wAT-ARMS SERIES ij RENCH ARMY 1939-45 (1) a IAN SUMNER FRANCOIS VAUVILLIER MIKE CHAPPELLTHE FRENCH ARMY 1939-45 (1) THE ARMY OF 1939-40 & VICHY FRANCE TEXT BY IAN SUMNER AND FRANGOIS VAUVILLIER COLOUR PLATES MIKE CHAPPELL OSPREY} MILITARY]Fratpublshod in Groat eta 1866 by ‘Oserey Publishing, Ele Court, Chap Way Bovey, Oxtonsox2 017 ‘Unto ingen, Email ie sPorpreypuntshing com (©1908 Osprey Pubistng Lid Fepririea.2000 [Al ghts sare. Anan tom ant desing torte purpose ot pete sty, research, eticsen or ven, as pail unidor he Copight Dvaigne and Patents Act 188, no part is pucation maybe reproduce tre 8 reteal syste or ans inary fom or by any means alacrni, socio. chanical, mechania pies, photocpying, recording or obs, witout the pir writen permission of he conyrigt ou Ene sod be odested to the Pushers Ish 128532 658 3 tary ator: Shen van der Merve ‘Design: The Black Spot Figen Singapore by Pies Le 1914-18 Prntein in trough Wena Pent Li AUpmueiees Fon a cara. 00ur OF at. soem puRsieD By OSPREY MIUTARY AND RYTON ‘= ed vance to ta Fee Franch and othe French ‘The Marketing Managor,Osproy Doct USA, PO doe 199, Sering Hens. MI 48911-0190, US, Ena: lo osreydecctsa com “The Masadng Manager, Osprey Doe UK, PO Boe 140, Weingborough, Nothans, INS 4ZA, Unis Kiger, Ema fomosreyiirec co.uk er Otrmeyat ‘wu spreypusng com TITLE PAGE This Moroccan belongs to the Groupe Franc of ‘an RTM, but, his face apart, nothing distinguishes him from ‘4 French unit. He wears a typical sheepskin over a reduced uniform which consists of s civilian pullover worn over the regulation 1926-pattern jersey, just visible at the wrist. The gloves are khaki wool, and the weapon is the FM24/29.THE FRENCH ARMY 1939-45 (1) THE ARMY OF 1939-40 AND VICHY FRANCE ‘The strongest army in the world .! Exactly 20 years after the end of the First World War, ‘on 11 November 1938, the 46° Regiment d'infanterie parade down the Champs Elyséos, ‘wearing the 1920/35 piped uniform, capote collars worn ‘open, and the first issue 1935- pattern equipment. However, the helmets are stil the old 1915 ‘Adrian type, repainted in khaki. At the head of the regiment ‘march the adjudants and ‘sous-Hleutenants, wearing the 1032-pattern manteau. All ranks display the regimental badge. ch Army of 1939 was considered by contemporaries to he the strongest army in the world at that time. In fact, as the events of the next ten months soon revealed, the Army was riddled with iknesses. Many of these stemmed from the attitudes prevailing in the French High Command at the end of the First World War. Under Marshal Pétain (a general renowned for his care with men’s lives) they were determined that the nation should never again endure such a bloodbath. They had also to evolve a strategy that took account of a pr dicted shortage of manpower, the so-called ‘empty classes’. This was the result of a fall in the birth rate, itself the inevitable consequence of the high level of casualties during the First War. Each of the classes called up in the years between 1935 and 1939 was some 140,000 men under strength. The French therefore adopted a defensive policy. Noting both the general success of the forts around Verdun and the efficacy of the deep dug-outs constructed by the Germans on the Western Front, the High Command evolved a plan based on the construction of a perma- nently fortified line along the Franco-German frontier - a line subsequently named after the Minister of War, André Maginot For a decade and a half the Maginot Line dominated French tactical cal wwthinking, and from 1930 to 1936 absorbed the bulk of the country’s military spending. However, such a largely defensive strategy did not nec- essarily imply a totally passive outlook, The Ma Franco-German border, principally for reasons of cost. The High Command thought it preferable to move the defensive line further north, to the Belgian-German frontier; this would shorten its length and would include Belgium (an ally until 1936) in the overall plan. Most importantly, any war, and the destruction that would follow in its wake, would take place far from French territory From the late 1920s it became clear that the mechanisation of at least part of dhe Army was vital It was only in the second half of the 1930s, however, that French rear- mament began in earnest, following parliamentary approvall in September 1936-for the 14 million FF Dalacier Programme. Unfortunately, this period was also one of great social unrest in France and it was not until the second half of 1938 that pro- duction lines finally began to work at full capacity In the event even this conld do nothing to alter the outcome of a ‘lightning war” based on novel tactical thinking, against which the only successful counter would be natural geographical features: the barrier of the English Channel or the enormous spaces of the Russian steppes. It was France's misfortune to have neither. ‘The operations of 1940, up to Dunkirk, are summarised in Campaign 3 France 1940, The not Line only covered the words of a German soldier provide an apposite Sateen summary of events afier 5 June when the French | sss Army was fighting against odds of three to one on the Weygand Line: "In the ruins of the villages, the French resisted co the last man ... Here, on the Aisne, the French regiments were determined to defend every last route to the heart of France, in a battle that would decide the fate of their country The poil had done his duty. em Spas er Do UC May-June 1940 Accompanied by his staff and the Minister of War, Jean Fabry, Gonoral Gamotin right fore- ‘ground), named ‘commanderin-chiet in 1935, attends the major manoeuvres in September of that year. The khaki Uniform worn by generals was the ‘same as that worn by other officers, except for the képl, the buttons, the silver stars worn on the sleeve, and the absence of collar patches. In addition, the shoulder tabs on the vareuse were embroidered in gold.pelcni nes Ee ena Nee THE ORGANISATION OF THE manoeuvres in the Briangonmals, ‘September 1938, Carrying thelr ARMY IN 1939-40 mountain packs, and with a == a Jonquil yellow star on their sleeves, the ski-scouts of the General 11° Bataillon de Chasseurs Alpine march past at the head of the bat- tallon, together with their super’ amelin was the commanderin-chief, whilst the main front, the north-east, was under the command of General Georges. The French had mobilised three Army Groups (GA) there, numbered from 1 to 3 St Berard dogs. The chasseurs’ (see Table 3 pp.7-9). GAL, under General Billotte, contained five armies, blue uniform is as per regulation, _incluling the British Expeditionary Force (BEF), and formed the Allied and consists of a bluish iron grey eft wing, with the objective of helping Belgium and the Netherlands. +1920-pattem varouse (with soven 5 GAR strung g the Maginot rasta . aes etd GAY (three armies) was strung out slong she Maginot whee tdewertereper tre Line, while General Besson’s GAS (two armies) was intended to deter auipment of the aki-ecouts does arty German attack through Switzerland. not include braces or the dorsal cartridge pouch. Armies, Corps and Infantry Divisions Each Army, numbered from 1 to 9, plus the Army of the Alps, had only a small number of oops directly under its command (several tank battalions and pioncer regiments), Each army corps could Pe UL ARLE or at dd Bier ECE aR | deploy four groups of horse-drawn heavy artillery Mame vive earea ae (with 24 x 1051.13, and 24 x 155L); three groups, | rae cce towne Fon ty Parrot in motorised corps (with 12 x 105L36, 12 x |, Biveseteesesy oats 1051.13, and 12 x 155GPF); a pioneer regiment V2Chy 21 aechexes sre and a reconnaissance group, plus engineers and supporting services. (WORTH AFRICA INFANTRY tA pan chr bir COLONIAL INFANTRY tS pine caters rgd Sreapeniesgrert Ivo reper ers canto Como tba apt aed‘The basic pawn in the hands of the High Command was the infantry | division (DI), which contained around 500 officers and 17,000 men of all arms. Despite differences of name, all infanuy divisions had, in theory, the same basic structure, with three regiments (or nine bat lalions) of infantry; an antitank company (with 12 x 25mm anti-tank gums) crewed by the infantry; one pioneer company; two artillery reg- iments (five groups, of which two were heavy, see Artillery p.15); an anti-tank battery (cight 47mm weapons); a reconnaissance group (see Cavalry p.13); two companies of engineers; two signals companies; (wo transport companies; a medical group; and a supply group. However, certain divisions of the B Reserve had only one regiment of artillery (four groups, only one of which was heavy), and laboured under shortages of equipment, notably in anti-tank weapons Three ‘light infantry divisions’ (DLI), with only six battalions and a single artillery group each, were formed for the Norway Expedition. All the new infanury formations created at the end of May 1940 with the debris of troops pushed back at Sedan or evacuated from Dunkirk were also of this type, with the addition of a second 75mm artillery group and a reconnaissance squadron, Infantry The campaign of 1939-40 was the last to employ the French infantry on a grand scale, Yet the forces deployed were no more than a shadow of those mobilised for the previous war: on 10 May 1940 only 215 metro politan infantry regiments of verious types took the field, compared with 0: mobilised in A\ Each infantry regiment was similar in strength, containing around 80 officers and 3,000 men in three battalions. The regiments, however, fell into a number of different categories. The peacetime army consisted of 64 line regiments: 24 so-called ‘normal’ regiments, serving in infanuy divisions, 20 motorised regiments in the DIMs, eight classed as Alpine woops, and 12 ‘Fortress Infantry’ Regiments (RIF) serving in the Maginot Line. There were also three demi-brigades of Alpine Fortress infantry (seven independent battalions in total) facing Italy. The 6° Régiment de Tirailleurs ‘Marocains, stationed at Verdun, returning from a review, 25 May 1999. In warm weather, officers and men paraded wearing the vareuse. The tirailleurs, who had just recelved the brand now 1835 mod. 37 equipment, are ‘wearing the chéche wound into a turban, and an Other Ranks! 1920-pattern vareuse, with ‘seven buttons. The fourragére is ‘ky blue and red, the colours of the Croix de Guerre TOE (theatres c'opérations ‘extérieurs), in honour of the regiment's excellent performance in Morocco and the Levant ‘during the 1920s.Re COC ue aC Came) RESERVE DU GRAND QUARTIER GENERAL (G26), Hew Ouaurssre, General Gamelin seen te area BOWER TO One Soe [GROUPE D'ARMEES 1, Paws ‘i ana (Benard 2511 AFP Te SOAR He 3 Pent Stout Sh . etenar yore IN aeRO RTL OFT fecror veal se rane orp 14 area MBFomsivo Gwar 00) (GROUPE D'ARMEES 2, Goneral Prétlat Fr Ramsar Semen SOE mares cco 52 Semnhise SSE Soa Sen a ot ae ate ree ae = au Fa = See a i ees a sap x rte Se 0 meee, tore OS a 0 pees it Sitcyeen, “as Sinton tee ae Saiaeme, EE Funk Sn Be SEE 7 we eae 2 St An SS Sian =o Peer isa 23 Be EE ee. g SEVEN ewan omen pe eee a cos ssn ea i | See on = oo Ee Re ass ote owt EE SERRE maeunanaly Se gam Es ca eae = ss me ees a = = Mad Beri taaiice ae ae Siam ge Ea fas cet ees aie ar Sarena MESS af i ara Sa ee an Snare on - - ae ese a eee Se sate: exe shimmy! 