The elite French forces were known as the Green Bidets
I trained with some French Foreign Legion guys. They certainly seemed like a pretty capable bunch.
People always seemed to judge the French by what happened in WWII, but fail to mention that early on every armed forces in Europe got their butts kicked by the Germans. The Germans were a highly motivated force with superior weapons and tactics using combined arms that few armed forces of the time had ever seen before. And it wasn't until faced with overwhelming force that the Germans were forced to start backing up.
If you want to read a good book check this one out...
It's a true story about a former Waffen SS brigade that escapes to Switzerland after the war and joins the French Foreign Legion enmasse and goes off to fight the Vietminh after WWII and prior to the French pull out and subsequent American involvement. Fantastic book and a hell of an adventure.
