Photos from the French Archives?

Wonder why there aren't many (or any) photos from the French archives?  The contribution of the tirailleurs sénégalais to the liberation of France remains a rather touchy subject, even after sixty odd years have passed.  There are two main issues at work here.
  • First, De Gaulle's "whitening" (blanchiment) of the Free French Forces during the winter of 1944-45 so that more native "French" would be in the army to participate in the upcoming liberation of France (This was after the tirailleurs sénégalais had composed by far the largest percentage of forces in the military campaigns from 1940 to 1944.)
  • Second, the French government's poor treatment of the tirailleurs sénégalais veterans in the decades after World War 2, beginning with the massacre at Camp Thiaroye in December 1944.


Here are some items to look at: