Chasseur Alpin - unit structures

[Stuart H]

Hi

Does any one have any information on the French Chassuer Alpin unit structures, size and composition of weapons  during the Algerian War of Independence? Im most interested in squad and platoon level.

https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/78601955980327169/

Thanks

Stuart

[robh]

I believe the Chasseurs (like most of the post Indochina French Army) adopted the "107" Light Infantry organisation:

https://www.battleorder.org/post/fr-type107

This is a good summary and also gives a lot of links for more detail.

[CapnJim]

Thanks for that link.  The info on the US Army Division 2030 was fascinating...

[carlos marighela]

Having read the documents that article is based on and more, you'd need to know what role the Chasseurs D'Alpin were utilised in. The Type 107 wasn't the universal structure, in fact it was introduced during the war. It was primarily used for static, garrison type forces. Earlier models such as those in Indochina were still in play for the early part of the war  as well as metropolitan organisations and amongst the elite, mobile, forces used to actively track down and combat the ALN a very different structure was used.

That said, being fairly standard metropolitan French infantry, it's most likely that your Chasseurs were just used in the quadrillage and would at some point have adopted the Type 107 organisational structure.

[carlos marighela]

You might be better going to the source material, at least that in English. The Jackson monograph in the reference links on organisation is excellent, although pitched more at higher levels than peleton and section.

Mobile forces were towards the end of the war organised along the Javelot org charts, which was basically France's answer to the Pentomic organisation all the rage in the US (and in Pentropic form, Australia) and emphasised decentralised operations, which purely coincidentally worked well for operations in Algeria.

In practical terms at squad (peleton) level there wasn't a huge differnce to the Type 107 organisation but there are some differences.

http://daniel.rabbe.free.fr/organisation/infanterie/sectioni57.htm

http://daniel.rabbe.free.fr/organisation/infanterie/sectionafn.htm

There's quite a bit more difference higher up the chain. A good summary of organisational evolution that runs before and beyond Algeria can be found here:

http://daniel.rabbe.free.fr/organisation/section.htm

[Stuart H]

Thank you both. Realy helpful and some reading to pursue https://i.servimg.com/u/f37/18/14/41/47/tm/16285710.jpg