![]() Each infantry division was expected to include at least one battalion of either chasseurs à pied or chasseurs alpine. World War I memorial to the chasseurs à pied in Charleroiĭuring World War I the French Army maintained 31 battalions of infantry chasseurs plus a varying number of reserve and territorial units. The remaining chasseur battalions were deployed near the frontier with Germany as part of the troupes de couverture, charged with covering the bulk of the army during mobilization. ![]() Twelve of the chasseur battalions were re-designated as mountain infantry ( chasseurs alpins). Of these, 4 saw active service in Tunisia, one in Indochina and one in Madagascar during the period 1880-1896. Under the Third Republic the chasseurs à pied were increased from 20 to 30 battalions. However public opinion, influenced by the occasions on which the chasseurs had distinguished themselves during the war was opposed to the disbanding of this distinctive corps. Immediately after the Franco-Prussian War it was argued that the continued existence of a nominally elite class of infantry that was in fact armed and trained to the same standards as the ordinary soldier, was contrary to both military utility and the egalitarian principles of the new republic. By the late 19th century the differences between the two branches were confined to uniform and insignia, although the chasseurs retained a strong esprit de corps. Initially a specially trained elite, their tactical role eventually came to match that of the ordinary lignards (line infantry). The chasseurs could also be called upon to form advance guards and scouting parties alongside the voltigeurs.įollowing the Napoleonic Wars the chasseurs à pied continued to exist as a separate corps within the infantry. The other light infantry unit type, the voltigeurs, specialised as skirmishers and for advance screening of the main force. They also wore light blue baggy trousers (in contrast to the red of the line infantry) After 1850, however the chasseurs adopted a uniform consisting of a short frock coat with slits in the sides on the bottom edge to allow for better freedom of movement than the previous design. From 1840, they wore a long-skirted frock coat. They were armed the same as their counterparts in the regular line infantry ( fusilier) battalions, but were trained to excel in marksmanship and in executing manoeuvres at high speed. The chasseurs à pied were the light infantrymen of the French Imperial army.
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