French military exotics. Moroccan gummers

81
French military exotics. Moroccan gummers

Gumiera in Italy, photo from the American magazine "Life"

The most exotic formations of the French army, of course, were the goumiers (goumiers marocains) - auxiliary units, which mainly consisted of Moroccan Berbers living in the Atlas mountains (the mountaineers of the Reef were in the territory controlled by Spain).


The Berber recruitment was initiated by Brigadier General Albert Amad, who then headed the French expeditionary force in Morocco.




Albert Gerard Leo d'Amade

The French authorities, who already had extensive experience in using “native” military formations, listened to the general’s opinion, and in 1908 the first detachments of the Hummers were recruited.


Gumier, plastic figure

There are two versions of the origin of the word. The first claims that the name was derived from the Maghreb word “gum” (Maghreb Arabic “gūm”, classical Arabic qawm), meaning “family” or “tribe”. According to the second, less likely, the word comes from the Maghreb Arabic verb "stand".

In the French army, this word began to be called a detachment of 200 people, which, in turn, formed a "camp" (3-4 "gum"), and three "camps were called a" group "- that is, we are talking about analogues of a company, a battalion and a shelf.

Initially, the Gumiers wore a traditional Berber costume, from which later remained turbans and gray or brown striped raincoats with a hood - jellabe.


Gumiers in jellaba: these cloaks make them easy to recognize in any photo

Another feature distinguishing gumiers from other parts was the curved Moroccan dagger, which became a symbol of their compounds.


Moroccan daggers

Later, some combat units created on the territory of French Sudan (Upper Volta and Mali), but a special trace in stories they did not leave, and therefore, when they talk about the gummers, the fierce Berber mountaineers of Morocco immediately appear.

For three years, the gumyers were mercenaries, since 1911 he became part of the French army, their commanders were officers of the Algerian battalions of tyiraliers and spag.

Unlike other "native" formations, the gumyers never became full-fledged regular army soldiers. They remained true to their tribal traditions, which more than once terrified not only their opponents, but also the French themselves. It was common practice to cut off captive ears, noses, and chopping off heads as evidence of masculinity and courage. Disciplinary punishments for such misconduct turned out to be futile. That is why the compounds of the Gumiers, despite the great losses of the French troops, were not used during World War I in Europe, but Moroccan spahi were sometimes mistaken for them. For example, the picture below is often signed: "Moroccan Gumiers in Flanders." But this is exactly spahi.


Moroccan spahi in Flanders in World War I, which are often mistaken for the Gumiers

This 1915 photo is signed: "Gumière in France."


And again, this is a Moroccan spag. Compare it with a real gummer:


Gumier

But the French authorities willingly used the gerberas of the Berbers to pacify the rebellious tribes, their actions during the Reef war were especially successful (and cruel). The soldiers of the army of the Emir-President Abd al-Krim al-Khattabi also did not spare them, and from 1908 to 1934. in Morocco, more than 12 thousand gumiers (12 583 according to French data) died out of 22 thousand - more than during World War II.

Moroccan gummers in Europe during World War II


In the period of World War II, the Hummers nevertheless came to Europe. Recall that de Gaulle then got two "camps" (battalions) of these Moroccans. In the future, new “camps” and “groups” (regiments) were recruited. Initially, they took part in the battles against the Italian troops in Libya (1940) and the German in Tunisia (participated in the capture of Bizerta and the city of Tunisia in 1942-1943).


Parade of Hummers in Liberated Tunisia

Then the compounds of the Hummers were transferred to Italy.

Altogether in Italy there were four Moroccan groups of hummers numbering about 12 thousand people. They were used for reconnaissance in combat, sabotage raids, as well as in battles in areas with difficult terrain, especially in the mountains.

The fourth camp of Hummers, seconded to the First American Infantry Division, took part in the landing operation to land on Sicily (Operation Husky, July-August 1943). Other units in September 1943 as part of Operation Vesuvius were on the island of Corsica.


Gumiers in Ajaccio, Corsica, September 1943


Gumiers in Bastia, Corsica, October 4, 1943


2013, Moroccan gumiers at the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Corsica


Landing of one of the camps of Moroccan Gumieres of the Second group on a landing ship departing for the island of Elba

Finally, in November 1943, the units of the Hummers were transferred to Italy. They showed themselves very well when crossing the Avrunk mountains (May 1944), but “became famous” mainly for their incredible cruelty, and not only towards the Germans, but also to civilians of the “liberated” regions.

