Free French Soldiers in Italy 1943-44 [1280 x 844]

[Roadkingtrax]

Caption: Free French Soldiers in Italy 1943-44 [1280 x 844]

1903a3's I believe...

BIG IMAGE LINK: http://i.imgur.com/0Gefu0E.jpg

[Art]

I understand that the M1903 rifle, all variants, was pretty much the standard shoulder weapon of the Free French. I understand that the first expedient was to pull the low number '03s on hand out of storage, slap nickel steel bolts in them and pack them off to "Big Charlie's" boys. Of course as time goes on it makes sense that other '03's including '03A3s would have been issued to them, especially by mid to late 1944. Interesting that they still have the Adrian helmets.

[11mm]

I have a photo journalist type book on the French forces of General Juin in Italy. There are several pictures of French soldiers with 03 A3 rifles, but none with 'O3's. In that book, they are wearing both US and French helmets.

[firstflabn]

In July '44, BG Harold F. Loomis, head of the Joint Rearmament Committee (the organization in charge of logistics for rebuilding the French Army), estimated the French had received 167k M1917s and 47k M1903s.

Those proportions likely began to shift as '17 stocks were depleted, but unless data from later dates is located, it appears the M1917 was the major player. I'm no expert on French WWII forces, but I don't think their army expanded very much after mid-1944. If that is correct, then replacements are the only place a shift could come from. Swimming upstream against an almost 4:1 lead is tough, so if I had to guess, I'd say there were still more M1917s than M1903s in French hands on VE-Day.