Vichy French Military Division order of battle
| Military Division | |
|---|---|
| Division Militaire DM | |
| Active | 1940-42 |
| Country |  Vichy France |
| Branch | Armistice Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Size | Division |
| Engagements | World War II |
The Military Division (French: Division Militaire, abbreviated to DM) was a Vichy French infantry formation in 1940-1942, during World War II. The divisions were numbered according to the military regions.[1] The Vichy French Military Division had a near-identical organisation as the French Infantry Divisions of 1939-1940, but with the restrictions of the Armistice of 22 June 1940 imposed them.[1] The whole Army of Vichy France, except for the Garde, was demobilized on 27 November 1942 after Case Anton.[1]
Organisation[edit]
The table below shows the order of battle that a Military Division aspired to.[1] In addition, each Military Division had a Bureau of Anti-National Activities, which had the purpose of countering politically subversive actions, especially those by Communists, but also those of the supporters of Charles de Gaulle.[2]
| Unit | |
| Division headquarters[3] | |
|---|---|
| 3x Infantry regiments (each of an identical composition)
(or 3x Demi-brigades of Chasseurs à Pied, each with 3 battalions)[3] | |
| I battalion | 4 mixed rifle and MG companies:[Note 1] |
| II battalion | 4 mixed rifle and MG companies (as above) |
| III battalion | 4 mixed rifle and MG companies (as above) |
| Cavalry regiment[3]
(either Cuirassier/Dragoon or Chasseur/Hussar) | |
| A single Cuirassier or Dragoon regiment
(divided into reconnaissance groups)
|
A single Chasseurs à cheval or Hussar regiment
|
| Artillery regiment[3] | |
| I group | |
| II group |
|
| III group |
|
| Engineer battalion[1] | |
| |
| Signals group,[1][Note 5] also known as a battalion[3] | |
| Transport group,[1][Note 5] also known as company[3] | |
| Guard regiment[1][3] | |
Moreover, there existed four cavalry regiments of the general reserve.[3]
Equipment[edit]
This Armistice banned anti-tank and gas protection equipment, while minimizing mechanization.[1] However, the reduction of the French army meant that its remains could be entirely equipped with the newest and best equipment available, e.g. MAS-36 rifle, MAS-38 and Thompson submachine guns.[1] The previously used VB rifle grenade was over time replaced with the Lance Grenades de 50 mm modèle 37.[1] Artillery was only allowed to have 75mm calibre guns.[1]
Military Divisions[edit]
| Military divisions | Location of divisional headquarters | Infantry units | Cavalry regiment | Artillery regiment |
| 7th Military Division[4] | Bourg-en-Bresse[4][5] | 5th Dragoon Regiment[4] | 61st Artillery Regiment[4] | |
| 9th Military Division[4] | Châteauroux[4] | 8th Cuirassier Regiment[4] | 72nd Artillery Regiment[4] | |
| 12th Military Division[4] | Limoges[4][6] | 6th Cuirassier Regiment[4] | 35th Artillery Regiment[4] | |
| 13th Military Division[4] | Clermont-Ferrand[4][7] | 8th Dragoon Regiment[4] | 4th Artillery Regiment[4] | |
| 14th Military Division[4] | Lyon[4] | 11th Cuirassier Regiment[4] | 2nd Artillery Regiment[4] | |
| 15th Military Division[4] | Marseille[4][8] | 12th Cuirassier Regiment[4] | 10th Colonial Artillery Regiment[4] | |
| 16th Military Division[4] | Montpellier[4][9] | 3rd Dragoon Regiment[4] | 15th Artillery Regiment[4] | |
| 17th Military Division[4] | Toulouse[4] | 2nd Dragoon Regiment[4] | 24th Artillery Regiment[4] |
References[edit]
Notes[edit]
- ^ Theoretically, there would be 3x 50mm 1937-pattern grenade launcher and 6x MAS-38 and Thompson submachine guns per platoon.
- ^ The Panhard's anti-tank gun was replaced with a second 7.5mm machine gun.
- ^ Each battery had four Canon de 75 modèle 1897.
- ^ One battery was tractor-drawn, the other two were horse-drawn.
- ^ a b The term 'group' is used for support units, though equivalent to that of a company.
Footnotes[edit]
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Vauvillier & Sumner 1998, p. 38-39.
- ^ Peschanski, Laurent; Douzou, Denis (1996). "La Résistance française face à l'hypothèque Vichy". Annali della Fondazione Giangiacomo Feltrinelli (in French). 1995 (31): 27–28. OCLC 695234273.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Sereau 1961, p. 41.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf bg bh bi bj bk bl bm bn bo Vauvillier & Sumner 1998, p. 38.
- ^ Convert, Pascal (2020-05-22). Daniel Cordier, son secrétariat, ses radios: Essai critique sur Alias Caracalla (in French). Librinova. ISBN 979-10-262-5532-1.
...la 7ème Division Militaire de Bourg-en-Bresse...
- ^ Bail, Sylvain Le (2003). Le G.M.R. du Périgord (in French). Le Chene Vert. p. 128. ISBN 978-2-914805-01-8.
Le préfet régional de Limoges consultera le général Jeannel, commandant la 12ème division militaire.
- ^ Carlier, Marc (2006). Les ralliements à la France libre: Niger-Est, 1940-1942 (in French). Mémoires d'hommes. ISBN 978-2-84367-033-6.
... la 13ème division militaire, siégeant à Clermont-Ferrand...
- ^ Waksman, Pierre (1981). Etat des fonds privés: dépots, donations, successions, achats (in French). Ministère de la défense, Etat major de l'Armée de terre, Service historique. p. 52. ISBN 978-2-86323-046-6.
- ^ Rappolt, Axel (2007). Leclerc et l'Indochine 1945-1947 (in French). Atelier national de reproduction des thèses. p. 133. ISBN 978-2-7295-6350-9.
...la 16ème division militaire de Montpellier...
Sources[edit]
- Sereau, Raymond (1961). L'armée de l'armistice (1940-1942) (in French). Nouvelles Editions Latines.
- Vauvillier, François; Sumner, Ian (1998). The French Army 1939-45. Men-at-Arms. Vol. I. United Kingdom: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 9781855326668.