Foreign Legion in the Sahara

[Jim McDougall]

Originally Posted by Rick

Et tu, Jim?
This was one of my favorite Saturday morning shows! lol

The best thing about collecting stuff is that it takes ya back to those times and all the adventures you dreamed of, but having the 'real thing' in hand all these years later is amazing. I hadnt guessed you and I were in the same age (era) but sure sounds like we are.

[David R]

Some time ago I posted Gras Musketoon on the ethic page, so here is a link to that short conversation. http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...highlight=gras

[fernando]

How would have been a legionaire and a native infantryman (tirailleur) circa 1840.


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[David R]

You might like this... Deserted Legion fort at Tazzougerte at the southern end of the Oued Guir river valley.

[David R]

Not my photo's, from the internet and as far as I know public domain.

[Jim McDougall]

Originally Posted by David R

Some time ago I posted Gras Musketoon on the ethic page, so here is a link to that short conversation. http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...highlight=gras

That is an amazing piece David! thank you for sharing it and the link!
It is so interesting that these situations in this desert context with the Tuaregs and other Berber tribes in the Rif have so many similarities to the American wild west. The US soldiers in forts, the American Indian tribes.....and the Indian rifles decorated in the same manner with those brass studs.

[fernando]

Originally Posted by Jim McDougall

... It is so interesting that these situations in this desert context with the Tuaregs and other Berber tribes in the Rif have so many similarities to the American wild west....

With the due time span, Jim. The fort of Tazzougerte was built in 1926; by the time that airplanes were already flying; in a context where they have been sent to furnish water to the fort by throwing blocks of ice down to its outpost (Z Pechkoff 1926).
So modern is the "Beau Gest" saga. Please (again) try an keep track not beyond the 1900's ... as per forum scope .

[fernando]

The taking of Algerian Constantine (Qusanṭīnah) by the French Legion in 1837.


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[Jim McDougall]

Originally Posted by fernando

With the due time span, Jim. The fort of Tazzougerte was built in 1926; by the time that airplanes were already flying; in a context where they have been sent to furnish water to the fort by throwing blocks of ice down to its outpost (Z Pechkoff 1926).
So modern is the "Beau Gest" saga. Please (again) try an keep track not beyond the 1900's ... as per forum scope .

If I have understood correctly, the French Foreign Legion elected to change the blue coat tailed tunic etc. around 1900 and changed to mustard/khaki. This information is from war gamers who are intent researchers on such things.
The period setting for the book, thus the movie "Beau Geste" was 'before' WWI (as described by reviewers of these), thus may be seen to extend to the fin de siecle terminus post quem.
Though the book was published in 1924, the subject matter as with many contemporary novels concerned events and subjects of late 1800s.
Many weapons which were produced in the 1800s were often regarded as surplus as supplied to volunteer units as well as colonial, thus remained in service after 1900.
Note: the uniforms and weapons seen in the movie, book cover are actually as used by Legion in 1880s (see OP).

The larger number of campaigns, events and circumstances throughout North Africa and most colonial regions of modern countries took place either just prior to WWI, during or into 1920s and 30s. Tribal warfare in Arabia, Africa, Central Asia etc etc was still going on in those periods using weapons which had actually transcended into the century although decades to even centuries old. In the American Revolution, weapons being used were often foreign and from the previous century.

It seems these criteria might be considered in discussion of subjects where an arbitrary boundary might not accurately confine inclusion, if I may suggest that might be the case here.

Fernando thank you for the images of the earlier uniforms which remained in use for such a long period.

[David R]

I think a lot of interesting conversations would suffer, if arbitrary cut off dates were enforced. I do understand the methodology behind this, but we are here to enjoy rich conversations... (and even as a native English speaker I accept that this is a clumsy sentence).

[David R]

Now here is a fun challenge, one of these soldiers is French Foreign legion, who, where, when and which nation issued the photo so it's soldiers knew not to shoot at them. And it's within the cut off date.