Tirailleur

A tirailleur (French: [tiʁajœʁ]), in the Napoleonic era, was a type of light infantry trained to skirmish ahead of the main columns.

This unit subsequently became the chasseurs d'Orléans but the title of tirailleurs was allocated the next year to newly raised regiments of indigenous Algerian infantry recruited from the Arab and Berber communities.

The name reportedly arose from comparisons between the Algerian troops and the Turkish allies serving alongside the French and British forces at the siege of Sevastopol.

Except for minor distinctions of insignia and uniform (their numbering was based on the figure "4" and its multiples, plus light blue tombeaus or false pockets on their full dress zouave jackets) the Tunisian tirailleurs regiments had the same appearance as their Algerian counterparts.

The recruitment of Muslim tirailleurs was mainly voluntary with enlistment for three year periods (five for NCOs), although a limited form of conscription by ballot was introduced in Algeria in 1913 and continued until the end of French rule in North Africa.

[9] During World War I (1914–18) tirailleurs from North African territories served on the Western Front, Salonika and in the Levant, incurring heavy losses.

In spite of its title, the Moroccan Division (France) which fought on the Western Front contained Tirailleur battalions from all North African regions.

Tirailleurs from North and Central Africa fought with distinction in Europe during World War II, notably in the Italian campaign.

In Morocco, Tunisia and the new African states most serving tirailleurs transferred directly from the French armed forces to the new national armies.

While these troops are now all French, items of the traditional North African uniform are still worn on ceremonial occasions to commemorate the Algerian "Turcos" who served France for over 130 years.

[15] Until 1914 the Algerian and Tunisian tirailleurs wore zouave style uniforms of light blue with yellow braiding (see photographs on this page).

[16] A white field dress of similar loose cut was worn for North African campaigning and in France during the early months of World War I.

[20] Khaki had been widely worn as a hot-weather field dress in Indo-China and Africa during the years before the outbreak of World War I and thereafter became the norm.

[26] The provisional government of Charles de Gaulle, concerned at the impact of the Tiaroye incident on serving tirailleurs, acted quickly to ensure that claims for back pay and other money owed were settled.

One rationale for the freezing of the pensions was that increased levels would have created an income gap between the former soldiers and the rest of the populations in African countries where the cost of living was significantly lower than in France.

It was only in 2006 that President Jacques Chirac, reportedly moved by Rachid Bouchareb's movie Indigènes, gave instructions to increase the pensions of former colonial soldiers.

The Spanish Army of Africa included an indigenous light infantry force under European officers, designated as the Tiradores de Ifni.