The idea of forming an army corps from pro-Revolutionary German volunteers was born in summer 1792. It was most probably the example of the légion des Belges and légion des Liégeois unis which gave the Prussian Anachasis Cloots and Saxon Saiffert, both resident in Paris, the idea of such a Legion, at first to be called a Prussian Legion then a Vandal Legion. It rapidly hit recruitment problems, however, since there few expatriate Germans in France were in favour of the Revolution. Cloots thus had the idea of recruiting deserters from the Austrian and Prussian armies. A decree of the Legislative Assembly of August 1792 granted such deserters a pension for life of 100 livres should they join the unit. Cloots and his military adjutants colonels Dambach and van Hayden, however, felt the German