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Were there mercenaries or notable vigilante type groups around for World War One? Particularly Europeans? I was wondering if all nations were strict about their militaries and whether civilians would have been permitted to pick up a rifle and help out in any circumstances.

I do mean mercenaries as organized private companies. But also, was there anything stopping other individuals from fighting alongside? I guess what I'm getting at is, was the war fought by people other than those under a government military, regular or militia?

MCW
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Duncan
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    Are you asking about mercenaries or militias? You seem to be confusing them. – Jeroen K Mar 16 '14 at 11:22
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    Please clarify vigilante is specific to law enforcement. Do you want to know about vigilantes, militia, Partisans, or individuals who pick up a gun but are not part of an organized force. (who in WWII are generally called "corpses") – MCW Mar 16 '14 at 11:44
  • Sorry, I do mean mercenaries as organized private companies. But also, was there anything stopping other individuals from fighting alongside? I guess what I'm getting at is, was the war fought by people other than those under a government military, regular or militia? – Duncan Mar 16 '14 at 12:18
  • Mercenaries take money for their service and serve whoever pays best. You mean volunteers.... – Felix Goldberg Mar 16 '14 at 18:08
  • I meant two separate things, mate. Forgive me if that's too confusing for one question – Duncan Mar 17 '14 at 11:15

2 Answers2

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Yes, there certainly foreign volunteers fighting in both World Wars. Examples include the Lafayette Escadrille of American Fighter pilots in World War One and the Flying Tigers and Eagle Squadrons flying for the Chinese and Royal Air Forces respectively during World War Two.

Article 1 of the Annex to the Hague Convention (II) on the Laws and Customs of War on Land:

The laws, rights, and duties of war apply not only to armies, but also to militia and volunteer corps, fulfilling the following conditions:

To be commanded by a person responsible for his subordinates;

To have a fixed distinctive emblem recognizable at a distance;

To carry arms openly; and

To conduct their operations in accordance with the laws and customs of war.

In countries where militia or volunteer corps constitute the army, or form part of it, they are included under the denomination "army."

The Hague Convention (1899) II - With Respect to the Laws and Customs of War on Land and its Annex, largely based on the Lieber Code adopted by the Union Army in 1863, was the equivalent to today's Geneva Conventon in effect during World War One. The difficulty that volunteer mercenaries encountered in attempting to , and proving compliance with, the requirements of Article 1 above had the effect of forcing these militias to seek and obtain commissioning from appropriate authorities for nations involved in the conflict.

My answer to the question on the Customs/Consensus Regarding Irregular Combatants in the 19th Century provides additional background.

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Pieter Geerkens
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  • the question is about *mercenaries*, I can misunderstand but Lafayette Escadrille were not mercenaries – Emilio Gort Mar 17 '14 at 16:25
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    @EmilioGort: re the definition in your quote: "A mercenary[1] is a person who takes part in an armed conflict, who is not a national or a party to the conflict and is "motivated to take part in the hostilities by the desire for private gain." By this definition the Lafayette Escadrille most definitely were mercenaries. – Pieter Geerkens Mar 17 '14 at 21:13
  • you're right, the problem I have in my mind the negative connotation – Emilio Gort Mar 17 '14 at 21:22
  • The members of the Lafayette Escadrille were unpaid volunteers. They did not fight in France for money. – Tyler Durden Mar 13 '15 at 15:49
  • @Tyler - They were volunteers in the French air service in the sense that they weren't conscripted. As member of the French air service they would have received the same pay as French servicemen. – Doug B Jun 05 '15 at 19:01
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    @ Pieter and Emilio - A better definition of mercenary is "a professional soldier hired to serve in a foreign army". In this sense "professional" means that soldiering is your primary occupation. Under this definition the French Foreign Legion, International Brigades of the Spanish Civil War, Ghurkas, foreign volunteers in the Waffen SS, etc could all be classified as mercenaries. – Doug B Jun 05 '15 at 19:03
  • @DougB - See the paper I link in my answer for an alternate definition. The author I cite would call all those examples Legionnaires, and call PMC soldiers like Wagner, Blackwater, etc mercenaries. – codeMonkey Mar 20 '24 at 19:12
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Not Really

There's a difference between a Legionnaire and a Mercenary. Both are foreigners, but the first is employed by the State and the second is employed by a Company (today called a Private Military Company or PMC).

Every major combatant in both World Wars accepted or conscripted foreign fighters but all of the examples I'm aware of were employed by that States directly, and are therefore Legionnaires, not Mercenaries.

I'm using the definitions outlined in this excellent academic paper on why countries employ Legionnaires. There's also a related pod-cast that discusses how this theory fits with the current invasion of Ukraine.

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