A captured Phalange Africaine soldier sometime in 1943. The helmet decal, unique to the unit, is described below.
The Phalange Africaine (“African Phalanx”) was one of the shorter lived units of World War II. The formation of the unit was in response to Operation Torch, the Allied invasion of French North Africa which commenced on November 8, 1942. Invasion forces landed in Morocco and Algeria but originally, Tunis, Tunisia was to have been included as it represented the chance to interdict supply lines that supported the Afrika Korps. However, the relative close proximity of Luftwaffe forces in Sicily and Sardinia saw Tunis stricken from the plans. Instead, the Algeria landings and an overland push on Tunis had to suffice. Returning to the Phalange Africaine, the invasion saw the 6th. Congress of the French People's Party (6e Congrès du Parti Populaire Français) in Paris, France authorize the formation of the Phalange Africaine and a list of officers was drawn up. Originally, 60 officers were listed but it was cut down to only 15. In the end, only 6 officers arrived in Tunis on December 28, 1942. By this time, Tunis was no longer in Vichy French hands. Instead, the Germans, knowing there was little fight in the Vichy French forces, had pumped three German divisions, two Italian infantry divisions, and Luftwaffe assets into Tunis to contest the coming Allied attack on the city.
The Phalange Africaine was led by Lieutenant-Colonel Pierre Simon Cristofini and with the approval of Heinrich Otto Abetz, the ambassador to Vichy France, Cristofini commenced recruitment. This was done by recruiting those soldiers still loyal to the Vichy cause, impressing Vichy troops from destroyed units, and enlisting French or native men into the unit. However, the unit failed to fill the ranks with men to the point that the majority of the Phalange Africaine was made up of native Tunisians. It is believed Cristofini was the cause of the lackluster recruitment drives and when he was injured in a training accident on January 23, 1943 and sent to Sicily to recover, recruiting improved. The number of recruits vary, source depending. Numbers from 130 men to as many as 450 men have been cited. What is known is that the unit was a mixture of the young, the old, and crippled (but who could still at least fight) as well as a mixture of soldiers and civilians. Most were sympathizers to the Vichy and collaborationist causes. The Germans, however, had other ideas for the Phalange Africaine. They cut the unit down to the size of one company, which would consist of around 200 men, under the command of Captain André Dupuis. The training was conducted under German oversight, the German cadre having all been veterans of combat on the Eastern Front. The Phalange Africaine troops learned to fight the German way, to include anti-tank and anti-aircraft battle techniques. The majority of the heavy weapons, anti-tank guns, and mortars were of French manufacture while German Gewehr k98 rifles made up the majority of the unit's small arms. On April 5, 1943, Generalmajor Friedrich Weber, commander of the 334. Infanteriedivision, felt the Phalange Africaine was ready for combat after observing the unit during training maneuvers. The unit formed a company within the 2.Bataillon, 754.Panzergrenadier Regiment, 334. Infanteriedivision. There, it had the nickname Franzosische Freiwilligen Legion (French Volunteer Legion).
The first engagement fought by the Phalange Africaine was against elements of the British 78th. Infantry Division near Medjez-El-Bab from April 8 through May 7, 1943. 170 men were on the front lines, the remainder in the rear to support supply operations. The Phalage Africaine acquitted itself well, with seven soldiers being decorated with the Iron Cross from Generalmajor Weber himself. However, throughout the combat, the Phalange Africaine had been pounded almost daily by British artillery and attacked by Royal Air Force fighters and fighter-bombers to the point that by May 7, 57 men were missing, 7 wounded, and 6 killed. May 7 also spelled the end of the Phalange Africaine's existence. With the inevitable capture of Tunis by the Allies, the Phalange Africaine was dissolved. Some of the men, mainly officers, evacuated to France while others made for Italy or Spain. Those unlucky enough to not have the means to escape the country sought to blend in with the populace but many were exposed and arrested. In all, some 200 former Phalange Africaine men were put on trial beginning in April 1944. Sentences varied depending on many factors. Those who were minors at the time of enlistment were simply sent home or served in work sites. Regular ex-soldiers of the Phalange Africaine were sent to Algerian or Moroccan regiments to serve out tours of duty. Former officers either suffered execution or hard labor. The very last Phalange Africaine soldier left prison in 1953.
The uniform of the Phalange Africaine was that of the regular French infantry in the area. The only German issued items were helmets, mantel (great coat), and boots. The photograph of what is likely a captured Phalange Africaine soldier (judging by what appears to be a British soldier in the background) shows the helmet to good effect and the unique Phalange Africaine helmet emblem which consisted of the French flag colors of blue, white, and red with the entire border being white. However, the flag colors were reversed on the helmet, matching the original color positions of the French flag before 1794. On the other side of the helmet was a white double-headed ax on a black shield edged in white. Both the flag and the emblem were hand painted on each helmet. Phalange Africaine soldiers also wore a badge on their tunic which was much the same as the helmet badge except the ax and the edging was in yellow. This soldier holds a cheich in his hands, a traditional scarf used by French colonial forces.
