3rd Moroccan Tirailleurs Regiment (3^ème Régiment de Tirailleurs Marocains) was an infantry regiment belonging to the Army of Africa which was part of the

French Army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (french: Armée de Terre, ), is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces. It is responsible to the Government of France, along with the other components of the Armed For ...

following the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. The term "

Tirailleur A tirailleur (), in the Napoleonic era, was a type of light infantry trained to skirmish ahead of the main columns. Later, the term "''tirailleur''" was used by the French Army as a designation for indigenous infantry recruited in the French ...

" emerged in the

Napoleonic era The Napoleonic era is a period in the history of France and Europe. It is generally classified as including the fourth and final stage of the French Revolution, the first being the National Assembly, the second being the Legislative ...

to refer to a type of

light infantry Light infantry refers to certain types of lightly equipped infantry throughout history. They have a more mobile or fluid function than other types of infantry, such as heavy infantry or line infantry. Historically, light infantry often fought ...

whose role was to

skirmish Skirmishers are light infantry or light cavalry soldiers deployed as a vanguard, flank guard or rearguard to screen a tactical position or a larger body of friendly troops from enemy advances. They are usually deployed in a skirmish line, an i ...

ahead of the main columns. It was later used by the

to refer to infantry recruited in the French colonial territories during the 19th and 20th centuries. The regiment was founded on 1 January 1920 with the 5th, 7th and 12th Bataillons, under the command lieutenant-colonel Féral.

Creation and dissolution over time

3e RTM entrait à Francfort Illustration 1920

The regiment has been dissolved and recreated a number of times. It was first formed in Morocco on 1 January 1920 as the "3e régiment de marche de tirailleurs marocains" (3RMTM) composed of three

march battalion A march battalion (french: Bataillon de Marche, , it, Battaglione di marcia or ) is a military unit comprising replacement and support personnel, usually for a regiment or brigade-sized formation. The term rear echelon – especially in the armi ...

s of auxiliary troops. They were dispatched to join the

French Army of the Rhine French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with France ...

. From April–May 1920 they took part in the

French occupation of Frankfurt French occupation of Frankfurt occurred from 6 April to 17 May 1920 as part of the Allied occupation of the Rhineland. The principal city occupied was Frankfurt, but the French also occupied Dieburg, Darmstadt, Hanau and Homburg. The occupatio ...

. Then in October it was reconstituted as the 63rd Moroccan Tirailleurs Regiment (R.T.N.A.). In November 1921 they returned to Morocco. They were sent to Taza in 1930. They remained here until 1934 when they were dissolved. The regiment was recreated in 1935 but dissolved following the

fall of France The Battle of France (french: bataille de France) (10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign ('), the French Campaign (german: Frankreichfeldzug, ) and the Fall of France, was the German invasion of France during the Second World ...

in 1940. After a brief existence in 1941, it was re-established in 1943 and continued until 1945. The final incarnation was between 1948 and 1955.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Moroccan Tirailleurs, 3rd Regiment Tirailleurs regiments of France Military units and formations established in 1920 Military units and formations disestablished in 1955