Infantry have been the backbone of armies around the world for many centuries. Currently it has been displaced by mechanized means, but in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries it was still a very important element above the rest. The great mass of infantrymen were often divided into subunits, for example there were line infantry, grenadiers, chasseurs on foot (French unit) and hunters. Western countries at the beginning of the 19th century timidly began their colonial expansion throughout the world, mainly Africa and Asia. Thanks to these new conquests, the metropolises were able to add colonial units to their armies with native people from the respective territories. The classic examples of countries that did this are undoubtedly Great Britain and France.
From Great Britain we can talk about its Indian and Australian troops (the truth is that the latter were important when the 1st World War began). France instead added Vietnamese, Moroccan and Senegalese soldiers among others to its armed forces. But among all of them the Algerian soldiers framed in the units of Zouaves stood out. These troops will be considered elite groups by the French army.
The creation of the famous unit
In 1830, the French army began the conquest of Algeria, General Bertrand Clauzel decided to form an elite unit to join his army. Bertrand in his passage through Algeria came into contact with different tribes and Kabyles, among them the so-called Zouaouas, who for a long time in other times had been in the service of the Ottoman Turks. On October 1, 1830 and under the command of Marshal Bourmont, the first two battalions of what would become the famous Zouaves were created. That same month they entered into combat against other tribes that settled in Algeria, their results were very good, so the unit was quickly configured.
From this moment on, the groupings of this unit will increase. His clothing is very unique and will remain the same until 1914 in the first months of the 1st World War. This consisted of a short dark blue collarless jacket with red or gold embroidery, the famous red sarouel (breeches-type pants), a woolen sash over 3 meters long (it started out white but was soon adopted a blue pale), boots with white cloth leggings and finally the red fez-type hat with a turban (the latter was not mandatory).
His campaign record 1850-1914
Zouaves were undoubtedly known worldwide during the Second French Empire (1852-1870) where Napoleon III was at the top. 4 regiments of this unit were formed, which accounted for a total of 12,000 men. One of their first large-scale campaigns was the Crimean War (1853-1856) where they once again demonstrated their ferocity in combat, one of the toughest battles they participated in was the Siege of Sevastopol in 1854, which lasted almost a year. . After this conflict they participated again in the Italian campaigns supporting Victor Manuel II against the Austrian forces, we must highlight their performance in the Battle of Solferino (1859) where they managed to capture a banner from the enemy, a very important feat in the 19th century. Wherever they participated, the French army won.
In 1860, Napoleon III wants to take his policy to the outside world, beyond Europe, the goal this time is Mexico. In this country, an attempt is made to establish an empire governed by Maximilian I, something that is achieved thanks to the French intervention that sends numerous units to fight against the detractors of the new government. In May 1862, the French are defeated in Puebla and forced to retreat, the Zouaves suffer quite a few casualties after frontal attacks against the Mexican fortifications. Although some time later the initiative was renewed, in 1866-67 there were numerous defeats, mainly due to the actions of guerrillas. Finally, the chapter of the French intervention in Mexico ends with the execution of Maximilian I.
In 1870, the Second French Empire was in danger. The Prussians had carried out since 1860 a unification of the small principalities that made up Germany. To finish this great political work, Otto Von Bismarck looked for a common enemy for the German cause, the chosen country was France. Both countries had already had rivalries during these dates, but finally the tensions were broken and the war broke out. In 1871, the French armies had fought well but had been defeated in disastrous battles like Sedan, Metz or Gravelotte. The Zouaves behaved satisfactorily, but could not change the course of the war. This conflict marked European military tactics until 1914, one of the elements that was characterized from now on was the use of repetition rifles.
In 1914 another war begins again, this time it will have a magnitude never seen before since the Napoleonic Wars at the beginning of the 19th century. Technological evolution reached unprecedented extremes, but countries did not test their new weapons in great battles, except for colonial wars against different tribes and backward countries that did not need a great mobilization. The initial 4 regiments of Zouaves were increased by 13 during the beginning of the war, a war that was going to require large numbers of men and material. The Zouaves launched into this new “adventure” with their nineteenth-century cut uniforms, which had only changed in their black boots that did not need leggings. As always they had a good role, but they were largely displaced by the great mass of infantry that had been mobilized and that was made up of millions of men.
