25th Parachute Division (France)

25th Parachute Division
25 Division Parachutiste
25D.P. Shoulder Arm Insignia featuring Golden White Winged Spear
Active	1956–1961
Country	France
Branch	French army
Type	French Parachute Division
Anniversaries	Saint Michael, September 29
Engagements	Algerian War
Insignia
Identification symbol
Abbreviation	25 D.P

Military unit

The 25th Parachute Division (French: 25 Division Parachutiste, 25 D.P) was an airborne division of the French Army, part of the French Airborne Units. Consisting mainly of air infantry specialized in airborne combat, air assault and established in 1956; the Parachute Division took principal part only in the Algerian War.

Creation and different designations

1 June 1956 : Creation of the 25th Parachute Division
30 April 1961: the 25th Parachute was dissolved
In 1961 : following the putsch, the 10th Parachute Division and 25th Parachute Division were dissolved and formed on 1 May 1961 with the 11th Infantry Division (French: 11 Division d'Infanterie), the 11th Light Intervention Division, which would later become the 11th Parachute Brigade.

Constitution

On 1 June 1956 the 25th Parachute Division was created in the 5th military region from the 25e DIAP and the Colonial Parachute Brigade. The division included five airborne infantry Regiments, two airborne cavalry regiments and one unit of Parachute Artillery:

Command and Support Structure
- 75th Headquarters Company (75 CGQ)
- 75th Transmission Company (75 CT)
- French Army Light Aviation (ALAT) Platoon
- 513th Transport Group ( GT 513)
- 75th Parachute Engineer Company (75e CGAP)
- 75th Repair Division Company (75 CRD)
- 75th Medical Company (75e CM)
- 75th SRI
- General Command Staff of the 1st Brigade
- General Command Staff of the 2nd Brigade
Airborne Infantry and artillery
- 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment (1956-1961).
- 1st Parachute Chasseur Regiment (1e RCP)
- 14th Parachute Chasseur Regiment (14e RCP)
- 18th Parachute Chasseur Regiment (18e RCP)
- 8th Colonial Parachute Regiment (8e RPC), created 28 February 1951 in Hanoi as the 8th Colonial Parachute Battalion; recreated on 1 May 1956 as the 8th Colonial Parachute Regiment; renamed on 1 December 1958 the 8th Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment.
35th Parachute Artillery Regiment (35e RAP)
Parachute Cavalry Structure
- 13th Parachute Dragoon Regiment (13 RDP)
- 1st Parachute Hussar Regiment (1 RHP)

During tenure, the Division witnessed changes:

On 1 July 1957 the 13th Parachute Dragoon Regiment was reassigned and attached to the 10th Parachute Division.
On 1 April 1960 the 9th Parachute Chasseur Regiment relieved the 1st Parachute Chasseur Regiment, part of the 10th Parachute Division.

On 1 December 1958 the Colonial Parachute Regiments underwent a designation change to Marine Infantry Parachute Regiments while retaining their numerical designation.

Division Commanders

1956 - 1956 : General Jean Gilles
1956 - 1958 : General Henri Sauvagnac
1958 - 1960 : General Ducournau
1960 - 1961 : General Autrand

History

Battle of the Frontiers

Two of the five airborne infantry regiments of the division; mainly, the 8th Colonial Parachute Regiment and the 14th Parachute Chasseur Regiment; participated from January to May 1958 in the Battle of Frontiers. Accordingly, General Raoul Salan, superior commander in Algeria, delegated all five airborne infantry regiments to General Paul Vanuxem; commander of the zone est-constantinois (ZEC). The battle took place at both the Morice Line and Challe Line and lasted for about 5 months.

References

Collectif, Histoire des parachutistes français, Société de Production Littéraire, 1975. In Histoire des parachutistes français (History of French Paratroopers), page 544
Collectif, Histoire des parachutistes français, Société de Production Littéraire, 1975. InHistoire des parachutistes français(History of French Paratroopers), page 449
Collectif, Histoire des parachutistes français, Société de Production Littéraire, 1975. In Histoire des parachutistes français( History of French Paratroopers), pages 512 and 513
Collectif, Histoire des parachutistes français, Société de Production Littéraire, 1975. In Histoire des parachutistes français(History of French Paratroopers), pages 496 and 541
Collectif, Histoire des parachutistes français, Société de Production Littéraire, 1975.In Histoire des parachutistes français(History of French Paratroopers), pages 501 to 508

Sources and bibliography

Collectif, Histoire des parachutistes français, Société de Production Littéraire, 1975.
J. Baltzer & E. Micheletti, Insignes et brevets parachutistes de l'armée française, Histoires et collections, 2001, ISBN 2-913-903-118.

