FRENCH ZOUAVES - CRIMEAN WAR

The first units of Zouaves (fr. Zouaves ) appeared in the French army in 1830 in the strength of two battalions. At that time, Żuawi was perceived - it did not change in the course of the 19th century - as light infantry, the uniforms of which were modeled on Arab and Middle Eastern patterns. For this reason, they wore characteristic feats, puffed red pants or short, blue caftans that acted as uniform jackets. In 1838, a regiment was formed in the French army from the three existing battalions, and in 1852, under a special decree of the future Napoleon III, two additional regiments were formed. These units were initially intended to operate in North Africa, especially Algeria, but were successfully used in combat during the Crimean War (1853-1856) with Russia. In the course of this war, the French army used all three of its regiments of zouaves. In the course of this war, they showed high combat value - especially during the Battle of the Alma River (1854) and during the Siege of Sevastopol (1854-1855). Żuawy units also fought successfully during the Austro-Piedmont-French war (1859) or the Franco-Prussian war (1870-1871).