Morocco


In Italy, they still remember the numerous cases of murders, robberies, as well as the massive rape of women, even girls (starting from 11 years old) and teenage boys by the gumiers of Moroccan regiments. Events 1943-1945 in Italy they often call guerra al femminile (“war with women”), but this emotional and catchy phrase does not fully describe the events that took place: after all, not only women suffered from the actions of Moroccans. A more correct (and official) definition of the outrages of the Hummers is marocchinate (Morocquinate).

It came to the point that the fighters of the Italian Resistance, having forgotten about the Germans, began to fight with the Gumieres, trying to protect the inhabitants of neighboring towns and villages from them.


Fighters of one of the Italian partisan detachments


Women of an Italian partisan detachment, 1945

The first cases of rape by Italian gummers date back to December 11, 1943. Already in March 1944, the number of incidents involving Moroccans became such that local residents turned to Charles de Gaulle, who had arrived on the Italian front, with a request to remove them from Italy - this appeal was ignored by de Gaulle. But these were still “flowers”. The Italians saw the “Berries” in May 1944, when, with the active participation of the Gumiers, the Monte Cassino region, about 120 km southeast of Rome, was “liberated”.


Monte Cassino region on a map of Italy (the region on which the green rectangle “E-45” turned out to be very successful)

Here the so-called defensive "Gustav line" took place and bloody battles unfolded.


Gumiers of the 2nd Moroccan Infantry Division as part of the French Expeditionary Force with a Browning M1919 machine gun, Esperia, Italy, May 1944

The French general Alfons Juan (who commanded the expeditionary force of the “Fighting France” in North Africa, he had been working with Moroccans since the winter of 1916) decided to further motivate the gumiers and managed to find the “necessary words”:

“Soldiers! You are not fighting for the freedom of your land. This time I tell you: if you win the battle, then you will have the best houses, women and wine in the world. But not a single German should remain alive! I say this and keep my promise. Fifty hours after the victory, you will be absolutely free in your actions. Nobody will punish you later, no matter what you do. ”



Alphonse juin

Thus, he actually became an accomplice in numerous crimes of his subordinates, but did not suffer any punishment for this. In 1952, Juan received the rank of Marshal of France and after his death in 1967 he was buried in the Paris House of Disabled.

The outrages of the Hummers began on May 15, 1944. In the small town of Spigno alone, they raped 600 women and killed 800 men who tried to defend them.

In the cities of Ceccano, Supino, Sgorgola and their neighbors, 5418 rapes of women and children were recorded (many of them were subjected to violence more than once), 29 murders, 517 robberies. Some men were neutered.

Even the modern Moroccan writer Tahar Ben Gellain wrote about the gummers:

“These were savages who recognized power, loved to dominate.”

The official British report of those years dryly says:

“Women, girls, adolescents and children were raped right on the street, men were neutered ... American soldiers entered the city just at that time and tried to intervene, but the officers stopped them, saying that they were not there, and that the Moroccans made this victory for us ".

American sergeant McCormick recalled the events of those days:

“We asked our lieutenant Bazik what to do, to which he replied:“ I think they are doing what the Italians did with their women in Africa. ”
We wanted to add that the Italian troops did not enter Morocco, but we were ordered not to intervene. ”

Many were shocked by the fate of two girls, sisters 18 and 15 years old: the youngest died after gang rape, the eldest went crazy and was kept in a psychiatric hospital until the end of her life (for 53 years).

Many women were then forced to have an abortion, and even more were treated for sexually transmitted diseases.

These events are mentioned in the novel “Chochara” by Alberto Moravia, later two films were shot: “La ciociara” (“Chochara”, sometimes translated as “Woman from Chochar” or “Two Women”, directed by Vittorio de Sica) and “White Book” "(John Houston).

The first of them is better known, having received many international prizes and awards, the main role in it was glorified by Sophia Loren. In 1961, she was awarded three awards for Best Actress: New York Society of Film Critics, David Di Donatello (Italian National Film Award) and Silver Ribbon (Italian National Film Association). And in 1962, Lauren received an Oscar for Best Actress (she became the first actress to receive this award for a film not in English), and the British Film and Television Academy (BAFTA) named her the best foreign actress.


Sophia Loren in the movie "La ciociara"

And this is “the communist shot by the Germans Jean-Paul Belmondo” (did they all recognize the beloved “handsome” in the USSR?) As Michele Di Libero, the bridegroom of the daughter of the heroine Sophia Loren:


Ciociaria is a small region in the Lazio region whose mother and daughter were born, whose fate is described in the novel Moravia and the film Vittorio de Sica: returning home from Rome, they stopped for the night in a church in a small town and were raped by “liberators” .

