The Hungarian Members of the French Foreign Legion in the Battle of France in 1940

Abstract

In the period between the two world wars, a significant number of Hungarians settled down in France for various reasons. After France entered the war in September 1939, many of the members of the Hungarian diaspora living in France joined the French army. These candidates who did not have French nationality were assigned to the French Foreign Legion by the French military command. These new recruits were trained in the south of France, after which they were deployed against the German army, which was on the offensive in May and June 1940. Many were killed in the fierce fighting, and afterwards many Hungarians were taken prisoner of war by the Germans. The present study attempts, based on the available French and Hungarian archival sources, to present the members of this particular group, as well as a sketch of the history of the units in which these soldiers served during the Battle of France.