The 1st Moroccan Division (french: 1re division marocaine (1939), 1^reD.M) created on October 27, 1939 was an

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and mar ...

division of the Army of Africa (french: Armée d'Afrique) which participated in the

Battle of France The Battle of France (french: bataille de France) (10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign ('), the French Campaign (german: Frankreichfeldzug, ) and the Fall of France, was the German invasion of France during the Second Wor ...

(May–June 1940) during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. The 1st Moroccan Division participated with distinction in the Battle of Gembloux on May 15, 1940 and subsequently during the defense of

Lille Lille ( , ; nl, Rijsel ; pcd, Lile; vls, Rysel) is a city in the northern part of France, in French Flanders. On the river Deûle, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France region, the prefecture of the No ...

at the end of May 1940.

Creation and dissolution

* Created on October 27, 1939. Formed of serving regiments from French

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to A ...

, the division was assigned to the north-eastern front, upon arrival in metropolitan France * Dissolution in 1940

World War II (1939-1940)

Formed in Meknès on September 2, 1939, the division was sent to Oran on October 24. It disembarked at

Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Fra ...

and from there travelled from

Bayonne Bayonne (; eu, Baiona ; oc, label= Gascon, Baiona ; es, Bayona) is a city in Southwestern France near the Spanish border. It is a commune and one of two subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine r ...

to Luchon and from

Toulouse Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and fr ...

La Rochelle La Rochelle (, , ; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''La Rochéle''; oc, La Rochèla ) is a city on the west coast of France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department. Wi ...

before making its way by rail on November 14 to the zone de Fresnes-en-Woevre, Vigneulles-les-Hattonchâtel and Sponville.

Front de Lorraine

On December 17, the 1st Moroccan Division relieved the 1e D.I.N.A in the sector of Eizange (

Third Army (France) The Third Army (french: IIIe Armée) was a Field army of the French Army, which fought during World War I and World War II. Commanders World War I *General Ruffey (Mobilization – 30 August 1914) *General Sarrail (30 August 1914 – 22 July 1915 ...

), with a command post at Bertrange. On January 23, 1940, the division was in turn relieved by the 20^e D.I and regrouped in the zone of

Uckange Uckange (; german: Ückingen; Lorraine Franconian: ''Ickéng''/''Ickéngen'') is a commune in the Moselle department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. The inhabitants are called ''Uckangeois''. Population Notable residents * Carmelo Mi ...

, Moyeuvre, Roncourt, while making its way by land on February 3 toward Vitry-le-François et Châlons. The division then did garrison duty for two months. On April 1, the division was transferred to the zone of de Bavai, du Quesnoy, de Maubegne with a command post at Berlaimont, forming part of the (

1st Army First Army may refer to: China * New 1st Army, Republic of China * First Field Army, a Communist Party of China unit in the Chinese Civil War * 1st Group Army, People's Republic of China Germany * 1st Army (German Empire), a World War I field Arm ...

, 5th Army Corps; 5^e C.A). On April 4, the division relieved the 82^e D.I.A in the sector of Hainaut, de Wargnies-le-Petit at la Sambre.

Bataille de la Dyle

On May 10, 1940, the division advanced by night towards Mons, Havre and Sars-la-Bruyère. On the 11, the division made its way, again by night, towards Houdeng, Thieu and Seneffe. On the 12 and 13 May, the 1^er and 2^e R.T.M was transported by truck to take position in Ernage-Gembloux. On 14 May it was involved in confused actions around Ernage under bombardments from

stukas The Orchestre Stukas (also referred to as the Stukas Boys, the Stukas or the Stukas of Zaire) was a congolese soukous band of the 1970s. It was based in Kinshasa, Zaire (now DR Congo). At the apex of their popularity, the Stukas were led by singe ...

and German artillery. On the morning of 15 May, Ernage was lost. Following communications breakdowns with the 1st Motorized Infantry Division (1^re DIM), orders were given for retreat along the V.F de Tilly; a difficult maneuver. On 16 May, the division took up positions on the Villers-la-Ville at Marbais, a continuous combat. On the 17th the division retreated behind the canal Charleroi-Bruxelles, then towards Mons. Communications between units were disrupted. On 18 May, elements of the division were regrouped at the south-west of Valenciennes. Two commemorative plaques were placed at the foot of the steps of the Church of Saint-Pierre de Noirmont, near Ernage in memory of the combatants from the 110th Infantry Regiment (french: 110^e régiment d'infanterie, 110^e R.I) and the 1st Moroccan Division which fell in

combat Combat (French for ''fight'') is a purposeful violent conflict meant to physically harm or kill the opposition. Combat may be armed (using weapons) or unarmed ( not using weapons). Combat is sometimes resorted to as a method of self-defense, or ...

around the town. File:Eglise Saint-Pierre de Noirmont - 09.JPG File:Eglise Saint-Pierre de Noirmont - 10.JPG File:Eglise Saint-Pierre de Noirmont - 12.JPG

