The Portuguese Legion ( pt, Legião Portuguesa) was a Portuguese paramilitary state organization founded in 1936 during the Portuguese President of the council's

António de Oliveira Salazar António de Oliveira Salazar (, , ; 28 April 1889 – 27 July 1970) was a Portuguese dictator who served as President of the Council of Ministers from 1932 to 1968. Having come to power under the ("National Dictatorship"), he reframed the r ...

's right-wing dictatorship, the Estado Novo. It was dissolved by law on April 25, 1974. Its stated objectives were to "''defend the spiritual heritage f Portugal'" and to "''fight the communist threat and anarchism''". The Portuguese Legion was under the control of the

Ministry of the Interior An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs. Lists of current ministries of internal affairs Named "ministry" * Ministr ...

and

War War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

, and was responsible for coordinating civil defense in Portuguese territory, including in the

Portuguese Empire The Portuguese Empire ( pt, Império Português), also known as the Portuguese Overseas (''Ultramar Português'') or the Portuguese Colonial Empire (''Império Colonial Português''), was composed of the overseas colonies, factories, and the ...

. It was deeply involved in multiple collaborations with

PIDE The International and State Defense Police ( pt, Polícia Internacional e de Defesa do Estado; PIDE) was a Portuguese security agency that existed during the '' Estado Novo'' regime of António de Oliveira Salazar. Formally, the main roles of th ...

, the political police. They used the

Roman salute The Roman salute, alternatively called the Fascist salute, is a gesture in which the right arm is fully extended, facing forward, with palm down and fingers touching. In some versions, the arm is raised upward at an angle; in others, it is held ...

and also used to shout the name of Salazar in their parades.

Membership

Membership in the Portuguese Legion was open to any person over 18 years of age. Members of the Portuguese Legion were divided into three levels:
''Escalão das Actividade Militares:'' included legionaries from the ages of 18 to 45.
''Escalão Privativo da DCT'': Members 45 and older.
''Escalão de Serviços Moderados'': Only open to members over the age of 60.

Organisation

Naval Brigade

The ''Brigada Naval da LP'' was established on 5 December 1938, with the aim to revive maritime traditions of Portugal, and thus was affiliated to the

Portuguese Navy The Portuguese Navy ( pt, Marinha Portuguesa, also known as ''Marinha de Guerra Portuguesa'' or as ''Armada Portuguesa'') is the naval branch of the Portuguese Armed Forces which, in cooperation and integrated with the other branches of the Port ...

. The Naval Brigade had a large amount of autonomy in relation to the rest of the Legion, having its own command and wearing a different uniform. With the Naval Brigade as a reserve force for the Navy, its militia officers formed the ''Reserva Legionária (Reserva L)'' of the Navy. The Naval Brigade was based at the Marinheiros Barracks in Alcântara, Lisbon – where it had a battalion and a band – and had detachments in

Porto Porto or Oporto () is the second-largest city in Portugal, the capital of the Porto District, and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto city proper, which is the entire municipality of Porto, is small compared to its metropol ...

Ponta Delgada Ponta Delgada (; ) is the largest municipality ('' concelho'') and economic capital of the Autonomous Region of the Azores in Portugal. It is located on São Miguel Island, the largest and most populous in the archipelago. As of 2021, it has 67, ...

and Angra do Heroísmo.

Oath

The official oath of the Portuguese Legion was: In addition to the legionnaires, there were subscribers who were not members of the LP, but contributed to its financing.

Uniform

The uniform of the Portuguese Legion consisted of brown pants and a dolmã, a traditional Portuguese military tunic, a green shirt, and tie. In the ''Brigada Naval'' of the LP the trousers and dolmã were dark blue.

War Cry

The official war cry of the Portuguese Legion was:

Sources

* ARAÚJO, Rui. '' The Empire of Spies ''. Alfragide: Book Workshop, 2010 * RODRIGUES, Luís Nuno. '' The Portuguese Legion: a new state militia (1936–1944) ''. Lisbon: Editorial Estampa, 1996. * SILVA, Joshua's. '' Portuguese Legion: repressive force of fascism ''. Lisbon: Diabril Publisher 1975. {{DEFAULTSORT:Legiao Portuguesa (Estado Novo) 1936 establishments in Portugal 1974 disestablishments in Portugal Anti-communist organizations Government paramilitary forces Military wings of nationalist parties Military units and formations established in 1936 Military units and formations disestablished in 1974 Military units and formations of the Cold War Political repression Political organisations based in Portugal Estado Novo (Portugal) Paramilitary organisations based in Portugal Nationalist organizations