"French Naval & Colonial Troops 1872–1914" Topic

"France's colonial wars in sub-Saharan Africa and South-East Asia were very largely fought by an organization completely separate from both the home-defence Metropolitan Army and the Armée d'Afrique in Algeria. The Naval Troops (Troupes de la Marine) were volunteers, and earned a reputation for greater toughness and hardiness than the conscripted Metropolitan Army.

Spread throughout the French Empire, Naval Troops in this period were characterized by very large infantry and artillery regiments based in France, mixed race regiments (Régiments Mixtes), and entire native regiments raised in West Africa, Madagascar and Indochina. The latter, the so-called 'Tirailleurs' were organized and led by officers and cadres from the Naval Troops, and wore very varied and colourful uniforms based on formalized versions of traditional local costumes…."
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Amicalement
Armand

Interesting book on a unusual subject (at least in English) but I was surprised it did not cover the Armee d"Africa, I suppose because Algeria was considered a part of France?

"In the early 1800's, France, along with England and the United States, began military operations to suppress piracy in the Mediterranean. In 1830, France invaded Algeria, putting an end to ottoman rule and establishing their own administration. Algeria was ruled as part of France itself. Many French settlers (colons) migrated to Algeria. Both they and native Algerians were considered citizens of France, but the colons were granted substantial political and economic advantages over the indigenous population…."

Amicalement
Armand

because French and indigenous units of the Armée d'Afrique belong to the Army and the War Dept forming the XIXth Army Corps in Algeria after 1873 while these separate French and indigenous troops belong to the Navy until 1900 and so this Osprey is about the Troupes de Marine renamed «Troupes Coloniales» after 1900,
that why the Armée d'Afrique is not covered, totally logically according the french military ORBAT
as good connaisseur and french-canadian author René Chartrand couldn't obviously ignore that