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TheTroupes de Marine (French pronunciation:[tʁupdəmaʁin],lit. 'Marine Troops') orTDM, sometimes simply referred to as "French Marines" in English, are one of the major components of theFrench Army and comprise several specialties:infantry,airborne,armoured cavalry,artillery,engineering, andtransmissions (signals). Characterized by their fundamental vocation for service beyond the seas, including inFrench overseas territories and, formerly, inFrench colonies, the Marines have taken part in all French military campaigns since the corps' foundation, both on home soil and in theaters of operations around the world. They are stationed inMetropolitan France, in many French overseas departments and territories, as well as inAfrica.[1][2]
Historicallyamphibious warfare specialists, the French Marines were pioneers of professionalization since the late 1960s and are well suited for military campaigns abroad. FromGabon in 1964 toAfghanistan in 2002, and from theFirst Gulf War in 1990 toMali in 2013, their units took part in more than sixty military operations over six decades. As they represent a core asset of French expeditionary capabilities, they are highly trained soldiers and noted for their professionalism and strongesprit de corps.[3][4][5] With a strength of over 17,000 men as of 2022, the Troupes de Marine consist of 26 regiments and amount to around 15% of the French Army.[6]
TheTroupes de marine were formerly known as theTroupes coloniales, with origins dating back to the French Navy'sTroupes de la marine. The French colonies were under the control of theMinistère de la Marine (the equivalent of theBritish Admiralty), accordingly, Marines defended the colonies.
RenamedTroupes d'Outre-Mer thenTroupes de Marine during the dismantling of theFrench Union (1958), their origin can actually be found in theCompagnies Ordinaires de la Mer (French:Compagnies Ordinaires de la Mer) (Ordinary Sea Companies), created in 1622 byCardinal Richelieu. These companies were used to embark on royal naval ships to serve thenaval artillery and participate in the boarding of enemy ships. These companies were also in charge of guarding the various sea ports. Despite the fact that the artillery of the marines was limited in numbers compared to those of the infantry marines (fusiliers and grenadiers), the ship's marine artillerymen were the determining factor for theTroupes de la marine, being in charge of displacing and mounting the naval guns under the orders of the respective marine artillery officer in charge. In the 18th century, they constituted theCompagnies Franches de la Marine who essentially spread toNouvelle France (in particular: these marines were recruited in Europe, with marine officers recruiting them on the spot due to an excellent knowledge of the local environment). Since then the anchor has been with the Troupes as their official symbol because of the former links to the French Royal Navy.
Following France's defeat in theSeven Years' War, these troops, along with the rest of the Marines, were transferred to theFrench Army under the Choiseul ministries, and after their emancipation at the end of 1760, they retained a large number of officers issued from theMinistère de la Guerre, which would reproduce and compensate for the losses endured assisting the colonies during theAmerican Revolutionary War. An evolution in the mentality of the troops and an increasingly pronounced separation between the marines and their officers followed. A tentative close-up merger was attempted by two naval ship corps and their troops in 1786 with the companies of naval gunners assigned to ships of the Navy; however, the experiment came to little conclusion.
The separate companies of theRégiment Royal–La Marine and theRégiment de l'Amiral de France founded byColbert were based inDunkerque,Le Havre,Brest,Rochefort andToulon. They wore an off-white/grey uniform with bluefacings .
The 1670s saw significant changes in the organisation of the new corps, administered by MinistersColbert andFrançois-Michel le Tellier, Marquis de Louvois, respectivelyNaval State Secretary and theSecretary of State of War. The four regiments of thela marine were transferred from thesecretariat of La Marine to that of thesecretariat of La Guerre. The regiments were no longer directly part of theFrench Navy although the designationTroupes de marine was retained. During theRevolution, the La Marine,Royal-Marine, Royal-Vaisseux, and theRégiment de l'Amiral ( re-baptizedRégiment de Vermandois) regiments were integrated definitively into theFrench Army, becoming respectively, the 11e, 60e, 43e and 61e regiments ofde Ligne in 1791.