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Bae a osemctnmcy = Se See ceo nae 3 Sma ones Ex nae SERACRS ee inal om apes — 2 so sige Bibs atom ease enna spengpern me ale! ae Pea eat ne re Sa EE nenemens eat Eo Ge Berman sane sae a2 eee BRAT nam aanienstnis mee SS eee men tat 2 ae me a ee Tews ues seen sn ze ge Soe ensecam sane me we = ae SET ae mariy a eee meemaneama | GROUPED AMEE, ew Bon FP Th: 6", 90 BCC Ps “07 80 bt sk ote microns GSnmnemm mone gate Testi er ona : cone conan iy - eae ea Sire See em ms ou 2 Sonate Fey ie : mes mee SR Aer at,e =| eS =a Salona SS Bake ads “acore> = zoe mae Ee Soemomny - a ea ee creamer a, sane aaer se suEe aC Ca Oe Cu SL Chetry eto ares ‘THEATRE D'OPERATIONS DU SUD-EST (TOSE}, General Ory rue ors sire | ace c= ae | Foneine Coat rmeeat owe messi ‘sahara ace seo “pasa nor "an as te Ob, fore ope 8 ort SIP RANA 250% RAL runes | ‘SF Apa a "Mayon ale [3* B58 OM, 53 ree 159 VaR, 167 PA | sic ay oe = Seminecatirnnstccs | cee oe eo THEATRE 'OPERATIONS AFRIQUE BU NORD (FORFN. anera Hogue rare 6 UF, GB Car FORE A FF "THEATRE O'OPERATIONS DE MEDITERRANEE OMIENTALE /TOMO}, General Woygand FRENCH COLONIES. The peacetime army also included a number of battalions of chasseurs a pied, and 12 of Alpine te Chasseur battalions normally served in chasseur d battalions each. Four battalions (the 4°, into motor battalions (dataillons portés) to form the the armoured divisions. ‘chasseur battalions: 11 pops (chasseras alpins) lemi-brigades of three €, 16° and 17°) were converted infantry component of On mobilisation, the line infantry was strengthened by the creation10. UES Er =e wna poeerciieee ne 1 GM] RON a na se RACTTE aos. to ens ton s C aad eae os nm oat and fect ev hon nop ‘srw (ae ea 0h of a further 85 regiments and demi-brigades as ‘Type A reserves, which took up vacant numbers between I and 174. These regiments were composed largely of reservists around a regular cadre. However, since the period of conscription had been raised from one to two years only in 1935, most of the reservists recalled to the colours in 1939 had received no more than a barely adequate year’s training. A further 61 Type B reserve regiments and demi-brigades were then created from the Type A regiments, numbered by adding 200 to the number of the parent regiment, and composed entirely of reservists in their thirties and forties. Despite their age, these men were not necessarily the least effective: the Dunkirk perimeter was held by Type B regiments who performed much better than some of their younger comrades in arms. In Spring 1940, another 18 regiments (including 13 of the 1-174 series) were formed from battalions separated from their regiment, or from training centres. The chasseurs. w ilarly reinforced on mobilisation, the ‘A and B Reserve batial chasseurs alpins 23. From September 1939, the chasseurs also included ten battalions of Pyrenean troops (chasseurs pyrénéens), and the specialist ski troops of the 199© Batailfon de chasseurs de haute montagne, who were offi- cially included in the Alpine Fortress battalions. The metropolitan infantry mobilised in 1939-40 also contained 11 machine gun batalions, numbered from 1 to 11, eight motorised machine gun battalions, numbered from 51 to 58, and 67 pioneer reg- nis. The pioneer regiments, numbered between 400 and 460 and berween 600 and 625 (noc all the numbers were used), were raised from older men, and were not equipped with the full range of heavy weapons allotted to infantry regiments, Each line infantry battalion of 20 officers and 850 men comprised three rifle companies of four officers and 190 men (each divided into an HQ, with a 60mm mortar, and four platoons, each containing three sections); and a heavy weapons company of four officers and 190 men ons, and the chasseurs @ pied raising 18 Type im‘The colour party of 172° Régiment d'intanterie de Forteresse, Strasbourg 1939. Unlike line Ris, RIFS included two fr three machine gun battalions (four in the 155°) as well compagnies d’équipages et ‘douvrages, who manned the posts of the Maginot Line. Battalions comprised three machine gun companies {although oniy two in some RIFs) ‘and a mixed infantry/hoavy ‘weapons company. (Coll. P. Brétégnier) (divided into four machine gun platoons with four machine guns each, and a platoon manning two 25mm antitank guns and two 81mm mortars), The regiment also included an HQ company, a services company (transport, medical, ete.) and an additional heavy weapons company (three of 100 men, with a further six 25 mm antitank guns, two 81mm mortars and three Renault UE tracked carriers) The colonial empire provided a powerful addition to the infantry. In service on 10 May 1940 on all fronts, were no less than 14 reg- (recruited solely from Frenchmen in North Africa or metropolitan France), 42 regiments of Algerian, Tunisian and Moroccan tirailleurs (raised from locals), 18 battalions of Light Infantry (recruited from petty criminals) and 59 Colonial regiments (about a third of which were recruited from Frenchmen, the others from Senegalese, Malagasies and Indochinese). Most of these regiments were organised in exactly the same y as the metropolitan troops. Together with the Legion and other foreign volunteers (12 regiments and demi-brigactes in the Foreign Legion), the French infantry order of battle at the start of May 1940 reached a total of 1,130 battalions (not including the pioneers) A number of régiments régionanx de jnoiection and régiments rigionaux de travaittewrs were also formed on the outbreak of war. Both were composed of men who no longer had any reserve commitment, but who were still of military age. The first were assigned the role, in conjunction with the gendarmerie, of guarding lines of communication in the rear areas; the latter were employed on pioneer duties. All were given a number composed of that of the Military Region plus an extra figure in sequence; the 143€ Régiment Régional, for example, was thus the Third Regiment of the Fourteenth Region. icers and iments of zouav Infantry Tank Force French tank units were drawn from two different armsofservice: the Chars de Combat, the Army’s original tank force equipped with infantry tanks, and regiments of former horsed cavalry. Created as part of the artillery in 1916, the Chars de Gombat was intended by its creator, General Estienne, to form a wholly independent arm. He had envisaged a mobile armoured corps of 100,000 men driving into the heart of the enemy position to devastating effect, crushing everything in its path, But this idea did not prevail; in 1920, tanks were attached to the infantry, and consequently made subordinate to its slow methodical tactics, The idea of forming true ‘mobile divisions’, relying on tanks, motorised infanuy and artillery en masse, was first explored in, France by General Doumenc in 1929. Then, in 1934, Lieutenant-Colonel a412 de Gaulle promoted the idea of an “élite army’, a truly mobile force, of six ‘line divisions’ and one ‘light division’ (like that recently created within the cavalry soldiers. But a prophet is without honour in his own country. The French government did not want an armoured corps, since it contradicted its essentially defensive policy. Nor, for political reasons, did it wish to see an, army of professional soldiers, Further, when in 1936 it was decided in principle to create two armoured divisions as a counterattack and breakthrough force only, their formation was postponed due to a equipment (notably of the Char B). Not only in 1g only career, not conscript, ‘AetratdFane cin OPPOSITE Weighing 20 tonnes, with 60mm armour and two guns (75mm in the hull, 47mm anti-tank ‘gun in the turret), the Btbis was, the most powerful tank in Western Europe in 1939-40. Exactly 403, ‘examples (81 and Btbis) had been built by mid-June 1940, Wane 65 - Infantry Tank units, 1939-1940 January 1940 were the 1" and 2° DCR finally assembled, and then only at half the theoretical BRS (sysice ows acne strength. The 3€ was formed in March and the 42 | $90 amenanctas:poombse | Te tamkn = under de Gaulle’s command = in the middle of | extetowaneatcuneoesh ac) ome an Carp the May 1940 battle. eee In some ways, the French tanks were better | wut waltmara surat Sosa mote fo pwtarane auton om than the Panzers Mark Land 1 which equipped itis tortor the majority of the German armoured forces: the baretstarsal Type Blbis and the Somua were both more heavily armoured and carried better However, the French tanks, especially the infantry tanks, were also slow; the lighter ones were not equipped with radios; the main gun was operated by the tank commander in a one-man turret; and their small petrol tank gave them only a limited range. Further, except for the Armoured Divisions equipped with the powerful Char B (two battalions in each DCR, i.e. 68 tanks), and the fast Hotchkiss H39 light tank (two battalions per DCR, i.c. 90 tanks), the bulk of the chars de combat bat- talions were spread throughout the armies for infantry support duties. ament NCOs and chasseurs of the 48° Bataillon de Chars d Combat, which was equipped with Renault R38s and the new R40s (with ANX tracks), at the fend of June 1940. A wide range of uniforms is on view here, Including a mechanic's ove suit on the left, and, in the centre, a sergent-chef wearing ‘the 1935-pattorn leather jacket, complete with collar patches (which was unusual) and the badge of the 2° DCR (which was ‘even more unusual), The braid fon the tank force small dark blue beret was a popular, if non-regu= lation, addition. (Coll. Henri Gallo)‘The fast, heavily armoured 20 tonne Somua $35, was the backbone of the French cavalry mechanised divisions. 430 Somua had beon built up to June 1940. This one, destroyed in ‘Northern France, belonged to 18 Dragoons (1"° DLM) (Coll. P. Boucher») At the request of the High Command, French industry continued to con- centrate on producing tanks for this role, manue facturing 1,650 Renault R35/40s\ to replace the ageing FT model. Cavalry Like its contemporaries in other armies, the French cavalry of 1939-40 was a combination of the tradi- tional and modem, some with wholly mechanised formations, while others remained horsed During the 1920s there were five cavalry divisions, composed of three brigades regiments) and a regiment of horse ‘Two or three squadrons of White armoured cars, dating from 1918, formed the only mechanised element; as an infantry component, the division included a group of chasseur cyclists. From 1929, the artillery was motorised, the cyclists were transformed into @ motorised batalion of dragoons (BDP) with motorcyele/side-car combinations and Ciuoén-Kégresse half-tracks, whilst the armoured cars were formed into a Group (GAM), which, in 1939, was enlarged to a regiment (RAM) of six squadrons, ‘These new cavalry divisions (DC type 1982) now con- tained only two horsed brigades (four regiments) and alight mechanised brigade (BLM) grouping together the motorised dragoons and the GAM/RAM. The engineers and other services were motorised at the same time, From 1933, the 4° DC underwent a more radical transformation, becoming entirely motorised and armoured, and changing its name in 1935 to become the I© Division Légire Mécanique (DLM). The 5© DG underwent the same process in 1936, becoming the 2& DLM. The two new divisions were gradually equipped with the new Somua $35 —a fast, well armed and heavily armoured tank ~ as they rolled off the production line. Although ‘light’ in name, the DLMs were the equivalent of a German Panzer division, con- taining more than 300 armoured vehicles: 190 tanks (one half $35s and the other Hotchkiss H35s in the two ‘combat regiments’), 69 Renault AMR35s_ (equipping the motorised dragoons) and 48 wheeled Panhard AMDs (which equipped two squadrons of the recon- naissance regiment, while its remaining artiller 1314 two squadrons used motoreycle combinations) The — dragoon motor regiment of these divisions was a powerful unit of three battalions (each comprising one squadron of AMR35s, one with motorcycle combinations, and three on. sixawheel Laffly S20TL or Lorraine L28 carriers). The artillery regiment, equipped with wactors, was three groups strong (armed. and with — 24x75m 12105035) In September 1939, there were thus five cavalry divisions in the field (1°, 2€ and 8° DC plus the 17€ and 2© DLM), In February 1940, however, the three DCs were transformed into five light divisions (DL) which only one month later, on 5 March 1940, were renamed light cavalry divisions (DLC) Fach of these included just one horsed brigade and a weaker dragoon motor regiment of only two battalions, and two, instead of three, groups per artillery regiment. The horsed regiments were unchanged in their organisation, comprising four sabre squadrons (with five officers and 172 men each, in four troops) plus a heavy weapons squadron (with six officers and 208 men, equipped with 12 machine guns, four 60mm mortars and four 25mm anti-tank guns) ~ 1,100 men in all, Each DLM and DLC also included a divisional antitank squadron (12x25mm weapons) manned by the cavalry, and a divisional anti-tank battery (with eight 47mm) manned by the artillery A 3® DLM was created in February 1940, and a fourth should have followed on I July, but its regiments ready in May were included instead in the ‘de Gaulle Force’ (goupement de Ganite), the original name of the 4© DCR, At the start of June, the I and 4¢ DLCs were transformed into ‘reduced DLMs', and numbered by adding three to their original number, thus becoming the 4° and 7® DLM respectively. AL the same time, the three original DLMs, having lost all their equipment in the fighting in the north, were reformed with the bare minimum of men and new equipment Besides these divisions, the cavalry formed four independent mounted brigades (three were formed from North African spahis; the fourth was the brigade left over from the creation of the DLCs). The other cavalry component consisted of the numerous reconnaissance groups attached to infantry divisions (GRDIs) and army corps (GRCAs), ‘These units, which had the firepower of a small battalion, were generally