Sidi Brahim Barracks

Sidi Brahim Barracks (French: Caserne Sidi Brahim) is a former army barracks in Étain, France, just off highway N3 to Metz. The name Sidi Brahim comes from a tomb located in western Algeria near the Moroccan frontier. On September 21, 1845, a detachment of men from the 8th Chasseurs d'Orléans and some attached individuals fought a large force of Berber tribesmen twenty times their number near that location. The fight lasted 3 days as the French struggled to escape. In the end only a handful survived. The battle lent its name to their marching song and later to a French veterans' organization that sprung up.

A barracks named after Sidi Brahim was located just blocks from the center of Étain. It was given this name in honor of the French Chasseurs à pied (French: light infantry) that were stationed there in 1913 and 1914 until shortly before the Germans arrived. In 1916 the battalion was commanded by one of the great heroes of the Battle of Verdun, Lieutenant Colonel Driant. When the German attack began they were located at Cavres near Fort Douaumont and received the first onslaught. Within days the unit was annihilated and the commander killed, but the delay helped save the French army. Their name is legend in France. The barracks was rebuilt after World War I for the French 6th military district and served in that capacity until the Germans returned in 1940. The premise

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