Who and what unit is this?

[ww2admin]

Anyone know more about this guy? Looks like he is from the middle ages, but it's WWII.

[Digger]

I'm not gonna bet my left bollock on it, but he looks like a Vichy French soldier. Possibly in Lebanon.

Regards digger

[savoy6]

the individual pictured is a french north-african soldier usually refered to as a Ghoum....they were Algerian tribesmen that were known for their ability to patrol effectively and brutally.they would regularly leave a sleeping german or italian soldier with a dead foxhole mate..

[Cuts]

Not the drab uniform of a Zouave then ?

[Croat]

I think this man is a greek troop:roll:

[savoy6]

he's a ghoum tribesman...this photo was from a set that was taken for an article in a '43 Life magazine on the differing troops that were fighting alongside the US forces in North Africa.

[tankgeezer]

I think this man is a greek troop:roll:

Now that is odd,,, I was going to say he was a Greek as well, probably from the leggings. what makes it odd, is that I am also partly Croatian. Great minds think alike.. But Savoy 6 is most probably correct. - Raspenau -

[deserter]

Don't know the exact unit, but part of the French Expeditionary Corps, French colonial troops composed of French, Algerian, Morrocan and Tunisian troops. Not part of the original Free French, but were under Vichy then joined the allies. Unsung heros who were very instrumental in breaking the Gustav line in Italy. Good fighters in mountainous terrain and showed the allies how to fight on that type of terrain where they couldn't use armour and trucks but had to rely on pack animals. I heard they were guilty of atrocities against the civilian population. Their uniforms were a mixture of everything; French, British, American and Native.

[32Bravo]

Don't know the exact unit, but part of the French Expeditionary Corps, French colonial troops composed of French, Algerian, Morrocan and Tunisian troops. Not part of the original Free French, but were under Vichy then joined the allies. Unsung heros who were very instrumental in breaking the Gustav line in Italy. Good fighters in mountainous terrain and showed the allies how to fight on that type of terrain where they couldn't use armour and trucks but had to rely on pack animals. I heard they were guilty of atrocities against the civilian population. Their uniforms were a mixture of everything; French, British, American and Native.

Very much unsung heroes - take a look at who captured Monte Casino.

[Winters]

i agree with savoy6 , french north-african soldier (Ghoum) , i know very little of these guys but they performed quite a few behind ememy lines victorys , a tough little troop both respected and feared by the axis.

[Winters]

During World War II, soldiers from some 23 nationalities in France’s colonial empire fought against the country’s occupation by Nazi Germany. Referred to as “indigènes” or natives, they were treated as inferiors, ill-equipped, denied leaves of absence and after the war often received pensions a fraction of the size awarded their French counterparts.

Hundreds of thousands of these soldiers were drawn from North Africa. Among them, Algerians were involved in some of the heaviest combat as frontline infantrymen fighting in Italy, France and Germany.

[Gen. Sandworm]

he's a ghoum tribesman...this photo was from a set that was taken for an article in a '43 Life magazine on the differing troops that were fighting alongside the US forces in North Africa.

Sounds reasonable to me ................ just curious where did you get this info? You have a copy of the '43 Life magazine? ;)

[War Fanatic]

The helmet look like of French orginial, http://helmet.0catch.com/rusadr.jpg part of the French Colonial Empire.

[Amrit]

If you're interested in finding out more then I would suggest getting hold of a copy of this:

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51QGEq3XJvL._SS500_.jpg

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mountain-Warriors-Moroccan-Stackpole-Military/dp/0811734617/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1204364756&sr=1-1

[Nickdfresh]

There's also quite a bit written about the Algerian and Moroccan Berber and Goumier soldiers in Rick Atkinson's "Day of Battle." And not all of it flattering. I guess towards the end of of the Italian campaign, there were near clashes with US and British troops over their raping and looting in Italy, and their French officers indifference too it. But they were fearsome against the Germans fighting in the mountains...

Here some quick, if superficial, links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goumier

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/movies/305699_glory02q.html

http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-21187377.html

http://www.ww2f.com/north-africa-mediterranean/22343-french-expeditionnary-corps.html

[Carl Schwamberger]

There's also quite a bit written about the Algerian and Moroccan Berber and Goumier soldiers in Rick Atkinson's "Day of Battle." And not all of it flattering. I guess towards the end of of the Italian campaign, there were near clashes with US and British troops over their raping and looting in Italy, and their French officers indifference too it.

The better know and ugly incident was as the battle of Cassino tapered off. The French Corps broke the German defense in the mountans west of Cassino, outflanking it and threatening to cut it off from that flank. As the French corps came down into the valleys their sector was ridden with reports of rape, murder, and looting of Italian civilians. Postwar Italian investigation of Allied and Axis crimes was haphazard, but it suggested some of the worst or highest number occured in this area in May and June of 1944 as the Casino battle closed. The French comander Juin took severe measures to restore dicipline, there were coutmartials and death sentences executed. Some of the French officers are susposed to have shot offenders out of hand witout trials to regain control faster.

The French corps was withdrawn from Italy and sent to France in August 1944.

The Italian campaign was marked by bad treatment of the civilian population. The Allied armys had some severe diciplinary problems, & the Germans became quite bitter towards the Italians. On both sides the crimes were the result of poor enforcement of dicipline and a general indifferance towards the civilians, rather than from a organized policy such as in Poland or the Urkraine

[Rising Sun*]

The better know and ugly incident was as the battle of Cassino tapered off. The French Corps broke the German defense in the mountans west of Cassino, outflanking it and threatening to cut it off from that flank. As the French corps came down into the valleys their sector was ridden with reports of rape, murder, and looting of Italian civilians. Postwar Italian investigation of Allied and Axis crimes was haphazard, but it suggested some of the worst or highest number occured in this area in May and June of 1944 as the Casino battle closed. The French comander Juin took severe measures to restore dicipline, there were coutmartials and death sentences executed. Some of the French officers are susposed to have shot offenders out of hand witout trials to regain control faster.

The French corps was withdrawn from Italy and sent to France in August 1944.

The Italian campaign was marked by bad treatment of the civilian population. The Allied armys had some severe diciplinary problems, & the Germans became quite bitter towards the Italians. On both sides the crimes were the result of poor enforcement of dicipline and a general indifferance towards the civilians, rather than from a organized policy such as in Poland or the Urkraine

Pursing the raping etc aspect rather than the Goums, it became a serious rear area problem in Normandy also as the fighting Allies advanced and some rear area troops did the common undisciplined things that some rear area troops do, from raping the local population to selling supplies meant for fighting troops.

My recollection is that there was a particular problem with American Negro troops, but before pointing the finger at them it'd be better to know whether they were sacrificed to cover up white troops' actions and or to confirm racial prejudices by American officers happy to find offenders for a quick fix.