12th Infantry Division (France)
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12th Infantry Division (''12e division d'infanterie'' or ''12e DI'') 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 ...
which took part in the
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,
World War I 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 ...
and
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. It fought at the
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in 1813. It was converted to a motorised infantry role at
Mourmelon-le-Grand Mourmelon-le-Grand () is a commune in the Marne department in north-eastern France. Population Camp de Châlons The ''camp de Châlons'', also known as ''camp de Mourmelon'', is a military camp of circa 10,000 hectares near Mourmelon-le-G ...
in 1939 a few days before the French declaration of war on Germany and renamed 12th Motorised Infantry Division (''12e division d'infanterie motorisée'' or ''12e DIM'')


History


World War I

It belonged to 6th Army Corps and had its headquarters at the
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 ...
garrison as of 1 August 1914 and was mobilised in the 6th Region. Between 1 and 14 August it was taken by train to
Vigneulles-lès-Hattonchâtel Vigneulles-lès-Hattonchâtel (, literally ''Vigneulles near Hattonchâtel'') is a commune in the Meuse department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. The former towns of Billy-sous-les-Côtes, Creuë, Hattonchâtel, Hattonville, Saint-Beno ...
and ordered to defend the region around Heudicourt and Thillot. From 14 August it began to move a position near
Fresnes-en-Woëvre Fresnes-en-Woëvre (, literally ''Fresnes in Woëvre'') is a commune in the Meuse department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. See also *Communes of the Meuse department *Parc naturel régional de Lorraine Lorraine Regional Natural Par ...
, then near Etain. It went on the offensive towards
Chiers The Chiers (; , ) is a river in Luxembourg, Belgium and France. It is a right tributary of the Meuse. The total length of the Chiers is approximately , of which in France. The source of the Chiers is near Differdange, in Luxembourg. The Chiers ...
on 21 August as part of the
Battle of the Ardennes The Battle of the Ardennes took place during the First World War fought on the frontiers of France, Germany, Belgium and Luxembourg from 21 to 23 August 1914. The German armies defeated the French and forced their retreat. The battle was part ...
and the following day fought its way towards Ugny and Doncourt-lès-Longuyon, followed by fighting on the
Crusnes Crusnes (; Luxembourgish: ''Krongen'') is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in north-eastern France. See also *Communes of the Meurthe-et-Moselle department The following is a list of the 591 communes of the Meurthe-et-Mosell ...
and near the farm at
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and near Rèvemont on 23rd and near
Arrancy Arrancy () is a Communes of France, commune in the Departments of France, department of Aisne in the Hauts-de-France region of northern France. Geography Arrancy is located some 15 km southeast of Laon and 40 km northwest of Reims. It ...
on the 24th. On 25 August it withdrew to the west towards the
River Meuse The Meuse or Maas is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea from the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. It has a total length of . History From 1301, the upper ...
and new positions near
Damvillers Damvillers () is a commune in the Meuse department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. History Damvillers was part of the Duchy of Luxembourg, which was part of the Spanish Netherlands . In 1552, France intervened in the princes' revolt and ...
and Consenvoye. From 27 August it defended the river crossings around Gercourt and Brieulles-sur-Meuse and from 2 September resumed its withdrawal, this time south towards Montfaucon, Jubécourt and finally Rembercourt-aux-Pots. There it took part in the
First Battle of the Marne The First Battle of the Marne or known in France as the Miracle on the Marne () was a battle of the First World War fought from the 5th to the 12th September 1914. The German army invaded France with a plan for winning the war in 40 days by oc ...
from 6 to 20 September, including around Sommaisne and Rembercourt-aux-Pots during the battle of Revigny - one of the German officers attacking it was
Erwin Rommel Johannes Erwin Eugen Rommel (; 15 November 1891 â€“ 14 October 1944), popularly known as The Desert Fox (, ), was a German '' Generalfeldmarschall'' (field marshal) during World War II. He served in the ''Wehrmacht'' (armed forces) of ...
. On 14 September it began to be pursued towards Nixéville and Charny before it was able to hold its position around Ville-devant-Chaumont in bois d'Haumont. On 20 September it was taken out of the front-line and moved to Mouilly and
Rupt-en-Woëvre Rupt-en-Woëvre (, literally ''Rupt in Woëvre'') is a commune in the Meuse department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. See also *Communes of the Meuse department *Parc naturel régional de Lorraine Lorraine Regional Natural Park ( Fre ...
. From 21 September it manned the front in the Braquis region opposite Étain until being urgently ordered to the trenches at Calonne to stop the German offensive. It marched towards
Saint-Mihiel Saint-Mihiel () is a commune in the Meuse department in the Grand Est region in Northeastern France. Geography Saint-Mihiel lies on the banks of the river Meuse. History A Benedictine abbey was established here in 708 or 709 by Count Wulfoalde ...
and the Hauts de Meuse and on 22 September arrived at Rupt in Woêvre and fought at Mouilly, the Calonne trench, Saint-Remy, positions in
Les Éparges Les Éparges () is a commune in the Meuse department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. A ridge to the east of the village was the site of a fierce battle during World War I, and there are many memorials and monuments in the area. See als ...
and in front of the Calonne trench-line. The front then stabilised and it was placed in a sector around the bois Loclont and Trésauvaux. It made an attack on the Calonne trench on 26 December. From 17 to 21 February 1915 it was involved in fierce fighting during the battle of Les Éparges, where it was also engaged resumed on 18th, 19 and 27 March. On 18–20 March Cdt De Feriet, "Les première attaques aux Eparges", Documents, Études et mémoires, Cellule Culture d'Arme, École Supérieure et d'Application du Génie, ANGERS, vol. Dossier A 1082 it carried out a joint attack on
Verdun Verdun ( , ; ; ; official name before 1970: Verdun-sur-Meuse) is a city in the Meuse (department), Meuse departments of France, department in Grand Est, northeastern France. It is an arrondissement of the department. In 843, the Treaty of V ...
with the Marche Infantry Division, originally planned for 10–11 March. 12th Division was ordered to capture two bastions to its west and east, joined by a trench - the trench and eastern bastion formed two intersecting lines of fire, whilst the western bastion formed three, all reinforced with underground bunkers. The French would attack from part of a spur taken in previous attacks, 50 metres away from the German positions. The explosion of mines made little effect, as did a 45-minute bombardment from 15:15 hours on 18 March. 132nd Line Infantry Regiment led the attack at 16:05, taking spur C fifteen minutes later but the German response meant the attack was bogged down by 17:00. By 19:00 132nd Regiment had reached a mid-point between points O and X and the attack resumed at 4:45 the following morning, but was held off by German machine-gunners at point X. French artillery opened fire on the eastern point of bois des Sapins from point N at 8:30 and the attack resumed again at 9:25, but was again held off. A German counter-attack was unsuccessful at 10:00 and an hour later the line stabilised. A fresh French artillery bombardment led to new attacks at midday and 16:00, but these both proved unsuccessful. The attack resumed again on 20 March at 4:00 and by 10:00 21st Division asked 24th Brigade to organise its positions.