The outrages of the Moroccan gumiers continued in other regions of Italy. 55-year-old E. Rossi, who lived in the town of Farneta (Tuscany region, about 35 km from the city of Siena), showed at a hearing in the lower house of the Italian parliament on April 7, 1952:

“I tried to protect my daughters 18 and 17 years old, but I was stabbed in the stomach with a knife. Bleeding, I watched them being raped. A five-year-old boy, not understanding what is happening, rushed to us. Several bullets were fired into his stomach and thrown into a ravine. The next day, the child died. ”

There is quite a lot of such evidence, and reading them is very difficult.

The ugly actions of the Gumiers aroused indignation of Pope Pius XII, who in June 1944 sent de Gaulle an official protest and a request to send only "Christian troops" to Rome - and received in return assurances of "heartfelt sympathy". The only attempt to stabilize the situation de Gaulle made was the order to increase the number of prostitutes in the places of deployment of African troops, but it was not fulfilled either: there were no Italians among those who wanted to voluntarily "slaughter" the Moroccans.

In fairness, it is worth saying that some commanders of the allies tried to restore order in the territories they control. Some rapists were shot - at the crime scene or by court order (the exact number of those shot is still unknown). Others were detained and sentenced to forced labor (so did not keep his word "blessing" his subordinates in the robbery and violence of the French General Alfons Juan).

Already after the end of the war (August 1, 1947), the government that sided with the allies of Italy turned to France with a demand to investigate the actions of the Gumiers. The French initially stated that the Italians “not burdened with morality” themselves “provoked” Muslim Moroccans, but under the influence of numerous evidence agreed to pay insignificant amounts (from 30 to 150 thousand lire) for every Italian citizen who proved the violence, but not to them in person: reparations were reduced by this amount.

In Italy, the National Association of Marocchinate Victims still exists. On October 15, 2011, the president of this association, Emiliano Ciotti, declared:

“From the many documents collected today, it is known that at least 20 recorded cases of violence have been committed. This number still does not reflect the truth - medical reports of those years report that two-thirds of raped women, out of shame or modesty, chose not to report anything to the authorities. ”

The association appealed to the international court three times (in 1951, 1993 and 2011), demanding an objective investigation of the events of those years and payment of adequate compensation to the victims, all of these attempts were unsuccessful.

As a result, the inhabitants of the city of Pontecorvo smashed a monument to the “liberating” Gummers, and when a memorial stele was erected on behalf of France in honor of the fallen Moroccans, a pig’s head was thrown to it.

The completion of the history of Moroccan gumiers


The Gumiers continued to fight. Since the end of 1944, they have already fought on the territory of France, and here, of course, they were not allowed to rob and rape them. For example, their participation in the liberation of Marseilles was noted.


Gumier with flag 1 GTM


The form of the Moroccan gumier in May 1944

At the end of March 1945, one of the units of the Hummers was the first in the French army to enter German territory from the Siegfried Line.

It is estimated that during the years of World War II, the “Troops of Free France” consisted of 12 thousand Moroccan hummers (22 thousand people took part in the hostilities). According to French data, 1638 of them were killed (including 166 officers and non-commissioned officers), and about 7 were wounded.

After the war, the gumiers were returned to Morocco, where they were used to perform garrison service. From 1948 to 1954 three “groups of Moroccan camps of the Far East” (nine camps) fought in Vietnam, losing 787 people killed (including 57 officers and non-commissioned officers).

In 1956, after the declaration of independence of Morocco, all formations of the Gumiers went over to the royal service - more than 14 thousand people. Many of them actually became gendarmes, fulfilling the duties of maintaining order and “appeasing” the Berber tribes.

In the next article we will begin the story of the history of the French Foreign Legion.


Soldier of the 13th half-brigade of the Foreign Legion, 1940, Libya
Our news channels

Subscribe and stay up to date with the latest news and the most important events of the day.

