Click for Part 1 Battle of Maeva, 1846 Although little is documented of the fighting itself, the French lost a shore party of marines in what has been described as a massacre by some, on the island of Huahine, modern-day French Polynesia. The Leeward Islands were divided between four kingdoms: Tahiti, Huahine, Raiatea and Bora... Continue Reading →
Worst French Military Disaster of Each Decade, 1790s-1830s (part 1)
“History is written by the winners,” quipped Napoleon. Despite their vast compilation of conquests at home and abroad, Bonapart and his compatriots didn't always triumph. This four-part article includes the worst French military calamity of every decade, from the founding of the First Republic in 1792 until Algeria's independence in 1962 – failures little and... Continue Reading →