Army of the Levant

The Army of the Levant ("Armée du Levant") identifies the armed forces of France and then Vichy France which occupied a portion of the "Levant" during the "interwar period" and early World War II.

In 1920, the French were given a mandate over Syria and Lebanon by the League of Nations. During this period of time, Syria was known as the French Mandate of Syria and Lebanon was known as the French Mandate of Lebanon.

Origins and interwar period

From 19 April to 26 April 1920 the San Remo Conference was held in Sanremo, Italy. After this conference was concluded, the short-lived monarchy of King Faisal's was defeated at the Battle of Maysalun during the Franco-Syrian War. The French army under General Henri Gouraud then occupied the Mandate of Syria and the Mandate of Lebanon.

A force called the Syrian Legion was raised by the French authorities shortly after the establishment of the two mandates. This comprised both cavalry and infantry units and was drawn mainly from minority groups within Syria itself. Following the Druse revolt of 1925 to 1927, the Syrian Legion was reorganised into the "Special Troops of the Levant" ("Troupes Speciales du Levant") augmented by North African infantry ("tirailleurs") and cavalry ("spahis"), Foreign Legion ("Légion étrangère"), and Colonial Infantry units (French and Senegalese). The whole force constituted the Army of the Levant and was responsible for keeping order in both French mandates during the interwar period.

The French administration followed a principle of divide and rule in organising the "Troupes Speciales". As far as possible the Sunni Muslim Arabs, who made up about 65% of the population of Syria, were excluded from service with the "Troupes Speciales", who were drawn mainly from Druse, Christian, Circassian and Alawite minorities. During the period from 1926 to 1939, the Army of the Levant included between 10,000 and 12,000 locally engaged troops organised into: ten battalions of infantry (mostly Alawites), four squadrons of cavalry (Druse, Circassian and mixed Syrian), three companies of camel corps ("meharistes"), engineer, armoured car, and support units. In addition, there were 9 companies of Lebanese light infantry ("chasseurs libanais") and 22 squadrons of Druse, Circassian, and Kurdish mounted infantry forming the auxiliary troops ("Troupes Supplementaires"). This latter force provided a form of military police ("gendarmerie") for internal security purposes and were primarily deployed in the areas of their recruitment. Some of the Lebanese units were trained as ski troops for mountain service and wore the berets of the French elite mountain infantry ("Chasseurs Alpin").

In 1938, the "Troupes Speciales" numbered 10,000, with 306 officers of whom only 88 were French. A military academy ("Ecole Militaire") was established at Homs to train Syrian and Lebanese officers and specialists non-commissioned officers (NCOs).

Uniforms of the "Troupes Speciales" varied according to arm of service but showed a mixture of French and Levantine influences. Indigenous personnel wore either the keffieh headdress (red for Druse and white for other units), fezs or turbans. The Circassian mounted troops wore a black full dress that closely resembled that of the Caucasian Cossacks, complete with astrakhan hats. A common feature across the "Troupes Speciales" was the use of "violette" (purple-red) as a facing colour on tunic collar patches, belts and kepis. Squadron or branch insignia often included regional landmarks such as the cedars of Lebanon or the main mosque of Damascus.

Army of the Levant during World War II

After the Fall of France, the forces in the Levant sided with the Vichy Government of Marshal Petain. In 1941, British Commonwealth, Free French and other Allied forces launched "Operation Exporter," the Syria-Lebanon Campaign. They attacked the Army of the Levant from the British Mandate of Palestine and from recently occupied Iraq (Anglo-Iraqi War).

