| 15th Military Division | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Active | December 1940 - November 1942 |
| Disbanded | 27 November 1942 |
| Country |  Vichy France |
| Branch | Vichy French Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Role | Military Garrison and Infantry |
| Size | Division |
| Garrison/HQ | Marseille |
| Engagements | World War II |
The 15th Military Division (French: 15e Division Militaire) also known as the 15th Military Region (French: 15e Région Militaire)[1] was an infantry formation of division-size of the Armistice Army that was active during World War II. The division's headquarters was in Marseille.[2][3] This division was subordinated to the 1st Group of Military Divisions.[4]
History[edit]
The 15th Military Division was formed on 12 September 1940.[5] On 8 November 1942 at 15:00, just before Case Anton, the 15th Military Division positioned themselves for battle.[6] Like the rest of the Army of Vichy France, this division, except for the Garde, was demobilized on 27 November 1942.[3]
Commanders[edit]
- General de corps d'armée[1] (equivalent to Lieutenant-General) Henri-Fernand Dentz[5] (27 June to 28 December 1940)
- MG Maxime-Jean-Vincent Germain[5]
- MG Jean-Louis-Auguste Humbert or MG Jules-Phillipe Octave Decamp[5]
Composition[edit]
The 15th Military Division's Order of Battle was such:[2][3][7]
- 43rd Alpine Infantry Regiment (French: 43e Régiment d'Infanterie Alpine):
- 21st Colonial Infantry Regiment (French: 21e Régiment d'Infanterie Coloniale):
- HQ (at Marseille)
- 1st Bn. (at Marseille)
- 2nd Bn. (at Marseille)
- 3rd Bn. (at Tarascon)
- 173rd Autonomous Battalion (French: 173e Bataillon autonome de la Corse) (in Bastia, Corsica)
- 2nd Chasseurs Alpins Demi-brigade (French: 2e Demi-Brigade de Chasseurs Alpins) (HQ at Hyères)
- 20th Chasseurs Alpins Battalion (French: 20e Bataillon de Chasseurs Alpins) (at Digne)
- 24th Chasseurs Alpins Battalion (French: 24e Bataillon de Chasseurs Alpins) (at Hyères)
- 25th Chasseurs Alpins Battalion (French: 25e Bataillon de Chasseurs Alpins) (at Hyères)
- 12th Cuirassier Regiment (French: 12e Régiment de Cuirassiers) (in Orange):
- 1 cavalry bn - 2 sqns
- 1 bicycle bn - 2 cos
- 1 mixed bn - 1 bicycle co & 1 armored car co.
- 10th Colonial Artillery Regiment (French: 10e Régiment d'Artillerie Coloniale):
- HQ (at Nîmes)
- 1st Bn. (each battalion had 3 75mm btrys) (at Nîmes)
- 2nd Bn. (each battalion had 3 75mm btrys) (at Marseille)
- 3rd Bn. (1 mot 75mm btry & 2 Mountain 75mm btrys) (at Draguignan)
- 7th Engineer Battalion (at Avignon)
- 8/15th Signals Group[Note 1] (at Avignon)
- 15th Transportation Group (at Marseille)
- 2nd Garde Regiment - HQ at Marseille
- 1er Bataillon
- HQ - Marseille
- 1er Escadron - Cavalry/Reconnaissance
- 2e Escadron - Cavalry/Reconnaissance
- 3e Escadron - Infantry
- 4e Escadron - Motorcycle
- 2e Bataillon
- HQ - Nice
- 5e Escadron - Motorcycle
- 6e Escadron - Infantry
- 7e Escadron - Infantry
- 8e Escadron - Infantry
- 1er Bataillon
Military Commands[edit]
The following Departemental Military Commands (French: Commandant Militaire du Département) were under the 15th Military Division:[2]
- Bouches-du-Rhône (at Marseille)
- Gard (at Nîmes)
- Ardèche (at Privas)
- Vaucluse (at Avignon)
- Var (at Toulon)
- Basses Alpes (at Digne)
- Alpes Maritimes (at Nice)
- Corse (at Bastia)
Numerous Military District Commands (French: Commandement du District Militaire) of these places were subordinated to the 15th Military Division:[2]
Training grounds[edit]
The 15th Military Division had two training grounds, namely those at Carpiagne and Garrigues.[2]
References[edit]
Notes[edit]
- ^ The term 'group' is used for support units, though equivalent to that of a company.
Footnotes[edit]
- ^ a b BnF 1997.
- ^ a b c d e Niehorster & Sharp 2014a.
- ^ a b c Vauvillier & Sumner 1998, p. 38.
- ^ Niehorster & Sharp 2014b.
- ^ a b c d Pettibone 2010, p. 494.
- ^ Paxton 2004; La 15e division militaire, par exemple, prit son dispositif d'alerte à 15 heures le 8 novembre 1942.
- ^ Nafziger 1992.
Sources[edit]
- BnF (1 July 1997). Dentz, Henri-Fernand (1881-1945) (in French). Archived from the original on 5 March 2016.
{{cite book}}:|website=ignored (help) - Nafziger, George (1992). "Vichy French Forces in France – 1 March 1941" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 January 2017.
- Niehorster, Leo; Sharp, Lee (31 October 2014). "Vichy France – Order of Battle 15th Military Division – 15 April 1941". Archived from the original on 26 January 2019.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) - Niehorster, Leo; Sharp, Lee (31 October 2014). "Vichy France – Army in Metropolitan France – 15 April 1941". Archived from the original on 20 March 2015.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) - Paxton, Robert O. (2004). L'Armée de Vichy. Le corps des officiers français (in French). Tallandier. ISBN 9791021016774.
- Pettibone, Charles D. (2010). The Organization and Order of Battles of Militaries in World War II. Vol. VI: Italy and France. Victoria, British Columbia, Canada: Trafford Publishing. ISBN 978-1426946332.
- Vauvillier, François; Sumner, Ian (1998). The French Army 1939-45. Men-at-Arms. Vol. I. United Kingdom: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 9781855326668.