French soldiers, photographed posed, with attention to the presence of enemy aircraft during the Dardanelles Campaign, Gallipoli Peninsula, 1915.
French soldiers, photographed posed, with attention to the presence of enemy aircraft during the Dardanelles Campaign, Gallipoli Peninsula, 1915.
Although often overlooked by Anglo-Sajon sources, French participation in the Dardanelles' unfortunate campaign was not small. With 80,000 men, of whom 27,000 became parole, French Army and Navy personnel outnumbered ANZACS (65,000 men).
In France, focused mainly on the titanic battles of the Western Front, collective memory also shows little consideration for the men of the "Army of the East". If the Thessaloniki front is included, 500,000 French soldiers fought and died in what unfortunately can be called a forgotten army.
The "Corps Expeditionnaire d'Orient" that participated in the Gallipoli campaign was a mix of metropolitan and colonial troops, including the Foreign Legion. Apparently the Zuavos/Hunters of Africa in this photo have their Red Czech covered with khaki cloth. The machine gun is a St. Étienne Model 1907.

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