Bataille du Nord

On May 19 the remaining men of the division took up position facing south-east, on the Escaut, at the bridge of Rouvignies at Bouchain. On 20 May, German forces reached Escaut at the bridge. The French position was reestablished by a counter-attack. Regrouping in the zone of Marchiennes-Campagne, Warlaing, Erre, the division made its way north of la Scarpe on May 21, from Wred to Warlaing. On 22 and23 May the 2e and 7^e R.T.M (Regiments of Moroccan Tirailleurs) were reorganized in marching battalions. One artillery regiment was destroyed. On the 24th the division made its way along the canal of la Deule, facing south-west, from Oignies to Baraques. On the 25th, the division was engaged in combat at Meurchin and Pont-à-Vendin. On the 26th German forces crossed the la Deule canal at bridges in de Courrières and Maudit, and seized suburbs south of Carvin. The arrival of elements of the 2^e D.I.N.A allowed the reestablishment of the Camphin front at Provin, Les Baraques, through a counter-attack by the 3^e D.L.M. Following fighting at Don and Allennes on the 27th, the division retreated by night to Lys. On the 28th broken up into three sections, the 1st Moroccan Division retreated towards

. It was engaged in

in Lille-Canteleu on the 29th and 30th. Elements of the division united at Malo-Terminos and succeeded in taking ship for England. Following losses at sea through aerial bombardments, the remains of the division were in England from June 2 to June 5, before being transported to Brest. It was reorganized in the Beaumesnil Zone on 8 and 9 June. In Barre-en-Ouche, the division located the regimental transport and the support services, that had been evacuated to the north before the division's encirclement. Now numbering almost 4,000 men the 1st Moroccan Division made its way to

Risle The Risle (; less common: ''Rille'') is a long river in Normandy, left tributary of the Seine. The river begins in the Orne department west of L'Aigle, crosses the western part of the department of Eure flowing from south to north and out i ...

, la Ferrière and la Neuve-Lyre on June 10. Reinforced by two battalions of the 1e R.T.M, the division was transferred to the 1st Light North-African Division.

1st Moroccan Division

From May 10 to June 24, the 1st Moroccan Division lost 700 men killed in action. Of this total 70% were

Maghrebis Maghrebis or Maghrebians ( ar, المغاربيون) is a modern Arabic term meaning "Westerners", mainly referring to the western part of the Arab world and North Africa. Maghrebis are predominantly of Arab and Berber or mixed Arab-Berber orig ...

(indigenous soldiers from

and

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

Composition

In 1940 the 1st Moroccan Division consisted of almost 61% Moroccan military volunteers and 39% of French cadres (officers, sous-officiers, and French volunteers).Commandant d’Ornano, « La 1^re Division marocaine dans la bataille de Gembloux », ''Revue historique des armées'', juin 1952, p.111-135

Infantry

* 1st Moroccan Tirailleurs Regiment (french: 1^er régiment de tirailleurs marocains; 1er RTM) : Colonel Rouyer, then Lieutenant-Colonel Bocat (May 12, 1940), Commandant Flamant (May 22, 1940) * 2nd Moroccan Tirailleurs Regiment (french: 2^e régiment de tirailleurs marocains; 2e RTM) : Lieutenant-Colonel Brial then Lieutenant-colonel Suffren (October 22, 1939), Colonel Cordier (January 15, 1940), Lieutenant-Colonel Leussier (May 22, 1940) * 7th Moroccan Tirailleurs Regiment (french: 7^e régiment de tirailleurs marocains; 7e RTM): Colonel Vendeur

Artillery

* 64th African Artillery Regiment (french: 64^e régiment d'artillerie d'Afrique; 64e RAA) * 264th Heavy Artillery Regiment (french: 264e régiment d'artillerie lourde, 264^e régiment d'artillerie lourde; 264e RALD)

Corps Attachments

* 4th Army Corps (général Aymes) of the Ist Army.

Division Commander

Commandant :

général is the French word for general. There are two main categories of generals: the general officers (), which are the highest-ranking commanding officers in the armed forces, and the specialist officers with flag rank (), which are high-level office ...

Audet (1939-26 February 1940), then général Mellier (February 27, 1940). Chef d'état-major : Commandant Nardin, then Captain Castaing (May 22, 1940). Infantry Division Commandant: Colonel Crépin. Artillery Division Commandant: Colonel Ronin.

Distinctions

;Battle Honors The battle honour ''Gembloux 1940'' was added to the regimental flags of the : * 1st Moroccan Tirailleurs Regiment * 2nd Moroccan Tirailleurs Regiment * 7th Moroccan Tirailleurs Regiment * 64th African Artillery Regiment Collective citations at the orders of the Armed Forces: Following the war, the regiments of the 1st Moroccan Division received eight citations from the French Armed Forces and Belgium Armed Forces. A road in Gembloux,

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...

bears the name of ''Rue de la Première Division Marocaine'' (Road of the 1st Moroccan Division).

References

{{Reflist Infantry divisions of France Military units and formations established in 1939 Morocco in World War II