Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1914-09-22
Fighters OF The ALLIES
Many Curious Peoples In a Common
Cause.
their NUMBERS ARE WITHOUT LIMIT

Turkos, Gurkhas, Cossacks and wal
loon Soldiers All With the French
and Enaish, and All Love War Bet
ter Than Any Other Occupation.
| If nolitics makes queer bedfellows So
does war, or at least this may be SAID
of the present war, where especially
along the armies of the allies some
oueer bedfellows indeed have come TO-
sether. Think, for instance, OF Iurkos'
from Algeria, and Indian soldiers ana
walIoons from Belgium, and Cossacks
from Russia to mention no other ne
terogeneous elements, all fighting IN
common cause. Indeed, the army Oh
the Allies is a remarkable melting pot
The Turkos and other black and yel-
low regular troops of France have been
brought over in numbers from Algeria
and Senegal, French possessions IN
Africa to fight against Germany. Ana
France has great numbers of these
regular troops in her African posses :
sions that she can call upon. The Tur-
kos native Algerian troops made their
first appearance in the war in the hght-
ing about Muelhausen.
And so the French black soldier is
once more at grips with the white
German regular Four and forty years
have passed since they met on the field
of battle on French soil Then 1t was
that the Turkos, in the Franco-Prus-
sian war, drove back the German in
fantry with heavy loss at the battle OF
Weissenburg on August 4, 1870, while
again, two days later, the Turkos, to-
gether with the spahis, more OF
Frances colored troops from Algeria,
under General Mcmahon, cut and hack
ed their way through the solid German
ranks at the bloody battle Of Woerth.
Since the present war with Germany
commenced the war office at Paris has
been advised that literally hundreds OF
thousands of French black and yellow
subjects in the various French posses
sions in Africa and elsewhere, many
of them already trained soldiers and
others who have in them the making or
excellent fighting men, are almost be-
side themselves in their anxiety to go
to France to fight the common enemy.
What Of the extent Of this present
and latent force upon which France
may draw for military support?
In Algeria alone the French native
population of black and yellow people
is 4,43O, 900, according to official statis-
tics. In the Algerian Sahara there are
said to be $4,000; in Tunis, 100000;
Sahara region, 2,5000,O00; Senegal, g.
SOC, 900; Mahaty territories, 100000;
French Guinea, 100000; Ivory Coast,
2,5OO,O 900; Dahomey, 100000; Kongo,
8, 900, 900; Somai coast and dependen-
cies, 100000; Reunion, 173,20O; Comoro
isles, $4,000; Nossi Bey $500; St.
Marie, 1867, and in Madagascar, $780,
900, making a total Of 32,635,O0O.
In addition to this, in India the
French population, almost all native, is
279, 100; Anam, 100000; Cambodia,
!, 500, 900; Cochin China, 100000, and
in Tonkin and Laos, 13,5OO,O0O, a total
of 22,679 100
In Algeria, in Morocco, in Timbuktu,
in Dahomey and on the Ivory Coast, on
the Barbary coast, in Tunis Senegal
and in many other places in Africa the
French native soldier has shown that in
many ways he is fully equal to the
white soldier. There they have served
and are today serving at Turkos, til
railleurs, spahis, foot and horse and
also as artillerymen.
England, too, can swell the allied
armies with great numbers of dark
skinned soldiers, fit comrades on the
firing line with Frances Turkos and
spahis. Among the most interesting as
we'll as the most formidable fighting
outfits in the Indian army are the
Gurkhas. There are ten regiments Of
Gurkha rifles. These little fighters,
who come from the region Of Nepal and
who trace their descent from the Raj
puts, would rather fight than eat. In
They are short, stocky little men of
somewhat the appearance Of the Jap
anese, although a little heavier. And
they wear perpetual grins on their
when they go into fight.
The Gurkhas were conquered by the
British in 1914, after years of fighting
and have become loyal subjects of
England. When the Gurkha regiments
were first made part of the Indian
army they did not seem to take we'll to
organized methods Of warfare 1t was
not until the army authorities allowed
them to make their national weapon,
the kukri, part Of their equipment that
they regained their fame as fighters.
Their instructors never could make
them use the bayOnet. The kukri is a
long, heavy curved knife
In close quarters the Gurka throws
away his rifle and takes to the kukri,
which he uses with telling effect. When
charged by cavalry the Gurkhas stand
up and fire at the horsemen until they
are within sabering distance, when the
natives fall. AS the charging horse
men pass over them the little warriors
are up and hamstringing the horses or
clinging to the saddles and stabbing
the riders.
This method of fighting is not unlike
that of the TurkOs of the French army.
who also play possum" when charged
by a heavier enemy, only to rise and
take the attackers from the rear as
soon as they have passed over them.
Neither Gurkas nor Turkos, however
do much defensive fighting except
against cavalry, for they are usually
leading any charge that may be taking
place in their vicinity.
England, if necessary, can pour into
France from India 235,OO0 trained men,
of which $4,000 are British troops, in
Guiding some of the crack regiments Of