Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1913.djvu/918

 706

FRANCE

iuto the territorial army. They could be employed as garrison troops, if necessary.

The Gendamncric is a force of military police, recruited from the army, but performing civil duties in time of peace. There is a legion in each army corps region, and some regions have more than one legion. The total strength is about 21,700 men, of whom about half are mounted. It is proposed to create a mobile gendarmerie, to deal with strikes and riots, so as to avoid the necessity for calling out troops on such occasions.

The Garde Repuhlicaine is also a police force, and performs duties in Paris similar to those performed by the gendarmerie in the departments. Its strength is nearly 3,000, of whom about 800 are mounted.

The Colonial Army is entirely distinct from the Metropolitan, and consists partly of white troops and partly of native troops. The colonial troops are recruited, for the most part, by voluntary enlistment, or by voluntary transfers from the Metropolitan Army, but compulsion can be used for native corps in West Africa if sufficient volunteers do not come forward. The colonial troops at home consist of 12 regiments of infantry, each of 3 battalions, and 3 regiments of artillery, each of 12 batteries (6 field and 6 garrison). These are all ijcrmanently stationed in France in peace time.

The troops in the Colonies according to the Budget estimate for 1912 consist of 3 battalions of the Foreign Legion (in Indo-China),^ 13 battalions and 4 companies of colonial infantry, 32 batteries of artillery (field, mountain, and garrison), 1 squadron of native cavalry, 3 companies of native sappers, and 49 battalions of native infantry (12 Senegal Tirailleurs, 3 squadrons Confins Sahariens, 12 Tonkin ese, 9 Malagasy, and 4 Annamite Tirailleurs, 3 battalions of West African natives, and 6 battalions in French Congo). The batteries of artillery are of ''inixed' type, half to two- thirds of the rank and file being natives. In the native corps the officers, and most of the non-commissioned officers, are French.

The following table shows in round numbers the distribution of both Metropolitan and Colonial troops between (1) France, (2) Algeria and Tunis, and (3) the French colonies (excluding administrative corps).

Metropolitan Army

Colonial Army

Total

Europeans

543,0002 45,000

Natives 80,000

Europeans

Natives

Krance

Algeria and Tuiii.s

French Colonies ....

■28,000 19,000

40,000

571,000 75,000 59,000

Total ...

58.S,0002

30,000

47,000 1 40,000

705,000

018,0002

87'000

The total number of troops maintained by France in oversea garrisons is about 134,000, of whom 75,000 are Europeans.

The field artny of France may be reckoned at 19 army corps (two of 3 divisions), the Lyons brigade of 14 battalions, and 10 cavalry divisions. Total about 740,000 combatants. There are also 36 complete divisions of reserve troops and some reserve cavalry, amounting to about 490,000 men. Total strength about .1,230,000 combatants. It is, of course, uncertain how the reserve divisions may be employed, but it is conceivable that all the two- division army corps would be raised to three-divisional strength by the

1 The Foreign Legion consists of 2 regiments, each of 4 battalions. Tlie hea<lqiiaricrs of both regiments are in Algeria {q.v.).

2 Including 24,800 men of the gendarmerie and of the garde repuhlicaine.