Tabor was the designation given to an irregular unit of indigenous infantry and cavalry recruited in Morocco during the period of French and Spanish intervention and occupation (1908–56). A tabor was a formation of three or four '' goums''. A ''goum'' in this case was the Moroccan equivalent to a

company A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of legal people, whether Natural person, natural, Juridical person, juridical or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members ...

, and a tabor would thereby be equivalent to a

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of up to one thousand soldiers. A battalion is commanded by a lieutenant colonel and subdivided into several Company (military unit), companies, each typically commanded by a Major (rank), ...

. Larger ''groups of tabors'', equivalent to regiments or brigades, were also employed.

French Morocco

While the use of ''goum''s as tribal

irregulars Irregular military is any military component distinct from a country's regular armed forces, representing non-standard militant elements outside of conventional governmental backing. Irregular elements can consist of militias, private army, pr ...

goes back to the beginning of the 20th century, additional tabors were created by the French during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

as a display of power because the

Germans Germans (, ) are the natives or inhabitants of Germany, or sometimes more broadly any people who are of German descent or native speakers of the German language. The Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany, constitution of Germany, imple ...

, after having overrun France, limited the size of their military forces. One way of getting around these restrictions was the creation of auxiliary colonial forces (i.e. ''tabors'') nominally for internal security duties. These Moroccan units would later go on to fight in

North Africa North Africa (sometimes Northern Africa) is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region. However, it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of t ...

once

Operation Torch Operation Torch (8–16 November 1942) was an Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of French North Africa during the Second World War. Torch was a compromise operation that met the British objective of securing victory in North Africa whil ...

began and in the fight for

Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...

(

Operation Husky Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Man ...

) and Mainland

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, notably at the Fourth Battle of Monte Cassino. The 4th Tabor of Goums were used in the Fight for Troina in central Sicily.

Spanish Morocco

The ''

Regulares The ("Indigenous Regular Forces"), known simply as the (Regulars), are infantry units of the Spanish Army, largely recruited in the cities of Ceuta and Melilla. Historically, the force, which has also included mounted divisions, has consisted ...

'' of the

Spanish Army The Spanish Army () is the terrestrial army of the Spanish Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is one of the oldest Standing army, active armies – dating back to the late 15th century. The Spanish Army has existed ...

were organized into infantry tabors (battalions) and cavalry tabors ( squadrons).Jose Bueno, ''Los Regulares'', The

Tiradores de Ifni The Tiradores de Ifni ("Ifni Rifles" or "Ifni Shooters") were volunteer indigenous infantry units of the Spanish Army, largely recruited in the enclave of Ifni. The tiradores were originally recruited from the Spanish protectorate in Morocco, Spa ...

was also organized in tabors but the also mobilized a '' bandera''.

References

{{reflist Military history of Morocco Military history of France Military history of Spain Military units and formations of France Military units and formations of Spain French Morocco

French Morocco

Spanish Morocco

See also

References