641:
160:
resumed their role as desert police. Operating in wide-ranging platoons of 50 to 60 men under French officers, they administered local laws, provided some basic medical assistance, inspected wells and reported on the state of pastures in the fertile oasis areas.
203:
of 2012 and subsequent disturbances led to widespread losses and desertions amongst the méharistes. As of 2013 only 368 méharistes remained in service and the future of the corps was in doubt. Mauritania retains a méhariste unit for at least ceremonial purposes.
195:
The modern
Algerian army maintains up to twelve companies of desert troops in the Sahara but these are mechanized units. A small camel mounted corps with Tuareg personnel, modelled on the méharistes of the French era, was disbanded c1980.
239:. All ranks were normally bare-footed when in the saddle, in order not to harm the sensitive upper body of their camels. The saddlery and other leather equipment was of local design and often elaborately decorated.
232:). Two red sashes were worn – one wound around the waist and the other crossed on the chest under red-brown leather equipment of traditional Saharean pattern. A khaki field dress of similar cut was also worn.
176:
or were caught in the open desert by French fighter aircraft and destroyed. During the later stages of the
Algerian War, méhariste detachments did patrol the southern (Saharan) ends of the fortified
183:
The camel-mounted units were retained in service until the end of French rule in 1962. The locally recruited méharistes (numbering about 162 in each company or
141:
units. Following the establishment of a French mandate over Syria in 1920, three méhariste companies were organised in that country as part of the French
883:
271:. Like their French and Spanish counterparts they were recruited from the indigenous desert tribes, and wore modified versions of tribal dress.
199:
In 1996 the government of Mali re-established a camel corps of six companies for patrol and policing work along its
Saharan border. However the
334:
125:
provided an effective means of policing the desert. A similar camel corps was subsequently raised to cover the southern Sahara, operating from
172:
mutinied and killed their eight French officers and N.C.Os. According to differing reports the mutineers either were able to join the rebel
941:
557:
180:
along the
Tunisian border. On several occasions the ALN attempted to outflank the line by disguising commando units as méharistes.
297:. Like their French counterparts they were recruited from the indigenous desert tribes, and wore modified versions of tribal dress.
818:
349:
905:
474:
920:
97:
comprised six officers, 36 French non-commissioned officers and troopers, and 300 Chaamba troopers. Their bases were at
173:
900:
516:
415:
855:
550:
359:
252:
168:(1954–62) but there was one instance, on 17 October 1957, where 60 méharistes of the Adrar camel company near
823:
739:
148:
During World War II méhariste companies, organised as "nomad groups", saw service against Axis forces in the
187:
at this date) were then disbanded while French personnel (16 per company) were transferred to other units.
165:
946:
915:
285:
Locally recruited camel corps were maintained by the
Spanish army in their North African territory, the
877:
662:
543:
849:
793:
708:
200:
65:
45:
951:
833:
344:
407:
400:
828:
615:
339:
138:
640:
8:
788:
354:
757:
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142:
126:
610:
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496:
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306:
280:
778:
749:
590:
762:
734:
585:
566:
25:
866:
703:
687:
667:
314:
290:
286:
102:
379:
C.R. Hure, pages 225-228 "L'Armee D'Afrique 1830-1962" Charles-Lavauzelle 1977
935:
798:
783:
620:
580:
509:
223:
121:
With their local tribal links, plus their mobility and flexible tactics, the
33:
29:
872:
861:
677:
595:
310:
260:
605:
328:
294:
268:
177:
110:
78:
718:
625:
320:
256:
218:
98:
672:
535:
388:
John
Gunther, page 142 "Inside Africa", Hamish Hamilton London 1955
324:
169:
430:
Gallardo, Pablo. Soldats d'Algerie. p. 56. ISBN 978-2-35250-524-2.
682:
630:
228:
153:
106:
86:
264:
149:
81:
earlier used to patrol the desert boundaries. The newly raised
74:
70:
133:. From the 1930s onwards, the Méharistes formed part of the
236:
73:
in 1902. These units replaced regular units of
Algerian
532:" Jose Bueno. Libreria Editorial San Martin Madrid 1971
226:
troopers, with turbans, veils and wide black trousers (
89:
nomadic tribe and commanded by officers of the French
137:
which also included motorised French and (from 1940)
32:. The word is most commonly used as a designation of
399:
933:
467:Officers and Soldiers of the French Army in 1940
164:The Sahara remained relatively quiet during the
530:Uniformes Militares de la Guerra Civil Espanola
335:Saharan Companies of the French Foreign Legion
551:
255:in the Italian North African territories of
558:
544:
85:were originally recruited mainly from the
93:(Native Affairs Bureau). Each company of
464:
263:during the colonial period. The Italian
523:Le Uniformi Coloniali Libiche 1912-1942
350:List of French possessions and colonies
222:) of either white for Arab or blue for
934:
274:
242:
539:
397:
267:meharista served primarily as desert
247:Locally recruited camel corps, named
39:
565:
190:
921:United States Army Veterinary Corps
906:King's Troop, Royal Horse Artillery
469:. Amber Books Limited. p. 58.
13:
942:Military history of French Algeria
14:
963:
901:1st Military Working Dog Regiment
235:French personnel wore light-blue
61:Compagnies Méharistes Sahariennes
639:
525:" Piero Crociani. La Roccia 1980
455:. p. 57. ISBN 978-2-35250-524-2.