81 comment
Information
Dear reader, to leave comments on the publication, you must sign in.
  1. -4
    April 20 2020 18: 52
    Some kind of sexual terrorists ...
    1. +7
      April 20 2020 19: 19
      Quote: Keeping
      Some kind of sexual terrorists ...

      children of the mountains however
      1. +4
        April 21 2020 06: 29
        Something is clearly wrong with your audience rating. Call the children of the mountains of these geeks ... Are you kidding me, or didn’t you travel far from them yourself? fool
        1. +6
          April 21 2020 13: 42
          Quote: Sea Cat
          Something is clearly wrong with your audience rating. Call the children of the mountains of these geeks ... Are you kidding me, or didn’t you travel far from them yourself? fool

          Why such aggression, dear? Are these geeks highlanders? - highlanders. So the children of the mountains. And besides, I don’t know how for you, but for me, this phrase means wild, uncivilized people who have descended from the mountains.
          Why so hawary, uh?
          1. +1
            April 21 2020 19: 16
            For me, this phrase means Father Fyodor on the top of the cliff and the reaction of the loitering public to him. Those. nothing serious, one "joke of humor", but there are no jokes in this story about gumiers.
            For poking, I apologize, broke and was fundamentally wrong. hi
            1. +6
              April 21 2020 19: 59
              Quote: Sea Cat
              For me, this phrase means Father Fyodor on the top of the cliff and the reaction of the loitering public to him. Those. nothing serious, one "joke of humor", but there are no jokes in this story about gumiers.
              For poking, I apologize, broke and was fundamentally wrong. hi

              Poking is normal, this is a forum, I don't mind. Mostly "or did he not drive far away from them in life?" laughing
              Normal people can always resolve the situation related to the exchange of opinions on the forum in a civilized manner, our situation is such) My respect hi
        2. +4
          April 21 2020 13: 43
          Sea cat, in general, I agree with your assessment of these gumiers, but in vain you poke. Addressing "you" is appropriate between comrades. I'm not sure he is your friend.
          However, there are exceptions: in childhood, she knew a married couple, they always turned to each other by name and patronymic. I was very surprised
          1. +2
            April 21 2020 19: 17
            Lady love , You are absolutely right and I have already apologized to the Guest.
            1. The comment was deleted.
    2. 0
      April 21 2020 06: 25
      Long thought before writing? fool
  2. +6
    April 20 2020 18: 57
    Thank you interesting
  3. +3
    April 20 2020 19: 21
    Thanks for the article, I learned a lot ........
  4. +5
    April 20 2020 19: 43
    de Gaulle was a weakling, could not get his officers to keep this rabble in check.
  5. +6
    April 20 2020 19: 57
    Valery, it offends me that Vas has few reviews, but it's all up to the moderators: why do they put you on the same day as V.O.?
    Please, please do not be offended that you have few reviews.
  6. +7
    April 20 2020 19: 59
    Quote: Gost2012
    Quote: Keeping
    Some kind of sexual terrorists ...

    children of the mountains however

    I would say that I think about them, but I do not want to catch bans.
  7. +5
    April 20 2020 20: 04
    "here they were not allowed to rob and rape, of course," double standards? And how did the gumiers react to this?
  8. +5
    April 20 2020 20: 26
    "The usual practice was cutting off the ears, noses and cutting off the head" when I read this, I remembered the GDR film with the participation of Renata Blum: "Front without Mercy", when in Spain, the Moroccans who fought on Franco's side cut off the head of a Republican pilot .. The first time I watched it, I thought that the writers exaggerated it.
    When the Hummers entered Germany, did they act like that too? Valery did not make this clear.
    1. VLR
      +7
      April 20 2020 20: 36
      No, these were other formations of the Gumiers, and the shock from the Italian events was too great for the Allies. More gumiers were not given such provocative promises (they say, seize a city or region and do whatever you want) and tried to keep them "within the framework".
      There were isolated excesses, but there is no more mass violence.
      1. +3
        April 20 2020 22: 46
        It's good that these "thugs" during the Civil War were not brought into our country!
        1. +7
          April 20 2020 23: 08
          Quote: hohol95
          It's good that these "thugs" during the Civil War were not brought into our country!

          Believe that such a good thing during the Civil War was in bulk. Some Chinese Yakir were worth
          1. +4
            April 20 2020 23: 46
            The Chinese in the territory of the Republic of Ingushetia appeared before the Civil. They were ordinary guest workers! And there were already articles about them on warspot!
            "Wei hundan!" - “For the Red Party!”
            Mostly the Chinese worked on railways, gold mines in Siberia, the mines of Donbass, logging in Karelia, enterprises of Petrograd, Moscow, Kiev, Odessa, in the North Caucasus. Many Chinese people worked all over the country in agricultural work. Chinese accounted for 70% of workers in Lena goldfields, 5000 Chinese worked immediately at the Ural enterprises of Abamalek-Lazarev.

