10 January. Ive been asked about Muslim soldiers who fought for France during the Great War. Before 1914, the French army included a division, about 20,000 men, almost entirely recruited from Morocco, with similar divisions from Algeria and other countries within the French global empire. By definition the junior ranks and privates in the African divisions were made up almost exclusively of natives of the countries concerned. It is safe to assume that the Moroccan and Algerian soldiers were largely Muslims. In May 1915, the Moroccan division achieved the feat of capturing Vimy Ridge, a crucial defensive strongpoint in the German front lines near Arras. Sadly, the French were unable to get reinforcements to the Moroccans, who had to withdraw from the ridge, suffering heavy casualties both during the attack and retreat. The ridge remained in German hands for another two years. The French employed far more African colonial troops in France than any other nation. About 450,000 in total, largely from Islamic countries, fought for France during the war. They were fearsome in attack, and much used as shock troops for this reason. They gave great confidence to the French soldiers who went into attack with them, and were generally feared by German defenders as being fearless and recklessly brave. This is not the only reason, but is a factor in the truth that overall casualty rates suffered by Muslim soldiers fighting for France were about two and a half times greater than comparable rates for French national troops, which in turn were about twice the rate suffered by the British and their Dominion and colonial allies. About 100,000 of the 400,000 would be a reasonable estimate of the casualties among Muslim soldiers fighting for France in the Great War. In addition, about 150,000 more men from the French colonies were drafted into various labour corps to provide unskilled manpower for the army and to replace labour on the home front. Todays photos are: A view of the Moroccan divisional memorial on Vimy Ridge. The wording on the memorial French Commander in Chief General Joffre presiding at a medal ceremony for Moroccan troops after the attack on Vimy Ridge. Decorated Moroccan soldiers of the 7e Régiment de Marche de Tirailleurs with their regimental flag.
Posted on: Sat, 10 Jan 2015 00:23:38 +0000
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