A trooper of the 6° Dragons (@® DLC}, spring 1940, but wearing, as was often seen at this time, the peacetime piped Jacket with tin buttons. The ‘Saddlery and hamess is complete with 1925-pattern saddle-bags and a modified 1916-pattern ban- dolier. The sabre is carried vertically on the right side in tra- ditional fashion, although, according to the February 1938 regulations, it should have been carried diagonally on the left side, as in the African cavalry reg- ments. (Coll. Paul Ringenbach) ‘ABOVE OPPOSITE These Renault AMR3Es crowmen belong to the 1° RDP (dragons portés), from Pontoise. Their red-brown uniform (see Plate E1) includes the light Iden chtiche, #0 grenade okt badge and the patches of ‘motorised dragoons, with its third, Violet, soutache. In the contro is ‘an adjudant or adjudant-chot ‘wearing khaki breeches and leggings. He is wearing an officers’ belt and a holster of the ‘simplified 1915 pattem.mixed hors GRCAs), on squadron. Those attached to motorised formations, however, had no horsed element, but included instead, in the GRDIm, two armoured car squadrons (with 16 AMDs and 16 AMRs). Ouiside France, the regiments of chassewrs d'Afrique, composed of French personnel, were mice abn ans ps ef right in the middle of their mechanisation pro- gramme when war broke out, with the result that some regiments were entirely armoured, whilst others remained mixed. A 6© DLC, intended for a the Middle East under General Weygand, was formed in North Africa at the beginning of 1940. motor, containing one horsed squadron (two in the case of motoreyele squadron and one lorried heavy weapons woe havea coaivGoneroncareio | {hate the French artillery’, said Marshal mort tien vay Ludendorff in 1918. This enormous force of more than 10,500 tubes of all calibres (not including anti-aircraft and fortress weapons) was. still lable in 1939-40, Following reforms in 1923, all regiments were numbered in ot from | to 409, their role being indicated by their plac Aen Ss Pag nese sequence in the sequence (see Table 7). Only colonial artillery was numbered separately. All the artillery16 lino und Fortes gi Ft ely 410 Moktouiee semeterencts NOM | oo haa oe eee rom Sweet eae Lorne for Towad ight lek etry Supe Meany Ray Ay. Gana Roxane Green was drawn either by horses or by heavy tractors, with all that implies in terms of mobility and vul- nerability to air attack ~ there were only a few, improvised, self propelled weapons. An infanty division normally comprised one regiment of field artillery (three groups of 36 ‘ 1897-pattern 75mm guns) and one heavy regiment (wo groups of 24 155CS, or some sou 12 105G and 12 155CS); several B Reserve an eter aot tal narbess srs divisions, however, included only a single mixed tacveartsr inc taba : regiment (four groups of 36 75mm and 12 ABOVE, RIGHT In every infantry division, except the seven ‘motorised ones, the artillery was horse-drawn, with the 1897- pattern Puteaux 75mm guns being drawn by a fourchorse limber. As can be seen here, throo gunners, armed with the 1892 M116 carbine and dressed ‘as non-mounted troops (with an Infantry pattern capote) sat on the limber. (Col Guitloux) 155CS). In addition to the divisional artillery, and the corps artillery mentioned above, many reg- iments belonged to the General Artillery Reserve (RGA), at the Cin-C’s disposal. More than 300 regiments were mobilised in 1930-40, but, if the numbers involved were formidable, most of the equipment had changed little since 1918 Innovations in the sphere of artillery consisted almost solely of the addition of tyres to hundreds of existing pieces: the 75, LO5L, 155CS and 155GPFT. Some entirely new equipment was produced (300 x 105C34S and 35B light howitzers, 150 x 105L36S medium pieces); but the main effort of artillery rearmament went into anti-tank guns (1,100 x 47mm AT37) and into anteaircraft weapons (1,500 x 25m AA38/39/40 and 350 x 75mm AA32), Engineers, Transport, Services (NB: Personnel of the supporting services continued to wear on their collars the number of the peacetime formation responsible for their mobilisation. It bore no resemblance to the number of the company, group or detachment in which they served.) The engineers were formed into companies (two per army corps and infanuy division, one per DLG and DCR, and three per DLM), whichperformed the usual tasks of construction and demolition. Army Corps and DLMs also included a bridging train of one company; the Army Corps also had a park squadron, Until 1942, signals were still the responsi bility of the engin h DI, DLM and Corps included one telegraph and one radio company; DLCs and DGRs had only one mixed telegraph /racio company There were few transport units at the di sional or corps level (one horsed company and one motorised company per division or corps, two motorised companies for mec anised formations), but there were a lange number of motorised units available for deployment on strategic routes. These units were divided into GTPs (personnel transport) and GTMs (matériel transport), each com- prising three or four companies equipped with coaches, trucks and vans, plus a section of staff cars and one for traffic control. In total, each GT was equipped with 300 to 500 vehicles according to type; for example, the vehicles of three GIPs were required to move an infantry division. Even though production of military trucks September 1939 and June 1940, the GIs, like many other units, continued to rely on requisitioned vehicles for the greater part of their equipment. The Transport § also provided drivers for ambulances (one section per division) fresh meat transportation sections. One medical group was attached to each division, as well as to each corps (a field hospital) and to armies (an evacuation hosp added ordinary hospital resources throughout France (thet ly reinforced after the bloody experience of the First World War) and yans reached 40,000 betwee al}. To these could be selves consid There was no women's section in the French Army of 1999-40, However, several hundred women served as chulian volunteers in auxiliary ambulance sections, attached to the Army in the field. ‘These elegant vol- unteers of the SSAF-SSBM (tho future French Red Gross) are wearing a uniform in RAF blue ‘superfine cloth. Reservists of the 8° and 38° Génie with their comman- dered Renault van, 1939-40, All are wearing the seven-button 1920 vareuse, with the collar the fashion uring the ‘Phoney War’. The ‘man standing in the foreground, undoubtedly the driver, has been Issued a pair of 1935-pattorn ssalopettes in red-brown or khaki canvas. Engineer units whose ‘number ended in an eight were always signals units, hence the T (for transmissions) on the mudguard. 1718 Officers and cavalry troopers, belonging largely to the 118° Dragons Motorisés. Taken after mobilisation in 1930, this photo shows an interesting variety of uniforms among the officers and, particularly, among the men: on the left, a corporal in horizon blue, wearing a 1920-pattorn varouse with, on its sleeve, a patch commemorating a dis- banded regiment. On the right, tone trooper wears 2 khaki 1920/96 varouse with sky blue piping and tin buttons, while the other wears a varouse with khaki buttons taken from reserve stocks. UNIFORMS AND EQUIPMENT 1939-40 The major simplifications in uniform brought about by the First World ‘War (see MAA 286) eliminated virtually all the old distinctions charac- teristic of the different branches of the French Army. With the exception of African and Colonial troops, all Army personnel received clothing that belonged to one of just two basic categories. Non-mounted troops (whether on foot or carried in vehicles) received a greatcoat (capote) trousers (pantalon-cuiotte) and puttees; troops mounted on horseback, got another type of greatcoat (manicau), breeches (culotte) and leggings. The tunic (vareus), identical for all branches, was altered in 1919, with a stand-and-fall collar replacing the upright collar. All items of clothing were slightly modified and redesigned from 1920 onwards: notably, the ‘vareuse now had seven buttons down the front instead of five, and the capoie lost the buttons on the pocket flaps. Eyery soldier in the Army received clothing for three different orders of dress during his time with the colours. One, either brand new or well maintained in a smart condition, was reserved for walking-out on Sundays, inspections, paracles, and for the formal depart The other two orders of dress were barracks dress and training order, re to the front. neither of which were carried on campaign. Reservists called up at mobilisation — who formed most of the Army — were to be provided with new clothing from reserve magazines: in 1939, their uniform was khaki serge with half-ball buttons painted in matt dark khaki. Other Ranks’ Uniforms During the 1920s, only African and Colonial troops wore khaki, The decision to standardise Army uniforms on this colour, in a shade knownas ‘American khaki’, was actually made in the autumn of 1921, but, because of the huge stock of horizon blue uniforms, it was another 15 years Arm-atsenvioa Pong Braid Button’ before khaki items were widely distributed to met iernyZounves —gerance —gwanca toma ropolitan troops. In the crucial year of 1935 the | Ak/Tntalars alow lew tonpas international situation finally forced changes “swean iorrintantyy voict = garerea th when, scared of Germany's furthe? intentions after fecintaganit) gen on tony soon its reoccupation of the demilitarised Saarland, Tanks een groan th France reintroduced a conscription period of nwo | Qustve were tate uk thm years. A walking-out dress in khaki was introduced Caren Remnant ast beibn on 31 August for the newly raised fortress troops | Ailey scars (see Plate A2) and, only three weeks later, for all | wesea ces pence metropolitan troops. Khaki garments were readih available, having been manufactured and placed in storage since the late 1920s, and by the end of dhe year the measure had taken full effect. But, to make the new uniform a proper walking-out dress, it was decorated with polished buttons and new branch distinctions (see Table I): thin lines of piping in the arm-ofservice colour were added to the culls and to the edges of the shoulder straps (this also applied to the expote and maniean, which were given shoulder straps for the first time). The new uniform was worn with the Aépi, which was reintroduced in 1930 in horizon blue or khaki, but now worn in its distinctive pre1914 colours Badges of rank retained their 1931 form — an elongated chevron = but were now in the armok service colour. Another important new feature was a khaki shirt with chest pockets, worn with a tie in a dark khaki colour, The shirt and tie were intended to be visible at the collar, an effect which ‘was achieved by removing the top-most button of the vareuse and of the manteau, and. slightly lowering the opening of the collar (although this was not necessary with the eapoie). From then on, the mantean was left with five buttons down the front, and the vareuse with six. In 1936 the jesey, a light pullover in khaki woo! with a stand-and-fall-collar, was introduced. This was issued to all non-mounted troops to replace the vareuse, and so lighten the individual's burden. A new working dress in khaki canvas, the veste-hourgenon and salopette, was adopted in 1938 (see Plate B2). At the same time, a complete new uniform was introduced: the new items included ample ‘golf’ trousers, typical of the fashions of the time, a vareuse with a five-button front, a single-breasted capoteand. a manteau with shoulder tabs. Tunic, capole and manteau were all given a better fit around the chest. None of the 1938-pattern items had been distributed by the outbreak of war, although the new trousers were widely issued from the beginning of 1940 (even to mounted troops), since those of the old pattern quickly wore out. The trousers apart, these new patterns did little to affect the silhouette of the French soldier, who in May er eee ee Ty ana a tag og Fog Lage red wthmae farce th feet tembac ‘These three friends from the 414° Section ¢'nfirmiers Militaires (note horizon blue numbers on ‘garance collar patchos without ‘soutaches, and an infantry képi) from Lyon wear the 1920/35 walking-out dress, with its distinctive piping. Two wear the 11995-pattem shirt and tie, clearly visible here, thanks to the removal of the top button and the ‘consequent lowering of the collar ‘opening. (Goll. Erle Miquelon)1940, muffled in his heavy, hot coat, looked ready to fight the Great War once again. In general terms, the French uniform of 1939-40 can be considered old-fashioned and illadapted to modern warfare, The only exceptions