Second World War

On the declaration of war on 3 September 1939 the division at Thionville in northern France and was placed on the border opposite the German troops advancing towards Kœnigsmacker near the end of the Maginot Line. After a month of fighting it was relieved and went into reserve near Hirson. On 10 May 1940 the division was attached to 5th Army Corps (France), 5th Army Corps, which formed part of 1st Army (France), 1st Army. Most of the division was sent to the Saint-Quentin, Aisne, Saint-Quentin area on that date, although 3e GRDI were stationed to the south of Maubeuge in accordance with the Dyle Plan, Plan Yellow and the order to occupy the Gembloux sector near Namur. 3e GRDI and the engineers of 2nd Engineer Regiment were soon moved to fight delaying actions in advance of the defensive positions between Rhisnes (village), Rhisnes and Temploux. On the night of 10–11 May reconnaissance parties from these detachments advanced into Belgium and from 18:00 took up positions to the rear of the Cavalry Corps, which was holding the Tirlemont-Huy line. Meanwhile, the other elements of 12th Division set off at 17:00 to avoid the Luftwaffe, which had already gained air superiority. On the morning of 12 May the first elements of the division arrived and its units deployed immediately into their positions, despite continued air attack in the Dyle (river), Dyle region, particularly at Rhisnes (village), Rhisnes and Temploux. Ahead of the positions the engineers prepared a line of twenty demolition charges, but on 13 May air attacks became more targeted and more frequent. Rhisnes and Temploux were attacked again, as was the divisional command post at Spy, Belgium, forcing it to move elsewhere. The infantry dug in and placed a line of anti-tank mines all along its front line, with artillery in camouflaged positions. By evening the division was the only French unit in the area which had arrived and was ready to fight. To the east the Germans had crossed the Albert Canal, refugees were flooding west, several cut-off Belgian units were falling back and 2nd French Cavalry Corps (made up of 2nd and 3rd Light Mechanised Divisions) was preparing to fall back after fighting all day at Battle of Hannut, Hannut and Merdorp against German tanks and Stukas - 3e GRDI took over the liaison between these two light mechanised divisions. To the south the 9th Army (France), 9th French Army had lost several bridges over the Meuse and would have to counter-attack on 14 May alongside the powerful, armoured, ''1re division cuirassée'' (1st Division of Cuirassers). On 14 May Perwez was abandoned by the Belgian Chasseurs Ardennais, who fell back behind the positions held by 12th Division. The French cavalry corps under general Prioux also withdrew, using its last tanks to protect 12th Division's engineers, enabling them to blow the demolition charges between Hanret and Saint-Germain, Éghezée, Saint-Germain and regroup at Onoz, Jemeppe-sur-Sambre, Onoz. 3e GRDI covered the final part of the cavalry corps' withdrawal and suffered heavy losses. In the afternoon German light tanks attacked 150th Infantry Regiment (France), 150th Infantry Regiment's positions but rapidly withdrew under fire from 225th Artillery Regiment (France), 225th Artillery Regiment. At the end of the afternoon 150th Regiment's 1st Battalion and the 3e GRDI were given the order to turn south and hold the crossings of the Sambre Sambre à Floriffoux between Namur and Auvelais. From dawn on 15 May the Luftwaffe resumed its attack on the crossroads, forests and marshalling points. That morning the 8th Zouave Regiment was attacked by German tanks, who were initially sent into retreat thanks to artillery fire. However, at the end of the morning the division received the order to withdraw towards the French border. To avoid air attack it abandoned its positions at night and the division fortified a line along the Charleroi canal running through Spy, Velaine, Andenne, Velaine and Fleurus. At the end