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2nd Moroccan Infantry Division
2 Division d'Infanterie Marocaine
The insignia of the 2 DIM
Active	1 May 1943 - 22 August 1945
Country	France
Allegiance	French Army
Type	Infantry Division
Size	16,840 personnel (1943) 40% Europeans 60% Maghrebis
Motto(s)	on ne passe pas (They shall not pass)
Engagements	Italian Campaign Operation Diadem Battle of Alsace Colmar Pocket Germany and Austria
Commanders
Notable commanders	Marcel Carpentier François de Linares

The 2nd Moroccan Infantry Division (French: 2 Division d'Infanterie Marocaine, 2 DIM) was an infantry division of the Army of Africa (French: Armée d'Afrique) which participated in World War II.

Created in Morocco following the liberation of French North Africa, the division fought in Italy, metropolitan France and in Germany. It particularly distinguished itself in Italy in 1944 within the French Expeditionary Corps led by the General Alphonse Juin, and later in the Liberation of France as part of the French 1st Army under General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny.

World War II

Italian campaign

Formed in Morocco since May 1943, it embarked in Bizerte in November 1943 and was the first French division which landed in Italy.

It was engaged in the Monte-Cassino in the Apennine Mountains in the Scapoli-Pantano sector and fought in the Battles of San Michele de Pantano (December 12 to 22, 1943), Mainarde (December 23 to 29, 1943), Costa San Pietro and Monacasale (January 12-15, 1944), and Monte-Croce (January 21, 1944).

On May 11, 1944 it took a leading part in the Battle of Garigliano by seizing Monte Majo. The Division pursued the enemy in the direction of Rome from May 23 to June 4, 1944 and marched through Rome on June 15. After this, the Division reached Siena and the Florence.

French & German campaign (1944-1945)

The division didn't participate in the Invasion of Southern France, but landed there at the end of August 1944, and was moved to the front in the Alps. There, it liberated Briançon and Modane on October 14. Under the orders of General Carpentier, it was positioned opposite the Belfort gap, pierced the German position on November 14, seized Montbéliard and Héricourt, and entered Belfort on November 25. Continuing towards Alsace, it reached the valley of the Doller on the 29th, then that of the Thur on the 7th of December. It participated in the elimination of the Colmar Pocket, and crossed the Rhine on March 31, 1945. It entered Karlsruhe on April 3, Pforzheim on April 8, and then reached the Neckar, the Danube and penetrated into Austria.

Composition

• 4th Regiment of Moroccan Tirailleurs
• 5th Regiment of Moroccan Tirailleurs
• 8th Regiment of Moroccan Tirailleurs, replaced by 151st infantry regiment in February 1945
• 3rd Regiment of Moroccan Spahis
• 63rd Artillery Regiment of Africa
• DARR
• 41st Anti-Aircraft Ground Group
• 87th Engineer Battalion
• 9th Medical Battalion
• Provost

Division Commanders

• April 1943 - September 1944: Général André Dody.
• September 1944 - April 1945: Général Marcel Carpentier
• April 1945 - August 1945: Général François de Linares

Division Combat Casualties

During World War II, the 2nd DIM was cited twice on the orders of the Army, and lost more than 16,000 men (killed, wounded and missing):

• 8,181 including 265 officers in Italy,
• 5,100 including 145 officers in France,
• 1,700 men including 75 officers in Germany and Austria.

See also

• Moroccan Division
• French Expeditionary Corps (1943–1944)

Sources

• cavalier blindés
• De Lattre de Tassigny, Histoire de la première armée française, Plon, 1949
• Grandes Unités Françaises, Volumes IV and V-1, French Army Historical Service, Paris: Imprimerie Nationale, 1970 and 1972.
• Le Réarmement et la Réorganisation de l'Armée de Terre Française (1943 - 1946), J. Vernet, French Army Historical Service, Château de Vincennes, 1980.
• Souvenirs de guerre 2e Division d'infanterie marocaine: De Meknès en Autriche avec la 2e D.I.M, Crét, 1946.

v t e Liberation of France
Belgium Italy Luxembourg Netherlands Norway
Forces	Army of Africa Commando Kieffer First Army Cavalry Corps 3rd Army Corps 4th 5th 1st Armored 32nd Infantry Francs-Tireurs et Partisans French Forces of the Interior French Liberation Army French Expeditionary Corps Divisions: 1st Free French 2nd Moroccan Infantry 3rd Algerian Infantry 4th Moroccan Mountain Second Army French Forces of the West
Leaders	Charles de Gaulle Jean Moulin Winston Churchill Bernard Montgomery Henri Giraud Dwight D. Eisenhower Raymond O. Barton George S. Patton Philippe Leclerc Jean de Lattre de Tassigny Philippe Kieffer
Administration	Empire Defense Council French Civil and Military High Command French National Committee French Committee of National Liberation Provisional Consultative Assembly Provisional Government
French campaign	Nov 1940 Battle of Gabon Jun 1941 Syria–Lebanon campaign Dec 1941 Capture of Saint Pierre and Miquelon Nov 1942 Operation Torch Tunisian campaign Battle of Réunion Sept 1943 Liberation of Corsica Jan 1944 Battle of Vercors Battle of Glières March 1944 Liberation of Limousin May 1944 Battle of Mont Mouchet Jun 1944 Operation Overlord Battle of Carentan Battle of Cherbourg Battle for Caen Liberation of Limousin Tulle massacre Liberation of Guéret Oradour-sur-Glane massacre Maquis de Saint-Marcel Maquis de Saffré Battle of Ushant July 1944 Liberation of Saint-Lô Battle of Mont Gargan Operation Cobra Aug 1944 Battle for Brittany Rennes Saint-Malo Liberation of Brest Atlantic pockets: Lorient Saint-Nazaire Lioran Égletons Battle of Port Cros Battle of La Ciotat Provence landings Liberation of Toulon Liberation of Marseille Liberation of Paris Maillé massacre Liberation of Guéret Battle of Montélimar Liberation of Nice Sept 1944 Liberation of Nancy Operation Astonia Operation Undergo Atlantic pockets: La Rochelle Royan Dunkirk Battle of Arracourt Battle of Meximieux Nov 1944 - March 1945 Battle of Alsace Liberation of Strasbourg Colmar Pocket Bitche Apr 1945 Atlantic pockets: Royan May 1945 Atlantic pockets: Dunkirk La Rochelle Lorient Saint-Nazaire
Aftermath	End of Vichy 1945 municipal elections Advance to the Rhine Invasion of Germany End of World War II in Europe Victory in Europe Day Victory Day Provisional Government Épuration légale Épuration sauvage Tripartisme 1946 legislative election Fourth Republic Trente Glorieuses Trial of Philippe Pétain Klaus Barbie trial
WW II theatres: Atlantic Western Front Eastern Front Mediterranean and Middle East Pacific Sino Japanese

• Infantry divisions of France
• French Infantry divisions during World War II
• Military units and formations disestablished in 1945