were in to specialised areas of dress: motoreyclists’ clothing (see Plate B3) and, particularly, mountain clothing (see Plates Fl and F2), where sig- nificant and ground-breaking advances had been made. Just before the war, Captain Pourchier, commandant of the Mountain Warfare School (Ecole de Haute Montagne) im Chamonix until 1989, had perfected an entirely new uniform, based on the layering system. According to the air temperature, the individual soldier was free to put on or take off one of a number of lightweight items of clothing. The capote and vareuse were abandoned in favour of a number of woollen pullovers, with and without sleeves, worn in their turn underneath a canvas anorak (Mouson de skies) with chest pockets, which was to be the principal uniform of the mountain sold (see Plate FI). For greater warmth, the ind vidual soldier could also wear additional items of warm clothing on top of the anorak during operations at altitude (items cut short enough, to allow free movement - see Plate F2). For walking-out, he could wear the traditional hooded cape of Alpine troops (introchuced in 1935, in khaki cloth, for motorised troops as well). The 1940-pattern Pourchier system, combined with several items taken from the ‘The final changes to the French uniform of motorised troops, was used by the men of the French infantry uniform appear in these ixpeclitionary Force to Scandinavia(CERS), where its excellent qualities {wo official photographs. On the were much appreciated. loft, barracks dress, with the 1935-pattorn khaki shirt, dark khaki tie, 1938 ‘golf trousers Officers’ dress and traditional dress ‘and 1918-patter side-cap, Officers and senior NCOs, who bought their own uniform, were pet unchanged ie On mitted to wear the new khaki uniforms from December 1925. This the right, the 1938 singe- eisai , far in khaki ee ee. explains why, in so many interwar photos, officers appear in khaki lnce-up leather infantry leggings, service dress while the men are still clad in horizon blue, 41935 mod. 37 equipment and the Officers had wo basic uniforms ~ full dress and service dress. For full [MAS36 rifle. The back view of dress, and for walking-out, officers wore a long tunic with an upright this equipment can be seen on collar, and trousers which, from May 1931, were in their pre-1914 colours bai (see Plate Al). Service dress consisted of a khaki vaeuse with four pockets and, under English influence, fawn breeches (see Plate E2). The varewse had a pointed collar, introduced in 1929, Although this was replaced in May 1938 by an open collar, revealing a shirt and tie (see Plate G2), both types were seen in 1939-40. In the field, the vareuse was 20 usually worn under a manieau (see Plate B1).Despite these general regulations, the traditions of individual arms ofservice created a surprising number of exceptions, Afier the general introduction of khaki, the chasseurs managed to retain their traditional dark blue uniform, even in the field (see Plate B3). The heavily braided pre-I914 uniform of African toops was reintroduced in its entirety in November 1927 (see Plate A3), although only for parades and walking, out where it was thought to act as an incentive to recruitment. In February 1928, colonial troops also saw the reintroduction of their dark blue pre-1914 walking-out uniform. This comprised a double-breasted tunic (paletof) with an upright collar, and trousers with scarlet piping (infantry) or a wide scarlet double stripe and piping (artillery). On campaign, however, all these items were replaced by khaki, RIGHT The colour party of the 1° Zouaves, early 1999. The sous-lioutenant carrying the colour wears the special 1931; pattern zouave uniform — a black tunie without epaulettes, and with rank distinctions in elongated Austrian knots. The others are in ‘oriental’ full dress. Re-introduced in 1927, it was virtually identical to that wor at all times prior to 1914, LEFT Wearing their characteristic. rezz08, Morocoan spahis had 2 full dress uniform that was quite different from that of thelr Algerian and Tunisian coun- torparts (see Plate 0}. Their ‘burnous, although identical in ‘out, was dark blue trom June 1924 onwards. in February 1931 the uniform worn only briefly in 1919 was re-introduced as full ‘dross: It consisted of a garance Jacket of European cut with nine buttons and a turn-down collar, land wide sky blue trousers with soparate logs.eC Ree icy Headgear The item of headgear that most symbolises the mctuancy Natura mi Ba Buon a French Army is the gp It was first issued im its METROPOLITAN TROOPS modern form (a flaetopped rigid eylinder around sa enone 10cm high) as the officers’ 1919-pattern, Colours arrtneiairs exit Satie ir fon differed according to the arm-ofservice of the wala Sons Sal wearer (sce Table I). The unit number or a Ronan = oH branch device was usually, but not always (again depending on the arm-ofservice), displayed on the front. For officers and adjudants, an Austrian knot on the top of the képi, and lines of thin owe a tubular braid around the crown indicated rank. Seiaraaia sms suite From 1920, re-enlisting NCOs received an iy waite, cosias. oj abuaeamiese officers’ pattern képi, but without the knot or = a Be ae braid. From 1926 the képi was authorised for suc- cessive ranks, until by 1930 it was prescribed for seg als all, except in units that had their own traditional an aes) ne Gece headdress Except for generals, who had a khaki pattern with stars on the front, the képi did not form part sstceoeams rele” tthe Ge tow nce of campaign dress, where it was replaced by the | sutoscaraorans cotaie same To sharply pointed 1918-pattern side-cap (bonnet de sie er ee “nr police). In theory, the side-cap was issued in a single oe pattern for all ranks; in practice, however, officers cto ont wore a welltailored version, in finer cloth (see irumnneonin Gate nthe | fal anata Plate B1). In units with a traditional head-dress, eeu: Gan cece temedh the képi was worn only by French officers and eempde Sham Siow die: Uracieds NCOs, while ORs were issued with the beret or the - -s s aa chéchia instead of the bonnet de police (see Table 111) os oe Ee The principal headgear worn with campaign ES AE: HEURES bee dress was the steel helmet ~ in 1989 the pattern COLONIAL TROOPS AND SERVICES most frequently seen was the M1926, The direct Zoe, OU CO eS ee descendant of the famous Saree cell ie te ote Adrian helmet, it was ‘inneaores” Some” ine foo eer stamped from a single piece of manganese steel, with the erest in either al steel and, on the front, a a badge to rir iatetafoce span | indicate the armmotservice of the wearer (sce Table IIL and MAA 286 p.20). Motorised twoops wore either the —1935-pattern helmet, which — in- Caporal-chet radio operator, 24° Al from Paris, in the piped walking-out dress and 1935-pattern képi with the number “embroidered in gold wire, and gold chin-strap. The specialisation badge (TSF = t6/égraphie sans fil, or wireless) is sewn over the diagonal gold braid which is part of the rank badge in this ordor of ‘dress. Metal regimental badges, here on the chest, had become ‘common in many units from the 1930s onwards. (Coll. Eric Lefevre)‘Tho 1936-pattorn helmet for anti-aircraft units, here being wom by a young brigadier-chef, featured a flat brow band, ‘and cut-outs around the ears to accommodate the head- phones of the sound detection equipment. cluded a padded brow band but no crest (see Plates El to F3), ot the carlicr models with a flat band and a small crest. Finally, antiaircraft artillery and the crews of the infuntry's Oerlikon machine guns received the 1936-pattern helmet, which was based on the 1935 version. Twas worn 1 either the artillery or infantry badge as appropriate Overseas, the 1931-pattern cork sun helmet, covered with light khaki cloth, was often worn on campaign by both Europeans and Indoc troops. By regulation no badges were worn on the front, except for the gilt star and crescent of the Saharan Companies, or the gilt anchor of Colonial troops (see Plates GI and G2). inese Insignia ‘The principal insignia of the French Army were the collar patches ~ worn on vareuse, eapote, mantean and all specialist protective clothing — which clearly identified the arm-of-service of the wearer. This system of identification dated back to December 1914, when the standard horizon blue uniform succeeded a whole variery of older patterns, and continued to develop until 1940. Each armvofservice had its own background colour (except in the infantry, where it matched the colour of the garment); the different branches were then identified by the colour of the soutaches (the distinction of combatant units) arranged in chevrons. The number of the unit and/or its ornamental device lay in the centre of the patch (see Table TV) PMC eee UC MOLE) ere) The light khaki chéchia cover was wom throughout 1939 and 1940. In regiments that did not hhave this item it was replaced by a rolled-up chéche, which left the top of the red chéchia visible.24 en et esi ree N= COLONIAL TROOPS “LEVANT SPECIAL TROOPS: IV METROPOLITAN SERVICES. 7 ‘eo shor scr coy roe Ait oc ape de creda s ree Setar” nigra tah teres ye ht Ho eect ‘usr andirwnatao 36 oiroo neue Eiucna —meern guetesa meee | dete er V- COLONIAL SERVICES. “ene ‘Sepp oct and phamacits astral cantare With few exceptions, the system of rank badges in force for campaign dress in 1939-40 had hardly changed from that used during the Great War (see MAA 286, Table p.17, horizon blue uniforms!). Th 1998, however, the ranks of junior NCOs were altered: the rank of caporat- chef/brigadier chef (iwo bars of woollen braid below one of metallic braid, 1 But note that the ranks of ginal cara TarTaa Yow war) nd geal nde Wve ar) wire mo created tire 3821. The rk nom oe rece carmen ae never eae1: Colonel, 1°" Regiment de Dragons Portes, 1938, 2: Sapper, 172° Regiment d'Infanterie de Fortorosso, Strasbourg, 1939 8: Brigadier, Algerian spahis, full dross, Oran, 18891: Chet de batailon, 92° Rl, campaign dress, 1939-40 2: Patrol member, ight campaign order, spring 1940, ‘3: Chasseur & pied, campaign dress, 1939-401: Trooper, © Régimert de Dragons, dismounted combat order, 1939-40 2: Brigadior, 4° Régiment do Spahis Meroesins, winter campaign dress, 1999-40 ‘3: Mounted artilleryman, winter 1939-404: Cavalry AFV crew, campaign dress 1998-40 2: Captain, Chars de combat, campaign dress 1909-40 3: Cavalry motoreyelist, 11° GRCA, campaign dress 1939-40,1: Chasseur alpin, Norway Expedition, reduced campaign order, 1940, 2: Légionnaire, 13° DBLE, Norway, 1940 9: SKI scout, Army of the Alps, 19991: Corporal, 24° Régiment Mixte 'Infanterie CColoniale, the Levant, 1940 2: Lieutenant, 5° Régiment Etranger <'infanterie, Tonkin, campaign dress, 1941 3: Sergeant, 1°F Régiment de Zouaves, Algiers, 1935-424: Colonial infantry, Madagascar, 1942 2: Adjutant-chet, cavalry, Southern France, 1942 23: Infantry, Vichy, Summer 1842.LEFT To keep the collar patches safe from the prying eyes of the ‘fifth column’, buttoned security patches wore ‘adopted in April 1989, and added to all garments carrying ‘numbers. In the event, they were only supplied systemat- {cally on 1938:pattern garments. Older uniforms like the 41920-pattern capote shown here] had the security patches added, rather haphazardly, at regimental level. ‘The reza, the full dress hoad-dress of Moroccan ‘troops, was made from ‘a cheche, carefully wound over a skull ‘cap, with ribbons. added at the base, \ alternately in white and in dis- | tinetive colours, to identify com- panies and | battalions. 