129:and falling within the separate
28:word that roughly translates to
697:Communications and surveillance
458:
445:
433:
424:
391:
382:
373:
360:Royal Corps of Colonial Troops
253:Royal Corps of Colonial Troops
1:
740:Ravens of the Tower of London
508:"The Conquest of the Sahara"
366:
16:French military camel cavalry
166:Algerian War of Independence
156:. At the end of the war the
7:
916:Royal Army Veterinary Corps
503:L'Armee D'Afrique 1830-1962
300:
293:served primarily as desert
10:
968:
487:
278:
207:
116:
55:France created a corps of
50:
43:
893:
878:National War Dog Cemetery
842:
811:
771:
748:
727:
696:
678:Blue Peacock nuclear mine
655:
648:
637:
573:
251:, were maintained by the
465:Jouineau, Andre (2010).
406:. Viking Press. p.
398:Horne, Alistair (1978).
856:Animals in War Memorial
850:Animals in War Memorial
709:Mail delivery by animal
46:Free French Camel Corps
345:French Colonial Empire
158:Compagnies Sahariennes
135:Compagnies Sahariennes
812:By battle, war or era
402:A Savage War of Peace
340:French colonial flags
279:Further information:
214:Compagnies Méharistes
123:Compagnies Méharistes
83:Compagnies méharistes
843:Memorials and awards
216:wore flowing coats (
109:, Fort Polignac and
894:Personnel and units
789:Damnatio ad bestias
362:in the Italian Army
275:Spanish camel corps
243:Italian camel corps
947:French West Africa
714:Pigeon photography
663:Animal-borne bombs
143:Army of the Levant
127:French West Africa
91:Affaires Indigènes
63:), as part of the
40:French camel corps
929:
928:
807:
806:
750:Military funerals
600:Ballista elephant
476:978-2-35250-179-4
453:Soldats d'Algerie
451:Gallardo, Pablo.
442:16 September 2013
191:Post-independence
59:camel companies (
959:
884:War Dog Memorial
819:Mongol expansion
794:Exploding animal
779:Animals in space
653:
652:
643:
567:Military animals
560:
553:
546:
537:
536:
505:" C.R. Hure 1977
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967:
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889:
838:
824:Napoleonic Wars
803:
767:
763:Riderless horse
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735:Military mascot
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131:Armée Coloniale
119:
66:Armée d'Afrique
53:
48:
42:
17:
12:
11:
5:
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886:(Pennsylvania)
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869:(South Africa)
867:Horse Memorial
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724:
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721:
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711:
706:
704:Acoustic Kitty
700:
698:
694:
693:
691:
690:
688:Project Pigeon
685:
680:
675:
670:
668:Anti-tank dogs
665:
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357:
355:Citroën Méhari
352:
347:
342:
337:
332:
318:
315:Spanish Sahara
313:equivalent in
307:Tropas Nómadas
302:
299:
291:Tropas Nomadas
287:Spanish Sahara
281:Tropas Nómadas
276:
273:
244:
241:
209:
206:
192:
189:
139:Foreign Legion
118:
115:
52:
49:
41:
38:
34:military units
15:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
964:
953:
952:Camel cavalry
950:
948:
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835:
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827:
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820:
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814:
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800:
797:
795:
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787:
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784:Animal cyborg
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527:
524:
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518:
517:0-394-53086-1
514:
511:
510:Douglas Porch
507:
504:
500:
498:
497:The Méhariste
492:
491:
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417:0-670-61964-7
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202:
201:Tuareg rising
197:
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155:
152:and southern
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68:
67:
62:
58:
47:
37:
35:
31:
30:camel cavalry
27:
23:
22:
910:
873:Purple poppy
862:Dickin Medal
834:World War II
529:
522:
502:
466:
460:
452:
447:
439:
435:
426:
401:
393:
384:
375:
327:used in the
311:Spanish Army
284:
261:Tripolitania
248:
246:
234:
227:
217:
213:
211:
198:
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184:
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134:
130:
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94:
90:
82:
64:
60:
56:
54:
20:
19:
18:
829:World War I
494:(in French)
329:French Army
323:– Colonial
321:Tirailleurs
295:gendarmerie
269:gendarmerie
178:Morice Line
111:Tamanrasset
79:tirailleurs
936:Categories
799:Ship's cat
758:Black Jack
728:Ceremonial
719:War pigeon
367:References
289:. Spanish
95:Méharistes
44:See also:
911:Méhariste
852:(England)
596:Elephants
574:By animal
257:Cyrenaica
249:Meharisti
219:gandourah
99:Tabelbala
69:, in the
57:méhariste
21:Méhariste
858:(Canada)
673:Bat bomb
591:Dolphins
440:L' Essor
325:infantry
301:See also
170:Timimoun
683:Chariot
656:Weapons
626:Pigeons
616:Insects
488:Sources
229:seroual
208:Uniform
154:Tunisia
117:History
107:Ouargla
87:Chaamba
51:Origins
880:(Guam)
649:By use
611:Horses
581:Camels
515:
473:
414:
309:– The
265:Zaptie
224:Tuareg
150:Fezzan
75:spahis
71:Sahara
26:French
772:Other
621:Moose
606:Geese
237:kepis
103:Adrar
24:is a
631:Pigs
586:Dogs
513:ISBN
471:ISBN
412:ISBN
259:and
212:The
185:goum
77:and
408:265
174:ALN
938::
410:.
145:.
113:.
105:,
101:,
36:.
602:)
598:(
559:e
552:t
545:v
528:"
521:"
501:"
479:.
420:.
331:.
317:.
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