122nd Infantry Division was an

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

division of the

French Army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (, , ), is the principal Army, land warfare force of France, and the largest component of the French Armed Forces; it is responsible to the Government of France, alongside the French Navy, Fren ...

during the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. It was deployed overseas, seeing action on the

Salonika front The Macedonian front, also known as the Salonica front (after Thessaloniki), was a military theatre of World War I formed as a result of an attempt by the Allied Powers to aid Serbia, in the autumn of 1915, against the combined attack of Germa ...

, fighting alongside British troops. It was sent to the Crimea in December 1918 as part of the

Army of the Danube The Army of the Danube () was a field army of the French Directory in the 1799 southwestern campaign in the Upper Danube valley. It was formed on 2 March 1799 by the simple expedient of renaming the Army of Observation, which had been obs ...

Creation and nomenclature

* 9 December 1914 - 27 April 1915 : Division provisoire Tassin * 27 April - 15 June 1915 : Division provisoire Guérin * starting from 15 June 1915 : 122nd Infantry Division

Commanders

* 9 December 1914 - 27 April 1915 : Général Tassin * 27 April - 15 June 1915 : Général Guérin * 15 June - 20 December 1915 : Général de Lardemelle * 20 December 1915 - 23 May 1917 : Général Régnault * 23 May - 2 November 1917 : Général Gérôme * 2 November 1917 - 1 March 1918 : Général Castaing * 1 March 1918 : Général Topart

Chronology

1914

* 9 December 1914 - 21 June 1915 : occupation of a sector towards la Neuvillette and north of Loivre . :: 16 February 1915 : attack on Luxembourg wood.

1915

Constitution of the 112th Division between the 6 and 15 June 1915, using elements from the Division Provisoire Guérin. * 21 June - 13 July : taken out of the front line; rest, training and miscellaneous work south-west of

Reims Reims ( ; ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French Departments of France, department of Marne (department), Marne, and the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, 12th most populous city in Fran ...

. * 13 July 13 - October 4 : occupation of a sector towards

Berry-au-Bac Berry-au-Bac () is a commune in the department of Aisne in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Population See also * Communes of the Aisne department The following is a list of the 796 communes in the French department of Aisne. T ...

and Loivre :: 18 August : reduction of the front, on the right, as far as La Neuville, and extension, on the left, as far as La Miette. :: 22 August : new reduction, on the right, until towards Sapigneul. * 4–11 October : withdrawal from the front and rest towards

Épernay Épernay () is a Communes of France, commune in the Marne (department), Marne Departments of France, department of northern France, 130 km north-east of Paris on the mainline railway to Strasbourg. The town sits on the left bank of the Marne ...

. * 11–14 October : transport by rail to

Toulouse Toulouse (, ; ; ) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Haute-Garonne department and of the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania region. The city is on the banks of the Garonne, River Garonne, from ...

. * 14–25 October : regrouping and preparation, in respect of their imminent departure for the Orient. * 25 October - 3 December : transport by rail from Toulouse, to

Sète Sète (; , ), also historically spelled ''Cette'' (official until 1928) and ''Sette'', is a commune in the Hérault department, in the region of Occitania, southern France. Its inhabitants are called ''Sétois'' (male) and ''Sétoises'' (fem ...

and

Toulon Toulon (, , ; , , ) is a city in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of southeastern France. Located on the French Riviera and the historical Provence, it is the prefecture of the Var (department), Var department. The Commune of Toulon h ...

, then, by sea, to

Salonika Thessaloniki (; ), also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, Salonika, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece (with slightly over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area) and the capital cit ...

. * As they disembark (from 1 to 12 November), movement of the elements of the 122nd Division towards the front of the lower Tchérna. 11 November : fighting in the Tchitchévo region . From the 12 November, defensive battles, then, on the 21st, retreat to the right bank of the Tchérna. (From the 30 November, a brigade is brought to

Pogradec Pogradec (,) is the List of cities and towns in Albania, eleventh most populous city in Albania and the capital of the eponymous municipality. It is located on a List of settlements on the Lake Ohrid coastline, narrow plain between two mountain ch ...

with a view to establishing a defensive position). * 3–17 December : engaged in the Retreat to Salonika: the 3 and 4 December, fall back to the defensive position at Gradéts. :: 6–8 December : Bulgarian attacks on Pétrovo, the 7 December on Davidovo, and the 8 December on Kovanéts . :: 9 December : fall back to Boyimia; on the 10th, fighting towards Gourintchét; on the 11th, combat and withdrawal between Davidovo and

Gevgelija Gevgelija (; ) is a town with a population of 15,685 located in the very southeast of North Macedonia along the banks of the Vardar River, situated at the country's main border with Greece (Bogorodica-Evzoni), the point which links the motorway f ...

