Zouaves of Death

Zouaves of Death
Zouaves of Death. Colonel François Rochebrune in center.
Active	1863
Country	Poland, Congress Poland
Type	Light infantry
Motto(s)	"Victory or death"
Colors	Black and white
Engagements	Miechów, Chroberz, Grochowiska, Krzykawka, Pobiednik Mały
Commanders
Notable commanders	François Rochebrune

Zouaves of Death (Polish: Żuawi śmierci) were a Polish military unit during the January Uprising, formed in February 1863 from volunteers in Ojców, Poland, by the Frenchman François Rochebrune (Polish: Franciszek Rochebrune). Rochebrune had been a sergeant in the French Zouaves. He based his formation on the French Zouaves, in which he had served during the Crimean War. The Zouaves of Death were highly regarded for their bravery, but they suffered high casualties and their numbers were severely depleted within months. The unit ceased to exist when the rebellion was defeated in 1864. After the fighting in Poland, Rochebrune returned to the French army, as a captain and later colonel.

The name of the unit referred to the original French formations, initially recruited from a particular tribe of the Berbers, the Zouaoua of North Africa, in French Algeria in the 1830s. The "of death" portion of the name referenced the oath that the members of the unit were required to swear upon being accepted, which stated that the only outcome of the military engagements that the unit was to participate in was "either victory or death".

The formation was known for its distinctive and elaborate uniforms, also based on that of the Algerian Zouaves, which consisted of a cotton shirt, a vest made of elk hide, a black silk robe, a collarless black silk frock coat, puffy hose, a black and white scarf, knee high leather boots, a red fez with a ram skin brim and a distinctive large embroidered white cross on the chest.