1870: 1e Escadrille De Cyclistes Lead Charge At Sedan

The French army's embracing of new technologies saw a number of units equipped with experimental weaponry and equipment during the latter half of the nineteenth century. Pierre Michaux's development of the pedal powered velocipede in 1868 led to a craze that swept France and the military found the idea of the vélocipède à pédales as a low cost, low maintenace replacement for the horse quite attractive (velocipedes not needing feeding for a start!). The 2eme Regiment de Lanciers provided a squadron for evaluation trials and this unit was still equipped with velocipedes when war broke out with Prussia in July 1870.


Attached to the Army of Châlons, the 1e Escadrille de Cyclistes undertook scouting work for the high command before seeing action at the Battle of Sedan, when, attached to General Margueritte's cavalry, they took part in the three failed charges on the Prussian XI Corps at the village of Floing.

Whilst the French defeat at Sedan and the surrender of the Emperor marked the end of the Second Empire, the vélocipède à pédales were regarded as having proven successful and the new Third Republic raised both cavalry and mounted infantry units equipped with velocipedes, a move replicated by other powers in the last decades of the nineteenth century.

1890: Escadrille de Goubets

The French Empire were constantly looking at ways to tip the balance of power when it came to the old enemy England and influenced by the doctrines of the 'Jeune Ecole' embraced innovative ideas for indirect attacks. Claude Goubet's two man aquanef was one such innovation and the French Navy built Escardilles (squadrons) of these small craft to invest enemy harbours, mine them and sink enemy vessels.

Highly successful during the Great War of 1890-1, the Goubets (named after their designer) wreaked havoc in the Channel ports although the Royal Navy's use of the Tyrrell Ray to seek out the underwater menace did allow destroyers and torpedo boats some success in combating the Goubet squadrons.

1901: Corps Medical Offensif

The French development of La Guerre Miasmatique has had a major impact on warfare on Earth and the other colonised planets. Batteries firing chemical and bacteriological agents across the battlefield cause thousands of casualties whilst typhoid snipers target individual soldiers for disease and death.

Whilst despised by many, if not for the French introduction of this new and virulent form of warfare it may have been that Earth would have fallen to the Martian invader in 1901. It was the French Empire's Corps Medical Offensif and the diseases they fired at the tripod encased invaders which caused the Martians destruction.

All major powers now have developed their own units of chemical warfare troops, but the French still lead the way in their development and use.