As time passed, the Zouaves were equipped with very modern uniforms and equipment, although the French general staff resisted at first, these units had to abandon their characteristic baggy pants and short blue coats. Instead, they were given a khaki uniform that allowed and gave a more appropriate appearance to the war in which they were participating. The only element that remained was the red fez, although it could also be khaki in campaign. Their status as an elite unit did not change and as such they were one of the most decorated groups in the French Army. After the Great War (1914-1918), they had the honor of serving in the 2nd World War and the colonial wars, where finally in 1962, after the independence of Algeria, the Zouave regiments were disbanded.
The non-French Zouaves, the unit spreads throughout the world
As we have seen, the Zouaves were Algerian units enlisted in the French army, but after their international successes, especially in their performance in Crimea and Mexico, many countries copied this unit, which was made up almost entirely of European personnel, not like in France. where this was a minority. The countries that most copied this unit were the United States, the Papal States, Spain, Brazil and Poland. The clothes were the same as in the original French regiments but sometimes the color of the uniform changed, in the United States and Brazil they originally dressed like the French, in the Papal States and Spain they wore gray and in Poland black.
USA
The Zouaves regiments in the United States were formed in the middle of the Civil War (1861-1865) and both the North and the South had this type of unit at their disposal. The Union framed 70 regiments with this denomination and the Confederate States of America 24 regiments. The federals (blues or northerners) faithfully reproduced the French Zouave uniform thanks to their industry, the boys of the 5th New York Regiment are famous. The southerners (rebels or grays) due to their lack and lack of textile industry dressed their Zouaves with what they could, which is why some units had blue and white striped pants from the sheets of the beds. His most famous detachment were those framed in the so-called louisiana tigers.
Papal or Papal States
Currently, the Vatican is a small territory ruled by the Pope, but at the end of the 19th century, the Pope had the center of Italy in his power and for this reason he also had an army like any other European power. Its most famous unit was made up of the Pontifical Zouaves, who were faithful to the different popes until in 1870, the Piamomentese who sought the unification of Italy conquered Rome. The Zouaves were the last troops in the service of the Pope who offered resistance on the city walls before his surrender. The cut of his uniform was very similar to the French one, but the color was gray-blue.
Kingdom of Spain
The Spanish army never had a unit of Zouaves, but during the 3rd Carlist War (1872-1876), D. Alfonso Carlos (younger brother of the pretender to the throne), after passing through the Pontifical Zouaves where he became a lieutenant and demonstrated his bravery in combat, he created a battalion of Zouaves to use as an honor guard and as a shock unit, since it was a select group within the Carlist army. Undoubtedly the cut of their uniform was almost identical to that of the Papal Zouaves but there was an element that differentiated them from the other detachments, the beret of clear Basque influence where the tassel was kept. The predominant color was gray-blue.
Poland, Brazil and others
Apart from the countries named at the beginning, there were quite a few more that copied this famous French unit. Poland formed its famous regiment of Death Zouaves dressed in all black with a white cross on their chest, their motto was «conquer or die«. Its first appearance was in the Battle of Miechów (1863) against the Russian Empire, where only 400 Zouaves were able to escape, it is a very unknown unit. In 1865, the Brazilian Empire was at war with Paraguay, and this year it formed the so-called Los Bahia Zouaves, they were mostly made up of colored soldiers. Also the Turkish Empire had two regiments of this unit that were the honor guard of the palace, the difference with the French detachments was that they used a green turban.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
http://zuaus.blogspot.com.es/
F. MARTINEZ, The Civil War, Flint, Madrid, 2013, pg. 84.
R. SMITH & B. YOUNGHUSBAND, American Civil War ZouavesOsprey, Oxford, 1996.
A. JOUINEAU, French Army 1914, August-December, Histoire Collec, Paris, 2008, pg. 45-47.
A. JOUINEAU, French Army 1918, 1915 to Victory, Histoire Collec, Paris, 2008, pg. 51-52.
S. SHANN & L. DELPERIER, French Army 1870-71, Franco-Prussian War, 2nd Republican TroopsOsprey, Oxford, 1991.
I. SILVESTRE BORREGO, The origins of the French Zouaves 1830-1880http://www.aculliber.com/.
RG GRANT, 1001 Battles that changed the course of historyCassel Illustrated, Barcelona, 2012.
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