The 14th Infantry Division (14e 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

Napoleonic Wars {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Napoleonic Wars , partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg , caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...

, 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 ...

, the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and the

Algerian War The Algerian War (also known as the Algerian Revolution or the Algerian War of Independence) ''; '' (and sometimes in Algeria as the ''War of 1 November'') was an armed conflict between France and the Algerian National Liberation Front (Algeri ...

History

Napoleonic Wars

The 14th Infantry Division already fought in the Hundred Days campaign in 1815, as part of General Gérard's 4th Infantry Corps, where it was abandoned by its commander, General of Division Count de Ghaisnes de Bourmont, who defected to the allied camp.

World War I

The Division was recreated in 1873 in

Belfort Belfort (; archaic , ) is a city in northeastern France, situated approximately from the Swiss border. It is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Territoire de Belfort. Belfort is from Paris and from Basel. The residents of the city ...

.
At the beginning of the First World War, it was mobilised in the 7th Military Region and formed part of the 7th Army Corps from August 1914 to November 1918.
It received the nickname ''Aces Division'' in 1917 for its splendid performance during the Third Battle of Champagne.

World War II (1940)

On 10 May 1940 the 14th DI was commanded by General of Division

Jean de Lattre de Tassigny Jean Joseph Marie Gabriel de Lattre de Tassigny (2 February 1889 – 11 January 1952) was a French ''général d'armée'' during World War II and the First Indochina War. He was posthumously elevated to the dignity of Marshal of France in 1952. ...

, who would later become Marshal of France.
The Division was first attached to the reserve of the General Headquarters, but between 15 May and 15 June, it fought at

Rethel Rethel () is a commune in the Ardennes department in northern France. It is a sub-prefecture and third-most important city and economic center in the department. It is situated on the river Aisne, near the northern border of Champagne and 37 ...

, Thugny-Trugny and in Champagne, and then withdrew to the Marne and the Loire. Exceptionally, it retained its cohesion throughout the retreat, recovering lost soldiers from other units and equipment abandoned or stored in military depots. After the Armistice, it was regrouped in Clermont-Ferrand and dissolved in August 1940.

World War II (1945)

The 14th DI was recreated on 9 February 1945, by the amalgamation of units of the

French forces of the interior The French Forces of the Interior (FFI; ) were French resistance fighters in the later stages of World War II. Charles de Gaulle used it as a formal name for the resistance fighters. The change in designation of these groups to FFI occurred as F ...

(FFI).
Commanded by General

Raoul Salan Raoul Albin Louis Salan (; 10 June 1899 – 3 July 1984) was a French Army general and the founder of the Organisation armée secrète, a clandestine terrorist organisation that sought to maintain French Algeria by preventing Algerian indepen ...

, its headquarters was located in

Buhl, Haut-Rhin Buhl (; ) is a commune in the Haut-Rhin department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. It inhabitants are called ''Buhlois'' (male) or ''Buhloises'' (female). Geography Buhl is situated in the valley of the Lauch, at the foot of the Vosges ...

.
Most of its elements had already fought in the Vosges and in Alsace during the winter It was integrated into the 1st Army of General

, under the wider banner of the French Liberation Army. Sent to the Rhine on 23 March, the division entered Germany on 10 April. Protecting the rear of the 1st French Army, the 14th Division ended the war on

Lake Constance Lake Constance (, ) refers to three bodies of water on the Rhine at the northern foot of the Alps: Upper Lake Constance (''Obersee''), Lower Lake Constance (''Untersee''), and a connecting stretch of the Rhine, called the Seerhein (). These ...

.
It was disbanded there on 30 April 1946.

Algerian War

The 14th Infantry Division was recreated on 16 June 1954, at the same time as the 11th DI.
Commanded by General Lavaud, it was sent to Northern Africa where it fought first in Tunisia in the

Sfax Sfax ( ; , ) is a major port city in Tunisia, located southeast of Tunis. The city, founded in AD849 on the ruins of Taparura, is the capital of the Sfax Governorate (about 955,421 inhabitants in 2014), and a Mediterranean port. Sfax has a ...

region.
In mid-1955, the division was transferred to the region of

Constantine, Algeria Constantine (), also spelled Qacentina or Kasantina, is the capital of Constantine Province in northeastern Algeria. During Roman times it was called Cirta and was renamed "Constantina" in honour of Emperor Constantine the Great. Located somewh ...

.
The Division was disbanded in 1962.

Cold War

A new 14th DI was created in 1973, which was based in Lyon.
It was renamed 14th Light Armored Division in 1984, and disbanded in 1993, when the Cold War had come to an end.

References

{{French Army Divisions Infantry divisions of France French World War I divisions French Infantry divisions during World War II Military units and formations established in 1873 Military units and formations established in 1945 Military units and formations disestablished in 1940 Military units and formations disestablished in 1946