Arab Legion

Arab Legion (الفيلق العربي)
الفيلق العربي
Arab Legion insignia
Active	22 October 1920 – 25 March 1956
Country	Jordan
Allegiance	Emirate of Transjordan Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
Type	Army
Size	150 (in 1920) 12,000 (in 1949) 22,000 (in 1956)
Garrison/HQ	Zarqa
Patron	Monarch
Anniversaries	10 June 1917: Arab Revolt 22 October 1920: Establishment of the Arab Legion 25 May 1956: Dismissal of British officers
Engagements	Syria–Lebanon Campaign (1941) Anglo-Iraqi War (1941) Battles of Latrun (1948) Battles of Jerusalem (1948)
Commanders
(1920–1939)	Captain Frederick Gerard Peake
(1939–1956)	General John Bagot Glubb
Notable commanders	Colonel JW Hackett, Jr

The Arab Legion was the regular army of Transjordan and then Jordan in the early part of the 20th century.

In October 1920, after taking over the Transjordan region, the United Kingdom formed a unit of 150 men called the "Mobile Force" under the command of Captain Frederick Gerard Peake to defend the territory against both internal and external threats. The Legion was based in Zarqa and 80 percent of its men were the local Chechens.

It was quickly expanded to 1,000 men recruiting Arabs who had served in the military of the Ottoman Empire. On 22 October 1923, the police were merged with the Reserve Mobile Force, still under Peake, who was now an employee of the Emirate of Transjordan. The new force was named Al Jeish al Arabi (the Arab Army) but was always known officially in English as the Arab Legion. The Arab Legion was financed by Britain and commanded by British officers. The force was formed as a police force to keep order among the tribes of Transjordan and to guard the important Jerusalem–Amman road.

On 1 April 1926, the Transjordan Frontier Force was formed from cadre drawn from the Arab Legion. It consisted of only 150 men and most of them were stationed along Transjordan's roads. During this time the Arab Legion was reduced to 900 men and was also stripped of its machine guns, artillery, and communications troops.

In 1939, John Bagot Glubb, better known as Glubb Pasha, became the Legion's commander along with Major General Abdul Qadir Pasha Al Jundi as his deputy commander both transformed it into the best-trained Arab army.

During World War II, the Arab Legion took part in the British war effort against pro-Axis forces in the Mediterranean and Middle East Theatre. By then the force had grown to 1,600 men.