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52-542: The Land Army is the largest service branch within the Tunisian Armed Forces and has a dominant presence in the current General Staff. It is estimated to number around 90,000, in addition to 60,000 reservists for a total of 150,000 strong. The modern army was created in the 1830s. It has seen substantive combat on one occasion: against France during the 1961 Bizerte crisis . The mission of the Tunisian army

104-570: A Croix de Guerre (Cross of War) with attachments on the ribbon depending on the degree of citation: the lowest being represented by a bronze star (for those who had been cited at the regiment or brigade level) while the highest degree is represented by a bronze palm (for those who had been cited at the army level). A unit can be mentioned in Despatches. Its flag is then decorated with the corresponding Croix. After two citations in Army Orders,

156-647: A Fourragère (at least 2 citations in Army Orders). Only one regiment of Senegalese Tirailleurs were awarded a Fourragère in 1919. As colonial subjects, tirailleurs were not awarded the same pensions as their French (European) counterparts after World War II. The discrimination led to a mutiny of Senegalese tirailleurs in Dakar at Camp Tiaroye in December 1944. The tirailleurs involved were former prisoners of war who had been repatriated to West Africa and placed in

208-551: A blockade on the French naval base at Bizerte , Tunisia, hoping to force its evacuation. The crisis culminated in a three-day battle between French and Tunisian forces that left 630 Tunisians and 24 French dead. After Tunisia gained independence from France in 1956, France remained in control of the city and its naval base, a strategic port on the Mediterranean, which played an important part in French operations during

260-597: A holding camp awaiting discharge. They demonstrated in protest against the failure of the French authorities to pay salary arrears and discharge allowances. French soldiers guarding the camp opened fire killing between thirty-five and seventy African soldiers. 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. When France's African colonies achieved independence between 1956 and

312-518: A metropolitan light infantry unit — the 1er bataillon de tirailleurs de Vincennes which disembarked in Algiers in early 1840. 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 tirailleurs from Algeria subsequently served in

364-559: A more practical khaki uniform from 1915 onwards, in common with the other units of the (North African) 19th Military District . The West African and Madagascan tirailleurs wore a dark blue parade dress with red sash and fez while the Indochinese regiments wore an indigenous style of blue, white or khaki uniform with a flat "salacco" headdress. Khaki had been widely worn as a hot-weather field dress in Indo-China and Africa during

416-687: A number of independent battalions remained in French service. Two battalions of Algerian Tirailleurs formed the bulk of the Détachement Français de Palestine et de Syrie that participated in the Sinai and Palestine Campaign from 1917 onwards. In 1884, the 4th Regiment of Tirailleurs was created in Tunisia. 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)

468-626: A result of Algerian independence . In the wars of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic periods, the designation "tirailleur" was a French military term used at first to refer generically to light infantry skirmishers. The first regiments of Tirailleurs so called were part of the Imperial Guard of Napoleon I . By the fall of the Empire, some 16 regiments had been created. The Guard Tirailleurs were usually grouped as part of

520-686: A special status. Inherited from the Hafsid period, it was refurbished and enlarged by the Ottomans becoming their center of power. It could accommodate up to 4,000 Ottoman troops together with their weapons and equipment. It also housed the apartments of the Dey and senior officials of the Turkish troops from Tunis plus some departments of the Chancery. It was transformed into barracks by the French troops during

572-562: A transitional force locale at the end of the Algerian War in 1962. The six remaining Algerian tirailleur regiments ( RTA ) were disbanded or transformed into metropolitan infantry units between 1962 and 1964. The last Moroccan regiment in the French Army was the 5th RTM ( Regiment de Tirailleurs Marocain ), stationed at Dijon until it disbanded in 1965. The modern French Army still has one tirailleur regiment, descended from

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624-662: A unit of mostly Vietnamese tirailleurs (" le Commando d'Extreme Orient Dam San ") continued to serve with the French Army in Algeria until 1960. Most tirailleur regiments were disbanded as French colonies and protectorates achieved independence between 1956 and 1962 . In Morocco, Tunisia and the new African states most serving tirailleurs transferred directly from the French armed forces to the new national armies. In Algeria locally recruited tirailleurs who remained loyal to France were given an option to transfer to units in France, or join

676-478: Is to defend the country against any foreign attack, to allow the development of a diplomatic counterattack and encourage the involvement of the United Nations, protect Tunisian nationals around the world and participate in peacekeeping missions. The modern Tunisian army was formed in 1831 by Al-Husayn II ibn Mahmud . The first battalions of the regular modern Tunisian army were created at the same time as

728-417: The Algerian War . France had promised to negotiate the future of the base, but had so far refused to remove it. Tunisia was further infuriated upon learning that France planned to expand the airbase. In 1961, Tunisian forces surrounded and blockaded the naval base in hopes of forcing France to abandon its last holdings in the country. After Tunisia warned France against any violations of Tunisian airspace,

