the high attrition rate within the walloon legion required increasing focus on recruitment. a second recruitment drive was started in february 1942, recruiting 450 new volunteers of whom many came from rex's small youth wing. a third "frantic" campaign in november 1942 raised a further 1,700 men. these recruitment drives weakened many rexist institutions by diverting manpower away from projects in belgium. attempts to recruit from belgian prisoners of war proved a failure. however, degrelle became increasingly keen on the political potential of the walloon legion which he saw as a more effective political tool than the rexist party in belgium. as the war continued and the pool of rexist members fell, the volunteers became "largely non-political 'adventurers' or desperate men", often drawn from the urban working class and the unemployed.