Battalions of Light Infantry of Africa

Bataillons d'Infanterie Légère d'Afrique
Light Infantry of Africa in 1833, during the conquest of Algeria
Active	13 June 1832—31 March 1972
Country	France
Branch	French Army
Type	Light infantry Penal military unit
Role	Desert warfare Raiding Trench warfare
Garrison/HQ	Tataouine (French Tunisia)
Nickname(s)	Bat' d'Af' L'Enfer Biribi
March	"Les Bataillonnaires"
Anniversaries	Battle of Mazagran (6 February)
Engagements	French colonial Wars French Intervention in Mexico Crimean War World War I World War II

The Battalions of Light Infantry of Africa (French: Bataillons d'Infanterie Légère d'Afrique or BILA), better known under the acronym Bat' d'Af', were French infantry and construction units, serving in Northern Africa, made up of men with prison records who still had to do their military service, or soldiers with serious disciplinary records.^[1]