For Your ready reference we have linked the various color collar tabs & embroidery color to the various branches of service.
Infantry (Ligne & Chasseurs)
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Line Infantry (Infanterie de ligne): Dark blue/black collar patch with red numbers.
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Chasseurs à pied / Alpins: Black patch with yellow numbers/horn emblem.
Artillery
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Field & Heavy Artillery: Black patch with scarlet (red) numbers.
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Colonial Artillery: Dark blue patch with yellow numbers.
Cavalry
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Cuirassiers: Dark blue patch with white numbers.
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Dragoons: Dark green patch with white numbers.
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Chasseurs à cheval: Black patch with yellow numbers.
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Hussars: Dark blue patch with scarlet numbers.
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Spahis (North African): Dark blue patch with yellow crescent or numbers.
Engineers (Génie)
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Black patch with red numbers.
Medical Corps (Service de Santé)
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Dark blue patch with cherry red piping/numbers.
Signals (Télégraphistes / Transmissions)
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Black patch with yellow numbers.
Train des Équipages (Transport Corps)
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Black patch with light blue numbers.
Gendarmerie
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Black patch with white numbers.
Colonial Infantry
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Dark blue patch with yellow numbers.
* Foreign Legion (Légion étrangère) Dark blue patch with green & red piping, numbers usually in red.
Zouaves
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Dark blue patch with red numbers, often decorated in North African style.
Tirailleurs (Algerian, Moroccan, Senegalese, etc.)
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Dark blue patch with yellow numbers.
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Shape: rectangular or slightly pointed patches, about 6 cm tall, sewn to both sides of the tunic collar.
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Numbers: typically embroidered in wool , color per branch.
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Background colors were standardized by arm but often varied slightly in shade due to field manufacture and supply issues.
- Black was most common (with different colored numbers), dark blue for many colonial and cavalry units, and green for dragoons. Red numbers were overwhelmingly common, except where replaced with yellow, white, or light blue for distinction.