780-857: The Crimean War , the Second Italian War of Independence , the French intervention in Mexico and the Franco-Prussian War (1870), as well as in French colonial campaigns in Tunisia, Indochina, Morocco, Madagascar and Algeria itself. During the Crimean War the Algerian tirailleurs acquired the nickname of "Turcos" (Turks) by which they were widely known over the next hundred years. The name reportedly arose from comparisons between

832-425: The French colonial territories during the 19th and 20th centuries, or for metropolitan units serving in a light infantry role. The French army currently maintains one tirailleur regiment, the 1st Tirailleur Regiment . This regiment was known as the 170th Infantry Regiment between 1964 and 1994. Prior to 1964, it was known as the 7th Algerian Tirailleur Regiment , but changed its name after it moved to France as

884-691: The Rif War of the 1920s . Before and during World War II (1939–45), tirailleurs were recruited from the Maghreb (Algerian, Moroccans , and Tunisians ), from French West Africa and Madagascar ( Tirailleurs malgaches ). Regiments were recruited from the regions of French Indochina : Annam , Tonkin , and Cambodia . The regiments were named after the territory in which they were recruited. Thus "tirailleurs Annamites", " tirailleurs Tonkinois " and "tirailleurs Cambodgiens". During World War I (1914–18) tirailleurs from North African territories served on

936-627: The 17 French regiments that won the Fourragère in the colors of the Légion d'honneur (at least six citations in Army Orders), nine of them were from the Army of Africa including four regiments of North African Tirailleurs (2nd, 4th, 7th Tirailleurs and 4th Zouaves and Tirailleurs). By the end of the war, all the 16 North African Tirailleur regiments existing as of August 1918 (12 Algerian/Tunisian, 2 Moroccan and 2 Zouaves and Tirailleurs), were awarded

988-625: The 2011 Libyan Civil War , Tunisian forces, mostly border guards, saw some limited action when fighting between Libyan rebels and loyalist soldiers spilled over the border and clashes ensued between the Libyan Army and the Tunisian Army, resulting in at least one Tunisian civilian being injured by a Libyan rocket. In October 2016, a British Short Term Training Team of 40 troops provided operational planning, intelligence, surveillance, and patrolling training to about 200 Tunisian personnel of

1040-463: The Algerian tirailleurs. 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. The traditions of the tirailleurs Senegalais are maintained by the 21eme Regiment d'infanterie de marine stationed in Fréjus , via the 4e Régiment de Tirailleurs Sénégalais of

1092-445: The Algerian troops and the Turkish allies serving alongside the French and British forces at the siege of Sevastopol. First raised in 1841 as battalions of tirailleurs indigenes , the locally recruited Algerian infantry were organised into three regiments of Algerian Tirailleurs by a decree dated 10 October 1855. The number of such units fluctuated over the next hundred years until in the early 1960s eight regiments of tirailleurs plus

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1144-481: The French administration was the Beylical Guard. On 21 June 1956 the transfer of about 9,500 Tunisian soldiers who had served in the French army and the Beylical Guard, made possible the speedy establishment of a combined arms regiment. The necessary equipment was made available to the young state from French and other sources. Of this number 25 officers, 250 warrant officers and 1,250 soldiers were veterans of

1196-526: The French army. On 30 June 1956 the new national Tunisian army was officially established by decree. The integration of the Beylical Guard, the induction of conscripts performing their military service as mandated in January 1957, and the recall of reservists enabled the army to expand from three to twelve battalions numbering 20,000 men in 1960. Approximately 60% of forces were used for border patrol and surveillance duties. The Tunisian army experienced combat for

1248-428: The French defiantly sent a helicopter. Tunisian troops responded by firing warning shots. In response to the blockade, 800 French paratroopers were sent in by the French as a show of force. However, when the transport planes with the paratroopers landed on the airfield , Tunisian troops engaged them with targeted machine gun fire. In response, French jets supported by troops armed with 105 mm howitzers attacked

1300-625: The French, which angered the Tunisian authorities. The French finally handed Bizerte over on 15 October 1963, after the conclusion of the Algerian War. Tirailleurs A tirailleur ( French: [tiʁajœʁ] ), in the Napoleonic era , was a type of light infantry trained to skirmish ahead of the main columns. Later, the term " tirailleur " was used by the French Army as a designation for indigenous infantry recruited in

1352-586: The Italian campaign. The Indo-Chinese tirailleur regiments were destroyed or disbanded following the Japanese coups against the French colonial administration in March 1945. Algerian, Moroccan and Senegalese tirailleurs served in Indo-China until the fall of Dien Bien Phu and subsequently as part of the French forces during the Algerian War of Independence (1954–62). Even after the French withdrawal from Indochina,

