Troupes de marine
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The Troupes de marine, are an arm of the French Army with naval heritage. The Troupes de marine are dedicated to service overseas. Despite their title they have been a part of the Army since 1958.
Soldiers of the troupes de marine are likely to spend much more of their service overseas, particularly in Africa, than other French soldiers. The troupes de marine include infantry (including light tank units and airborne units) and artillery. The Troupes de marine were founded in 1622 (officially titled compagnies ordinaires de la mer) as land forces under the control of the navy, notably for operations in French Canada. The Troupes de marine were transferred to the army in 1900 and became part of the Troupes Coloniales (Colonial Troops). The nickname la Coloniale or la Colo refers to this heritage.
At their height in 1940, the Troupes Coloniales consisted of nine divisions and several demi-brigades who manned machine gun emplacements on the Maginot Line. They recruited both in France and overseas.
With France divesting itself of its colonies, on 1 December 1958 the title of Troupes de marine was readopted, this time for all the Troupes Coloniales. They became a major component in France's Forces d'Intervention.
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[edit] Nicknames
Troupes de marine soldiers are known in French as marsouins ("Harbour Porpoise"). Marine Gunners are known as bigors, a nickname whose origin is disputed. It could come from bigue dehors which was the order given for loading the guns on a ship. It could also come from bigorneau (winkle in English), either due to their toughness and unwillingness to desert their positions in combat or because their duties usually had them stuck on coastal rocks.
[edit] Composition
The Troupes de marine include:
- Infanterie de Marine
- Infantry (infanterie de marine, abbreviation: -IMa)
- Light cavalry (infanterie de marine, abbreviation: -IMa, and RICM
- Airborne (parachutistes d'infanterie de marine, abbreviation: -PIMa)and
- Artillerie de Marine
- Artillery (artillerie de marine, abbreviation: -AMa)
[edit] Uniform
The Troupes de marine uniform is the same as for other units of French army (plain green or woodland or desert camouflage). Distinctive features are a golden fouled anchor either as a gold-metal badge on the beret (Marine paratroopers wear red berets and their badge is a composite of the golden anchor and the silver wing of airbone units) or embroidered on the front of the kepi.
The modern full dress includes a dark blue kepi, yellow epaulettes (official colour name is daffodil) and a navy blue cravat (scarf worn around the neck). Historically, the uniform comprised a navy blue tunic, lighter blue trousers and the yellow epaulettes still worn. The ancient uniform, gave the nickname of "the Blue Division" to the Troupes de marine units involved in the 1870 Franco-Prussian war. The pith helmet was also worn overseas in the times of colonial infantry, with blue, khaki or white uniforms according to circumstances.
[edit] History
The Troupes de marine originate from the compagnies ordinaires de la mer created in 1622 by Cardinal Richelieu. They were troops dedicated to naval combat. The French colonies were under control of the Ministère de la Marine (analogous to the British Admiralty), so it used its marines for colonial defense as well. Before the First Republic, the Corps royal de l'infanterie de la marine had been superseded by the Corps royal de canonniers-matelots on January 1, 1786. The Corps royal de canonniers-matelots was an early attempt to use sailors for duties previously done by marines - soldiers specializing in naval and amphibious combat.
The February 21, 1816 royal ordinance of Louis XVIII re-establishing L'infanterie de marine authorized two regiments. L'infanterie de marine was increased to three regiments in 1838 and to four in 1854. The 1st Regiment was located in Cherbourg, the 2nd in Brest, the 3rd in Rochefort and the 4th in Toulon. In 1890, L'infanterie de marine was increased to eight regiments. L'artillerie de marine, created in 1793, was formed into a single regiment in 1814. A second was added on July 8, 1893. Battles fought in this era included those in the Crimean War including Bomarsund (1847) in the Baltic, Ki Hoa in China(1860), Mexico (Battle of Puebla) (1863) and Sontay (1883) in Indochina. Their most famous battle was Bazeilles (1870) in the Franco-Prussian War.