TheMarine Royale was a substantial force in 1671, consisting of 196 naval vessels. Colbert decided to create 100 companies of "guardian-soldiers" intended to form part of the crews of the larger naval vessels (French:Vaisseau). However, these men were redirected towards theFrench Army by Louvois in 1673. Starting from this date, senior naval and marine officers were obliged to separately recruit crews and marines for each ship. Using a system of «levées» (selective conscription) in the various sea ports, similar to the « marine press », the naval and marine officers were able to man their ships. However, the system reached its limitations quickly. The recruits often lacked discipline and experience, and were discharged or deserted following their first voyage, wasting months of training. Until 1682 there was a serious shortage of experienced sailors and soldiers in the French Navy.
The Marine units were recreated at the end of the 17th century by re-organization of the infantry units dedicated to guarding military harbors (the Warden-Soldiers Companies orcompagnies de soldats-gardiens, created in 1671) and the artillery units dedicated to coastal battery service (Bomb Companies orcompagnies de bombardiers, created in 1689), naval artillery training (Apprentice Gunner Companies orcompagnies d'apprentis-cannoniers, created in 1689) and naval artillery administration (Artillery Commissaries orCommissaires d'artillerie, created in 1631).
The infantry and marine artillery units were briefly merged into a single marine corps in 1769. Some colonial units were created at the same time, organized along the same lines of artillery and infantry units.
After 1786, the Marine units were often reduced to artillery units, except for some short-lived infantry regiments (1792–1794).
These units fought for France during theFrench Revolutionary Wars and in all theNapoleonic Wars.
The colonial expansion of the 19th century saw the extensive use of French sailors and marines serving together in Southeast Asia, the Pacific, and West Africa. Thetroupes de marine were tasked with insuring the French presence in its Asian, African, and American colonies.
The revolutionary period saw a definite division in 1792 between the reconstitutedtroupes de marine and the ships of the navy. Under Napoleon, thetroupes de marine were used primarily asline infantry. Following the disbandment of theImperial Guard, under theRestoration, separate marine artillery (Artillerie de Marine) and marine infantry (Infanterie de Marine) units were created as part of a reorganization between 1818 and 1822. These two corps were popularly known as « bigors » and « marsouins » respectively. Starting in 1831, these two arms ceased to serve on board naval ships and were exclusively armed with regular army equipment and weapons. Their role was now to serve on land in the new French colonial territories, as well as defending the large naval ports and bases in France itself.
The diverse colonial or exterior operations administered by theJuly Monarchy, essentially conducted by the Marines and their troops, led to the rehabilitation and the increase of the latter in 1846. The revolution of 1848 led to a draconian reduction in size. TheCrimean War saw them, along with the equipment of naval vessels of thefleet, illustrating their capability during theSiege of Sevastopol while aiding the heavy artillery pieces ( to constitute a siege artillery ) to disembark from the naval vessels under the orders ofAdmiralCharles Rigault de Genouilly.
Honored since 1855, with the return of their staff of 1846, the marines demonstrated their capability during the expeditions of theSecond French Empire.
In 1870, marine artillery and infantry were for the first time regrouped in a grand unit:Blue Division of general Élie de Vassoigne, named after the blue uniforms worn by the soldiers to differentiate them from the line troops. Following theFranco-Prussian War, the marines participated to the construction of thesecond colonial empire of France.
The 21 February 1816, royal ordinance of Louis XVIII re-establishingL'infanterie de marine authorized two regiments. This was increased to three regiments in 1838 and 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 8 July 1893. Battles fought in this era includedBomarsund (1854) in the Baltic, Sea of Azoff and the Crimea (1855–56), Ki Hoa in China (1860), and theBattle of Puebla in Mexico (1863). Their most famous battle wasBazeilles (1870) in the Franco-Prussian War.