; on the 12th, crossing the Greek border, on both banks of the

Vardar The Vardar (; , , ) or Axios (, ) is the longest river in North Macedonia and a major river in Greece, where it reaches the Aegean Sea at Thessaloniki. It is long, out of which are in Greece, and drains an area of around . The maximum depth of ...

, then, from Karasouli (

Polykastro Polykastro (, before 1928 , ''Karasoúli''; ''Pandektis: Name Changes of Settlements in Greece'', compiled by the/ref>) is a town and a former municipality in Kilkis (regional unit), Kilkis regional unit of Central Macedonia, Greece. Since the 20 ...

), retreat along the left bank, to Dogandji (

Prochoma Prochoma (, ) is a village and a community of the Chalkidona municipality. Before the 2011 local government reform it was part of the municipality of Koufalia, of which it was a municipal district. The 2021 census recorded 1,940 inhabitants in the ...

), where the Division arrives on 17 December. * 17 December 1915 - 31 March 1916 : establishment of the entrenched camp of Salonika, in the Dogandji sector, Dourmouchlou: from January, extension of positions on the front on the right bank of the Vardar, as far as the Kara Azmak ( Loudias (river)), by the south-east of Kayali (

Ptolemaida Ptolemaida (, Katharevousa: Πτολεμαΐς, ''Ptolemaïs'') is a town and a former municipality in Kozani regional unit, Western Macedonia, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Eordaia, of which it i ...

) (elements maintained towards Karasouli, in contact with the enemy, south of Matchoukovo (

Evzonoi Evzonoi (, , before 1927: Ματσίκοβο - ''Matsikovo'', , , , ''Machukovo'') is a town in Kilkis regional unit in Central Macedonia, Greece. The main border crossing between Greece and North Macedonia is located here. The village across the ...

)).

1916

* 31 March - 28 August : occupation and entrenchment of a sector, straddling the Vardar, towards Lake Ardzan and Lioumnitsa (

Skra, Kilkis Skra (), before 1926 Loumitsa () is a village and community in the municipality of Paionia (municipality), Paionia, Kilkis (regional unit), Kilkis regional unit of Greece. In 2021 the population was 172 for the community, including the villa ...

); attack preparations :: 20–21 August, Fighting in the hills north of Lioumnitsa (with the help of elements of the 156th Division ). * 28 August 1916 - 1 January 1917 : Positions on the left bank of the Vardar are relieved by

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

elements, and extension of the sector towards the west, in the region of

Notia Nótia (, formerly Νώτια; or ; ) is a village in the Exaplatanos municipal unit of the Pella regional unit, Macedonia, Greece. Notia was once the largest Megleno-Romanian village, whose population underwent mass conversion to Islam in t ...

: frequent local actions, particularly, on the 12th, 13 and 14 September, north of the Lioumnitsa trail, Notia, the 9th and 17 October and the 11th November, towards Hadji Bari Mahala ( Theodosia, Kilkis), finally, the 11th December, north-west of Mayadag.

1917

* 1 January - 10 May : preparations for an offensive in the Skra di Legen region . * 10 May 1917 - 10 July 1918 : Franco-Hellenic operations in the Skra di Legen: :: 10–14 May 1917 : French attacks, then fortification of the captured positions. :: 29–30 August : particularly violent engagements. During the first half of November, progressive regrouping of the Division, in the right part of its sector, towards Mayadag (Fanos, Florina).

1918

* 10 July - 27 August : withdrawal from the front line and departed towards

Veria Veria (; ), officially transliterated Veroia, historically also spelled Beroea or Berea, is a city in Central Macedonia, in the geographic region of Macedonia, northern Greece, capital of the regional unit of Imathia. It is located north-nor ...