The French Navy itself, due to the trouble it was having in getting marine detachments from the Ministry of Marine, formed the fusiliers-marins in 1856. The fusiliers-marins was initially composed of sailors and naval officers who were sent to special training in order to form the "marine" detachments aboard ships.
On 7 July 1900 the Troupes de marine were removed from the responsibility of the Ministère de la Marine, transferred to the Ministry of War and added to the French Army's Troupes Coloniales. The regimental titles changed from "Marine" to "Colonial". The fusiliers-marins remained with the French Navy. The Troupes coloniale were still preferentially used in amphibious landings. In the WWI Dardanelles campaign, the Corps Expeditionaire d'Orient was more than two-thirds Troupes coloniale including the 4th, 6th, 7th and 8th Colonial Infantry Regiments and Colonial Artillery.
In World War II, a Colonial unit did have "Marine" in its title - The Bataillon d'Infanterie de Marine du Pacifique (BIMP). Two divisions of the Troupes coloniale were trained in amphibious tactics by the Americans and performed amphibious landings at Corsica (6th Moroccan Mountain Division) and Elba (9th Colonial Infantry Division - 9e DIC). Both these divisions also landed in southern France in the follow-on echelons of Operation Dragoon. The French wanted the US to transport these two divisions to the Pacific to fight against the Japanese and later retake French Indochina, but transport was a problem.
With France divesting itself of its colonies, on 1 December 1958 the title of Troupes de marine was readopted, this time for all the Troupes Coloniales. They became a major component in France's Forces d'Intervention. On July 1963 the 9e Brigade d'Infanterie de Marine (9e BIMa) of the Troupes de marine was formed as the first French Force d'Intervention. It was named after and carried the insignia of the 9th Colonial Infantry Division (9e DIC) that had performed a successful amphibious assault on Elba in WWII. The Troupes de marine remaining overseas became part of the Forces d'outre mer. In 1964 the Force d'Intervention was expanded by adding two airborne brigades and one motorized brigade and formed into the 11th Division d'Intervention, which became the 11th Parachute Division in 1971. The Troupes de marine were removed from this division in 1976 to form a separate intervention force, and the 9e Brigade d'Infanterie de Marine was expanded on 1 January 1976 to form the the 9e Division d'Infanterie de Marine (9e DIMa). This division was the amphibious component of the Force d'Intervention, which was renamed the Force d'Action Rapide (FAR) in 1983. Because of their overseas heritage and their use in the Force d'Intervention, the Troupes de marine were kept mostly volunteer as in France draftees are legally exempt from overseas duty. The conversion of the French Army into a smaller professional force led to the French Army's decision to make the brigade its largest formation and the 9e Division d'Infanterie de Marine was reduced in size on 1 July 1999 and became the 9e Brigade Légère Blindée de Marine.
[edit] Today
The Troupes de marine are one of the "armes" (corps) of the French army, which includes specialities associated with other corps (artillery, cavalry, signals) but with amphibious or airborne specialisations.
- Current Units: - Numbered sequentially whether regiments or battalions
- Régiment de Marche du Tchad (RMT) in Noyon (infantry). Historically famous under Leclerc.
- RICM (Régiment d'Infanterie de Chars de Marine) (RICM) 9e BLBMa in Poitiers (light cavalry) The odd acronym was created to keep alive the traditions and honours of its celebrated original designation, the Régiment d'Infanterie Coloniale du Maroc (Regiment of Colonial Infantry of Morocco). It is the most decorated unit in the French Army, famous for its recapture of Fort Douamont at Verdun in 1916.
- Régiment d'Infanterie de Marine du Pacifique - Nouvelle Calédonie (RIMaP-NC) in Noumea New Caledonia (infantry)
- Régiment d'Infanterie de Marine du Pacifique - Polynésie (RIMaP-P) in Papeete
- 1er Régiment d'Artillerie de Marine (1er RAMa) in Laon (artillery)
- 1er Régiment de Parachutistes d'Infanterie de Marine (1er RPIMA) in Bayonne (airborne commandos). It currently does not fulfill "Marine" roles, but Special Operations, similar to the Special Air Service.
