MOROCCAN WWII GOUMIERS

Goumier (fr. Les Goumiers Marocains) is the collective name of Moroccan soldiers - mostly infantry - serving in the structure of the French army from 1908 to 1956. Formally their highest superior was the Sultan of Morocco, but in practice they were subordinate to French officers and were treated as part of the French armed forces. Initially Goumier was used primarily as a unit that kept peace and French interests in Morocco. Interestingly, they were not used on a larger scale on the Western Front during World War I. However, they took an active part in the next world war alongside the Allies. It is assumed that all Goumier's regiments numbered around 12,000 at their peak. In 1940-1942, they were used primarily as subversive forces behind the Axis forces in Libya. In the period 1942-1943, Goumier units were already fighting in Tunisia. The remainder of World War II, most of Goumier's units were spent primarily on carrying out tasks in the area of the Apennine, where they served until 1945. Moroccan soldiers became famous during the Italian campaign as experts in fighting in the mountains and as very brave and brave soldiers. It is worth adding that in the course of the Italian campaign (1943-1945), Moroccan Goumiers were sometimes accused of war crimes - in particular rape. Some of Goumier's units also fought in France (1944-1945) and in Germany (1945).