Question on Senegalese Tirailleurs and officers

[CaptainHaddonCollider]

Hi all,
I’m building a brave band of Senegalese Tirailleurs for Chain of Command and need some help with organisation. From what I understand the Senegalese were colonial troops brought to Metropolitan France for her defence in 1940. I suppose a lot of them didn’t have much of a choice in the matter but fought on nonetheless, often putting up stiff resistance to the Germans. A lot (If not all) of the upper officer corps of the units were French rather than Senegalese, but what about platoon leaders and NCOs? I’ve not been able to find any sources on the matter, and the Blitzkrieg book is rather vague on the subject. Can anyone assist?

[Baron von Wreckedoften]

All officers, right down to platoon commanders, were French (ie white); in very rare instances, a major act of bravery could be rewarded with a commission (I'm only aware of one, but there may have been more).  All NCOs were native (ie black).  Most support weapons were integral, as per metropolitan French infantry units (not sure about the smaller anti-tank guns, though), so again, crews would be black.

Note that, in action, all ranks wore the helmet pretty much without exception (as per any number of contemporary photographs), rather than the fez.  I'm currently building a Sengalese platoon myself, and have purchased the Crusader infantry/supports range.  That said, I've also purchased a section of the Warlord fez-wearing guys as NCOs/squad leaders, and the two coup-coup (machete) waving guys as markers to denote the bonus the Senegalese receive in fisticuffs.

Hope that helps.
BvW

[CaptainHaddonCollider]

That is very helpful, Thank you very much! I wasn't sure how to proceed with the fez, as a lot of models seem to have them even though it doesn't make much sense to be wearing a Big-Red-Please-Shoot-Me-In-The-Face hat when fighting off the germans. I have made a few headswaps using Perry ansar-heads fitted with adrians, and thought about mixing a few fez in just for the look and to break up the greens and browns a bit.
Would the officers have trained with the men out in the colonies, or would the Senegalese have been assigned to a french officer upon arrival in France?

[Siaba]

Tirailleurs sénégalais regiments garrisoned the colonies. Most of the soldiers were enlisted men to which were added conscripts in time of war. Their french officer were garrisoned with them in Africa. There were black officers.

[Baron von Wreckedoften]

There were black officers.

Were these commissions only given as rewards for gallantry (which is what I had been told), or were there direct commissions, as in the British Indian Army?

[Arthur]

They were direct commissions : native officers existed from the very beginning as they were considered an essential link between the white metropolitan C.O.s and the African rank and file. They were originally recruited among the local elites and weren't deemed token officers at all. Some even got to command white troops as one captain N'tchoréré did during the 1940 campaign. From 1946-1947, French policy regarding the tirailleurs was to africanise their command as much as possible and an officer school was set up for that very purpose in Fréjus to train C.O's - many of whom would provide the backbone of future African armies once the former French colonies became independent.

Re the red fez, you have to keep in mind that it was meant to be a full dress item only and therefore wasn't the shoot-me-in-the face marker you might imagine. In most small-scale colonial campaigns where the opposition had little of no artillery and head protection wasn't vital, the fez would be worn in the field with a khaki cover. In Europe, the helmet was systematically worn in action as our Baron says, with the khaki-covered fez being reserved for undress or off-duty occasions. 

     

[Baron von Wreckedoften]

They were direct commissions : native officers existed from the very beginning as they were considered an essential link between the white metropolitan C.O.s and the African rank and file. They were originally recruited among the local elites and weren't deemed token officers at all. Some even got to command white troops as one captain N'tchoréré did during the 1940 campaign. From 1946-1947, French policy regarding the tirailleurs was to africanise their command as much as possible and an officer school was set up for that very purpose in Fréjus to train C.O's - many of whom would provide the backbone of future African armies once the former French colonies became independent.

Thanks, Michel, I hadn't realised that (and had been given some inaccurate information).  It sounds very much like the Raj Indian Army, with a mix of King's and Viceroy's Commission Officers, of whom the former could command British troops.

[CaptainHaddonCollider]

The next question is, are there any decent books on the subject? Maybe some first-hand accounts?