Ground forces

During "Operation Exporter," the Army of the Levant was commanded by the Vichy French high commissioner for the region, General Henri Dentz. His army was divided into troops from Metropolitan France, colonial troops, and the "Special Troops of the Levant" ("Troupes Speciales du Levant"). "Troupes Speciales" was the term used for indigenous Syrian and Lebanese soldiers. [Andrew Mollo, p.144]

The regular French troops consisted of four battalions of the 6th Foreign Legion (according to Dentz, these were the best troops available to the Vichy French command) and three battalions of the 24th Colonial Infantry Regiment (French regulars enlisted for overseas service). The latter were brought up to strength by amalgamating them with two garrison battalions of Senegalese troops to form the "Mixed Colonial Regiment" ("Regiment Mixte Coloniale"). [Andrew Mollo, p.144]

The "Troupes Speciales" were formed by 11 battalions of infantry: three Lebanese light infantry battalions ("bataillons de chasseurs Libanais") and eight Syrian battalions ("bataillons de Levant"). In addition, there were two artillery groups and supporting units. The "special troops" included at least 5,000 cavalry organized in squadrons of around 100 men each. Included in the cavalry force were 15 squadrons of Circassian cavalry of which three were motorized. The "Troupes Speciales" were led by indigenous officers and non-commissioned officers with a small cadre of French officers. [Andrew Mollo, p.144]

The African troops were formed from six Algerian, three Tunisian, three Senegalese, and one Moroccan rifle ("tirailleur") battalions. [Andrew Mollo, p.144]

The contingent of North African cavalry consisted of the 4th Tunisian, the 1st Moroccan, and the 8th Algerian Spahis and amounted to about 7,000 men. Most were on horseback or in light trucks. A few were equipped with armored cars. [Andrew Mollo, p.145]

The artillery available to the Vichy French consisted of 120 field and medium guns and numbered about 6,700 men. There was also a mechanized element which was provided by the 6th and 7th "African Light Horse" ("Chasseurs d' Afrique") whose forces totalled 90 tanks (mostly Renault R-35 with a few Renault FT-17) and a similar number of armored cars. [Andrew Mollo, p.145]

Air forces

The Vichy French air force in the Levant was relatively strong at the outbreak of hostilities in 1939. But, in 1940, many of the aircraft stationed in Syria and Lebanon were sent back to Metropolitan France. This left the Vichy French in the Levant with only a number of obsolete models. However, alarmed by the growing threat of British invasion, a fighter group was dispatched from Algeria before the invasion. Once the fighting started, three additional groups were flown from France and from North Africa. This brought the strength of the Vichy French air force in Lebanon and Syria up to 289 aircraft, including about 35 state-of-the-art Dewoitine D.520 fighters and some new, US-built Glenn Martin 167 light bombers. This initially gave the Vichy French an edge over the Allied air units. But the loss of Vichy French aircraft was very high: 179 aircraft were lost during the campaign, most having been destroyed on the ground. [Andrew Mollo, p.146]

End of French rule

Following the Vichy defeat in 1941, the French and African components of the Army of the Levant were for the most part repatriated to their territories of origin. A minority (including some Lebanese and Syrians) took the opportunity to join the Free French Forces.

Free French General Georges Catroux took control of Syria after the defeat of the Vichy French. On 26 November 1941, shortly after taking up this post, Catroux recognised the independence of Lebanon and Syria in the name of Free France. Even so, a period of military occupation followed.

On 8 November 1943, after elections, Lebanon became an independent state. On 27 February 1945, Lebanon declared war on Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan.

On 1 January 1944, Syria followed Lebanon and also became an independent state. On 26 February 1945, Syria declared war on Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan.

The "Troupes Speciales" had remained in existence during the military occupation and most transferred to the new Syrian Army. The founders of the post-independence Lebanese Army also trained as officers in the "Troupes Speciales". [John Keegan "World Armies" ISBN 0-333-17236-1]

ee also

* 1936 Syrian general strike
* League of Nations
* Partitioning of the Ottoman Empire
* Syria-Lebanon Campaign
* Vichy French Air Force
* Army of Africa (France)
* French Colonial Forces
* History of the Armée de l'Air (1909-1942)
* History of the Armée de l'Air (colonial presence 1939-1962)
* British Mandate of Palestine

References

*cite book| last = Keegan| first = John| title = World Armies| publisher = Macmillan| date = 1979| location = London: ISBN 0-333-17236-1
*cite book| last = Mollo| first = Andrew| title = The Armed Forces of World War II| publisher =Crown| date = 1981| location = New York: ISBN 0-517-54479-4

Footnotes