I'm going to be honest I have no-idea where to start with this one. Ideally I'd like an official history book, or perhaps an officers memoirs... Unit documents are a no-no, they barely had rifles at one point, so I'm betting they didn't have a unit diary (but can't say for certain) or a type-writer. And because of its colonial nature (and current status of Algeria) I'd have no idea where to start looking anyway, or even if any docs would have been kept. This is all compounded by my complete inability to speak french. The only bright side is that at least its officers might have been home-land french so may have written something about it. I'm only looking for the 1942-1943 period in Tunisia; in 1944 they were in italy and were much better equipped. So any advice from members as to what to do next would be appreciated...
Aren't the Tirailleurs mentioned in one of Spike Milligan's memoirs?? If it's the same unit he gives them a not very flattering nickname.... (just worked out it was the Goumiers he was referring to, and apparently they weren't a very nice bunch of troops)
Phaethon- as you so rightly say they were in Italy in 1944 with the French Gen. Juin who, I am quite sure would have written much of their deeds when they were fully equipped by the US forces but not too much about their prowess with what the forces of nature supplied them with as their record of raping and pillaging after their first battle above Cassino lends all of the 8th Army digusted by their animal actions even to this day ! Ask Gurdejeff - he has researched this period Cheers
Hi Tom; where there is little doubt the Goums had a terrible record in italy, I don't want to tar the RTA with the same brush until otherwise proved. Can someone please help with this, DBF kindly found a website blog relating to their time in Italy... but I'm interested in their time in Tunisia 1942. However it does give some advice for researchers, namely an address to send off for more info. Now bear in mind such sites are notoriously bad at replying quickly (and I do need this solved in a next month or so) ... but there is an alternative, the fench equivilent of the IWM which intreagues me. But as mentioned I don't speak French and I have enough problems with search engines requiring the exact phrase in this country... but half this site doesn't work, and its in French for obvious reasons. I *think* using google translate that this is the search engine page but I'm damned if I can find anything other then the 1944 book which is obviously about Italy. Can someone a bit more fluent from this site have a go for me to check this? I'm so pathetic I cant even tell if i'm just looking in the book collections or personal papers... or even if there is a personal paper section????
Hi Phaeton - I've been looking around the French sites. 3 RTA were under the command of General Juin in North Africa as well. There is a French speaking forum that says the military museum in Montpellier has info about the RTA. Will look at your link in a sec. Jules.
