Richard Delingpole

24. French Infantryman, 1940

The French army of 1939/40 was short-lived but glorious, seeing action in Northern Europe at the outbreak of the Second World War. Equipment-wise they were arguably on a par with the invading German army, but tactically they were outclassed.

The uniform was largely unchanged from WW1, and many French soldiers fought to varying degrees with WW1 equipment, certainly many still carried the Lebel rifle. Of course the most notable change is that the uniform is now khaki and not blue, but familiar items like the greatcoat, leather pouches and Adrian helmet remain. This soldier wears the updated double ammo pouches, the upper and lower packs and gas mask bag, and carries the MAS36 rifle with integral bayonet mounted.

Richard Delingpole