TheTroupes de marine fought in theSino-French War (August 1884 to April 1885) and during the period of undeclared hostilities in Tonkin (northern Vietnam) that preceded it. Between June 1883 and April 1886 theTonkin Expeditionary Corps included several marine infantry battalions and marine artillery batteries. These units saw service in theSơn Tây Campaign (December 1883), theBắc Ninh Campaign (March 1884), theCapture of Hưng Hóa (April 1884), theBắc Lệ ambush (June 1884), theKeelung Campaign (October 1884 to June 1885), theBattle of Yu Oc (November 1884), theBattle of Núi Bop (January 1885), theLạng Sơn Campaign (February 1885) and thePescadores Campaign (March 1885). In March 1885 the two marine infantry battalions in Lieutenant-Colonel Ange-Laurent Giovanninelli's 1st Brigade suffered heavy casualties storming the Chinese trenches at theBattle of Hòa Mộc. The French victory at Hòa Mộc relieved theSiege of Tuyên Quang, and was commemorated thereafter in an annual ceremony at Tuyên Quang in which a soldier of the French Foreign Legion (representing the besieged garrison) and a marine infantryman (representing the relief column) solemnly presented arms on the anniversary of the relief of the beleaguered French post.
The French Navy itself, due to the trouble it was having in obtaining naval infantry detachments from the Ministry of the Navy, established theFusiliers Marins in 1856. TheFusiliers-Marins were initially composed of sailors, senior rates and naval officers who undertook special infantry training to form the "marine" detachments aboard ships and conduct small scale landings. Unlike their anglophone contemporaries, they are graded bynaval rates rather than adoptingarmy ranks.
In 1890 the Ministry of Colonies was separated from that of theMinistère de la Marine. This raised the question of to which authority thetroupes de Marine, who only now served in the colonies, should be responsible. By a decree dated 7 July 1900 the renamedtroops were placed under theDépartement de la Guerre and were thus rebadged, now as part of theFrench Army, under one name – theTroupes coloniales, retaining the anchor badge as a reminder of their naval heritage.
TheTroupes coloniales were composed of two distinct corps. One was the colonial forces in metropolitan France, composed of Europeans who had voluntarily enlisted for successive service engagements of five years duration. These regulars (as opposed toconscripts) were assigned in small contingents to undertake tours of duty in the various French colonies outside North Africa. There they served either inblanches (all white) units, or were employed as officers and NCOs in the recruitment, training and leadership of locally recruited indigenous troops (tirailleurs,cipayes etc.). The proportion of European to "native" colonial troops were progressively reduced as additional locally recruited units were created during the late 19th and earlier 20th centuries.
One problem of this system was the differences between the training and equipment required for colonial and European warfare. Service conditions in turn would differ between the various colonial territories in Africa and South East Asia. The two types of colonial troupes were however successfully employed inWorld War I andWorld War II, as well as theIndochina War and theAlgerian War.
The Construction Service of the marine artillery (which designed and engineered the naval artillery guns in the metropolitan arsenals), became an integral part of the colonial artillery following the reorganisation of 1900. In 1909 those colonial artillery officers who specialised in artillery design and manufacture work were transferred into the newly created "Engineers ofNaval Artillery"; a newly created corps of the French Navy which subsequently merged with the Naval Engineer Corps (responsible for the construction of naval ships) during the Second World War.
In 1905, the strength of theTroupes coloniales stationed in (the 19 military districts of metropolitan) France was marked at 2,123 officers and 26,581 other ranks. The strength maintained in the colonies amounts to 1,743 officers, 21,516 European troops and 47,868 native soldiers.[7]
By the time the Troupes were transferred to the Army the unit names changed from "Marine" to "Colonial" while theFusiliers-Marins remained part of the French Navy. TheTroupes Coloniale were still used in occasional amphibious landings but this was because of the ready availability of units normally based near naval embarkation ports or in colonial garrisons.[8] In the World War IGallipoli campaign in theDardanelles, theCorps expéditionnaire d'Orient was more than two-thirds[citation needed]Troupes Coloniale including the 4th, 6th, 7th and 8th Colonial Infantry Regiments and Colonial Artillery. (The artillery element at Gallipoli did not contain any artillery units from theTroupes Coloniales.[9]) TheTroupes Coloniales were however far more likely to see action in African or Asian land campaigns or, during both World Wars, in France itself.[when defined as?]
