The French Foreign Legion is a French Army elite unit composed of eleven regiments, totaling 8,000 men, the majority of whom are foreign nationals. Created in 1831 by Louis Philippe I, the Foreign Legion was originally based in Algeria, North Africa. Perhaps the purpose behind the formation of this unit was to rid France of dissatisfied and riotous elements by drafting them into a French Army special unit to fight for France outside France. These new recruits included French troublemakers who called themselves revolutionaries, professional soldiers from disbanded foreign military units, run-away criminals, and any one who wanted to change his past life. The French Foreign Legion had its baptism of fire in what would become their home base: Algeria, during the French conquest of this African territory, which took place from 1830 to 1847. It also participated in the Spanish Carlist War (1833-1839), a civil war in Spain, where the 4,000-men regiment sent there to fight for Isabella claim to the Spanish throne was depleted, surviving only 450 men. Next, the Legion saw action in the Crimean War, participating in the Battle of Alma (1854) and the Siege of Sevastopol (1854-1855). During the French intervention in Mexico (1863-1867), the unit lost a whole regiment fighting against overwhelming number of Mexican revolutionaries.

After World War II, with many former Waffen-SS soldiers among their troops, the Foreign Legion was shipped to Asia to fight in the French-Indochina War (1946-1954) against the Viet Minh, led by Ho Chi Minh. In this armed conflict, the Legion kept its tradition of fighting tenaciously, with whole units being depleted or wiped out, especially during the Battle of Dien Bien Phu in 1954. From 1991 to 2011, aside from their sporadic incursions in African countries, the French Foreign Legion saw action in the Gulf War (1991), Sarajevo (1993), Kosovo (1999), and Afghanistan in Operation Enduring Freedom (2001-2011).

French Foreign Legion Documentary I (Video)

French Foreign Legion Training (Video)

The KSK Kommando Spezialkräfte is a German special forces unit of the Wundeswehr (Geman Army), created in 1996 by the Federal Government. The KSK is made up of four commando companies consisting of one hundred men each. A commando company of this German elite unit is in turn composed of five specialized platoons plus a command platoon: 1st Platoon, specialized in land insertions; 2nd Platoon, airborne operations; 3rd Platoon, amphibious operations; 4th Platoons, operating in mountains and polar regions; 5th Platoon, sniper/counter-sniper operation and reconnaissance. Each platoon is divided into four five-men squads, composed of skilled members that have been hand-picked from the German Army into the platoon that best suits their abilities.

The KSK Kommando Spezialkräfte has taken part in secret military operations in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Russia, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Specific operational details of the KSK, such as success and casualty rates, are deemed top secret and held back even from the highest-ranking members of the Bundestag (German Parliament). It is believed that the Kommando Spezialkräfte fought in the Battle of Tora Bora, Afghanistan, in December 2001. The German unit also took part in Operation Anaconda in March 2002, fighting alongside the Australian SAS Regiment, to give support to conventional army units in the Shahi-Kot Valley and Arma Mountains, Afghanistan.

KSK Kommando Spezialkräfte Training (Video)

The 75th Ranger Regiment is a highly-trained, elite US Army unit which consists of 3 rapidly-deployable light infantry special operations battalions and 1 Special Troops Battalion. Although Ranger battalions had been created during World War II, fighting fiercely in North Africa, Normandy, Korea, and Vietnam, the 75th Ranger Regiment was officially formed in 1986 with the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Ranger Battalions, which had been reorganized as new units from 1974 and 1984; being highly-trained and airborne capable, these battalions could quickly be deployed anywhere the military situation demanded.

Since its creation, the 75th Ranger Regiment has taken part in almost every military conflict that arose in the world. Their men participated in Operation Urgent Fury in Grenada (1983); Operation Just Cause, the US military operation that ousted Manuel Noriega of Panama (1989); Operation Desert Storm (1991), which liberated Kwait from Iraqi troops; Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan (2001); Operation Iraqi Freedom (2003); etc. As part of the global war on terrorism, on October 19, 2001, the 3rd Battalion spearheaded ground forces by conducting an airborne assault to seize "Objective Rhino" (Taliban targets in Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom). On March 28, 2003, the 3rd Battalion employed the first airborne assault in Iraq to seize "Objective Serpent" in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

75th Ranger Regiment Training (Video)

The Royal Marines are the amphibious infantry of the British Royal Navy. The complete name of this branch of the Royal Navy is the Corps of Her Majesty’s Royal Marines. Created in 1664, it is the second oldest marines corps in naval history, the Spanish Navy Marines being the first. It is an 8,000-men armed force, composed of 8 units: 40 Commando RM, 42 Commando RM, 45 Commando RM, 1st Assault Group RM, Special Boat Service (SBS), 30 Commando Information Exploitation Group, Commando Logistic Regiment, Fleet Protection Group RM. The Royal Marines are an amphibious, highly trained infantry unit, optimized for expeditionary warfare to be deployed any where in the world, specializing in amphibious landings, arctic warfare, and mountain warfare.

When the basic training is completed, they must take the Commando course, which is an intense physical and mental training, at the end of which there is a series of tests that include: 1) a nine mile (14.5 km) speed march with full fighting equipment and which has be completed in 90 minutes; 2) the endurance course, which is a six mile (9.65 km) course across rough and woodland terrain at Woodbury Common near Lympstone, including tunnels, pipes, wading pools, and an underwater culvert and ending with a four mile (6 km) run back to CTCRM, followed by a marksmanship test, where the recruit must hit 6 out of 10 shots at a 25m target simulating 200 m; 3) the tarzan assault Course, which is an assault course combined with an aerial confidence test, beginning with the Commando Slide and ending with a rope climb up a thirty foot near-vertical wall; 4) the 30 miler, which is a 30-mile (48-km) march across upland Dartmoor, wearing full fighting equipment, and additional safety equipment carried by the recruit in a daysack, to be completed in eight hours.

Royal Marines Documentary (Video)

The Australian SAS (Special Air Service) is an elite regiment of the Royal Australian Army. Based on the British SAS, it was created first as company in 1957: the 1st Special Air Service Company. On August 20, 1964, it became the Australian Special Air Service Regiment (SASR). It is composed of three squadrons: 1, 2, and 3 squadron, which permanently rotate in roles; while one squadron plays the counter terrorism role, the other two squadrons carry out surveillance, reconnaissance, and offensive and assault operations.

The types of weapons they use are similar to the weaponry used by their British counter-part. The following are some of the weapons used by the Australian SAS: the 9mm Heckler & Koch MP5 sub-machine gun; the Colt Canada C7 rifle, which is a service rifle variation of the M16 rifle; the M4 Carbine, which is also a variation of the M16 assault rifle; the Italian Beretta 1201FP shotgun; Heckler & Koch PSG1 sniper rifle or the US M40 sniper rifle; the US Barrett M82A1 anti-tank rifle. But the best weapon that they have is their psychological traits: calmness, coolness, and self-control; perhaps this is natural for the Australians, since they have a culture that promotes this type of personality.

Australian SAS Regiment in Action in Afghanistan (video)