Page 213 - La Grande Guerra dei Carabinieri - Flavio CARBONE

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Copertina del giornale satirico La baionetta dell’agosto 1916, che ridicolizza i gendarmi (colle-
zione privata). Cover of the satirical newspaper La baïonnette of August 1916, which ridicules
the gendarmes (private collection).

The French Gendarmerie
Gendarmerie

in the First World War

he French Gendarmes during the war lived the trench’s life together with the
soldiers at the front and maintained the public order in the back and in the
T cities but they received little recognition after the war. Mobilised immediately before the declaration of
war they were responsible of different tasks (to spread the mobilisation orders for the Army, animals and vehi-
cles requisition and search of people who didn’t want to war). Some units close to the front and before the Army
moved to the borders had the important role to fight and try to slow down German units invading France. The
most important role within the armies was military police. The lack of manning moved finally the government to
call on duty retired NCOs and Gendarmes for the territorial service; on the other hand lawyers and judges called
on duty as privates were promoted second lieutenant in the Gendarmerie. On the same time, the territorial posts
received a lot of new tasks connected with the war legislation. Those small units fought against black market,
deserters, public order, poaching. Again those units had the role to control soldiers on leave at home or to con-
tinue new requisitions. During the crisis of 1917, many Gendarmerie brigades were under attack and the Gen-
darmes received threats, insults and violence. The problems of 1917 let the responsible of the military police units,
Léon Bouchez, infantry general coming from the Republican Guard (a different entity within the Gendarmerie)
modified the role of the military police sections guaranteeing speed and efficiency in order to be ready to move
in short time and along the front to reinforce the need in specific areas. The success of this approach led the un-
official establishing of the mobile gendarmerie. On the same time, President Clemenceau created a specific role
for the generals coming from the Gendarmerie letting them to remain in the Gendarmerie chain of command and
to ameliorate the level of efficiency of the Corps. At the end of the war, the brigades (small posts under the com-
mand of an NCOs) received new equipment as telephones, their officers obtained motorcycles and typewriters.
During the war, small military police units followed the regiments and the infantry brigades on different
fronts like in the Balkans or in Greece the prévôté guaranteed even the functioning of the prevotal tribunals sanctioning the
bad behaviours of the soldiers and of the civilians who violated military bans.
After the war, lawmakers refused to guarantee the Gendarmes with the same treatment of the soldiers reject-
ing the possibility to receive the combatant card. Only after the Second World War experience and the great sac-
rifice offered by the Gendarmerie Nationale in France and abroad the right decision had been made.