2 a see Plate D3) was added hetween corporal and sergeant. A distinetion was also made between those sergenis/maréchaux des logis who were simply serving out their time (one bar of metallic braid, see Plate G3), and those who had reenlisted (two bars). A new rank of sergentchief/maréchal des logis-chef was created, with three bars of metallic braid. On campaign dress, junior NGOs’ badges were in a dark khakigreen wool (in the Tanks and the Legion, they were dark green). Table I shows the colours of the wool braid for walking-out dress, Table I the metallic braid. On cotton, canvas and leather uniforms, other than the standard summer tunic, the rank badges appeared on a patch, buttoned to the chest, Rank was also displayed on the képi, and on the bonnet de police in chevrons. In principle, no other headgear should have borne a rank badge. (N.B. in the French Army ‘other ranks’ included corporals and soldiers de 1"€ classe; only sergeants and above were non-commissioned officers) Other insignia worn in the Army included the lanyard (fourragére) introcuuced in April 1916 (see MAA 286), the specialisation badges and This soldier, photographed in 1931, served with the 42° Régiment (later Batallon) nlets both sewn onto the upper left sleeve de mitraillours malgaches. His paletot, with jonquil yellow braid Field equipment at collar and cuts, is of the ame pattem as that of Despite a number of trials in the years before 1914, the infantryman’s some patemss tet individual equipment underwent no significant changes throughout ggg, the colour of the number World War I. From late 1914, the basic elements (waistbelt, cartridge and anchor on the collar of pouches and leather equipment braces) were left natural, rather than Malagasy units was green.34 In 1999, many infantry rogiments were still using old equipment, unchanged since the Firat World Wir, including the wooden- ‘framed 1893-pattern pack and the third dorsal ammunition pouch, both clearly visible here. (Coll. P, Brétégnier) ABOVE The 1935-pattern equipment fs shown here in ‘combat order (Le. without the lower pack), worn low down the back to allow the MAS36 rifle to be slung across the shoulders. ‘On the left can be seen the new ANPS1 (ANP ~ appareil normal de protection), with a rubber tube ‘and filter carried in a haversack, following British practice. The |APNP 31 was in universal us 1939-40. Here the ANP 31 hhaversack almost completely hides the 1835-pattern wator- bottle, which had only one spout. in blackened, while the textile parts of the pack and other items were made from a grey-green canvas (changed to khaki in 1929) Thanks to a special emergency budget in 1925-26, the excellent Chatellerault FM 1924 machine gun was introduced into the Army. Only then was a new range of equipn pack and haversack, to replace those used with its predecessor, the Chauchat. This new equipment was distributed among the men of the infantry section, and was worn with the standa complex scheme (see Table V), However, real roovand-branch change to infantry equipment came only as the result of wials held by a Captain Gigon in 1930 with the 27€ RI at Dijon. These attempted not only to stan- dardise the infantryman’s equipment, but also, as in the pre-I914 tials, to lighten it as well. The first step on this path was taken in ime 1934, with the introduction of the ‘personal pack’ (ballot individuet) ~a simple 1861-pattern haversack containing spare underclothi towel - to be carried on company transport Modifications were introduced at the same time to some existing items of equipment: instead of being slung over the shoulder, the haversack and water-bottle were now worn below the cartridge pouches on shortened straps suspended from a belt loop in the small of the back, replacing the third car the pack were also lengthened, to allow it to be worn further down the back, enabling specialists, such as bombers, machine gun and heavy weapons crews, to sling their rifles across their chests whenever they needed both hands free These same ideas dominated the development of the completely redesigned 1935-pattern equipment. Consisting of a soft pack in two sections (the lower one containing the change of clothing, and in theory carried on company transport), it had no straps constricting the chest, Further, the new upper pack was integrated with the cartridge pouches by means of hooks, thus acting asa counter-balance, following the system, cnt adopted, which included a special items according to a 1g. soap and a ige pouch previously worn there, The straps ofused in other countries since the beginning of the century. Most partic ularly, this new equipment was intended to be standard for every soldier, irrespective of his role or weapon: the side pockets of the upper pack nd the outside pockets of the new haversack could accommodate packets of cartridges, machine gun magazines, grenades and all kinds of implements, Even so, although real progress had been made, the 1935 equipment remained a heavy burden. This official photo shows a For mountain troops, Captain Pourchier adopted equipment based Eee ee on different principles. The front cartridge pouches were worn on the Peer ary sect enn waistbelt, without any braces. A Bergen rucksack with a detachable Garers eres motoype - oe haversack was attached to the: pouches by loops attached to its own issued, they would be fonger in straps, and a kit bag (the motorised troops’ 1935-pattern), always left inthe leg), cloth skiers trousers and the rear, contained any remaining clothes. In combat, only the — °#8vasanorak. The 1940 detachable haversack was carried. This was a very light combat order, buc_ aumtale rucksack fo that used y on the Norway expedition, and it presupposed good logistical organisation and a degree of mechani- featured twe large packers en the sation that was largely absent from the Army of 1940, side and a detachable havorsack, VEU eT ts] arr t) 1 uranrny wit combination ood and Mz equipment | a SON ere rerais. | L-INFANTRY with M38 equipment and MAS 36 rifle br ei el rarest no riLEFT Parading through a small town, some of these intantrymen have been issued with ‘got trousers, the 1935 mod. 37 equipment, and the MAS36 rifle. Im the first rank are the section leaders (sergeants); behind them are the FM24/29 gunners; they in ‘tum are followed by their Number Twos, hands on holsters only weapon. With the accelerated distribu nm calibre FM24 — which became the FM24/29 after the introduction of the shortened 1929C car widge ~ the difficulty of carrying two calibres of ammunition within each section (see Table 5) meant that a replacement for the older 8mm calibre rifles became a matter of urgency. After years of trials, two new 7.5mm, rifles were adopted. One was the 1907/15 M34, an elegant Berthier modified to the Mauser system. The other was dhe famous MAS8O, which, entirely new, simple and functional, was where the future lay. In fact, the MAS36 (produced at 250,000 until June 1940) was just one step towards a semi-automatic rifle, the FA MAS40, which was intended to go into mass production from 1941. The remaining small arms comprised, at best, the 1907/15 M16 riflesand 1892 M16 carbines, which took five-round clips on the Berthier system. At the worst, it was still possible to find 1886/93 Lebel rifles and, in local defence units, 11mm Gras 1874 weapons! Handguns were essentially those of the Great War: the 8mm 1892 and the Spanish 92 revolvers, or Ruby and Star pistols, which were also Spanish made. The new 7.65mm automatics, the 35A and 35S, were not, it has to be said, a priority in rearmament, when there were so many other pressing needs. This was also uue for submachine guns: the French 7.65mm MASS8 had hardly begun production in May 1940. Groupes fiancs used more powerful weapons such as the 9mm ErmaNollmer (see Plate ) and several American 1.43mi Thompsons, but few of the latter had been distributed before the Armistice. The 8mm 1914 pattern Hotchkiss heavy machine gun was supple- ‘on CA39 20mm antisaireratt machine guns. The 60mm and Simm Brandt mortar, and the 25mm, 1934 Horchkiss and 1937 Puteaux antitank guns completed the inventory of infantry heavy weapons. mented by several hundred Swiss OctTHE ARMY OF THE ARMISTICE 1940-42 Just as at the end of World War One, when Germany was allowed to maintain a 100,000-man Reichswehr, the Armistice of 25 June 1940 allowed France a small metropolitan defence force of the same sire (84,000 for the Army, 6,000 for the Garde—ex-Mobile Republican Guard, and 10,000 for the Navy and Air Force) with the sole purpose of main- taining public order. Stationed in the Free Zi and Corsica ~ the Army of the Armistice was divided into two groupes de divisions militaire, themselves divided into four divisions militaires (DM), which replaced the old military regions of the same per (see Table 8). Each DM had the same organisation as a 1939 infantry division, but with much reduced means: anti-tank and gas protection equipment were nisation reduced (© a minimum. However, the smaller number of effectives permitted nearly all to be armed with the ew MAS36 rifle, whilst the MAS88 and Thompson sub-machine guns were also more plentiful (theoretically, six per platoon), and the 50mm, 1937-pattern grenade Iauncher made its first appearance (in theory three per platoon, progressively replacing the VB rifle grenade) In the infantry, each battalion (now composed of four mixed rifle and machine gun companies) could deploy 26 FM24/29 rifles, 16 Hotchkiss machine guns, 36 x 50mm grenade launchers/VBs, three 60mm mortars and three 8mm mortars. In the cavalry, cuirassiers and dragoons were organised into recon- naissance groups, comprising wo mounted squadrons, three cyclist squadrons (with 15 Hotchkiss machine guns and ten 8lmm mortars), nd one squadron of eight Panhard AMD armoured cars carrying a second 7.5mm machine gun to replace their anti-tank gun. The chasseurs and hussars resumed their traditional role as horsed cavalry. with four sabre squadrons and one heavy weapons squadron armed with 12 Hotchkiss machine guns and four Simm mortars. The artillery, meanwhile, was restricted to 75mm calibre weapons the south of France and mec ABOVE LEFT The Army of the Armistice die its utmost to keep Up the traditions of the pre-war army in difficult politial eircum- stances. Tho Saumur Ca School, relocated to Tarbes in the south-west of France after Its flerce fighting on the River Loire in June 1940, received the standards of 26 disbanded regiments on 19 January ABOVE RIGHT One of tho great reforms undertaken by the Army of the Armistice was its ‘emphasis on sport. A PT kit, consisting of a khaki Short-sleeved shirt, shorts and plimsolls, was introduced for all ranks in January 1941. The shirt ‘was decorated with a tricolour shield, which bore a branch symbol. Among this group, it Is possible to make out the lightning flashes of the signals and the grenade of the infantry. \ a738 only: regiments comprised three groups of three batteries of four tubes each {in total 36x 75mm). One battery was drawn by tractors, the rest by horses. Each DM also included an engineer battalion (two com- panies and a halfeompany bridging tain), a signals group, a transport group and a regiment of the Garde. All other support services were civilianised, in order to release the maximum number of troops for combat units On 11 November 1942, when the Germans invaded the Free Zone, the Army was confined to its barracks. General de Latire de ‘Tassigny, commanding the 16° DM, tried to order his men into defensive positions, but he was overruled by the government, and the future commander of the French Army was thrown into prison. With the exception of the Garde, the Army was demo- bilised on 27 November 1942 but, in the spring of 1943, the Laval government received permission to recruit a single regiment of (wo infantry battalions and a mixed cavalry.artillery-engineer- services battalion, which took the title of 1€ Regiment de France. Overseas, the situation of the Vichy forces was somewhat dif- ferent. Whilst the Italians, in particular, pressed for the eee Ue eo Le Dee Um cL ‘The 1041 pattem enor, drag wna, fe ata s pncpeueeha sn sae’ ce Tle ieee nn ede toa / tumea-bick es The wey Frey sen Twn oe By {o1t pattern helmet itued here ona ee soldier of the 1° Régiment de France in i 1943 in a pross release, hardly aaw any ee service at all. Garrisoned in the certre of France, the 19" RAF entered the war on the ny rere side of the Resistance in August 1944, IO ee PRR TElarge-scale disarmament of the Armée l'Afrique (after initially imposing a limit of 30,000 men), the Germans were flexible, particularly after the Free French reverse at Dakar in September 1940, w ated to them the willingness of Vichy troops to defend the colonial empire against all aggressors, whoever they may be. After Dakar, the Germans authorised an increase in strength, allowing 120,000 men, 120 nd 102 tanks (largely Dis and R35s) in North Afvica alone. On the other hand, the individual weapons of troops in Africa, unlike those available in France, were old (8mm, except fo nall and insufficient quantity of FM24/20s). MAS36s, sub-machine guns and grenade launchers were almost unknown there. ‘The Amny in North Africa was placed under the command of General Weygand from October 1940 to November 1941, and then under General Juin, Its organisation was similar to that of metropolitan units, but because of its distance from the mainland it was not as closely supervised by the German-Italian Armistice Commissions. In Black Africa, the example of French Equatorial Aftica which rallied to the Free French cause at the end of August 1940, was not followed elsewhere. The Gaullist failure before Dakar enabled the Vichy government to tighten its hold on French West Africa and to reinforce troops there, increasing numbers from. 3.0000 to 66,000 by October 1941, and even obtaining the release of a squadron of 23 modern Somua S35 tanks, which, as part of the 12° RCA, remained on the alert in Senegal until the end of 1942 In the Near Fast, the French Army had 2,400 officers and 70,000 men at the time of the Armistice (see Table 34, p.9) ~ a number reduced 10 25,000 by demobilisation, but then increased again at the beginning of 1941 to 38,000. These figures do not include local Lebanese or Syrian troops, officially called Spec Troops of the Levant, but of no more than limited military value. In contrast, the French forces, drawn principally from North African and colonial troops, were of high quality. There were also 90 R35 tanks formerly of the 63° and 68 BCC, which had been taken over by the 6° and 7° RCA, who were already equipped with around 100 armoured cars. During the campaign of J July 1941, these troops, although fewer in number and obsolete equipment, proved @ tough opponent for the British and Free French forces. At the end of the campaign, only 5,300 officers and men rallied to the Free French cause ~ 33,300 others opted for repatriation. 