New Service revolver is visible in his right hand.

Lewis Gun

• Lewis guns are used in Legionnaire training and mostly by Legionnaire Mackintosh (Nicholas Farrell) during the battles. Pvt. Alain Lefevre (Jean Claude Van Damme) also uses one at the end of the film.

Lewis gun - .303 British

An NCO grins as he fires the Lewis gun over the heads of low crawling recruits during a brutal training session - .303 British

Legionnaire Mackintosh (Nicholas Farrell) fires his Lewis Gun while Luther (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) fires his Lebel 1886 Rifle.

The Lewis gun lies by a dead legionnaire, just seconds before Alain Lefevre (Jean Claude Van Damme) runs to pick it up to use in the final battle.

Hotchkiss LMG

• A Hotchkiss Machine gun is shown being demonstrated by Pvt. Alain Lefevre (Jean Claude Van Damme).

M1914 Hotchkiss Machine Gun with Tripod

Pvt. Alain Lefevre (Jean Claude Van Damme) fires a M1914 Hotchkiss Machine Gun during training.

Vickers-Maxim QF 2.95 inch mountain gun

• A Vickers-Maxim QF 2.95 inch mountain gun (aka Pack Howitzer) was used by the Berber Tribesmen during the siege of the French Foreign Legion outpost. The A Vickers-Maxim QF 2.95 inch mountain gun as used by the British Colonial forces (but not the British Army itself) in Africa, and by the American forces in the Philippines.

A Vickers-Maxim QF 2.95 inch mountain gun is rolled up by the Berber rebels.

A line of Vickers-Maxim QF 2.95 inch mountain guns as the artillery troops bombard the French outpost.

81mm Mortar

• A (to be determined) Mortar is used by the French Foreign Legion to emulate the French copy of the successful Stokes Mortar of World War 1. Since the events of the film are set in 1925, any munitions from the Great War are possible. (Note: It is NOT a U.S. Mortar, so it is one of the European versions).