1404-534: The Protectorate and razed after Tunisian Independence. Hammouda Pacha Bey was the first leader to give the country a military industry; with the creation of a modern cannon foundry in 1810; at Hafsia in the heart of the Medina of Tunis . The foundry was small but provided most of the guns required for Tunisia's small navy guns and proved quite effective according to the commentators of the time. However, to ensure

1456-591: The Rwandan Genocide. In his book Shake Hands with the Devil, Canadian force commander Roméo Dallaire gave the Tunisian soldiers high credit for their work and effort in the conflict and referred to them as his "ace in the hole". From 1960 the Tunisian army has participated in the following missions: 1,545 Tunisian soldiers have received United Nations medals for serving a minimum of 90 days as members of one or another United Nations peacekeeping missions. During

1508-477: The Second World War. Until 1914 the Algerian and Tunisian tirailleurs wore zouave style uniforms of light blue with yellow braiding (see photographs on this page). White turbans (for parade), red fezzes and sashes were worn with this tenue orientale . 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. They adopted

1560-484: The Tunisian 1st Infantry Brigade, to help Tunisia to better guard their land borders. The training, provided under the auspices of the 4th Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom) , involved theoretical and practical exercises. Following the Tunisian Revolution , the army strength increased up to 90,000 men in order to face the new security challenges. However the organisation remains mainly the same compared to

1612-405: The Tunisian roadblocks, destroying them completely. French tanks and armoured cars then rolled into Tunisian territory, and fired into the town of Ferryville , killing 27 soldiers and civilians. The following day, the French launched a full-scale invasion of the town of Bizerte. The Tunisians' few artillery posts were destroyed by rockets fired by French planes. Tanks and paratroopers penetrated into

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1664-440: The Tunisian tirailleurs regiments had the same appearance as their Algerian counterparts. It was only in 1921 that the French government decided to name them officially "Tunisian Tirailleurs Regiments". In 1914, during World War I, the 1st Regiment of Moroccan Tirailleurs was created. At the end of the period of French rule in 1956 six regiments of Moroccan tirailleurs were still in existence. The recruitment of Muslim tirailleurs

1716-779: The Waterloo campaign. All regiments of Imperial Guard Tirailleurs (along with the rest of the Guard) were disbanded following the Emperor's second abdication. In addition to the regiments within the Imperial Guard, several foreign battalions of tirailleurs were raised, included the Italian Tirailleurs du Po and Corsican Tirailleurs Corses . The first tirailleurs employed in French North Africa were

1768-745: 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. The Great Mosque of Paris was constructed afterwards in honour of the Muslim tirailleurs who had fought for France. Tirailleurs from North and Central Africa fought with distinction in Europe during World War II, notably in

1820-594: The Young Guard, along with their sister Voltigeur regiments. The Guard Tirailleur regiments were disbanded during the reorganization of the French Army in 1814 by the new royal government. On 28 March 1815, during Napoleon I's short-lived return to power (the Hundred Days ), Regiments 1-8 of the Guard Tirailleurs were officially re-raised. Only the 1st and 3rd Regiments actually took the field for

1872-709: The Zitouna University. The reformer Mahmoud Kabadou taught Arabic. The school was closed in the aftermath of the Mejba revolt in 1864, for financial reasons. During the period of the French Protectorate (1881-1956), Tunisians were recruited in significant numbers into the French Army, serving as tirailleurs (infantry) and spahis (cavalry). These units saw active service in Europe during both World Wars, as well as in Indo-China prior to 1954. The only exclusively Tunisian military force in existence under

1924-514: The city from the south, while marines stormed the harbour from landing craft. Three French cruisers were positioned offshore. Tunisian soldiers, paramilitaries, and hastily organised civilian volunteers engaged the French in heavy street fighting , but were forced back by vastly superior French forces. The French overran the town on 23 July 1961. Initially the United Nations was unable to carry out any sort of substantial action against

1976-512: The colors of the Médaille militaire . It is one of the rarest unit awards in the French military. The Order is the highest decoration in France. In the case of a regiment, its flag is decorated with the insignia of a knight, which is a different award than the fourragère in the colors of the Légion d'honneur . Only 34 French Infantry Regiments were decorated with the Légion d'honneur including seven Regiment of North-African Tirailleurs. Among

2028-568: The country. The full strength of these irregular units reached up to 40,000 infantry and cavalry. They were based mainly in barracks at Kef, Nefza and Tunis, and were commanded by Turkish Mamluks. When the need for a regular cavalry regiment ( spahis ) arose, Ahmed Bey I created one regiment in 1850, based in Manouba. The country was surrounded by 110 fortresses garrisoned by detachments ranging in strength from 50 to 200 men. These comprised infantry and some artillery. They were responsible for ensuring

