Edward L. Bimberg (1919–2010)

This book ranges a bit wider than the topic suggests, in that it covers the French use of Berber tribesmen as a fighting force from the colonial fighting of the 1920s in Morocco, through World War II, and climaxing with the disaster at of Dien Bien Phu. Apart from that this is rather old-school history; in depth on the military details, light on the sociology, as one might expect from a book originally published in 1999. Still, the author does admit that the Goums were more than happy-go-lucky mercenaries, content to take the French coin and follow their officers into action, as the the veterans of World War II apparently led the confrontation with the Moroccan sultanate after 1945 (though I would have liked a good source). The reality would appear that there is still nothing better about these troops in print if the subject intrigues you.… (més)