The Marine Troops (Troupes de Marines) is a subset of the French Army dedicated to external operations.

Originally, the marine troops were meant for being stationed overseas (thus the name). At their height in 1940, the troupes de Marines consisted of nine divisions and several demi-brigades who manned machine gun emplacements on the Maginot Line. They recruited both in France and overseas and were administered by the Ministry of Marine.

The symbol of the marine troops is the anchor, which is worn as a badge on uniforms. French Marines are known affectionally in French as marsouins.

The marine troops comprise:

• Marine infantry
  • marine infantry
  • marine paratroop infantry
  • light armored troops
• Marine artillery

See also

• French Foreign Legion

External links

• Official site
• Unofficial site (managed by the national federation of veterans of oversea and marine troops)