LEADER 04365oam 2200685 a 450 001 9910970832503321 005 20200520144314.0 010 $a9798216027539 010 $a9786610468652 010 $a9781280468650 010 $a1280468653 010 $a9780313010972 010 $a0313010978 024 7 $a10.5040/9798216027539 035 $a(CKB)111087027039296 035 $a(OCoLC)567181964 035 $a(CaPaEBR)ebrary10023120 035 $a(SSID)ssj0000262312 035 $a(PQKBManifestationID)11238151 035 $a(PQKBTitleCode)TC0000262312 035 $a(PQKBWorkID)10271277 035 $a(PQKB)10718434 035 $a(Au-PeEL)EBL3000813 035 $a(CaPaEBR)ebr10023120 035 $a(OCoLC)52740956 035 $a(MiAaPQ)EBC3000813 035 $a(OCoLC)1435635615 035 $a(DLC)BP9798216027539BC 035 $a(Perlego)4202528 035 $a(EXLCZ)99111087027039296 100 $a20010719e20022024 uy 0 101 0 $aeng 135 $aurcn||||||||| 181 $ctxt 182 $cc 183 $acr 200 10$aTricolor over the Sahara $ethe desert battles of the Free French, 1940-1942 /$fEdward L. Bimberg 205 $a1st ed. 210 1$aWestport, Conn. :$cPraeger,$d2002. 210 2$aLondon :$cBloomsbury Publishing,$d2024 215 $a1 online resource (143 p.) 225 1 $aContributions in military studies,$x0883-6884 ;$vno. 217 300 $aBibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph 311 08$a9780313316548 311 08$a0313316546 320 $aIncludes bibliographical references (p. [129]-130) and index. 327 $aCover -- TRICOLOR OVER THE SAHARA -- CONTENTS -- AUTHOR'S NOTE -- INTRODUCTION -- Chapter 1 THE DESERT BEFORE -- NOTES -- Chapter 2 THE STIRRINGS OF WAR -- NOTES -- Chapter 3 COMBAT-MOURZOUK AND KOUFRA -- NOTES -- Chapter 4 THE GHOST RAIDERS -- NOTES -- Chapter 5 ON TO TUNIS -- NOTES -- Chapter 6 ENTER, THE LEGION -- NOTES -- Chapter 7 THE WESTERN DESERT -- NOTES -- Chapter 8 LOOKING BACK -- NOTES -- EPILOGUE -- NOTES -- APPENDIX: UNIFORMS -- GLOSSARY -- SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY -- INDEX -- About the Author -- Recent Titles in Contributions in Military Studies. 330 8 $aThis is the story of the early struggles of an ill-equipped ragtag French force, among the first to pledge its loyalty to General de Gaulle. It fought a lonely, almost secret war against the numerically superior Italian troops deep in the wildest parts of the Sahara, hundreds of miles from the main campaigns along the African coast. These daring Free French raids with their long thirsty treks and small-scale oasis battles have been nearly forgotten, although their path is marked by the graves of many hundreds of French, Italian, and native soldiers. Bimberg details the exotic units that participated in this struggle, including the Tirailleurs Se?ne?galaise du T'chad (African Infantry), the Compagnies Sahariennes (Saharan Camel Companies), and the Groupe Nomade du Tibesti (a tribal militia recruited in the Tibesti Mountain region of the great desert). Despite antiquated equipment and some of the world's worst terrain, the Free French were among the most dedicated soldiers in the Allied camp. The backdrop to their fierce fighting includes the barely surveyed Tibesti Mountains with their 10, 000 foot volcanic peaks, interspersed with treacherous shifting sands-terrain which would prove to be an enormous challenge to the worn out, patched-together motor vehicles of the Free French. Much of the action takes place in the most remote areas of Italian Libya, the desert province of Fezzan with its fortified oases of Mourzouk and Koufra, each strongly defended by the Italians. While these skirmishes were a sideshow to the epic battles of North Africa, they were immortalized by heroic acts by the French and African troops alike, efforts that ultimately led to success in this far corner of the world. 410 0$aContributions in military studies ;$vno. 217. 606 $aWorld War, 1939-1945$xCampaigns$zAfrica, North 615 0$aWorld War, 1939-1945$xCampaigns 676 $a940.54/23 700 $aBimberg$b Edward L.$f1919-$01795531 801 0$bDLC 801 1$bDLC 801 2$bDLC 906 $aBOOK 912 $a9910970832503321 996 $aTricolor over the Sahara$94336901 997 $aUNINA