CHASSEURS ALPINS

Chasseurs Alpins is an elite light infantry formation serving in the French army, which was and is trained primarily for combat in mountainous terrain. The formation was created at the end of the 19th century - in 1888 to be exact. Originally, it was created to guard the French border with a united Italy that ran across the Alps. This required the formation of a special unit capable of fighting precisely in mountainous terrain. The French command perceived the matter as important, the more so that the Italian army already had the appropriate units of this type called Alpini. Initially, Chasseurs Alpins consisted of 12 infantry battalions, but during World War I this formation was expanded. Even then, Chasseurs Alpins wore their traditional uniforms consisting of a dark blue jacket and blue-gray breeches and a large blue beret. During World War II, in 1939-1940, Chasseurs Alpins units were formed into half-brigades. They fought, inter alia, against units of the Italian army in June 1940.