of the night 3e GRDI covered the withdrawal of 5e DINA before destroying eleven bridges between Floreffe and Ham-sur-Sambre and rendering one more impassible to road traffic. At dawn on 16 May the division gathered at Orneau, where it received orders to rush to the area between Godarville and Courcelles, Belgium, Motte-Courcelles on the canal to meet a German push across the Sambre to the south. At midday the division continued to withdraw, but the routes were clogged by refugees and other troops and still under constant air attack. At the end of the day the forward parties had only just reached Gosselies and Jumet. A detachment made up of elements of 106th Line Infantry Regiment (France), 106th Line Infantry Regiment and 3e GRDI under colonel Parent fought rearguard actions against advanced German units before retiring under cover of night. During the night of 16–17 May most of the division's infantry regiments crossed the canal via the bridges at Roux, Charleroi, Roux and Courcelles, Belgium, Courcelles and immediately deployed. The enemy penetrated the front in force across the Luttre bridge, which Belgian engineer units had failed to destroy, attacking and pressing 150th Regiment and 8th Zouaves, who formed the vanguard. 38e Combat Tanks Battalion and a group of reconnaissance squadrons from 3e GRDI under captain de Lannoy were given artillery support and managed to push the enemy back to the east bank of the canal. The front was re-established at 19:00, but a new order to withdraw came in and during the night of 17–18 May 12 Division took up new positions on high ground at Bavai. After German tanks attacked at Ciply on 19 May, the division's infantry was ordered to withdraw to Hainaut. The divisional commander had lost contact with his superior René Altmayer and decided to withdraw again towards Valenciennes by a night march, with 153 DIM taking up the rearguard position. On the evening of 20 May 12e DIM was switched to 3rd Army Corps (France), 3rd Army Corps and on 21 May 12 Division regrouped and headed for Bruay-en-Artois under cover of darkness. 106th Line Infantry Regiment was detached from the division on 22 May and taken north by truck to hold a fortified position between Cysoing and Mouchin, while the rest of 12th Division marched on foot from Bruay-en-Artois to Avelin. Fighting by day and marching by night, they managed to pass through encircling German troops to finally reach Dunkirk. Only 8,000 men of the division remained by this point and they were ordered to hold the French sector of the perimeter for nine days during the Operation Dynamo evacuation, holding off an overwhelmingly larger German force. The division's survivors were captured on the morning of 4 June on the beach at Malo-les-Bains.


Postwar

In 1960 during the Algerian War the division was part of the Oran Division, Oran Corps Area, responsible for the West Oran Zone, with its headquarters in Tlemcen. (Appendix A, "Major French Combat Forces in Algeria in 1960") The division's battle honors were officially recorded and promulgated by a Defence Historical Service decision of September 2007.


Commanders


Pre-1914

* 18 October 1873 : general Charles Nicolas Verge, Verge * 25 November 1874 - 27 July 1875 : general Jean-Louis Borel, Borel * 21 May 1880 - 21 February 1884 : general * 26 April 1884 : general * 17 February 1890 : general Nicolas Joseph Voisin, Voisin * 18 June 1892 : général Joseph Brugère, Brugère * 26 December 1893 - 30 November 1897 : general Charles Kessler, Kessler * 28 December 1897 : general Paul Édouard Gallimard, Gallimard * 25 June 1899 - 30 July 1904 : colonel Auguste Hartschmidt, Hartschmidt * 23 September 1904 - 18 August 1906 : general Marie Léopold, Besson * 27 September 1906 : general Théophile Armand Ferré, Ferré * 17 October 1908 - 14 March 1911 : general Mardochée Valabrègue, Général Valabrègue. * 27 March 1911 : general * 1 October 1913 : general César Marie Frédéric Félixien Besset, Besset * 16 October 1913 : general


