The Foreign Legion members are considered to be 'pioneers' or scouts. Historically part of their job would be to clear trees and create roads so the French Army could maneuver. They might also assist the engineers in creating defensive works.
The leather gloves and aprons were to protect them as they cleared brush. The Axes speak for themselves.
SpyNavy
Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République! Maintenant et Toujours!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic! Now and Forever!)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)
Now you’ve given me something else to watch out for-—a bunch of French guys with axes. But I can buy the tree clearing part. In my bayo collection I have a couple of Swiss Engineer bayonets. They fit a Vetterli but they are 30” long and are way too heavy to ever actually use as a bayonet. They have a full length sawback, meant to cut logs, they claim, and are the sharpest doggone things I’ve ever picked up-—handle gingerly. If one ever got used to actually stab a person if would take the names of at least four surgical procedures to describe the damage.
The French Foreign Legion Pionniers (Pioneers) distinguish themselves by their specific and unique dress uniform :
Axe (French: Hache): serves to destroy obstacles of wood dressed by the enemy. At origin there were 6 kinds of axes to destroy and 7 kinds of axes to hammer.
Leather Apron (French: Tablier de Cuir): Originally colored yellow with heritage to the 18th century and worn by the infantry sapeurs, the apron initially served the function to protect the sapeurs from wooden munitions blasts, breaching blasts and also limiting risks of penetration on obstacles in case of fall. The leather apron is of a tawny color and was officially adopted by the Legion in 1835.
Gauntlet Gloves (French: Gants à Crispin): White Gauntlet Gloves served to protect the hands while destroying obstacles.
Beard (French: Barbe): Since the pionniers were the first to mount combat assaults, their life expectancy was very minimal. Accordingly, from that principle, they reserved the right, when deploying to combat, to not shave and would come back bearded when they survived. The wearing of the beard became mandatory in the French Foreign Legion in 1844.
Pionniers Insignia (French: l’insigne de manche): Worn below the rank insignia on the right arm. The insignia represents two crossed axes, emblem of function of tradition. The lozenges (diamonds) vary in color and depend on ranks:
- Golden Axe on black background for Sous-officiers.
- Golden Axe on black background bordered with gold for the Caporaux-Chefs.
- Green Axe on black background bordered with green for the Caporaux and Legionnaires.
(from Wikipedia)
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