"Operation Amherst - French SAS" Topic

Interesting read.

link

I believe the French wore British kit. Anyone know what color beret they wore?

I am pretty sure they wore a maroon beret

Can't help you with the colour which for the Brits would have been maroon by 1945 having been beige. The pictures here would also suggest maroon:

link

It is hard to tell from these pictures whether these French troops wore their berets with the badge over the right eye, which is more usual for the French, and not the left like the Brits. That said, the period pictures tend to show left eye (or even in the middle) but the modern ones the right – see the reenactor in the car and some of the old boys around the howitzer. The beret is a different shape too. Might be best to stick with helmets.

Consider dark blue berets, based on information in the Osprey booklet "The French Army 1939-45 (2)". For example, see plate "E", which includes an image of a French SAS paratrooper. As suggested above, WWII berets were often substantially larger than modern ones.

MH

Yes a very dark blue virtually black for the berets.

I concur with very dark blue

I think it was the blue-black through most of '44, but issued the red berets c.November.

But, I would go with blue if you're going to use the figures for any other scenarios later.

Dark blue definitly!
By the time of the war the french administrative name of the french SAS squadron was "2ème Régiment des Chasseurs Parachutistes".