Troupes coloniales

French Colonial Forces
Troupes coloniales
French regulars of the Colonial Infantry disembarking in Madagascar 1895.
Active1900–1961
CountriesFrench colonies and overseas territories
AllegianceFrance
TypeMarines / Colonial troops
RoleColonial warfare
Amphibious warfare
Expeditionary warfare
EngagementsWorld War I
World War II
First Indochina War
Algerian War
French marines ('marsouins') of the Infanterie Coloniale, from a Régiment Mixte Coloniale, practising an advance at Mudros in May 1915, prior to deployment to Gallipoli.
Recruitment poster of the Colonial Forces for the Free French Forces.
Vichy regime poster: "We must rebuild the empire: Madagascar, Syria, French Equatorial Africa. Enlist in La Coloniale."

The Troupes coloniales ("Colonial Troops") or Armée coloniale ("Colonial Army"), commonly called La Coloniale, were the colonial troops of the French colonial empire from 1900 until 1961. From 1822 to 1900, these troops were designated as Troupes de marine ("Marine Troops" or just "Marines"), and in 1961 they readopted this name. They were recruited from mainland France and from the French settler as well as indigenous populations of the empire. This force played a substantial role in the conquest of the empire, in World War I, World War II, the First Indochina War and the Algerian War.