- 1er Régiment d'Infanterie de Marine (1er RIMa) 9e BLBMa in Angouleme (light cavalry)
- 2e Régiment de Parachutistes d'Infanterie de Marine (2e RPIMa) in Pierrefonds (Réunion) (airborne)
- 2e Régiment d'Infanterie de Marine (2e RIMa) 9e BLBMa in Le Mans (infantry)
- 3e Régiment d'Artillerie de Marine (3e RAMa) in Canjuers (artillery)
- 3e Régiment de Parachutistes d'Infanterie de Marine (3e RPIMa) in Carcassonne (airborne)
- 3e Régiment d'Infanterie de Marine (3e RIMa) 9e BLBMa in Vannes (infantry)
- 5e Régiment interarmes d'outre-mer (5e RIAOM) in Djibouti
- 6e Bataillon d'Infanterie de Marine (6e BIMa) in Libreville (Gabon)
- 8e Régiment de Parachutistes d'Infanterie de Marine (8e RPIMa) in Castres (airborne)
- 9e Régiment d'Infanterie de Marine (9e RIMa) in Cayenne (French guiana) (infantry)
- 11e Régiment d'Artillerie de Marine (11e RAMa) 9e BLBMa in Saint-Aubin-du-Cormier (artillery)
- 21e Régiment d'Infanterie de Marine (21e RIMa) in Frejus (infantry)
- 22e Bataillon d'Infanterie de Marine (22e BIMa) 9e BLBMa in Nantes (command and support)
- 23e Bataillon d'Infanterie de Marine (23e BIMa) in Dakar (Senegal)
- 33e Régiment d'Infanterie de Marine (33e RIMa) in Fort-de-France (Martinique)
- 41e Bataillon d'Infanterie de Marine (41e BIMa) in Pointe-a-Pitre (Guadeloupe)
- 43e Bataillon d'Infanterie de Marine (43e BIMa) in Port-Bouet (Côte d'Ivoire)
- 72e Bataillon d'Infanterie de Marine (72e BIMa) in Marseille
Regiments with 9e BLBMa are part of the 9th Marine Light Armour Brigade (9e Brigade Légère Blindée de Marine), other regiments and battalions are integrated in non-Marine brigades
[edit] See also
- French Foreign Legion
- Marine corps
- Fusiliers Marins - Naval light infantry
- French Colonial Forces
- Tirailleurs
[edit] External links
- Official site
- Unofficial site (managed by the national federation of veterans of oversea and marine troops)
- (French) Centre de ressources sur les TDM
- (French) Musée des troupes de marine de Fréjus
- (French) Les troupes coloniales dans la Grande Guerre
[edit] References
- Les Troupes de Marine 1622-1984, Paris: Charles-Lavauzelle, 1991, ISBN 2702503160 or ISBN 9782702503164.
- Serge Saint-Michel & Rene Le Honzec, Les Batisseurs d'empire Histoire Troupes de marine Tome II 1871-1931
- CEHD (Centre d'Etudes d'Histoire de la Défense), Les troupes de Marine dans l’armée de Terre. Un siècle d’histoire (1900-2000), Paris, Lavauzelle, 2001, 444 p., ISBN 2-7025-0492-2
- Historique du 16e régiment d'infanterie de marine. Année 1900, Paris, H. Charles-Lavauzelle, 1903.
- Louis Beausza, La formation de l'armee coloniale, Paris, L. Fournier et cie., 1939.
- Marcel Vigneras, Rearming the French, Office of the Chief of Military History, Dept. of the Army, 1957
- John C. Cornelius, Richard J. Sommers, Michael Winey, The Military Forces of France, Washington, GPO, 1977.
- Anthony Clayton, France, Soldiers and Africa, London; Washington: Brassey's Defence Publishers, 1988, ISBN 0080347487 or ISBN 9780080347486.
- Comité national des traditions des troupes de marine, De Bizerte à Sarajevo : les troupes de marine dans les opérations extérieures de 1961 à 1994, Paris:C. Lavauzelle, 1995, ISBN 2702503802 or ISBN 9782702503805.