In World War II, one Colonial unit did have "Marine" in its title – The Bataillon d'Infanterie de Marine du Pacifique (BIMP). Two divisions of theTroupes Coloniale were trained in amphibious tactics by the Americans and performed amphibious landings atCorsica (6th Moroccan Mountain Division) andElba (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 United States to transport these two divisions to the Pacific to fight against the Japanese and later retake French Indochina, but transport was a problem.
TheTroupes coloniales distinguished themselves in both World Wars.[citation needed] The most decorated regimental colors of theFrench Armed Forces are those of theColonial Infantry Regiment of Morocco (RICM) and the regimental colors of the2nd Marine Infantry Regiment 2e RIMa. After 1945 the decolonization wars involved the colonial troops inIndochina,Algeria, andMadagascar. Following 1962, operations in Africa were undertaken by the again renamedtroupes de Marine and theLégion étrangère which were the only units mainly or entirely composed of "engaged" (non-conscript) soldiers. This was also the case inTchad and inLebanon and the formerYugoslavia before metropolitan troops started also to recruit volunteer soldiers. The cessation of obligatory military service after 2001 permitted the deployment of the remainder of theFrench Army in overseas operations.
With France divesting itself of its colonies, on 1 December 1958 the title ofTroupes d' Outre-Mer (Overseas Troops) replaced that ofTroupes Coloniales. Finally, on 4 May 1961, the historic designation of "Troupes de marine" was readopted, this time for all theTroupes Coloniales. They became a major component in France'sForces d'Intervention. In July 1963 the9th Marine Infantry Brigade (9e Brigade d'Infanterie de Marine) (9e BIMa) of theTroupes de marine was formed a FrenchForce d'Intervention. It was named after and carried the insignia of the9th Colonial Infantry Division (9e DIC) that had performed a successful amphibious assault on Elba in World War II. TheTroupes de marine remaining overseas became part of theForces d'outre mer. In 1964 theForce d'Intervention was expanded by adding twoairborne brigades and one motorized brigade and formed into the 11thDivision d'Intervention, which became the11th Parachute Division in 1971. TheTroupes de marine were removed from this division in 1976 to form a separate intervention force, and the9e Brigade d'Infanterie de Marine was expanded on 1 January 1976 to form the9e 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 theForce d'Intervention, theTroupes de marine were mostly volunteer regulars, 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 the9e Division d'Infanterie de Marine was reduced in size on 1 July 1999 and became the9th Light Armoured Marine Brigade (France) (9e Brigade Légère Blindée de Marine) and then back to the 9th Marine Infantry Brigade (9ème Brigade d'Infanterie de Marine) in 2016.
TheTroupes de marine are one of the "armes" (corps) of the French Army, which includes specialties associated with other corps (artillery, cavalry, signals, armour,paratroopers) but with overseas deployment as a specialisation.
The Marine soldiers are known in French asmarsouins ("Harbour porpoise"), allegedly because, like porpoises, they accompany ships without really being part of the crew.
Marine Gunners are known asbigors, a nickname whose origin is disputed. It could come frombigue dehors which was the order given for loading the guns on a ship. It could also come frombigorneau (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.
The nickname used by Marsouins and Bigors for the other branches of the French Army is biffins (slang for ragmen). The name originated in the nineteenth century when sailors of the Fleet and Marine Infantry and Artillerymen, proud of their own smart appearance, accused the soldiers of the Army of being slovenly by comparison. TheLegion is excused this nickname, probably reflecting a special relation between Marsouins and legionnaires.
The modernTroupes de marine uniform is the same as for other units of the French Army (light beige, plain green or woodland or desert camouflage according to circumstances). Distinctive features are a gold metal fouled anchor badge on a dark blueberet (Marine paratroopers wearred berets and their badge is a composite of the gold metal anchor and the silver wing of airborne units). This is worn either on the beret or embroidered on the front of thekepi.
The modern full dress includes a dark bluekepi, yellow fringedepaulettes (official colour name is daffodil) and a navy blue cravat (scarf worn around the neck). A red waistsash is also sometimes worn by certain units with a history of colonial service in Africa and Indo-China.
