FRANCE'S BLACK ARMY

Timaru Herald, Volume CI, Issue 15455, 18 September 1914, Page 4

FRANCE'S BLACK ARMY

A POWERFUL WEAPON. STORY OF ITS FORMATION. France is not the first country to omp!»y Mack troops in Kurope. although I most of us have forgotten the historic instance-; upon which the two races have opposed each other on the bnttle-liel-.1. It- was with the help of their i Mack troops that the Mussulmans conquered North Africa, and it was also with their help . that- thoy conquered Sroin. We must- remember, too. that William. Prince of Orange, had black' troops with him when he landed in England, and that Maurice de Saxe had black troops at r'ontenoy—infantry and cavalry both. A battalion of black i men went through Napoleon's Russian campaign under Murat. and France kept (iandeloupe thanks to her black troops, who fought vcrv well against , tho English. ! 'Hie man who organised France's ; Rlack Army was Colonel Mungin, who i was the right hand man of Marchand on ' that unfortunate affair at Fashoda, ; when the two nations which are now such fast friends very nearly came to blow.-.. Pie has an immense faith in the man of colour, and for several years past it has always l>een an understood thing that the native troops should be used in the firing line on tho outbreak of hostilities between France and her ancient foes. It was in 1009 j 'hat Colonel Mangin first started his scheme for a Black Army, and to-dny there are something like 100.000 men in the ranks. He began with the natives of Senegal in West Africa, who provide I the greater pa"rt of the recruits. I CONFIDENCE IN WHITE LEADERS. There are very few black officers in ! the army, as it has been found that | they work best with white leaders. | ''They have absolute confidence in a ; white officer, and do not trust tho powers of a man of their own colour," sai«_' the Colonel. 'The forethought and orgaii'sing power of the white man are god-!ike mysteries to them, and , thev trust them implicitly for' that ■ reason. Of course, there are great differences among the black troops from our different colonies. The negroes , from the coast and from the forests are ■ the loif-t warlike. Our best men are ' tho men of the plains, and it is from them that we are_ taking our soldiers. They are a proof of the survival of tiie fittest, for they have fought other : tribes for centuries, and have always, . or nearly always, been victorious, or they would not be there. j 'Resides, the of the plains is s not pure negro. His race is mixed with the Arabs and the Berbers, and tho i«i\th:\-n gives an excellent result-. We also have, and shall have, nipre good t repps from the Soudan, and from D.-homey. The Congo blacks are good .. men. too.'' SAVAGE IMPETUOSITY.

!: One of our finest generals is convinced that our colonies in "West Africa couk! and should furnish 50,000 black men at least, whom we could use in any climate. General Bonnal is of my opinion, too. 'We would put.' he said. • our lime Algerian divisions and our ihree Senegalese divisions jn the front in the next Jvnropcan war. ;The savagery and impetuosity "oT~tho!f rush with the bayonet- would be of immense, value at the beginning of the war. and the black troops v.oird have no rivals in -.he final shock. Rome, when her own resources began to fail, dominated the world for several centuries owing to her black troops The example, is worth following. And it should not be forgotten that with the big transport service which we and our friends the English have at our disposal, we can put 120.1X10 men. Alger'an* and S.-nogaVic into the field with comparative ease.''

FIRST IX THE "WORLD

,; I agree with General Bonnal," said Olincl Manuili. "that black troops nfheered by Frenchmen will hj? the first troons in tlm \vor!d. General Jinnnnl recently wrote in an official document

:!iat he est : mr.ted that a division of ll'ool blacks could make a breach in a Ccvnian line of liattle of two to three miles, and could pusli them back, scattering infantry, artillery, and cavalry, after the way had been prepared for them by French troops. •■ We are raising six regiments of four batt:d : ons each in Senegal; in the Sudan. French Guinea, and the Ivorv Coast thre° regiments of four battalions each: in Dahomey a regiment of two hattalions; in Algeria and Tunis four raiments of three h-ittal ; ons: and in Morocco a complete brigade."