Senegalese Tirailleurs
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Image:SenegalSoldats1914.jpg
Tirailleurs Sénégalais as portrayed in a Russian magazine in 1914.
The Senegalese Tirailleurs (French: Tirailleurs Sénégalais) was a corps of the French Army recruited from French West Africa. The first unit was formed in 1857 and served France in a number of wars, most notable World War I and World War II.
[edit] History
The Senegalese Tirailleurs was formed in 1857 by Louis Faidherbe, governor general of French West Africa, because he lacked manpower to control the territory. The formal decree for its formation was signed on 21 July 1857 in Plombières-les-Bains by Napoleon III.
[edit] See also
- Tirailleurs: history of the Pre-Colonial French and Colonial Tirailleur units (eg: Algerian, Senegalese).
- French colonial troops
- Pierre Messmerfr:Tirailleurs sénégalais