11,600 went as rein- forcements to North Africa at the end of 1941. In Madagascar, the French garrison of 9,500 men (see 3a, p.9) resisted the British attack of May ~ October 1942. Finally, Indochina, constant Japanese pressure, the Thailand campaign of December 1940 ~ January 1941 and suecessive local rebellions swetched French power to breaking point, permitting the success of the Japanese coup of March 19 armoured cars. OF these last ‘The Near East local forces, officially called ‘Special Troops of the Levant, comprised Units of all branches, including highly ‘colourful and exotic companies and ‘squadrons. ABOVE The Méharist Company of Dmeir at the Bastille Day Parade a Damascus, 1934. The French sergeant ‘wears the uniform of the spahis, whilst the troopers wear a mixture of local clothes and those of the Saharan Companies. In 1941, ‘their uniforms remained unchanged. BELOW The eight squadrons of the Circassian Group of the Levant Special ‘Troops wore a Cossack-style full dross uniform.40 THE PLATES At: Colonel, 19F Régiment de Dragons Portes, 1938 Colonel Keime, commanding offcer of the 1° ADP, gar- risoned at Pontoise near Paris, is wearing the 1931 pattern {ull dress (fenue no.7). The so-caled “town dress’ (fenue de ville ~ tarue no.2) included the same uniform items, but ‘omitted the epaulettes and sabre, while medal ribbons were ‘wom instead of the medals themselves. ‘The colonel is wearing an oficers’ 1919-pattern képy, identical to that worn with khaki uniforms, which bears five lines of silver tubular braid; he has a corresponding number of lines of flat braid on each cult, The devices on the belt buckle, different for each arm-ct-service, depict, for the dragoons, crossed lances on a sunburst. The remainder of the uniform consists of the 1931-pattem tunique, in black cloth (the reguistions stated dark blue, but this use of a darker cloth had been a custom in the French Army since the. previous century), garence red trousers with a wide black stripe, and polished black boots with small spurs. All the metal is silver (forthe cavalry) including the finial of the four- ragére. The latter, here in a non-regulation pattern, is in the red and green colours of the Crox de Guerre 1914-16; pinned to it is the regimental badge. The colonel’s deco- rations commence with the most senior, the Légion iHonneur, His sabre is the straight-bladed 1923-pattern for cavalry officers, VI- Fortress units sleeve titles ee onset Feu howe wet 150° £90 Bet i South-ant (bs Frou rar a ge ant ‘Two 25mm anti-tank guns of ‘the 93° GRD: the 1937 Puteaux In the foreground and the 1934 Hotchkiss to the rear. {Coll R. Avignon) The wearing of tenues nos. 1 and 2 was suspended for the ‘uration of the war on 12 October 1929. ‘2: Sapper, 172° Régiment d'infanterie de Forteresse, ‘Strasbourg, 1939 Regarded as dite troops, in August 1936 fortress units received a khaki uniform, whose basic com- onents were distributed t0 all other metropolitan troops shorly afterwards. Maginot Line units were, however, distin- guished by three particular features: a small dark khaki Beret with badge bearing the motio On ne passe pas (made famous at Verdun in 1916), a dark khaki wool sash, and a shoulder ttle, worn on the eft arm only, with the name of the unit's fortress zone (see Table VI). This man wears. summer {ull dress, complete with his specialisation badge, the rag mental yellow and green fourragéra (the colours of the ‘Médaile Militaire), and the white gauntlets that began to _appear in the tétes de cofanne and bands of many regiments (of al arms-of-servico in the pre-war period. ‘AS: Brigadier, Algerian spahis, full dress, Oran, 1939 This man is wearing the traditional full dress uniform, ro-estab- lished in November 1927. The head-cress is the guennour, which consisted of three skull caps covered with @ white cchéche, all held by a long camel-hair cord. The jacket and waistcoat are garance red with sky blue piping and black braid and soutaches. The tombo on the jacket was coloured according to the regiment's recruiting area (garance for Algiers, white for Oran ~ shown here ~ jonquil yellow for Constantine and sky biue for Tunis), but the small sky blue patch on the cuff was the same for all regiments. Junior NCOs" badges were in jonguil yellow. ‘The wool sash, scarlet with white and blue binding tape along the edges, worn under the regulation belt, was the special Aftican cavalry pattern (also worn by the chasseurs G'Afrique, remount and transport units in Arica). The large, ‘sky blue, Turkish-style trousers (without separate legs), called saroual, were folded into 22 pleats around the waist. ‘Two burrous were worn, one on top of the other: the inner was made of white wool, the outer, of garance serge. The leggings, by regulation the standard cavalry pattern, were more usually (as here), ofa pattern unique to the spahis in red-brown leather with a small oop at the front to securethe spurs. This man js also wearing 1917-pattern ankle boots with universal pattern spurs, and is armed with @ curved 1822/82-pattern light cavalry sabre. B1: Chet de bataillon, 92° Rl, fleld dross, 1999-40 From January 1933 officers Could combine the elements of their kaki uniforms in tree ifferent orders of dress: the smartest, day-time dress (fenue de jour — tenue no.3); working dress (tance de travail - tenue no.4) and campaign cress (tenue de ‘campagne — tenue no.5). The general rule was that officers should wear the same order of dress as their men. This meant that field dess included, whatever the season, a six button 1932-pattem manteau worn over the vareuse, The ‘manteau was supposed t0 be identical to that of mounted troops (680 Plate Dd) in practice, however, officers’ colars were much more pointed, and the coat often included ‘shoulkior straps (as here). On khaki uniforms, rank badges were in 40mm long strips of braid, and decorations were worn as ribbons oniy. The 1918-patiem bonnet de police should have camiod rank badges oniy, but officers’ caps were quite frequently decorated with dark khaki piping, and, more rarely, bore a circular cloth badge modelled on the collar patch. The fore- and-aft points of officers caps were often more rounded than ‘those of the men. Officers’ leather equipment was made in a dark tan shade, Here, this man is wearing the 1918-pattem waistbelt with chouldor strap (inspired by the Sam Browne), aan 1876/95-pattern holster, eather gloves, 1920-pattern loggings and 1919-pattern officers’ boots. Ho is carrying a map case and an ANP31 gas mask. In the field, a stick often replaced the sabre as a mark of command, 182: Patrol member, light field order, spring 1940 First formed during the Great War, groupes francs or corps francs, {an early version of commandos} were small units, generally ‘f platoon strength (30 to 40 men), composed of volunteors from their parent unit, When on patrol or whon raiding, these men wore a reduced order, at first based around regulation items. However, from spring 1940, units began to receive the 1938-pattern cotton twill uniform, worn over the jersey anc the uniform trousers, The new uniform consisted of a veste- bourgeron with five painted iron buttons, and a pair of ppantalon-salopottes ~ a simplified version, in a lighter cloth, ff the Items of dress issued to motorised troops in 1935 (see Plate Et}. Originally, this uniform was intended to replace the old working dress of unbleached or blue canvas, and to provide a cheap uniform for local defence units for wear over ‘their civilian clothes. it soon became apparent, however, that this uniform was suitable for patrolling inno man’s land. It was also distributed to the men of the CEFS in Norway, par- ticularly to the Legion. ‘The helmat is under a cover, and the man wears a blue star Con hs upper left sleeve — both typical features of the dress of groupes franes. His pouches are 1916-patter, and he is carying OF and F1 grenades and the FM24/29 spare magazine haversack: the ANP31 gas mask has been left bbohind as.a useless encumbrance. He is armed with the 1892 M16 carbine, and wears 191 7-pattem boots, BS: Chasseur a pied, field dress, 1939-40 This chasseur de 1'© classe of the 2° BCP proudly wears the campaign uniform for BGPs and BOAS, as laid down in April 1985, for This intry groupe franc are equipped with regulation fur jackets of an old pattern (as worn by truck drivers), 1916-pattern trench knives and, more unusually ‘sub-machine guns: an Erma-Vollmer is clearly visible on the loft, and the barrel and foresight of the litte MAS38 can be ‘seen in the hands of the man standing on the right. Two kinds of helmot cover (in light khaki cotton and in knitted wool) are being worn. ‘an inspection: his peacetime blues ave partly hidden by his 1920-pattom capote with its unpolished dark khaki buttons, crawn fram reserve magazines, The 1926-pattem helmet fs khaki, as is the cloth which covers the waterbottle (out of sight on his right hip). In the chasseurs, the 1935-pattem shir was dark blue with a black tie; the trousers are ‘dark iron rey’ (a colour made up of 95% dark blue and 5% Unbleached wool) without any piping, as laid down in regu- lations, and the puttees, introduced in March 1936, are dark blue. Apart from the branch distinctions the blue colour of some items, the helmet badge and the collar patches ~ the uniform is identical to that of the line infantry. This man wears the new 1835-pattern equipment. The first ‘ets issued were recognisable by the soft leather cartridge ‘pouches with a narrow flap and long straps, introduced in 1936. These were not very practical, however, rapidly losing their shape, and were quickly replaced by the 1937-pattarn, first issued in 1999 (see Plate C1). The rifle is the 1907/15 M16; the boots are the 1917-pattern. Ct: Tiralleur algérien, field dress, spring 1940 Unusually, this man hes managed to acquire @ single-breasted 1938- pattern capote, fastened with five large, 25mm diameter buttons (those on the double-breasted coat were 20mm) and security patches on the collar. He weers the coat with tho +1938 ‘gol trousers, which, in contrast, were widely avaible from the start of 1940. tn marching order, the helmet was hung from the belt and at42 the undress headgesr worn instead. In this case, it is the crimson chéchia of the zouaves and tiaileurs beneath its cover, whilst the chache (a scart of thin cloth 2.5m long x 0.85m wide, standard for all African troops and for motorised troops) is tied around the neck in typical fashion. The ‘equipment is the 1935 mod. 37-pattern, easily recognisable by the rigid cartridge pouches, with their deep flaps and short straps. The upper pack is heavily laden: the blanket, for want Of space in the pack, has been rolled up and secured under the flap, whilst the lower pack, intended to be carried on ‘company transport, is being wor, together with the ANP3t cease and the 1935-pattern haversack. This is full marching order, desorived by regulations as ‘exceptional’, but, in fact, the usual lot of the pollu of 1939-40, €2: Moroccan groupe franc, winter 1939-40 The chéche is wound around the head in @ manner reminiscent of the Indian Army, common amongst Moroccan tiralleurs and in all the ‘spahi regiments. Over his khaki vareuse, this man is wearing ‘a sheepskin jerkin, widely distrioutec for outpost work during the winter of 1939-40. His trousers are the 1915/27-pattern for African infantry, baggier in cut than those issued to met- ropolitan troops, and a precursor of the golf trousers of 1838 {although the 1915/27 trousers featured an undyed canvas extension covering the calf, fastered with three buttons, hidden behind the puttees when wom). He Is equipped with 1916-pattem pouches, and grenades, a 1916-pattern ‘dagger, and standard khaki wool goves. His sub-machine ‘gun is the 9mm Erma-Vollmer parabellum. Stocks of this German weapon were seized in the summer of 1939 from the remnants of the Spanish Republican army, as it escaped across the Pyrenees. 