Photos WW1 French & Allied Forces

[NebrHogger]

Mobilized Dutch with dog sled MGs, 1914.

 

[BravoZulu]

3rd Regiment of Zouaves of the Constantine Division, Northern France in 1914. Not colourised

 

[BravoZulu]

French assault waves can be seen in this aerial combat photo taken over the Somme battlefield in 1916.

Troops going into the attack in Champagne, fall 1915.

Photo taken during the assault on Dompierre (Somme) 1 July 1916. The second wave waits in a trench with the first waves visible in the distance. The man on the right holds a semaphore and additional signal men can be seen in the distance marking the progress.

Photo taken during the assault on Dompierre (Somme) 1 July 1916 and showing two signal men using semaphores to signal to artillery observers.

A group of soldiers dashes through a gap in the French wire.

 

[BravoZulu]

Zouaves react as a shell explodes near their trench at Fort de la Pompelle.

Photo taken from French lines of German soldiers surrendering in 1915.

French troops (possibly 152 RI) advance up the scarred slope of a hill in the Argonne

French troops go over the top in 1915

French grenadiers dashing forward and clearing the ground of enemy.

 

[BravoZulu]

August 1914: Belgian troops defeated a German cavalry force west of Halen. The battle was a tactical victory for the Belgians, but did little to delay the German advance through the country.

 

[BravoZulu]

A Romanian officer salutes a group of Romanian soldiers, 1917. Note that the soldiers have been issued British 1908 Pattern Webbing

 

[NebrHogger]

French experimental trench digger near Champagne, 1915. While a great idea, it was never fully adopted due to being essentially worthless in the ever-present mud. These were made in America which made getting spares problematic. Studies also showed experienced sappers were capable of better performance.

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[Connaught Ranger]

French experimental trench digger near Champagne, 1915. While a great idea, it was never fully adopted due to being essentially worthless in the ever-present mud. These were made in America which made getting spares problematic. Studies also showed experienced sappers were capable of better performance.

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Not to mention it would have been a bomb magnet for long range artillery spotters.

 

[BravoZulu]

14th of March 1918, men from the 7th Battalion, 1st Marching Regiment of Moroccan Riflemen train in the Ravin des Vignes, in the northern part of Verdun. The ground still bears the scars of the apocalyptical battle. Note the man in the foreground with the Chauchat; the French Army of 1918 is the inventor of modern platoon (from the French 'peloton') tactics.
A week after this photo was taken, the Germans launched their Spring Offensive.

 

[BravoZulu]

Belgian riverine gun boat in the Yser Canal, near Loo sector, Belgium. September 1917, original Kodachrome

 

[BravoZulu]

More than 800,000 soldiers from the French colonies, including residents of Algeria, Tunisia, and Morocco, fought on the fronts of World War I. The photo depicts soldiers of the 2nd regiment of Spagi, a kind of light cavalry, the acquisition of which came mainly from the local population of these countries.

July 1917 Two soldiers sleep in La Araz, in the north of the country, near the French border with Luxembourg.

Military equipment played a huge role during the battles. Initially, France had hopes for infantry troops, but closer to the end of the war, "gun-cars" began to be actively used, such as in the photo.

 

[BravoZulu]

French casualties following a German artillery barrage. Verdun, 1916

 

[JimHPTN]

This video could be put under any of the combatants' thread, but I'm putting it here because they reviewed the French cavalry first.

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[JimHPTN]

I found the following films posted on a French language firearms forum. As there might not be a lot of crossover between the two forums, I am going to post them here. They are training films for the RSC Mle 1917 rifle. It may be necessary to cut and paste the links into the browser. If anyone happens to be interested in the website on which I found the links, just pm me. Alternatively, if the mods approve, I'll just post a link to the forum here.

[Le fusil semi automatique RSC modèle 1917 : progression, tir et démontage des pièces.]

[Le fusil semi automatique RSC modèle 1917 : progression, tir et démontage des pièces.]

imagesdefense.gouv.fr

[Le fusil semi automatique RSC modèle 1917 : remontage et démontage des pièces.]

[Le fusil semi automatique RSC modèle 1917 : remontage et démontage des pièces.]

imagesdefense.gouv.fr

[Le fusil semi automatique RSC modèle 1917 : le démontage et l'entretien.]

[Le fusil semi automatique RSC modèle 1917 : le démontage et l'entretien.]

imagesdefense.gouv.fr

[Le fusil semi automatique RSC modèle 1917 : approvisionnement et tir.]

[Le fusil semi automatique RSC modèle 1917 : approvisionnement et tir.]

imagesdefense.gouv.fr

 

[BravoZulu]

I found the following films posted on a French language firearms forum. As there might not be a lot of crossover between the two forums, I am going to post them here. They are training films for the RSC Mle 1917 rifle. It may be necessary to cut and paste the links into the browser. If anyone happens to be interested in the website on which I found the links, just pm me. Alternatively, if the mods approve, I'll just post a link to the forum here.

[Le fusil semi automatique RSC modèle 1917 : progression, tir et démontage des pièces.]

[Le fusil semi automatique RSC modèle 1917 : progression, tir et démontage des pièces.]

imagesdefense.gouv.fr

[Le fusil semi automatique RSC modèle 1917 : remontage et démontage des pièces.]

[Le fusil semi automatique RSC modèle 1917 : remontage et démontage des pièces.]

imagesdefense.gouv.fr

[Le fusil semi automatique RSC modèle 1917 : le démontage et l'entretien.]

[Le fusil semi automatique RSC modèle 1917 : le démontage et l'entretien.]

imagesdefense.gouv.fr

[Le fusil semi automatique RSC modèle 1917 : approvisionnement et tir.]

[Le fusil semi automatique RSC modèle 1917 : approvisionnement et tir.]

imagesdefense.gouv.fr

There's no problem posting the links mate

 

[JimHPTN]

There's no problem posting the links mate

Awesome! The first link is to a "bonus photo" of a French squad, one of whom has a Mle 1917.

- TIR et COLLECTION Armes Règlementaires

www.tircollection.com

The second is the parent thread.

Films d'instruction d'époque sur le FSA/RSC 17 (+ une photo bonus)

Bonjour je tombe par hasard sur ces films très détaillés et instructifs, qui évoquent la manipulation et les pièces principales du RSC/FSA 17. Je suppose qu'un

www.tircollection.com

 

[BravoZulu]

French soldiers saluting one of their lost brothers, fallen during The Battle of Cote 304 - Verdun, France. 25 August 1917

 

[JimHPTN]

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[JimHPTN]

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[BravoZulu]

Soldiers in a trench with camouflaged oversuits