Fanion of the french Fusile Marines

I am very interested in pictures of Fanions of Fusile Marines (French) Regimental, batalion and company, if possible in colour.
I am going to paint some figures, and I would very muck like the Fanions to be as correct as pos.
Thank You
Niels

What years are you interesting in? Can you tell more about the Fusiliers Marines? I thought they were ad hoc units formed under pressing circumstances, essentially sailors issued with rifles. When did they have time to get so organized as to acquire regimental and battalion flags?

Thanks

MConrad

Hi
To my acknowledge thy are a Marine unit in the French navy as US.Marines or Royal Marine, and they are formed as Infantry. The uniform is very close to the navy maletot (rating). They fought very heavely in Flanders i WWI.
Rgds
Niels

mconrad wrote:What years are you interesting in? Can you tell more about the Fusiliers Marines? I thought they were ad hoc units formed under pressing circumstances, essentially sailors issued with rifles. When did they have time to get so organized as to acquire regimental and battalion flags?

Thanks

MConrad

AFAIK the Fusilers-Marin have always been a permanent unit. They may have been supplemented by regular Marine Nationale landing parties when necessary (ie: during the conquest of Indochina aka Vietnam in the 1880s).

Hi Niels - if you have not already done so, I suggest that you type fusiliers marins into Google Search - images. Several hundred illustrations of this class of naval personnel, including flags of various types and periods will show. Adding fanion to the search box will give you a more focussed collection, although it will throw up colour parties from various other French military units as well.

Good luck with your project!

Thank you, but I have been through Google several time, and I did not find any cover of the subject, only a few pictures from different periodes.
I am looking for an explanation of the use of fanions - colour and motiv - difference between the units, regiment-bataljon-company.
Time of interest is 1900 - 1945.
Thank you
Niels

Encyclopedia Britannica, 1922

Hi
Thank you.
My interest are in the motives, sizees and colours of the different units, I try to find a system in the french use of Faions, and actually also
which units use them, periode 1900 - 1945.
I have seen some very fine Post cards of Fusile Marines, but it is only possible to reconize the Regimental Colour, and one of the Fanions which may be, either a Batalion or Company one.
I am painting a group of Fusilie Marines, and would like that the Fanion is as correct as possible.
My problem is I don`t speak French ( English, German, Swedish, Norwegian and Danish )
Rgds
Niels

I believe that since the mid-19th century, in peacetime the fusiliers marins were a training battalion at L'Orient. In wartime operational units of fusiliers marins could be formed. The utmost effort appears to be in 1914-15, when a brigade was constituted.

Fanions are of two general types: 1) elaborate, uniquely designed unit (usually company) fanions procured by the unit itself, and subject to no regulations, and 2) plain, utilitarian company markers. No doubt the French army's normal company fanions were governed by regulation. I don't know how much the fusiliers marins took over from that source. Maybe your research strategy could be to determine how the army used fanions, and then try to further determine naval use.







1944:



Fanion from WWII (Musee de l'Ordre de la Liberation):




Probably the school battalion at L'Orient, c. 1939:

Thank you very much for you effort.
I have seen some of the pictures before. I think one of the problems is as you write, what is regulation and what is "local" invented and produced.
I have a faint meaning that the use of fanions, were most in the Chasseurs a Pied and Alpine, colonial units (Zouaves and Triallieurs )and later the Fortress units of the Maginot Line, not so much the Infantry ?
My inspration for painting the figures are the cards of which you have shown one, the problem is it is only possible to see one of the fanions clearly, colour and motiv. The green one with the horsehead ( seahorse ? ) on the top.
You are of the opinion that it is the training BTN of the FM, but isn`t it the Regimental Colour ? and then the fanions could be BTN ones,
but the great question is, the motives and the colours.
Rgds
Niels