External links

History of the 1st Parachute Chasseur Regiment, 9th Parachute Chasseur Regiment, 14th Parachute Chasseur Regiment and 18th Parachute Chasseur Regiment

Divisions of the French Army

Active
1st 3rd

Cold War (1945–1991)

Infantry	2nd Motorized 4th Motorized 9th 9th Marine 11th 12th 13th 14th 15th 19th 20th 21st 27th Alpine 29th 109th 152nd
Armored	1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 10th
Light Armored	6th 12th 14th
Airborne	4th Airmobile 10th 11th Light Intervention 24th 25th
Other	Division Daguet

World War II (1939–1945) (list)

1939–1940

Tank

Armoured	1 2 3 4

Light Mechanized	1 2 3 4 7

Cavalry

Colonial

Colonial	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Moroccan	1 2 3

North African	1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Indochina	Cochinchina and Cambodia Tonkin

Infantry

1st – 9th	1st Motorized 2 3rd Motorized 4 5th Motorized 6 7 8 9th Motorized

10th – 19th	10 11 12th Motorized 13 14 15th Motorized 16 17 18 19

20th – 29th

Mountain	27 28 29

30th – 39th

Mountain	30 31

40th – 49th	40 41 42 43 44 45 47

50th – 59th	51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59

60th – 69th

Mountain	64 65 66

70th – 89th

African	81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88

100th – 199th

Fortress	101 102 103 104 105

African	180 181 182 183

Light Division of Infantry

1st Motorized

235th – 241st	235 236 237 238 239 240 241

Colonial	2 8

Chasseurs	1 2

March

Polish

Vichy France

Metropolitan	7 9 12 13 14 15 16 17
Africa and Asia	Algiers Territorial Casablanca Cochinchina and Cambodia Constantine Territorial Fez Marrakech Meknes Oran Territorial Tunisian Forces Command Tonkin
Related	33rd Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS Charlemagne (1st French)

Free France/
Army of Liberation

Infantry

Far East Colonial	1 2

Armour

Temporary

World War I (1914–1918) (list)

Infantry

1st – 9th	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

10th – 19th	10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

20th – 29th	20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29

30th – 39th	30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39

40th – 49th	40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49

50th – 59th	50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59

60th – 69th	60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69

70th – 79th	70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77

80th – 99th	81 87 88 97

Territorial Infantry

81st – 89th	81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89

90th – 99th	90 91 92 94 96 97 99

100th – 105th	100 101 102 103 104 105

120th – 129th	120 121 122 123 125 126 127 128 129

130th – 149th	132 133 134

150th – 159th	151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158

160th – 170th	161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170

Cavalry

Foot Cavalry	1 2

Colonial

Moroccan	1 2

French Foreign Legion

Current
units

General Staff Headquarters	Foreign Legion Command
Command Administrative	1st Foreign Regiment 4th Foreign Regiment Foreign Legion Recruiting Group
Music band	French Foreign Legion Music Band
Infantry & parachute infantry	1st Foreign Regiment 4th Foreign Regiment 2nd Foreign Infantry Regiment 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment 3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment 13th Demi-Brigade Foreign Legion Detachment in Mayotte
Cavalry	1st Foreign Cavalry Regiment
Engineers & parachute engineers	1st Foreign Engineer Regiment 2nd Foreign Engineer Regiment
Training	4th Foreign Regiment Jungle Training Center Combat Training Center at Arta Beach

Defunct
units

Administrative and training	Communal Depot of the Foreign Regiments
Parachute	Parachute Company of the 3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment 1st Foreign Parachute Regiment 1st Foreign Parachute Battalion 2nd Foreign Parachute Battalion 3rd Foreign Parachute Battalion Foreign Air Supply Company 3rd Foreign Parachute Regiment 1st Foreign Parachute Heavy Mortar Company
Infantry & marching regiments	Mounted companies Marching Regiment of the Foreign Legion 2nd Marching Regiment of the 1st Foreign Regiment 3rd Marching Regiment of the 1st Foreign Regiment 4th Marching Regiment of the 1st Foreign Regiment/Garibaldi Legion 1st Marching Regiment of the 2nd Foreign Regiment 2nd Marching Regiment of the 2nd Foreign Regiment Marching Regiment of the Foreign Legion Demi-Brigade of the Foreign Legion 5th Foreign Infantry Regiment 6th Foreign Infantry Regiment 11th Foreign Infantry Regiment 12th Foreign Infantry Regiment Marching Regiments of Foreign Volunteers 21st Marching Regiment of Foreign Volunteers 22nd Marching Regiment of Foreign Volunteers 23rd Marching Regiment of Foreign Volunteers
Saharan Legion units	Saharan Companies of the French Foreign Legion
Pioneers & engineers	6th Foreign Engineer Regiment
Cavalry	2nd Foreign Cavalry Regiment 97th Reconnaissance Group of the Infantry Division
Transport (armored trains & heavy weight)	Armored Train of the Foreign Legion Passage Company of the Foreign Legion (CPLE) 5th Heavy Weight Transport Company
Disciplinary companies	Disciplinary Company of the Foreign Regiments in the Far East
Brigades	31st Brigade

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