Tricolor over the Sahara : the desert battles of the Free French, 1940-1942 / Edward L. Bimberg.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Bimberg, Edward L., 1919-

Series:

Contributions in military studies ; no. 217.

Contributions in military studies, 0883-6884 ; no. 217

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

France combattante. Armée.

France combattante.

World War, 1939-1945--Campaigns--Africa, North.

World War, 1939-1945.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (143 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Distribution:

London : Bloomsbury Publishing, 2024

Place of Publication:

Westport, Conn. : Praeger, 2002.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

This is the story of the early struggles of an ill-equipped ragtag French force, among the first to pledge its loyalty to General de Gaulle. It fought a lonely, almost secret war against the numerically superior Italian troops deep in the wildest parts of the Sahara, hundreds of miles from the main campaigns along the African coast. These daring Free French raids with their long thirsty treks and small-scale oasis battles have been nearly forgotten, although their path is marked by the graves of many hundreds of French, Italian, and native soldiers. Bimberg details the exotic units that participated in this struggle, including the Tirailleurs Sénégalaise du T'chad (African Infantry), the Compagnies Sahariennes (Saharan Camel Companies), and the Groupe Nomade du Tibesti (a tribal militia recruited in the Tibesti Mountain region of the great desert). Despite antiquated equipment and some of the world's worst terrain, the Free French were among the most dedicated soldiers in the Allied camp. The backdrop to their fierce fighting includes the barely surveyed Tibesti Mountains with their 10, 000 foot volcanic peaks, interspersed with treacherous shifting sands-terrain which would prove to be an enormous challenge to the worn out, patched-together motor vehicles of the Free French. Much of the action takes place in the most remote areas of Italian Libya, the desert province of Fezzan with its fortified oases of Mourzouk and Koufra, each strongly defended by the Italians. While these skirmishes were a sideshow to the epic battles of North Africa, they were immortalized by heroic acts by the French and African troops alike, efforts that ultimately led to success in this far corner of the world.

Contents:

Cover

TRICOLOR OVER THE SAHARA

CONTENTS

AUTHOR'S NOTE

INTRODUCTION

Chapter 1 THE DESERT BEFORE

NOTES

Chapter 2 THE STIRRINGS OF WAR

Chapter 3 COMBAT-MOURZOUK AND KOUFRA

Chapter 4 THE GHOST RAIDERS

Chapter 5 ON TO TUNIS

Chapter 6 ENTER, THE LEGION

Chapter 7 THE WESTERN DESERT

Chapter 8 LOOKING BACK

EPILOGUE

APPENDIX: UNIFORMS

GLOSSARY

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY

INDEX

About the Author

Recent Titles in Contributions in Military Studies.

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references (p. [129]-130) and index.

ISBN:

9798216027539

9786610468652

9781280468650

1280468653

9780313010972

0313010978

OCLC:

567181964