            Read. Good article.
    2. +3
      April 20 2020 22: 35
      In one of the films about a Soviet intelligence officer who lived in Italy, there was a dialogue between two Spanish Franco pilots. One of them boasted that the captured Soviet pilot was "cut into pieces" and thrown into a box above the Republican airfield.
      1. +2
        April 21 2020 13: 51
        Alexey, this fact is in the film: "Front without mercy". My mother-in-law told me that this is a real fact. The Francoists shot down a Republican plane, and then threw the disfigured body of the pilot over the Republicans. Moreover, she said that it was a Soviet pilot
        1. +1
          April 21 2020 16: 09
          “Land on Demand” is a Soviet feature film drama directed at the Central Film Studio for Children and Youth Films named after M. Gorky in 1972 by director Veniamin Dorman based on the novel of the same name by Yevgeny Vorobyov, which tells about the life of a scout, the prototype of which was Lev Manevich.
      2. +2
        April 21 2020 23: 03
        Civil wars, the most brutal and merciless of all wars
        1. +1
          April 21 2020 23: 17
          You're right. But...
          After such events you should not beat yourself in the chest and shout about your own "civilization"!
          Yes, and "foreign guardians" left many "bloody traces" in our Civil War!
          And the gumiers are like "proud peoples" with which the Soviet and Russian Armies later had to fight ...
  9. +6
    April 20 2020 20: 38
    "Gumiers in Djellaba" this photograph reminded me of the Basmachi, as they were shown in Soviet films. Remember: "White sun of the desert" and more about border guards, I think "Dzhulbars"? I saw him in early childhood once and hardly remember
    1. +7
      April 20 2020 21: 30
      Quote: Astra wild
      Remember: "White sun of the desert"

      In these "raincoats" back in the 1960s they came to Moscow by train "Tashkent-Moscow". Including the deputies of the USSR Armed Forces. Toka they were called "robes".
  10. +4
    April 20 2020 22: 27

    In the film, perhaps non-Moroccans are shown. But the film is definitely about the African connection in the ranks of the Free French.
    1. +4
      April 20 2020 22: 34
      Quote: hohol95

      The film may not show Moroccans

      This one is about Algerians. Rather, about 3 Algerians and one Moroccan.
      1. +3
        April 20 2020 22: 40
        I watched this film for a long time on TV and already forgot about the nationalities of the heroes. hi
        1. +3
          April 20 2020 22: 42
          But the film is about the gummers, you are right. The truth is only about heroism, without the harsh truth of life.
          1. +4
            April 20 2020 22: 44
            So there they are FOUR bold ... But the end of the film is interesting with the text that the surviving veterans of such units were not entitled to a pension.
            1. +5
              April 20 2020 23: 01
              Quote: hohol95
              So there they are FOUR bold ... But the end of the film is interesting with the text that the surviving veterans of such units were not entitled to a pension.

              They were paid a pension while Algeria and Morocco were colonies of France. When they gained independence, France refused to pay further. In the 90s, Chirac restored justice and paid to whom he was still alive
              1. +5
                April 20 2020 23: 04
                Thanks for the additional information. hi
                1. +4
                  April 20 2020 23: 06
                  Yes, not at all. The author wrote an informative article, you can discuss
  11. +1
    April 20 2020 22: 28
    Thank you for the interesting article, how much we do not know, alas. Py sy and these "allies" can still, sorry, slander our Red Army. Cattle!
  12. +10
    April 21 2020 05: 06
    Thank you Valery, even though after reading the article there was a disgusting sensation, as if having bathed in dermeme. But ... You promised to write about it and wrote. But the halo of de Gaulle dimmed for me pretty much. I understand - the war, but for bullying children need to hang.
    And as for General Alfons - do the French still have the audacity to call someone war criminals?
    Then someone there bleats that our German soldiers raped.
    To hell with them, with animals, I will wait for an article about the Legion. drinks
    1. +5
      April 21 2020 06: 50
      Quote: Sea Cat
      Thank you Valery, even though after reading the article there was a disgusting sensation, as if having bathed in a shit.

      Hi Konstantin! I agree with your opinion! How can such actions be called? And what is this if not a war crime?
      But of course the greatest disgust is General Juan!
      Valery, thanks for the interesting article!
      1. +4
        April 21 2020 09: 51
        Thank you Valery, although after reading the article there was a disgusting feeling

        colleagues, it’s scary, but it was. And, excuse me, this can happen in history for a long time. Such a contingent - heaps, give them only a gun in their hands, and the full will of action. I think it’s better to know the ugly truth than Hollywood and other heroic crafts.
        Fifty hours after the victory, you will be absolutely free in your actions. Nobody will punish you later, no matter what you do. ”

        Sergey, this is what we talked about araucan yesterday. "The one who has a gun is right, and a woman is a legal trophy for him." These are not my thoughts, these are the moral principles of such barmaleys. Unfortunately. angry
        Valery - I bow! hi
        1. +5
          April 21 2020 10: 30
          Nikolay! Dear Nikolay !!!
          Quote: Pane Kohanku
          Sergey, this is what we talked about araucan yesterday.

