Army of Africa (France)

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The Army of Africa (French: L’Armée d’Afrique) was an unofficial but commonly used term for those portions of the French Army recruited from or normally stationed in French North Africa (Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia) from 1830 until the end of the Algerian War in 1962. These included indigenous Arab or Berber volunteers (spahis, goumiers and tirailleurs; regiments largely made up of French settlers doing their military service (zouaves and Chasseurs d'Afrique); and non-French volunteers (French Foreign Legion). The Infanterie Legere d'Afrique was made up of convicted military criminals from all branches of the French Army, who had finished their prison sentences but still had time to serve before their terms of engagement were completed. In addition, units or individuals from the metropolitan French Army were sometimes posted to service in North Africa.

The Armée d’Afrique was formally part of the French metropolitan army comprising a separate army corps (the 19th). As such it was separate from the Colonial Army which came under the Ministry of Marine and comprised both French and indigenous units serving in sub-Saharean Africa and elsewhere in the former French colonial empire.

With the exception of a reduced Foreign Legion and one regiment of Spahis, all units of the Armée d’Afrique were disbanded or lost their former identity between 1960 and 1965. However one regiment each of Chasseurs d'Afrique and tirailleurs were re-established during the 1990s.


[edit] Units

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