4 large haul of weapons of all types was acquired in this way, including 3,250 Erma Vollmers and 1,540 extra magazines. These weapons were partly put into service in the French Army, where they were distributed to the groupes franes, Each weapon however, came with only fone oF two spare magazines (rather than the three called for by regulation), and without any special pouch, (On his feet, this man is wearing regulation pattern rubber ‘reach boots, which were large enough to be put on over the ‘wearer's ankle boots. Their fit could be adjusted by the two strong rubberised straps on the sides. : Tiailleur sénégalais, garrison dress, 1999-40 Colcnial ‘troops, whether European 0” locally-raisod, did not wear the vareuse but the osiefot ~ a tracition nhedted fram the Navy. Apart from being double-breasted, the paletot was distn- ‘uished from the vareuse by is clath, which was softer and Dlusher, and also by its lack of cuffs. In addition, the paietots of ‘Senegalese and Malagasy troops were decorated with joncuil yellow braid around the collar and on the sleeves. The scarlet wool sash (4.2m x 0.ém) was identical to that worn by Noxth ‘Atrican tiraileurs and artillery. In campaign dress, it was worn beneath the other garments, but on cther occasions (walking ‘out, in garison, inspections, otc} it was usually visible, The trousers are the spacial 1921/35-patten for local Coionial forces. In outward appearance they were identical to the 1922 ‘metropolitan troops’ pattem, but in the Colonial version were ‘cut shorter to just below the knee. The chéchia is the same as that of North Alrican troops. This man’s equipment consists of 1916-pattern pouches, a 1907/15 NM6 rife, and boots sirilar to those of metropolitan troops, but ina wider fing D1: Trooper, 6° Dragons, dismounted combat order, 1939-40 This soldier, already serving at the outbreak of war, hhas been issued with the piped 1920/35 vareuse, complete with tin buttons. His equipment is the 1916-pattern, complete with @ bandolier for dismounted action, normally carried around the horse's neck. This is the 1918-patter with nine pouches each hoiding two clips of five rounds each; the 1928-pattern had two sets of three pouches, each holding 15 rounds of 7.6mm ammunition. He has also removed one of the saddle-bags, which he is carrying on his back, thanks to a system of straps. His helmet is the 1926 universal pattern His breeches are the 1933 cavalry pattern, with reinforced patches on the inside ofthe leg, worn by mounted troops from all arms-of-serviee, As an aid to marching, his 1921-pattera riders’ leggings, by comparison with older patterns, were shorter in length, and did not extend over the top of the foot, He is wearing universal pattorn spurs and 1917 ankle boots, ‘The mociern MAS36 rifle was issued as a priority 1 regular army cavalry units, in view of their wartime role as a covering force on the frontier to protect full mobilisation in the interior ‘All metropolitan cavalry regiments, as well as some GRDIs ‘and GRCAs, were thus equipped with the new rifle. must be stressed that there was no co-ordination between the Jssue of new weapons and that of new equipment; the ‘A spahi of the 2° RSM (3° Spahi Brigade), in the Ardennes, ‘9th February 1940. This man wears the 1920 pattern six- bbutton cavalry manteau with security patches added on the collar. The bolt strap of the gas mask case fs clearly visible. ‘The helmet, 2 1915 Adrian with a crescent badge, is worn fon top of a chéche worn as a turban. Arriving from Algeri In November 1939, the regiments of the 3° Brigade wore equipped with the 1992 M16 carbine, and so carry their bayonets on their bandoliers.cavalry continued to wear 1916 pouches, but often carried the up-to-date MAS36, whilst many infantry regiments wore the new 1935 equipment with old 8mm weapons (see Plates BS and C1). D2: Brigadior, 4° Spahis Marocains, winter field dress, 1939-40 This man is wearing his chéche Indian-style, with the blue burnous (the while bumous was not wom on campaign against a European enemy) and an ORs’ 1920/35 manteau (see Plate 03}. Over the manteau he is wearing the characteristic gandourah, a roomy Arab shir, mace from twill. This garment was worn all year round by spahis and some other Affican units, Rank badges were worn on a cloth patch attached to the chest. His equipment consists of a cartridge belt and ban olier?bayonet carrier in red cross-lined leather. This was criginally issued to Saharan units only, but its use was extended to the spahis in the 1920s. It was motified in 1935, to accommodate clips of five rounds instead of the three- round clips used with the 1892 carbine. In the spahi brigades that were issued with the MAS36 (the 1"© and 2°, both sta- tioned in France before the outbreak of wan), the bayonet frog ‘was empty. Tha 1815 spahi trousers, whilst of fairly ample ccut, had separate legs and were not pleated at the waist Leggings, boots and spurs are identical to those shown in Plate A3. The 1926 helmet, with its crescent badge, is ‘covered by a chéche, rolled in a fashion unique to the 22. D3: Mounted artileryman, winter 1999-40 This brigadter- chet is wearing the 1926-pattem helmet with the crossed barrels and grenade badge of the arillery, and the 1920/35 ‘mounted man’s manteau (here with buttons painted with dark khaki matt paint and ne shoulder straps, suggesting that it has, been drawn from reserve stocks). This coat was much roomier than the infantry capote, and included a long buttoned vent at the back to allow the wearer to ride a horse. The manteau did not have pockets, but nearly vertical sits in the skits gave acoass to the pockets in the vareuse or trousers. ‘The collar patches are those of a divisional artillery regiment, the 362, and the rank badges are the ‘subdued! ‘Tho 41° GAD! leaving for the front, Lyon, March 1940. This photo, although of rather poor quality, is very evocative of the ‘horse and herse-power' mix of most of the recon- nnaiseance groups. In the foreground, an NCO wears a cape (issued to side-car personnel}, whilst in the background the troopers wear the manteau. version of field dress. The badge on this man’s sleeve is that of a farrier (maréchal-ferrant), He is wearing the equipment of ‘4 mounted man ~ the 1903/14 waistbelt. a 1915 simplified ppattorn holster, and a sword belt loop (which was worn oni, when dismounted; normally the sword and loop were carried ‘on the saddle). He is wearing breeches, 1916-pattern leggings, spurs and ankle boots. He is carrying a regulation patter canvas bucket. E1: Cavalry AFV crew, campaign dress 1939-40 All cavalry AFV crews, regardless of the type of AFV they manned, wore the same uniform with the appropriate badge on their 1935 patiern motorised troops’ helmet; in the case of the Cuirassiers and dragoons, the helmet badge featured a grenade, while the men of the Armoured Gar branch (GAWRAM), as here, wore the head of Minerva on a sunburst. ‘AFV crews wore the standard uniform beneath a set of the 1936-pattern overalls, made in a heavy red-brown canvas. The canvas jacket was similar in cut to the vareuse, but carried five dark khaki uniform buttons, and included @ removable khaki cloth lining. The collar patches (here with the violet piping of the GAMS/RAMs) and the rank badges were detachable. The 1935-patiem salopettes had two patch pockets on the thighs, and slits on each sido, allowing access, to the pockets ofthe uniform trousers. From 1937, these items ‘were made in khaki, rather than red-brown, canvas: and, from February 1938, the trousers were stamped with @ grenade ‘marking on the upper lag, whilst the jacket was stamped with ‘a similar grenade high up on the right sleeve. This man is also wearing the 71936-pattem gloves and ‘goggles for motorised troops. Around his neck is the requ-44 lation 1938-pattern neck warmer in khaki wool, which replaced the chéche in winter (see Plate £2). His equipment still consists of the old 1903/14-rattem belt, with a 1916 pistol holster. His boots are those introcuced in 1917. 2: Captain, Chars de Combat, field dress 1939-40 This ‘man wears a helmet identical to that shown in Plate Et, but here with the bacige changed to the crossed gun barrels anc hhelmet of the Tank units, Tank crews received most of the items in the new ‘motorised troops’ canvas uniform when they were introduced in 1935. However, they retained thoic leather jacket, partly out of tradition, but also because it alforded better protection against fire. The 1920-pattem double-breasted jacket, in black leather with a black cloth collar, was replaced in 1935 by the pattern shown here. This was made entiraly trom brown leather, inclucing the collar, and it was fastened by five flat ivory-nut buttons. Rank badges, in silver braid (here, This trooper of the 2° RDP Is a lorried rfleman: he has the Standard helmet, tho modified 1934 infantry equipment, the 1920/35 cavalry manteau and the 1935 hooded cape, a large sleeveless type of chasseur alpin pattern, but in khaki. Other items specific to motorised troops are the 1995 pattern goggles and the 1938 neck warmer. ‘those of a captain) were placed on a patch of dark blue/black Or khaki cloth. The collar patches were often omitted on the brown leather jacket. Like their men, officers wore the standard. uniform underneath these special items of clothing. When actually serving in their tank, officers wore the safopettes, but, when fon foot like this officer, they were abandoned in fevour of fawn breeches. in theory, the puttees should have been of khaki cloth like those of Other Ranks, but frequently officers, ‘wore them in shades of fawn to match their breeches. This man wears the ragulstion chéche, an otficers'-pattern bel, gloves and boots, all with a dark tan finish (see Plate 1), His pistol holster is the elegant, although old fashioned, 1876/93-patiem. E3: Cavalry motorcyclist, 11° GRCA, campaign dress 1939-40 This trooper wears the helmet shown in E1, but with @ grenade badge, and the gloves, goggles and chéche shown in Et and €2. The uniform adopted in 1995, which consisted of a long, light canvas coat with removable lining, was considered impractical by cavalry motorcycle units: it was not waterproof, for example. They therefore developed better patterns which were finally adopted in July 1998. The ew uniform was made from a more densely woven and waterproof khaki canvas. it consisted of a double-breasted jacket, salopettes and a fur under-jacket. The jacket was roomy and smartly cut, with raglan sleeves; it was closed by ‘wo rows of five ivory-nut buttons, and included a removable lining in khaki cloth. A new feature was to move the arm-of- service patches from the collar to the upper sleeve, allowing the rider to turn up his collar for warmth, without concealing the patches. Most of the 1838-pattorn jackets worn in 1939 40 also included security patches, adopted as a general measure in Apri 1999. Rank badges were worn on the sleeves as per regulation. The 1938-pattern salopettes were basically of the same cut as the 1995 pattem, but incor- Porated a fly front, and wide reinforcements on the inside of ‘the thighs. This man’s personal equipment is the 1916- pattern, with 1917-pattern boots, and here hidden under the overtrousers, 192/-patter leggings. He is armed with the 1892 M16 carbine, Fiz Chasseur alpin, Norway Expedition, reduced field ‘order, 1940 Tho six battalions of chasseurs alpins in General Béthouart's High Mountain Brigade (BHM) were equipped contiraly with the up-to-date Pourchier clothing system. The 1940: pattern anorak was made from the same waterproofed khaki canvas as the 1936-pattern motorised troops" jacket, with Ivory-nut buttons, ventiiation holes beneath the armpits, ‘a removable hood, and security patches on the collar. Like the 1935-pattem shir, the anorak did not open all the way down the front, but was put on over the head, Since the Expeditionary Force was put together in a hurry, the uniform issued to the BHM was, with the exception of the dark blue alpine bret, entirely in khaki, which ran counter to all the tra- ditions of the chasseurs. Béthouart declared that, [the chasseur's) heart will remain blue’, and managed at least to ‘obtain collar patches and rank badges in jonquil yellow on a dark blue backing. The trousers were usually the 1938 golf pattam of, more