          I’m sorry, I categorically disagree with you! The difference is quite significant. I’ll explain: there is a difference between taking a woman as a trophy in the 17-18th century and what these * nonhumans * did for the civilian population in the middle of the 20th Century! Although by and large they, Gumyers, did not reach the twentieth. The feeling of special disgust is, as he wrote, the French General Juan! These are not the words of the general of a civilized country considering itself!
          Regards, I!
          1. +3
            April 21 2020 10: 42
            what did these * nonhumans * do with respect to the civilian population in the middle of the 20th century!

            it's just that these nonhumans "live" with their thoughts back in the XNUMXth century from the point of view of developed countries. Another mentality! It's like explaining to a crocodile in a businesslike manner why he shouldn't eat you - and he is "on a different wave" request Although, for example, Viktor Nikolaevich would have explained to the crocodile so that he would have understood everything, and would have died ... if he had time ... laughing
            The feeling of particular disgust is, as he wrote, the French General Jouin! These are not the words of a general who considers himself a civilized country!

            primary cynic. He performed the task, trying on the mentality of his subordinates. But in France, for sure - a national hero.
            I think the worst fate in any war is civilians. Everyone who is not lazy is cast out over him.
            1. +5
              April 21 2020 10: 52
              Quote: Pan Kohanku
              what did these * nonhumans * do with respect to the civilian population in the middle of the 20th century!

              it's just that these nonhumans "live" with their thoughts back in the XNUMXth century from the point of view of developed countries. Another mentality! It's like explaining to a crocodile in a businesslike manner why he shouldn't eat you - and he is "on a different wave" request Although, for example, Viktor Nikolaevich would have explained to the crocodile so that he would have understood everything, and would have died ... if he had time ... laughing
              The feeling of particular disgust is, as he wrote, the French General Jouin! These are not the words of a general who considers himself a civilized country!

              primary cynic. He performed the task, trying on the mentality of his subordinates. But in France, for sure - a national hero.
              I think the worst fate in any war is civilians. Everyone who is not lazy is cast out over him.

              So who commanded them? Army General of France!
              1. +6
                April 21 2020 11: 03
                So who commanded them? Army General of France!

                I will venture to suggest his thoughts: He was not in command of France. What does he care about these Italians? They themselves declared war on France in due time - let them suffer.
                Cynicism as it is! "Enlightened Europe", damn it ... No.
                1. +3
                  April 21 2020 17: 23
                  Vae victis (Russian “grief for the vanquished”) is a Latin winged expression that implies that the conditions are always dictated by the victors, and the vanquished must be prepared for any tragic turn of events

                  This expression will never cease to be relevant.
                  In Indochina, similar things happened.
                  Kowalski (former legionnaire) - character in the novel "The Day of the JACKAL"
                  He was nineteen, and at first experienced soldiers called him petit bonhomme (Malchugan (fr.)).
                  Then he showed them that he could kill, and they began to call him Kowalski.
                  Six years in Indochina deprived him of his last human feelings, and then Kowalski was sent to Algeria.

                  And if you "get into" the events in the Balkans at the end of the 20th century ...
                  1. +4
                    April 21 2020 17: 25
                    And if you "get into" the events in the Balkans at the end of the 20th century ...

                    former residents of Yugoslavia are very fond of slaughtering each other with particular cruelty, and, apparently, they already have it at the genetic level!
                    1. +3
                      April 21 2020 19: 24
                      And not Toko them.
                      22 September 2011 of
                      Papua New Guinea Pacific State Police detained a 19-year-old boy suspected of attempted murder of a foreigner. The weapon of crime was the bow, and the islander acted with malicious intent and shot two arrows in a row at the tourist. Most likely, the motive for the attack was jealousy.
                      The victim of an aggressive native was 28-year-old New Zealand citizen Matt Sheurich, who rested last summer in the North Fly area, remote from tourist routes. The foreigner was swimming peacefully in the river with a French girlfriend, when two arrows suddenly pierced his chest and stomach, reports radio station Radio New Zealand International. This happened on June 29, but law enforcement officers could only find the attacker in September.

