Another part in our series on interesting photographs. This article continues our series dedicated to the exceptionally rare photographs of the 1st Foreign Legion Saharan Motorized Battery (1re BSPL), taken by Dr. Otto Bruck (alias Legionnaire Marcel Berger).
The first part introduced both the man behind the camera and the little-known Saharan unit, offering the historical context of its creation and service in Algeria between 1938 and 1942. Readers can find all essential background in that opening chapter.
In this second installment, we follow a long journey across the Sahara, documented step by step through Otto Bruck’s lens. The photographs present the work of the 1re BSPL’s transport detachment, whose drivers and mechanics were distinguished by a small dark blue tank force beret. The images also confirm that Bruck himself served as a driver in this detachment. His series, most likely taken in 1942, offers a rare and unique record of the Algerian Sahara during the Second World War – a world still remote and largely untouched, continuing its own timeless rhythm even as heavy battles between the British and the Germans raged in neighboring Libya in 1941 and 1942.
The convoy of trucks, most of them Ford V8s but also including Panhard and Renault vehicles, departed from Ouargla, home to the unit as well as the headquarters of the eastern Algerian Sahara. From there it moved south to Fort Flatters (today known as Bordj Omar Driss), where the sister unit 2e BSPL was based. The route then led further to Amguid before turning west to In Salah, an important hub on the trans-Saharan caravan route. Finally, the trucks continued north to El Goléa (now El Menia), before returning to Ouargla. For the legionnaires, the expedition could easily fulfill their youthful dreams of adventure drawn from books and movies – of Foreign Legion men crossing the endless desert. For us today, only these photographs remain.
We are deeply grateful to Richard Brook, son of Dr. Otto Bruck, for generously sharing this unique collection with us.
PS. Just like with the images in the first part, the absence of photographs of weapons or other soldiers is striking here as well. Missing, for example, are photos of Fort Flatters itself and the legionnaires stationed there, along with their artillery. The only plausible explanation may be restrictions imposed by the command on taking such sensitive photographs due to the ongoing war.
The BSPL convoy route led from Ouargla south to Fort Flatters and Amguid, then west to In Salah. From there, it continued north through El Goléa before returning to its base. In total, the trucks covered more than 1,100 miles (1,760 km) across the Algerian Sahara.
Click on the images to enlarge them:
Saharan dunes in Algeria.Saharan oasis in Algeria.Fort Lallemand, a French colonial fortress in the Algerian Sahara south of Ouargla, constructed in 1894 and briefly occupied by a 4e REI company in 1962.BSPL men standing by a distance marker near Fort Lallemand in the Algerian Sahara.A well in the Algerian Sahara.A tin shack (maybe a covered well) with distance markings, located 14 km (8.7 miles) from Fort Lallemand in the Algerian Sahara.Ford trucks of the 1re BSPL at Fort Flatters, where the sister unit 2e BSPL was stationed from 1941-1943.BSPL men at Fort Flatters. One legionnaire is sitting on the bumper of a Panhard truck.Desert landscape near Fort Flatters, resembling a lunar terrain.Road running from Fort Flatters.Road blocked by camels.View through the window of a BSPL truck.BSPL trucks approaching critical desert passage.A desert road leading to Amguid.Renault AGP of the BSPL in the Saharan desert.Ford trucks of the BSPL in front of the mountain range close to Amguid.In the Tassili n’Ajjer mountains near Amguid.BSPL men in the mountains near Amguid.Finding water in the mountains.Meeting a local woman.BSPL legionnaires taking a bath in the mountains near Amguid.Two BSPL trucks, during a pause, somewhere between Amguid and In Salah.BSPL legionnaires with a hunted gazelle.Otto Bruck (alias Legionnaire Berger) gathering wood in the Sahara. In front of him is seen a Panhard & Levassor K 91 truck.A fully loaded BSPL truck carrying various cargo, with a hunted gazelle hanging from the side barrier, likely to be prepared for dinner by a legionnaire.Men preparing to cook a gazelle stew in the middle of the Sahara.Main road between Amguid and In Salah.Around a well at the foot of the Djebel Idjerane (a mountain), between Amguid and In Salah.At the Djebel Idjerane, legionnaires attempt to recover a truck that slipped off the road. It is uncertain whether the vehicle belonged to the unit, as a soldier in a colonial helmet (not part of the BSPL) can be seen.Truck recovery at the Djebel Idjerane.Another accident seen by the BSPL men at the Djebel Idjerane.On the way to In Salah.BSPL convoy approaching In Salah, with an oasis visible before the town.In Salah, an important trade link in the trans-Saharan caravan route.BSPL trucks in In Salah.Inside the town of In Salah.A BSPL truck (most likely a Panhard K 101) stuck in the sand near In Salah, with legionnaires attempting recovery.The same truck, now with legionnaires adding their own weight to the rear wheels to improve traction during recovery.Palm grove in In Salah.Inside the palm grove in In Salah.BSPL legionnaires (with two indigenous men) posing in In Salah.Legionnaires enjoying the pool in In Salah.Road from In Salah to El Goléa (El Menia now).In front of Fort Miribel, another French fortress constructed in 1894.Inside of Fort Miribel.El Goléa.BSPL trucks in El Goléa.BSPL legionnaires sitting in front of the monument to John Dal Piaz (1865–1928), a pioneer of Saharan travel and tourism for French visitors, located on the grounds of the hotel in El Goléa.Back in Ouargla. An indigenous man.
