The Spanish Legion was initially formed in 1920 as a rapid reaction force branch of the army, as a Spanish equivalent of the French Foreign Legion. It later served as a hand of Spanish dictator ...

The Spanish Foreign Legion saved Melilla. Then and later Barea heard legionaries speak with awe of the cold and murderous courage of an officer named Francisco Franco.

While less than 25 percent of the new Spanish Foreign Legion were in fact non-Spanish, the force was heavily disciplined and became a serious fighting force. In addition, ...

Since the end of World War II, Franco had been using in his Spanish Foreign Legion thousands of German soldiers and Gestapo personnel who fled from France after the German surrender.

Although Spain founded a Foreign Tercio in 1920 imitating the French Foreign Legion, later renamed Spanish Legion, there were some years in which France transferred theirs to the Spanish government.