                      newsru.com
          2. +3
            April 21 2020 23: 15
            So this zhuen all his life in Morocco, he lived like a Frenchman, he is the same. Read kipling colonial officers, these are not metropolitan officers. But the fact that de Gaulle did not want to set up the Hummers against himself was also understandable. It was both numerically and militarily his main troops. He had almost no French
    2. +1
      April 21 2020 20: 21
      Sea cat, I know very well, what the Nazis did, but to become like animals.
      1. +3
        April 21 2020 20: 25
        Here we are not talking about the Nazis, namely the cattle.
      2. +1
        April 21 2020 20: 29
        Faith! Excuse me, but animals kill when they want to eat! And without any cynicism! And aggravating circumstances! Man? But here everything is more difficult ... And it’s probably more correct to call such people non-humans.
        1. +4
          April 21 2020 21: 26
          Excerpts from news sites -
          In 2000, wolves destroyed entire herds of wild boars, cut a mass of roe deer, and increasingly began to attack domestic animals. In November of last year, a flock of predators repulsed from the flock and immediately bit 65 sheep in the tract Bagno on Velikodelsky Pass, and a few weeks later attacked pets near the village of Ilnitsa.

          Do you think there were 65 wolves? I think there were significantly fewer of them and they entered the "bloody excitement"!
          And among animals recorded cases of aggression not related to hunger! And how many trainers killed dolphins and killer whales in the dolphinarium ... Oh, a lot.
          In 1994, an aggressive dolphin wound up on one of the beaches in Brazil, sending 28 people to the hospital. But on the 29th, Joao Paulo Moreira, the dolphin killed.

          So, do not "nod" at the animals! hi
          1. 0
            April 22 2020 08: 20
            Good morning! Isolated cases, no more. That is why they get on the news feeds !.
            1. +1
              April 22 2020 08: 33
              Single for wolves and dolphins? Or even for the animal kingdom?
              1. 0
                April 22 2020 08: 40
                On a global scale! laughing Sorry, I'm at work!
    3. +2
      April 21 2020 21: 39
      "that our soldiers raped German women" unfortunately there were SEPARATE cases. Naturally, they did not speak about this officially, but there were such excesses. Somewhere and on the site I saw about it. And this is logically understandable: the Red Army men had seen too much and there were scoundrels among them, but in any case, this cannot be compared with the sight of the gumiers.
      R.
      S
      We must ask Valeriy: in addition to the Gumieres, there were spagi and other formations of the French. The British also had exotic formations; on TV, there were pro-Gurks. Who else is so marked?
      1. +2
        April 21 2020 22: 12
        ... unfortunately there were SEPARATE cases.

        "Isolated cases" were in all the armies of the world, but not a single one, not even the Nazis, had such an abomination.
        1. +4
          April 22 2020 08: 27
          Hi Konstantin, I’ll add to your words that they were shot for such an abomination in the Red Army.
      2. +2
        April 21 2020 22: 17
        ... unfortunately there were SEPARATE cases.

        There were "isolated cases" in all the armies of the world, but no one had such an abomination.
      3. +2
        April 21 2020 22: 58
        ".... unfortunately there were SEPARATE cases."

        But, so that senior officers would urge their subordinates to engage in violence against women, nobody could think of such a thing except the French.
    4. DDT
      0
      April 30 2020 12: 13
      Quote: Sea Cat
      Thank you Valery, even though after reading the article there was a disgusting sensation, as if having bathed in dermeme. But ... You promised to write about it and wrote. But the halo of de Gaulle dimmed for me pretty much. I understand - the war, but for bullying children need to hang.
      And as for General Alfons - do the French still have the audacity to call someone war criminals?
      Then someone there bleats that our German soldiers raped.
      To hell with them, with animals, I will wait for an article about the Legion. drinks

      Plus. Moreover, the descendants of these cattle gather at a demonstration in Paris and talk about the "heroic grandfathers."
  13. +3
    April 21 2020 07: 55
    Thank you, Valery!
  14. VLR
    +5
    April 21 2020 09: 44
    By the way, did you notice how the Italian partisans differ in the above photographs? On the first - fighters of the partisan brigade in "work clothes", apparently, just left the forest. On the second - women and men are clearly dressed up before the "photo session" and look quite stylish: just a shot from a "movie about the mafia". I spent a long time choosing between these photos, and, in the end, posted both.
    1. +5
      April 21 2020 09: 55
      Many photographs of Spanish Republicans, especially women, are also sessional.
      1. +2
        April 21 2020 10: 32
        Hello Anton!
        Quote: 3x3zsave
        especially women, also sessional.

