Throughout the film the legionnaires wear the collar insignia of the 2nd Regiment of the Foreign Legion (2e REI.) Yet most of their geographic references are to Algeria. When the detachment relieves Ft. Zinderneuf the previous commander's orders are to return to Sidi bel Abbes, the Legion HQ in Algeria. Likewise, during the mutiny the legionnaires discuss escaping across the border to Morocco. Additionally the legionnaires are in combat with the Tuaregs, a Saharan tribe found in Southern Algeria. However, during the period of the film (and throughout the inter-war period) the 2e REI was stationed in Morocco, fighting the Berbers, and not in Algeria, which was instead garrisoned by the 1e RE.