Two French soldiers operating a periscope rifle in the First World War. c. Apr 1 1915
Colourised by Irootoko Jr.
Mle 1886 M93 Lebel rifle
Designed by a French commission following general Boulanger’s demands in 1885, based on the previous Gras-Kropatschek rifles. Adopted c.1886, manufactured starting c.1887 by all major French national factories.
8x50mmR Lebel 8-round tubular magazine +1 chambered +1 in the lift, bolt action repeater.
France’s military rifle for a good 60 years, named after colonel Nicolas Lebel who submitted the jacketed bullet idea, the Mle1886 rifle was the first smokeless powder rifle in full military service, one of the first repeating rifles in full military service and later the first one to use spitzer bullets.
Sep 29 1914 IWM Q 53264 “French troops holding the bank of a canal” September 29 1914.
Production date
1914-09-29IWM Q 53264
Production date: 1914-09-29
A cyclist if the 23rd infantry regiment, 1908 maneuvers,
Cycliste des 18 chasseurs
French soldiers equipped with M2 gas masks in France, 1917.
The Garde of the Battleship Iéna.
Tirailleurs Algériens in campaign uniform 1914.
Poilu, 297e Régiment d’Infanterie
Field portrait of a fully equipped French infantryman from 297e Régiment d’Infanterie circa 1916. This regiment was formed at the outbreak of the Great War and participated in the fighting in the Alsace region at the end of 1914. Around the time this photo was taken, the regiment was fighting at Verdun, in particular in the area of Thiaumont.