Following the Allied landings in Algiers during
Operation Torch in 1942, the colonial troops of the French Army of Africa, previously under the command of
Vichy France, came under the authority of the Free French Forces. General
Charles de Gaulle, leader of the
French government in exile, utilised these forces to establish the French Expeditionary Corps (CEF). The corps was composed of approximately 112,000 personnel, organised into four divisions, with two-thirds of its troops originating from North Africa, primarily
Moroccans,
Algerians and
Senegalese, and the remaining third consisting of
French settlers. Many of the African troops had been raised in the
Atlas Mountains of North Africa and were among the few Allied units specifically trained and equipped for
mountain warfare. The CEF included specialised Moroccan units known as
goumiers, irregular troops recruited from the
Rif Mountains, who were organised into battalions called "tabors," often composed of soldiers with tribal or familial ties. The total number of Moroccan Goumiers within the corps was 7,833. The broader French North African units comprised both volunteer and conscripted indigenous soldiers, known as
tirailleurs, who were recruited based on tribal, ethnic or regional affiliations. Additionally, the corps included foreign soldiers enlisted through the
French Foreign Legion, a force known for incorporating non-French personnel into its ranks. The CEF was equipped primarily with Allied-supplied weaponry, including the
Thompson submachine gun (.45 calibre) and the
Browning machine gun (12.7 mm). Moroccan troops also carried traditional curved daggers known as
koummya, which were emblematic of their heritage. ==Order of battle==