Hussars borrowed their name and smart outfit from the Hungarians, who were the first to serve in light cavalry companies of the French Army towards the end of the reign of Louis XIII. The 1st Hussars regiment was created under the reign of Louis XV, early XVIII century.
Being extremely daring swordsmen, accustomed to vanguard and reconnaissance missions, hussars built a great reputation as outrageously intrepid warriors and incorrigible philanderers, who soared from victory to victory during the Empire Revolution wars.
1805, Austerlitz - Bivouac du 2e régiment de hussards
Jean-François-Thérèse Barbier - Musée de l'Armée - Paris
It is said that they were neither afraid of God nor the Devil, and that they were only accountable to their superiors.
Under Napoleon III, hussars were at the centre of hostilities, notably during the Crimean War and also during the 1870 War.
During World War I, the fourteen Hussars regiments of the French army were deployed at various fronts, in Lorraine and Verdun .
Hussars incurred heavy losses in 1940 when they wedged resistance against German invasion.
At the end of World War II, hussars were reorganized into armoured regiments. They took part in the Indochina and Algerian wars.
Nowadays, Hussars regiments have become units specialized in using armoured cars to infiltrate the enemy's rear for intelligence purposes. They mostly operate in cooperation with the German army within the framework of Eurocorps.