The Sixth Army (french: 6eme Armée) was a field army of the

French Army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (french: Armée de Terre, ), is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces. It is responsible to the Government of France, along with the other components of the Armed For ...

during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and

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 vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

World War I

The Sixth Army was formed 26 August 1914, composed of troops from various disparate French armies: two active army corps, the (

4th Fourth or the fourth may refer to: * the ordinal form of the number 4 * ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971 * Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision * Fourth (music), a musical interval * ''The Fourth'' (1972 film), a Sovie ...

and 7th respectively detached from the Third Army and First Army, the 5th and 6th groups of reserve divisions, the 45th and 37th Infantry Divisions, a native brigade and a cavalry corps. After Alexander von Kluck rotated his

German First Army The 1st Army (german: 1. Armee) was a World War II field army. Combat chronicle 1939 The 1st Army was activated on 26 August 1939, in Wehrkreis XII with General Erwin von Witzleben in command. Its primary mission was to take defensive positions ...

away from Paris to reinforce

Karl von Bülow Karl Wilhelm Paul von Bülow (24 March 1846 – 31 August 1921) was a German field marshal commanding the German 2nd Army during World War I from 1914 to 1915. Biography Born in Berlin to the distinguished Prussian military family von Bülow, ...

's German Second Army,

Joseph Gallieni Joseph Simon Gallieni (24 April 1849 – 27 May 1916) was a French soldier, active for most of his career as a military commander and administrator in the French colonies. Gallieni is infamous in Madagascar as the French military leader who e ...

ordered the Sixth Army to attack von Kluck's forces. Although the German First Army counterattacked, this allowed John French's British Expeditionary Force to occupy a twenty-mile salient between the two armies beginning the

First Battle of the Marne The First Battle of the Marne was a battle of the First World War fought from 5 to 12 September 1914. It was fought in a collection of skirmishes around the Marne River Valley. It resulted in an Entente victory against the German armies in the ...

. France would end up contributing three corps to the opening attack of the

Battle of the Somme The Battle of the Somme ( French: Bataille de la Somme), also known as the Somme offensive, was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British Empire and French Third Republic against the German Empire. It took place bet ...

(the 20th Army Corps, I Colonial and 35th Corps of the Sixth Army).

Commanders

World War I

*General

Michel-Joseph Maunoury Michel-Joseph Maunoury (17 December 1847 – 28 March 1923) was a commander of French forces in the early days of World War I who was posthumously elevated to the dignity of Marshal of France. Initially commanding in Lorraine, as the success ...

(26 August 1914 – 13 March 1915) *General

Pierre Joseph Dubois Pierre Joseph Dubois (21 November 1852 - 17 January 1924) was a French World War I general. Education Dubois entered the École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr in 1872, and on October 1, 1874, was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the ca ...

(13 March 1915 – 26 February 1916) *General Émile Fayolle (26 February – 19 December 1916) *General Charles Mangin (19 December 1916 – 4 May 1917) *General

Paul Maistre Paul André Marie Maistre, (20 June 1858 – 25 July 1922) was a highly decorated French general who fought in World War I. He graduated from Saint Cyr in 1877, first in his class. He later returned as an instructor. He was promoted to captain in ...

(4 May – 11 December 1917) *General Denis Auguste Duchêne (11 December 1917 – 10 June 1918) *General Jean Degoutte (10 June – 11 September 1918) *General Antoine Baucheron de Boissoudy (15 October – 18 November 1918) *General Jean Degoutte (18 November 1918)

World War II

*General

Antoine-Marie-Benoît Besson Antoine-Marie-Benoit Besson (1876–1969) was a French military officer. In World War II he was a general commanding the Third Army Group stationed along the river Rhine manning the Maginot Line.Georg Zivkovic Army- and Navy-leaders of the world: ...

(2 September 1939 - 16 October 1939) *General

René Olry René-Henri Olry CLH (28 June 1880 – 3 January 1944) was a French general and commander of the Army of the Alps (french: l'Armée des Alpes) during the Battle of France of World War II. Biography Early life Olry was born on 28 June 1880 in ...

(16 October 1939 – 13 February 1940) *General Robert-Auguste Touchon (13 February – 1 July 1940)

Footnotes

References

* Field armies of France in World War I 06 Military units and formations of France in World War II Military units and formations established in 1914 1914 establishments in France {{france-mil-unit-stub

World War I

Commanders

World War I

World War II

See also

Footnotes

References