2080-735: The creation of four conscript based regiments of infantry by 1842. Four artillery units were organised between 1838 and 1847, to be brigaded with the conscripted infantry. By 1855 the Tunisian army was divided into 7 infantry brigades spread throughout the country as listed below. Each was under the command of an Amir Liwa (Brigadier-General). From 1864 an Amir Oumar (General of Division was appointed). The numbers of each brigade varies from 1 000 to 2 000 men at different times. Also available from 1835 to 1860 were 4 artillery brigades ( topjiya ) of 1000 men each, distributed as follows: The Army also had several Tunisian irregular regiments made up of Berber tribal levies (or Zouaoua mkhaznia ) spread across

2132-446: The early 1960s, the military pensions of veterans who became citizens of the new nations were frozen. By contrast their French counterparts, who might have served in the same units and fought in the same battles, received pensions that were adjusted for inflation in France itself. While the imbalanced situation was widely deplored, successive French governments did not act on the complaints of former French Army soldiers. One rationale for

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2184-478: The end of World War II, as the tirailleur units became increasingly mechanized. France made extensive use of tirailleurs in its colonial campaigns. The most numerous of these, after the "tirailleurs algériens" noted above, were the "tirailleurs sénégalais" (who were recruited from all of the French possessions in West and Central Africa). Both played an important role in the occupation of Morocco (1908–14) as well as in

2236-600: The first regiments of the Ottoman army after the reforms of Sultan Mahmud II which followed the removal of the Janissary Corps . Ahmed Bey I built on the initial reforms of the reign of his uncle, Hussein Bey II and initiated more extensive changes in both the Tunisian army and state. The former changes included the raising of Tunisia's first regular cavalry regiment in 1838, the opening of a military academy in 1840 and

2288-482: The first time in 1958; against French units crossing the southern border in pursuit of Algerian FLN fighters. However, the main battle experience of the Tunisian army, since its creation, occurred during the Bizerte crisis, when over 600 Tunisian soldiers were killed in combat against French forces. Tunisia has contributed military forces to United Nations peacekeeping missions, including an army company to UNAMIR during

2340-515: 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. However, more than forty years after

2392-570: The men of the unit concerned are all entitled to wear a fourragère . Regiments of North African Tirailleurs were, together with regiments of Zouaves , amongst the most decorated units in the French Army, ranking after only the Colonial Infantry Regiment of Morocco and the Foreign Legion March Regiment . As for the Légion d'honneur , this unit award should not be confused with the fourragère in

2444-750: The pre-revolution one. Most noticed change is the adding of an Intervention Battalion in each of the three mechanized infantry Brigade. These new battalions mostly focused on anti-terror fighting was seen during 61st army anniversary parade. Main Tunisian Army formations are as follows : The Tunisian Army is composed of the corps of officers, NCOs and other ranks. Bizerte crisis [REDACTED] Habib Bourguiba [REDACTED] Noureddine Boujellabia [REDACTED] Abdelhamid Ben Cheikh The Bizerte crisis ( French : Crise de Bizerte ; Arabic : أحداث بنزرت , romanized :  ʾAḥdāth Bīzart ) occurred in July 1961 when Tunisia imposed

2496-670: The provision of equipment for the new Tunisian army, Ahmed Bey I provided the country with more modern factories on the European model from about 1840: Around 1865 many of these plants were dismantled or abandoned during a financial crisis. In 1840 a military school called the Ecole Polytechnique was established in the Bardo Palace . Several instructors were French and Italians teaching science and military technology. The school staff also included several professors from

2548-518: The reform of the Ottoman army and after the French conquest of Algeria in 1830. At the initiative of Minister of Hussein Bey II, Mamluk Shakir Saheb Ettabaâ, a battalion of Tunisian infantry was established in Tunis in January 1831. The next year, another battalion was raised, composed mainly of Sahelians and based in Sousse. Soldiers and officers were trained, equipped and dressed in European fashion, like

2600-574: The safety of cities, borders and coasts, the latter under the authority of the Ministry of the Navy. These forts were also used as residences by senior officials and governors, as well as serving as prisons or granaries and depots for military supplies such as gunpowder and ammunition. Every city and large village had one of these forts. The Kasbah of Tunis, fortress and former residence of the Bey of Tunis, had

2652-427: The years before the outbreak of World War I and thereafter became the norm. The North African tirailleurs however resumed their colourful full dress uniforms between 1927 and 1939 to assist recruitment. After World War II they were retained until the present day for wear by the noubas (regimental bands). In France, citations made during World War I, World War II or colonial conflicts were accompanied with awards of

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2704-524: 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. Prior to 1939 up to 90% of the rank and file of each battalion had been indigenous. The proportion of French European (both metropolitan and pied-noir settlers) to Maghrébin (North African) personnel had however increased to about 30% by

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