Conquest of the Sahara

The French did possibly the most strange of "conquests" in his exploration and conquest (?) of the SAHARA (I do not think it is conquerable at all, as it happens if you are lucky you can travel through it... but to live there?... No matter what, with an obstination and lots of personal pride and adventure (even against "official policy") some enterprising individuals and french imperialists carved a piece of absolute emptiness to paint "blue" on the maps... An History of man's folly perhaps... but quite an adventure... and truth as usual is stranger then fiction. A most fascinating read... Porch excels in a no nonsense prose and a dry and witty sense of humor. Recommended for fans of P.C.Wren ADB PS: Probably his best book. If you enjoy... try to see the french film FORT SAGANNE (Depardieu-Deneuve-Marceau)... it is long, slow and magnificent... obviously a flop at the box office!.

While I wish there had been more on the bibliography/notes side of this book, I can say that it was nevertheless generally a very informative (and entertaining) work. In particular, I found it to be a good bridge between the French Maghrib, French Central and West Africa (regions that, though in many ways connected, are often dealt with seperately). The feel of the book follows the title, as it is essentially an adventure story (and rather light on colonial-imperial theory). This does not, however, detract anything from its depth, its details or history. As an overview, it serves its purpose well: There are aspects of biography of many of the major personalities, place descriptions to rival any tour book, and details on life in the Sahara which add much to gaining a fuller understanding of the subject. I found this book to be good enough to follow it up with Porch's Conquest of Morocco, which is a great companion to it. One thing I should point out, however, is that Porch mentions some oases that are not on the book's map (this happens in the Morocco book too), and this is a bit annoying, though not a large enough irritation to count as a real flaw. If a place is mentioned and the book has a map, then why leave it out? Still, the reading made up for this and I'd recommend it to anyone as a great introduction to this part of French Africa.

What a strange project it was for the French to try and subdue the Sahara; that notorious and terrific expanse of Northern Africa. As Porch skilfully explains, the Sahara is much more than the mere sandpit it appears to be in movies; its native inhabitants, the Tuareg, have long eked out an existence amidst its oases and scrubland. The movement to explore and civilize the Sahara was sponsored by the French Army; many of the expeditions proved disastrous, and more than one was led by madmen. The conquest created some truly romantic images, such as the camel brigades, and the system of Foreign Legion garrisons immortalized by Beau Geste. The units borne of the conquest - the "Saharians" - also fought with distinction in World War One.

Another fine book by Professor Porch. If you liked his book on the Conquest of Morocco, then this book will also be a good read. The only criticism I have of this book is that he didn't place any pictures in it, like he had in the Morocco book. A more detailed map may also have helped.I agree with the previous reviewer about the intentions of the French. Why conquer an enormous sandpit? The answer is the French government did not know, and relied on the glory seeking soldiers of the French Army. The soldiers were interested in the conquest and not the money and lives the government expended. Colonialism failed because it did not pay, and the French experience in the Sahara was a prime example. Also answered the question why Algeria has a larger share of the desert than her rivals Morocco and Tunisia. Only later when the French were fighting an independance war was oil in the Sahara found.

Porch, one of America's foremost historians of the French military, endevors to answer the question: why did France spend billions of francs and waste hundreds of lives conquering an enormous, basically worthless desert? His answer, after an exhaustive study of the period and its personalities, is a resounding "they didn't know." Porch's tale is long on anecdotes, but complemented by a skillful discussion of French politics of the period. This saga of arrogant would-be railroad tycoons, religious fanatics, and homicidal soldiers is both tremendously entertaining and highly revealing for those with an interest in the colonial period. Of particular interest is his attempt to use modern ethnography to analyse the motivations of the dwellers of the desert who preceded the French, a study which would have profited the colonialists tremendously if they had been interested. Basically, if you enjoyed "Beau Geste", you owe it to yourself to read this book