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Vichy French Military Division order of battle

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Order of Battle of a typical Vichy French Military Division


Military Division
Division Militaire
DM
Active1940-42
Country Vichy France
BranchArmistice Army
TypeInfantry
SizeDivision
EngagementsWorld War II
Military unit

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. 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. The whole Army of Vichy France, except for the Garde, was demobilized on 27 November 1942 after Case Anton.

Organisation

The table below shows the order of battle that a Military Division aspired to. In addition, each Military Division had a Bureau of Anti-National Activities [fr], which had the purpose of countering politically subversive actions, especially those by Communists, but also those of the supporters of Charles de Gaulle.

Unit
Division headquarters
3x Infantry regiments (each of an identical composition)

(or 3x Demi-brigades of Chasseurs à Pied, each with 3 battalions)

I battalion 4 mixed rifle and MG companies:
II battalion 4 mixed rifle and MG companies (as above)
III battalion 4 mixed rifle and MG companies (as above)
Cavalry regiment

(either Cuirassier/Dragoon or Chasseur/Hussar)

A single Cuirassier or Dragoon regiment

(divided into reconnaissance groups)

  • 2 mounted squadrons
  • 3 cyclist squadrons (15x Hotchkiss MGs, 10x 81mm mortars)
  • 1 armoured car squadron (8x Panhard AMD)
 A single Chasseurs à cheval or Hussar regiment
  • 4 mounted sabre squadrons
  • 1 heavy weapons squadron (12x Hotchkiss MGs, 4x 81mm mortars)
Artillery regiment
I group
  • 3 batteries
II group
  • 3 batteries
III group
  • 4 batteries
Engineer battalion
  • 2 companies
  • a half-company bridging train
Signals group, also known as a battalion
Transport group, also known as company
Guard regiment

Moreover, there existed four cavalry regiments of the general reserve.

Equipment

This Armistice banned anti-tank and gas protection equipment, while minimizing mechanization. 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. The previously used VB rifle grenade was over time replaced with the Lance Grenades de 50 mm modèle 37. Artillery was only allowed to have 75mm calibre guns.

Military Divisions

Table of Military Divisions within the Vichy Army and their main component units
Military divisions Location of divisional headquarters Infantry units Cavalry regiment Artillery regiment
7th Military Division Bourg-en-Bresse 5th Dragoon Regiment 61st Artillery Regiment [fr]
9th Military Division Châteauroux 8th Cuirassier Regiment [fr] 72nd Artillery Regiment [fr]
12th Military Division Limoges 6th Cuirassier Regiment 35th Artillery Regiment [fr]
13th Military Division Clermont-Ferrand 8th Dragoon Regiment 4th Artillery Regiment [fr]
14th Military Division Lyon 11th Cuirassier Regiment [fr] 2nd Artillery Regiment [fr]
15th Military Division Marseille 12th Cuirassier Regiment 10th Colonial Artillery Regiment [fr]
16th Military Division Montpellier 3rd Dragoon Regiment 15th Artillery Regiment [fr]
17th Military Division Toulouse 2nd Dragoon Regiment 24th Artillery Regiment [fr]

References

Notes

  1. Theoretically, there would be 3x 50mm 1937-pattern grenade launcher and 6x MAS-38 and Thompson submachine guns per platoon.
  2. The Panhard's anti-tank gun was replaced with a second 7.5mm machine gun.
  3. Each battery had four Canon de 75 modèle 1897.
  4. One battery was tractor-drawn, the other two were horse-drawn.
  5. ^ The term 'group' is used for support units, though equivalent to that of a company.

Footnotes

  1. ^ Vauvillier & Sumner 1998, p. 38-39.
  2. 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.
  3. ^ Sereau 1961, p. 41.
  4. ^ Vauvillier & Sumner 1998, p. 38.
  5. 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...
  6. 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.
  7. 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...
  8. 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.
  9. 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

  • 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.
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