Historically, the uniform consisted of a blue kepi with red piping, double breasted navy blue tunic, lighter blue trousers, and yellow epaulettes. Worn by all ranks until 1914, the blue uniform was reissued for regular personnel in 1930 and is still worn by bandsmen. This traditional uniform gave the nickname of "the Blue Division" to theTroupes de marine units involved in the 1870Franco-Prussian War. Thepith helmet was worn overseas during the colonial period, with blue, khaki or white uniforms according to circumstances. Until the early 1960s a dark bluecalot (forage/side cap) with red piping and anchor badge was the usual distinction of theTroupes de marine.
The modernkepi is presented to new recruits in a solemn ceremony. It is worn by officers and non-commissioned officers when another headdress is not prescribed. The kepi is entirely dark blue – a very dark blue, often mistaken for black – with a red (privates and corporals) or gold (non-commissioned officers and officers) trimming. All kepis display the anchor insignia of the Marines. When not being worn the kepi is expected to be positioned so that the anchor is always visible.
The "traditional"epaulettes used by the TdM are gold for officers and NCOs and wool of "daffodil" yellow for other ranks. This colour and pattern is derived from the historic epaulettes of the light infantry formations in mainland France.
The officers of marine "mounted" units (that is to say those formerly using horses, or currently armored vehicles) have the privilege of wearing gold spurs for certain occasions. This differs from the usual French cavalry practice of wearing silver spurs. Tradition has it that QueenVictoria of the United Kingdom requested this distinction for the marine troops from EmperorNapoleon III to honor the branch after theBattle of Balaclava in the Crimea (1854) where marine infantry saved British troops from destruction[citation needed].
The officers and senior non-commissioned-officer can wear, in special circumstances, a sword as a part of their dress uniform. This sword has a straight-edge blade, in contrast to other Army Corps' curved sabers and thus similar to those of the Royal Marines and the rest of the British Armed Forces. Since the Second World War, the sword is very rarely used.
The armored, artillery and infantry regiments of the Marines wear dark blue berets with golden anchor insignia. The parachute regiments of the Marines (1e RPIMa,2e RPIMa,3e RPIMa,8e RPIMa) wear a red beret with anchor and wing insignia, except the1e RPIMa, a Special Forces regiment, where soldiers wear a purple beret.
The red beret was first introduced to theFree French Paratroopers of the SAS in August 1944, at the2e RCP during a parade on 11 November 1944, this regiment for a first time dressed this beret with the insignia of the SAS. However, these paratroopers then belonged to the Air Force. In Indochina, the Infantry Metropolitan SAS Demi-Brigade retained the practice, which was readopted by the1st SAS Parachute Demi-Brigade in 1948. The red beret, which was officially introduced as the standard uniform headdress on allParatroopers in Indochina in 1952 byGénéralJean de Lattre de Tassigny (except for theLegion), became the norm for allairborne contingents of theFrench Army in 1957, withlegionnairesparatroopers retaining their traditionalgreen beret, and the1e RPIMa which transitioned to a purple beret in 2015.
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The Feast of the Marines: in the name of God, long live the colonials! This expression is believed to have originated with the famous missionaryCharles de Foucauld who, when rescued by colonial troops, exclaimed "In the name of God, the great colonials!". Annual ceremonies celebrating the marine troops take place on 31 August and 1 September – the anniversary of the Blue Division. On 31 August detachments of all marine units parade atFréjus where the Museum of Marine Troops is located. On 1 September veterans hold a ceremony atBazeilles in Ardennes.
As a naval symbol since ancient times, theanchor appeared on the uniforms of French sailors from the late eighteenth century. The Marine Infantry and Artillery troops adopted this insignia at the same time and it remains the modern symbol of theTroupes de marine.
The headquarters of theTroupes de marine is the Specialized Staff for Overseas and Foreign Affairs (French:État-major spécialisé pour l'outre-mer et l'étranger, EMSOME), which also directs overseas Foreign Legion forces. The General commanding the EMSOME is nicknamed the "Father of the Marine Corps" (le Père de l'Arme des TDM).
The Troupes de Marine include various specialties, which form separate arms in the rest of the Army, including:
(traditional)
This song is sung at a brisk pace to marching music
{{cite book}}:|work= ignored (help)There were no units of Artillerie Coloniale at Gallipoli in 1915