        Actually, like any photo where the subject is looking at the lens. laughing
        1. VLR
          +4
          April 21 2020 10: 43
          In both photographs, people are looking into the lens, and in the first, the partisans have joy on their faces, in the second - calm confidence. Both there and there are winners. But the difference is huge - clothes, hair. The guys in the second photo had the time and opportunity to prepare for the "historical shot".
          1. +4
            April 21 2020 10: 47
            Valery, I welcome you! I mean a little different - they are ready to shoot, it’s not sudden for them! And the real skill is to remove an object so that he did not know about it! Here, remember the amazing photo of the political instructor rising to the attack.
            1. +2
              April 21 2020 23: 24
              Alas, she is also staged
              1. +1
                April 21 2020 23: 25
                And by the way, this is not a political instructor, this is a senior infantry lieutenant
              2. 0
                April 22 2020 15: 42
                What is the minus? For the truth? Do you want lies but heroic?
                1. +2
                  April 22 2020 15: 43
                  The history of this photo is well known, and the name Politruk appeared in the 70s
                  1. 0
                    April 25 2020 15: 42
                    I thought it was a political instructor. I am not familiar with the then insignia, but I know the form until the summer of 1943.
                    What is the story of this photo?
        2. +1
          April 21 2020 18: 29
          You can look at the lens in different ways. There is such a thing as a machine gun.
          1. 0
            April 21 2020 18: 34
            Yes, of course. But as Vereshchagin said: * That's what guys, I won’t give you a machine gun. * hi
    2. 0
      April 26 2020 11: 49
      The first, perhaps from the countryside, the second urban underground. My personal assumption, not confirmed by anything. On the bottom one feels the setting, it is unconditional.
  15. 0
    April 21 2020 11: 36
    Author!
    Thanks for the great articles!
    I really look forward to the Foreign Legion!
    Good luck, Author.
  16. +1
    April 21 2020 20: 04
    Quote: 3x3zsave
    Many photographs of Spanish Republicans, especially women, are also sessional.

    My poet, I will tell you a secret: ALL women at the genetic level are "coded" to please, hence the "session" photos
    1. +1
      April 22 2020 20: 16
      This is not a secret for me. Beautiful Stranger, I think you can’t imagine how much I understand female psychology.
      1. +1
        April 25 2020 15: 48
        I will not be surprised at this: you have a subtle nature. Such people, as a rule, love art, understand psychology, but there are scoundrels. I am not talking about you, but generally
  17. +1
    April 21 2020 20: 14
    Quote: Sea Cat
    Lady love , You are absolutely right and I have already apologized to the Guest.
    You are well done. Unfortunately, among us there are a lot of boors, and rudeness, no matter what clothes it is dressed in, remains rudeness
  18. +4
    April 21 2020 21: 12
    Monstrous Moroccans not to be captured
  19. 0
    April 25 2020 15: 50
    Quote: Sea Cat
    ... unfortunately there were SEPARATE cases.

    "Isolated cases" were in all the armies of the world, but not a single one, not even the Nazis, had such an abomination.

    True?

"Right Sector" (banned in Russia), "Ukrainian Insurgent Army" (UPA) (banned in Russia), ISIS (banned in Russia), "Jabhat Fatah al-Sham" formerly "Jabhat al-Nusra" (banned in Russia) , Taliban (banned in Russia), Al-Qaeda (banned in Russia), Anti-Corruption Foundation (banned in Russia), Navalny Headquarters (banned in Russia), Facebook (banned in Russia), Instagram (banned in Russia), Meta (banned in Russia), Misanthropic Division (banned in Russia), Azov (banned in Russia), Muslim Brotherhood (banned in Russia), Aum Shinrikyo (banned in Russia), AUE (banned in Russia), UNA-UNSO (banned in Russia), Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People (banned in Russia), Legion “Freedom of Russia” (armed formation, recognized as terrorist in the Russian Federation and banned)

“Non-profit organizations, unregistered public associations or individuals performing the functions of a foreign agent,” as well as media outlets performing the functions of a foreign agent: “Medusa”; "Voice of America"; "Realities"; "Present time"; "Radio Freedom"; Ponomarev; Savitskaya; Markelov; Kamalyagin; Apakhonchich; Makarevich; Dud; Gordon; Zhdanov; Medvedev; Fedorov; "Owl"; "Alliance of Doctors"; "RKK" "Levada Center"; "Memorial"; "Voice"; "Person and law"; "Rain"; "Mediazone"; "Deutsche Welle"; QMS "Caucasian Knot"; "Insider"; "New Newspaper"