World War I

* 17 September 1914 : general * 15 November 1914 : general Marie Jean Auguste Paulinier, Paulinier * 24 July 1915 : general * 23 May 1916 : general , killed on reconnaissance in the Somme Bouchavesnes - Bois L'Abbé area 23 September 1916 * 23 September 1916 : general * 19 April 1917 : general * 10 June 1918 - 23 décembre 1918 : general


Inter-war

* 12 January 1919 - 10 April 1923 : general Edmond Just Victor Boichut, Boichut * 1 October 1931 - 16 November 1933 : general Louis Colson, Colson * 1 January 1936 : general Lucien Loizeau, Loizeau


World War II

* 1 April 1939 - 2 June 1940 : general Gaston Janssen, Janssen


Structure


World War I

* Infantry : :: 106th Line Infantry Regiment (France), 106th Line Infantry Regiment - August 1914 to January 1917 :: 132nd Line Infantry Regiment - August 1914 to January 1917 :: 350th Infantry Regiment (France), 350th Infantry Regiment - January 1917 to November 1918 :: 54th Infantry Regiment (France), 54th Line Infantry Regiment - August 1914 to November 1918 :: 67th Line Infantry Regiment (France), 67th Line Infantry Regiment - August 1914 to November 1918 :: 26th Foot Chasseurs Regiment (France), 26th Foot Chasseurs Regiment - January 1915 to June 1915 12e Division d'Infanterie 1914-1918
/ref> :: 142nd Territorial Infantry Regiment (France), 142nd Territorial Infantry Regiment - August 1918 to November 1918 :: 173rd Infantry Regiment (France), 173rd Infantry Regiment - 23 November 1914 to May 1915 * Cavalry: :: One squadron of 12th Mounted Chasseurs Regiment (France), 12th Mounted Chasseurs Regiment - January 1917 to November 1918 * Artillery : :: Three groups of Canon de 75 mm modèle 1897, 75 mm guns from 25th Artillery Regiment (France), 25th Artillery Regiment - August 1914 to November 1918 :: 102nd Battery of Mortier de 58 mm T N°2, 58 mm mortars from 46th Artillery Regiment (France), 46th Artillery Regiment - July 1916 to July 1917 :: 102nd Battery of 58 mm mortars from 25th Artillery Regiment - July 1917 to January 1918 :: 101st Battery of 58 mm mortars from 25th Artillery Regiment - January 1918 to November 1918 :: 5th Group of Canon de 155 C modèle 1917 Schneider, 155c guns from 106th Artillery Regiment (France), 106th Artillery Regiment - July 1918 to November 1918 * Engineers: :: One company from 9th Engineer Regiment (France), 9th Engineer Regiment


1940

It totalled around 26,000 men at full strength, consisting of: * 150th Line Infantry Regiment (France), 150th Line Infantry Regiment from
Verdun Verdun ( , ; ; ; official name before 1970: Verdun-sur-Meuse) is a city in the Meuse (department), Meuse departments of France, department in Grand Est, northeastern France. It is an arrondissement of the department. In 843, the Treaty of V ...
* 106th Line Infantry Regiment (France), 106th Line Infantry Regiment from Chalons-en-Champagne, Châlons-sur-Marne and
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 ...
* 8th Zouave Regiment (France), 8th Zouave Regiment from Mourmelon-le-Grand, Mourmelon * 25th Artillery Regiment (France), 25th Artillery Regiment, equipped with Canon de 75 modèle 1897, 75 mm guns * 225th Artillery Regiment (France), 225th Artillery Regiment, equipped with canon de 155 court, 155 mm court * 3rd Infantry Divisional Reconnaissance Group (GRDI) from
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 ...
, with forty tanks * all the divisional service troops (telegraphers, engineers, sappers, motor transport, sanitary troops and others)


Bibliography (in French)

*Maurice Genevoix, ''Ceux de 14 (Sous Verdun, Nuits de Guerre, La Boue, Les Eparges)'', Paris, Éditions Flammarion, 1949 *Commandant R. de Fériet, ''La Crête des Éparges, 1914-1918'', Paris, Payot, 1939, 210 p. *AFGG, vol. 2, t. 10 : ''Ordres de bataille des grandes unités : divisions d'infanterie, divisions de cavalerie'', 1924, 1092 p. (lire en ligne [archive]).
La 12e DI dans la bataille de l'Aisne (1917)


References

{{French Army Divisions Infantry divisions of France, 12 French World War I divisions French Infantry divisions during World War II Army units and formations of France in the Algerian War