French Expeditionary Corps for Dardanelles landing 1915

	French Expeditionary Corps for Dardanelles landing 1915
	Corps Expeditionaire d'Orient	Text by Yves "Froggy" Fohlen

Formed during the period 22nd Feb to 1st March 1915. Chief Commander Général D’Amade oversaw the military operations. Général d'Amade was sent back to France 14 May 1915 and was replaced by Général Gouraud.

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Général D’Amade	Général Gouraud

Second in command was Général Masnou. He was in fact commanding the Division.

General Baumann commanded the rear-echelon.

2 Senegalese soldiers serving in the French Colonial army.

Photo taken in springtime 1915 with the new uniform.

This picture taken at Fréjus, in the south of France.

Some (French) African troops on Gallipoli served with such a uniform.

Autochrome picture made by Gervais Courtellemont, 1915

One Infantry Brigade 1st brigade (175e regiment. 1st Regiment de Marche of Africa)

One Colonial Brigade called 2nd Brigade (under Colonel Ruef ) (4th and 6th Mixte regiment)*

One Cavalry regiment which became 8th Regiment de Marche of Chasseurs d’Afrique)

One Divisional artillery of 3 groups ( Two with 75 mm guns in 3 batteries and 1 with 65 mm guns in 2 batteries).

Support Units.

Moudros (Mudros) Harbour at Lemnos Island was the main base, but the Corps was concentrated first at Alexandria. The FCEF left Egypt from 15 April till 19 April.

This Corps was reinforced with 1 aircraft escadrille (squadron) and a heavy artillery group (One battery with 155 mm and one battery with 120 mm )

*The 2nd Brigade of 1st Division Expeditionary Corps was made with 2 Mixte Regiments; the 4th (Lieut. Colonel Vacher) and 6th (Lieut.Colonel Noguès ) each made up of 1 European battalion and 2 Senegalese battalions. (See image right from Militaria Magazine #50)

They were survivors of 1914 fighting in Artois , Yser and Champagne front line.

This picture, taken in Egypt just before Gallipoli has the French/Senegalese troops dressed in plain white with a red sash. This was their campaign or working uniform.

Note the very politically incorrect remarks made by the author.

Corps Expeditionaire D’Orient, 1st and 2nd Divisions . The Corps Expeditionaire D’Orient was led by General Albert d’Amade, and ultimately consisted of 2 divisions. Each of the divisions was divided into two brigades, a "Metropolitan" brigade and a "Colonial" brigade. Although consisting of only 2 brigades apiece (as opposed to the 3 brigades comprising most of the British Imperial divisions), French military organisation differed from the British and French brigades were approximately 50% larger, thus yielding a similar overall divisional strength.

A French relief column of Algerian Zouav

The Metropolitan brigades were of high quality and were possessed of customary French élan; they consisted of a regiment (in the French sense of 3 battalions) from metropolitan France and a regiment of Zouaves- originally elite Algerian troops, but increasingly Frenchmen dressed like and (successfully) emulating the bravery of the tribesmen.

The 1st Division also had a battalion of Foreign Legion troops (substituted for one of the Zouave battalions). The Colonial brigades were of lower quality, however, comprised primarily of Senegalese troops that were found to have a lower than average breaking point in combat.

The Zouave Regiments were first created in Algeria on 21 March 1831 by a Royal Decree of Louis Phillipe. The name came from a Kabyle tribe confederation : The "Zouaouas". In 1914 at the outbreak of the war the Zouave Regiments were made of French citizens born in France ( 1st Bn was formed in Paris and 11th Bn from men of North of France ) or white French citizens living in or born in Algeria or North Africa ( 4th Bn came from Algiers).

Algerian Tirailleur units were made of Algerian citizens. We called them "Turcos". Their uniforms were like those of the Zouaves but the top cardigan was light blue-grey with yellow stripes. Officers were white men, NCOs were about 60% Algerians. (The same applied with Moroccans or Tunisians).

Senegalese Regiments were formed with black men from French African colonies. Officers were white French men, NCOs were 98% white men as well.

BUT you could have a Senegalese Company in a Zouave Regiment, or a Tunisian Tirailleur Zouave Company with a Senegalese Battalion...we called them Regiment Mixte. Yves Fohlen

Composition of the French Corps Expeditionnaire d'Orient

1ST DIVISION
- 1st Metropolitan Brigade - 175th Regiment.
  - Composite Regiments of 1st Battalion Foreign Legion -
  - 2nd Battalion Zouaves.
- 2nd Colonial Brigade -
  - 4th Colonial Regiment.
  - 6th Colonial Regiment.
2ND DIVISION
- 3rd Metropolitan Brigade -
  - 176th Regiment.
  - 2nd African Regiment consisting three Battalions Zouaves.
- 4th Colonial Brigade -
  - 7th Colonial Regiment.
  - 8th Colonial Regiment.
- Two Regiments -
  - Chasseurs D'Afrique

French Colonial soldiers at Gallipoli

Gallipoli Peninsula, Turkey. 1915.

A French soldier going out through a barbed wire entanglement to help a wounded comrade to get back into the trenches.

A French Colonial 75 mm artillery gun in action near Sedd el Bahr at Cape Helles, Gallipoli during the Third Battle of Krithia, 4 June 1915.

Sunset bugle call on board a French transport ship on the way to the Dardanelles.

The French War Cemetery and Memorial at Helles. Photo by Yves Fohlen.

Victoria College Alexandria (HQ Corps Expeditionaire d'Orient) (17th General Hospital)

Two years later, the association's activities were suddenly suspended when Victoria College was commandeered by the British High Command. World War I was underway, and Victoria College was unexpectedly transformed into the headquarters of the Corps Expeditionaire d'Orient under the command of General d'Amade. A few months later it became home to the 17th British General (military) Hospital. [British army's 17th General Hospital unit] Fighting in the Dardanelles took a heavy toll, and soon thousands of casualties were shipped back to Egypt many of whom passed through Victoria College's gates.

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