rately, the 1940 skiers’ pattern (which had exactly the same ‘outward appearance). These were worn with 1940-pattor‘skiers’ gaiters in khaki canvas, and the high quality 1940- pattern waterproof sealskin mountain boots. This man is wearing 1997 cartridge pouches without braces. The typical canadienne was normally kept strapped on the outside of the pack, ready for wear F2: Légionnaire, 13° DBLE, Norway, 1940 The two bet- talions of the 19° Demi-Brigade de Légion Etrangére (OBLE) were issued with a uniform similar to that worn by the chasseurs of the BHM, However, several of the specialised items worn by the chasseurs were unavailable, and were replaced instead by other, more standard, garments. This was often the case with the boots, where the 1917 ankle boots replaced the 1940-pattern mountain boots; the 1938 veste-bourgeron (gee Plate 82) was worn instead of the skiers’ anorak, and puttees instead of skiers’ gaiters, The standard firearm was the MAS36, but the pouches were the 1916-pattern. Novertheless, the heavy roled-down socks (for details, soe Plate F3) and the 1935 fortress troops’ beret gave the men of the 13° DBLE the look of mountain troops. Their cold weather equipment was identical to that issued to the chasseurs, particularly the canadienne, the 1940-pattern ‘waterproof reversible kagoule (khaki on one side, white on the othen, the white helmet cover for the 1926 steel helmet and the sheepskin gloves. F3: Ski scout, Army of the Alps, 1989 From the mid-1930s each alpine infantry unit formed its cwn small élite unit, the SES (section ’éclairours-skieurs). Each RIA normally raised ‘three, whilst each BCA and BAF raised one. Within these units, the man of the SES were the only troops skilled in skiing and mountain climbing, En route to Narvik, the ehasseurs alpins of the 27 Demi-Brigade called at Glasgow on 12 May ‘1940, whon this photo was taken. A lone chasseur guards the Bergen rucksacks of his, ‘comrades. The well-known Canadienne was simply the 1938, pattern fur under-jacket worn by motorcyclists with a fleece collar added. In addition to the standard Uniform (dark blue for the BCA, khaki for the others), the skiers each received a completo sot of high mountain gear, whose main item was either a light khaki anorak, usually with chest pockets, which predated the 1940-pattom (s00 Plate Fi}, of a heavy canvas jacket, the windjack, shown here, Both anorak and windjack ware civitan garments, so thee were many variations in style. Instead of puttees, skiers wore footless socks in khaki wool (dark blue for the BOAs}, whilst heavy grey- \hita oiled wool socks were rolled over the top of the boots to prevent the snow getting in. The boots were the 1935 skiers’ pattern; the goggles were the req- Ulin type, introduced in the 1920s. The skis were made ‘rom hickory wood, and the poles from aluminium. The large mountain pack was of the standard pattern for skiers, and included a special compartment for the 1882 Mi6 carbine, which left only the butt and muzzle free. This skier belongs to the 159° RIA at Briangon, The garance grenade on his beret was used by all RIAs, and the dark blue star Jonqul yellow in the BCAs) was, by tradition, the scout’s badge. G1: Corporal, 24° Régiment Mixte d’Intanterie Coloniale, the Levant, 1940 This curious-looking uniform is accurate for Colonial troops in North Africa and the Levant. The 1920- pattern capote was identical to that wo by metropolitan infantry, but in walking-out dress (shown here) included ‘domed buttons with an anchor device, and distinctive braid, ‘embroidered in scarlet on a narrow dark blue/black backing, and atranged in a chevron at an angle of 55°. The standard equipment was composed entirely of older patterns ‘What makes the uniform look strange is the combination of capote, 1931-pattern sun helmet (with the tombac anchor ‘badge of Colonial troops) and shorts. The latter formed part of the lightweight summer order adopted in 1937 for the European and Indochinese troops of Colonial regiments. It Included a short-sleeved shirt (see Plate H1) and shorts with two pockets, a tightening strap on each hip, and five loops to hold a special-pattern belt, 30mm wide and of natural leather. ‘Senegalese troops wore shorts of a simpitied pattem (from 4932), and a short-sleeved shin without a colar (1994-patter), Nevertheless, Senegalese troops serving in the Levant in 1937 received the same bghtweight uniform as the Europeans,46 G2: Lieutenant, 5° Regiment Etranger d'lnfanterie, Tonkin, field dress, 1941 Legion units that were stationed in areas where they were likely to serve alongside Colonial units had @ tencency to copy styles from the latter's uniform. This was the case in Indochina, where the 5© REI decorated thoir ‘sun helmet with a gilt Legion grenade. The remainder of this ‘young lieutenant’s uniform is regulation, and was worn by all office's serving in hot climates, nomatter what their arm-of- service. The vareuse and trousers, made in light khaki cotton for summer wear, were of the same cut as the uniforms of ‘metropolitan troops, who were oriy authorised to wear the cotton uniform in summer, but no: as campaign dress. The open collar of the officers’ vareuse was only introduced slowly: it was authorised for the cotton uniform of colonial ‘troops in April 1935, and then for all metropolitan troops serving in hot climates (which of course included the Legion) in June 1936. in May 1938, its use was extended stil further to cover all uniforms, serge or colton, worn anywhere. The shape of the collar continued to evolve until February 1939, when the bottom point of the old diamond-shaped pattern was trimmed to give the modern narrow pentagon shape (sadly abolished in 1991). G3: Sergeant, 1° Zouaves, Algiers, 1985-42 This uniform in light khaki cotton was worn in summer by the privates and junior NOs of all units stationed in North Aftica and the Levant. It was never worn in mainland France, except under special circumstances, as for example at the 1939 Bastille Day Parade in Paris. The cotton vereuse was identical in cut to the cloth version, but minus the cuffs, and with two belt cops added. Collar patches and rank badges (here those of a sergeant doing his national service) were detachable, fixed with hooks and eyes. The yollow and green fourragere of the 1° RZ is worn in walking-out dress style, attached to the ‘second chest button. The trousers were likewise of the same ‘cut as the cloth pattern of 1915/27 (for details, see Plate C2) In full dross, the skirts of the vareuse wore tucked into the trousers and hidden under a woo! sash, in blue for European troops (zouaves, African Light infantry, Légion Etrangére, engineers and services). The chéchia, which was normally wom without a badge, here has a small crescert and the reg- imental number in metal ~ the sort of non-regulation features in which a sergeant could inculge. His equioment is regulation, if old in pattem, with a 1907/15 M16 rifle, Khaki puttoes and 1917 boots, H1: Colonial infantry, Madagascar, 1942 This marsouin (the nickname of the colonial infantryman ~ from an old French Word for a dolphin), in combat order is wearing the 1937 lightweight summer dress (see also G1) and is typical of the ‘troops facing the British invasion of 1942, The short-sleeved shirt includes shoulder straps and pockets. Like the 1935. pattem, the shirt only opens halfway down the chest, and ‘must be put on over the wearer's head. As a machine gunner, this man should only have carried his FM24/29, but he is wearing a 1916 pistol holster on his belt with two 1916 pouches (one in the small of his back). He is also carrying the 1924 haversack, which could hold six spare magazines, over his shoulders. His 1926 helmet has the 1937-pattem anchor ‘badge (displayed on a disc rather than attached direct to the helmet) he has regulation khaki puttoss and 1917 boots. H2: Adjudant-chef, cavalry, Southern France, 1942 The sports shirt and shorts of the 1941 PT kit matched the cloth Uniform, so that the shit could be wom with the 1938 golf ‘trousers for drill orier in summer without looking out of place,BELOW LEFT Officers and NCOs of the 3rd Company of the 1/240 RMIC, in the Levant, towards end of 1940. Here we ‘can see an amazing mixture of officers’ Jntweight sand coloured vareu! with every possible pattern of col (for dotails seo Piate G2), and dark blue/black collar patches with anchors ‘embroidered in gold wire. The men kneeling wear non-regulation khaki shirts. The two NCOs on the right wear the double-breasted khaki palotot and the side-cap with rank badges. RIGHT The colour party of the 10° Regiment de Tirallours Sénégalais at Bizorta (Tunisia) in 1937, wearing tho ‘sand coloured cotton uniform. The officer wears the uniform described in G2. The ORs wear a cotton paletot with an upright collar for Europeans (the Ccaporal-chet on the right), or without @ collar for the Senegalese. The col patches were dark blue. A pafetot with a ‘almost identical to ihe vareuse of the summer uniform African troops (see G3), was issued to Europeans in colonial units in July 1938. ‘and gave the ‘New Amy’ a fashionably young and sporty look. The badge on the shirt bears the cark blue five-pointed star of the cavalry, A platoon commander, this adjtant- chef is armad with 2 PMB sub-machine gun, although his men would normally carry the MASS rfl ‘Although a man of his rank would normally wear officers Uniform, he is wearing ORs" trousers and puttees, a practice that becarne common after 1940. Only his boots, the 1919/41 officers’ patter made from a thick leather with @ non-shine natural finish, are ‘comect Several cavalry regiments of the Amy of the Armistice, whether on harsaback or on bicycle, wore the 1935 helmet with its padded band. Troopers also wore the 1985 mod.37 equioment, which had eventually been issued to the cavalry, Here, however, this man wears an officers’ belt with a sub- machine gun magazine attached to the shoulder strap. H3: Infantry, Vichy, summer 1942 In October 1940, it was decided to clothe all of the Army of the Armistice in a made campaign dress, with a canvas anorak, of the type worn by the Norway Expeditionary Force. This plan had to be abandoned because of a shortage of cotton, and instead a new cloth uniform was adopted, capable of being worn either in the field or for walking-out. The 1941 -pattern vareuse had four pockets, an open collar, epauiette straps and cuffs fastened by two buttons. The 1941-pattern trousers had straight legs anc on campaign were tucked into thick leather gaiters similar to those af mounted troops, but notably shorter. For the first time in the French Army, the ORs’ boots were Derby style and had stif toe-caps. The new uniform also included a shir, simiar to the 1935:pattern, but with shoulder straps, a new bonnet de police, and a new capote. Mounted troops were given new pattern breeches, a better fitting manteau and nevi leggings which included a gusset to fit over the tops of the boots. The collars of the vareuse, capote and manteau were more tapered and so the patches too were more pointed. The distinctive colours of the line infantry were altered in July 1942, when the dark blue figures and soutaches were replaced by garance. Scarcely any sots of the 1941 uniforn had been issued by November 1942; only a few units, such as the 150° RI shown here, had received it BIBLIOGRAPHY For English-speaking readers, the best account of the 1940 campaign is Alistair Horne’s - To Lose A Battle: France 1940 (London, 1969); one of the best French accounts remains Colonel A. Goutard’s La Guerre des occasions perdues (Paris, 1956; reprinted as The Battie of France, 1940 in 1958). The High Command is dealt with in J. Gunsberg’s Divided and Conquered: the French High Command and the Defeat of the West 1940 (London, 1979). Anthony Clayton's France, Soldiers And Africa (London, 1988) has useful summary histories of African and Colonial units. Much work has also been published on all aspects of the French forces in this period in the journal Revue Historique des Armées. ‘The magazine Militaria continues to produce informative articles on uniforms and equipment. Its publisher, Francois \Vauvilier, has also written Linfanterfe 1940 (Paris, 1980), and more recently has produced an excellent guide to the tuniforms of the early-war army in his set of 22 plates Les Unitormes de Armée Francaise 1939-40 (Paris, 1989) ~ which are stil available cirect from the author at B.P.169, F-75563 Paris Cedex 11, France. 47Notes sur les planches en couleur AN caso ter Riga de Danes Pts, “80 Le clo Kame en ge tue ane 1) mate 1. Lepr es reo 2 fl spd pena aut pare cu 12 orbs 1359. 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