; rest. * 27 August - 15 September : deployed close to the front, then occupation of the sector towards Mount Sokol and Dobro Pole; offensive preparations. * 15 September - 11 November : engaged in the

Battle of Dobro Pole The Battle of Dobro Pole (; ), also known as the Breakthrough at Dobro Pole (), was a World War I battle fought between 15 and 18 September 1918. The battle was fought in the initial stage of the Vardar Offensive, in the Balkans Theatre. On 15 ...

: seizure of Dobro Pole and Sokol. Then relieved from the front line and rest towards Vértékop (

Skydra Skydra (, in modern Greek, before 1926: Βερτεκόπ - ''Vertekop'', Slavic: Вртикоп, ''Vrtikop'') is a municipality in the Pella regional unit of Macedonia in Greece. Municipality The municipality Skydra was formed at the 2011 loca ...

) then towards Guvezné (

Assiros Assiros (, before 1926: Γιουβέσνα - ''Giouvesna'', ) is a village and a former municipality in the Thessaloniki regional unit, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Lagkadas, of which it is a munic ...

). :: In October: movement, via Dráma, through eastern Macedonia : advance towards Turkey (in conjunction with British elements); movement by

Xanthi Xanthi is a city in the region of Western Thrace, northeastern Greece. It is the capital of the Xanthi regional unit of the region of East Macedonia and Thrace. Amphitheatrically built on the foot of Rhodope mountain chain, the city is divided ...

and Gumuldjina (

Komotini Komotini (, , ), is a city in the Modern regions of Greece, region of East Macedonia and Thrace, northeastern Greece and its capital. It is also the capital of the Rhodope (regional unit), Rhodope. It was the administrative centre of the Rhodope- ...

), towards the

Maritsa Maritsa or Maritza ( ), also known as Evros ( ) and Meriç ( ), is a river that runs through the Balkans in Southeast Europe. With a length of ,

. :: In November: crossing of the Maritsa and occupation of

Uzunköprü Uzunköprü is a town in Edirne Province in Turkey. It is named after a historical stone bridge, claimed to be the world's longest, on the Ergene River. It is a strategically important border town, located on the routes connecting Turkey to the B ...

Order of battle

* Infantry : :* 8th Brigade :: 45th Infantry Regiment from June 1915 to November 1918 :: 148th Infantry Regiment from June 1915 to November 1918 :* 243rd Brigade :: 84th Infantry Regiment from June 1915 to November 1918 :: 248th Infantry Regiment from June 1915 to September 1917 (dissolution) :: 58th Battalion of Chasseurs à pied from October 1915 to October 1917 * Cavalry : :: 1 Squadron of the 6th Dragoon Regiment from June 1915 to January 1917 :: 1 Squadron of the 29th Dragoon Regiment from January 1917 to November 1918 * Artillery : :: 2 groupes (2x 3x 75mm batteries) from the 41st Field Artillery Regiment from June 1915 to July 1917 :: 1 groupe (3x 75mm) from the 6th Field Artillery Regiment from January 1916 à July 1917 :: All nine of the 75mm batteries above were grouped together to form the 241st Field Artillery Regiment from July 1917 to November 1918 :: 1 groupe (3x 65mm batteries) from the 1st Mountain Artillery Regiment from January 1916 to November 1918 :: 107th half battery of 58mm mortars from the 41st Field Artillery Regiment from June 1915 to July 1916 :: 111st Battery (of 58mm mortars) from the 1st Mountain Artillery Regiment from July 1916 to July 1917 :: The above redesignated as the 101st Battery (of 58mm mortars) of the 241st Field Artillery Regiment from July 1917 to November 1918 * Engineers : :: Field Companies (2/14, 2/64, 2/24) from the 3rd Engineer Regiment

References

Citations Bibliography * * * * * * {{Cite book , editor1-last=Pompé , editor1-first=Daniel , display-editors=etal , title=Les armées françaises dans la Grande guerre. Tome X. 2e Volume. Ordres de bataille des grandes unités - Divisions d'Infanterie, Divisions de Cavalerie 0,2, series=Ministère De la Guerre, Etat-Major de l'Armée - Service Historique , publisher =Imprimerie Nationale , location =Paris , edition=1st , date=1924 , language=fr , url=https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k63495098?rk=493564;4 , access-date=6 September 2020 French Infantry divisions during World War I Infantry divisions of France Military units and formations established in 1915 Macedonian front