The 2nd Moroccan Infantry Division (french: 2^e Division d'Infanterie Marocaine, 2^e DIM) was an infantry division of the Army of Africa (french: Armée d'Afrique) which participated in

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 ...

. Created in Morocco following the liberation of French North Africa, the division fought in Italy, metropolitan France and in Germany. It particularly distinguished itself in Italy in 1944 within the French Expeditionary Corps led by the General

Alphonse Juin Alphonse Pierre Juin (16 December 1888 – 27 January 1967) was a senior French Army general who became Marshal of France. A graduate of the École Spéciale Militaire class of 1912, he served in Morocco in 1914 in command of native troops. Upon ...

, and later in the

Liberation of France The liberation of France in the Second World War was accomplished through diplomacy, politics and the combined military efforts of the Allied Powers, Free French forces in London and Africa, as well as the French Resistance. Nazi Germany inv ...

as part of the

French 1st Army The First Army (french: 1re Armée) was a field army of France that fought during World War I and World War II. It was also active during the Cold War. First World War On mobilization in August 1914, General Auguste Dubail was put in the c ...

under General

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. As ...

World War II

Italian campaign

Formed in Morocco since May 1943, it embarked in

Bizerte Bizerte or Bizerta ( ar, بنزرت, translit=Binzart , it, Biserta, french: link=no, Bizérte) the classical Hippo, is a city of Bizerte Governorate in Tunisia. It is the northernmost city in Africa, located 65 km (40mil) north of the ca ...

in November 1943 and was the first French division which landed in Italy. It was engaged in the Monte-Cassino in the

Apennine Mountains The Apennines or Apennine Mountains (; grc-gre, links=no, Ἀπέννινα ὄρη or Ἀπέννινον ὄρος; la, Appenninus or – a singular with plural meaning;''Apenninus'' (Greek or ) has the form of an adjective, which wou ...

in the Scapoli-Pantano sector and fought in the Battles of San Michele de Pantano (December 12 to 22, 1943), Mainarde (December 23 to 29, 1943), Costa San Pietro and Monacasale (January 12-15, 1944), and Monte-Croce (January 21, 1944). On May 11, 1944 it took a leading part in the

Battle of Garigliano The Battle of Garigliano was fought in 915 between Christian forces and the Saracens. Pope John X personally led the Christian forces into battle. The aim was to destroy the Arab fortress on the Garigliano River, which had threatened central Ital ...

by seizing Monte Majo. The Division pursued the enemy in the direction of Rome from May 23 to June 4, 1944 and marched through Rome on June 15. After this, the Division reached

Siena Siena ( , ; lat, Sena Iulia) is a city in Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the province of Siena. The city is historically linked to commercial and banking activities, having been a major banking center until the 13th and 14th centur ...

and the

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico ...

French & German campaign (1944-1945)

The division didn't participate in the Invasion of Southern France, but landed there at the end of August 1944, and was moved to the front in the Alps. There, it liberated

Briançon Briançon (, ) is the sole subprefecture of the Hautes-Alpes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in Southeastern France. It is the highest city in France at an altitude of , based on the national definition as a community conta ...

and

Modane Modane (; ) is a commune in the Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in southeastern France. The commune is in the Maurienne Valley, and it also belongs to the Vanoise National Park. It was part of the Kingdom of Sardinia unt ...

on October 14. Under the orders of General Carpentier, it was positioned opposite the Belfort gap, pierced the German position on November 14, seized

Montbéliard Montbéliard (; traditional ) is a town in the Doubs department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in eastern France, about from the border with Switzerland. It is one of the two subprefectures of the department. History Montbéliard is ...

and Héricourt, and entered

Belfort Belfort (; archaic german: Beffert/Beffort) is a city in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in Northeastern France, situated between Lyon and Strasbourg, approximately from the France–Switzerland border. It is the prefecture of the Terr ...

on November 25. Continuing towards Alsace, it reached the valley of the Doller on the 29th, then that of the Thur on the 7th of December. It participated in the elimination of the

Colmar Pocket The Colmar Pocket (french: Poche de Colmar; de , Brückenkopf Elsass) was the area held in central Alsace, France, by the German Nineteenth Army from November 1944 to February 1945, against the U.S. 6th Army Group (6th AG) during World War II ...

, and crossed the Rhine on March 31, 1945. It entered

Karlsruhe Karlsruhe ( , , ; South Franconian German, South Franconian: ''Kallsruh'') is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, third-largest city of the German States of Germany, state (''Land'') of Baden-Württemberg after its capital o ...

on April 3,

Pforzheim Pforzheim () is a city of over 125,000 inhabitants in the federal state of Baden-Württemberg, in the southwest of Germany. It is known for its jewelry and watch-making industry, and as such has gained the nickname "Goldstadt" ("Golden City") ...

on April 8, and then reached the Neckar, the Danube and penetrated into Austria.

Composition

*4th Regiment of Moroccan Tirailleurs *5th Regiment of Moroccan Tirailleurs *8th Regiment of Moroccan Tirailleurs, replaced by 151st infantry regiment in February 1945 *3rd Regiment of Moroccan Spahis *63rd Artillery Regiment of Africa *DARR *41st Anti-Aircraft Ground Group *87th Engineer Battalion *9th Medical Battalion *Provost

Division Commanders

* April 1943 - September 1944: Général

André Dody André — sometimes transliterated as Andre — is the French and Portuguese form of the name Andrew, and is now also used in the English-speaking world. It used in France, Quebec, Canada and other French-speaking countries. It is a variation ...

. * September 1944 - April 1945: Général

Marcel Carpentier Marcel Maurice Carpentier (2 March 1895 – 14 September 1977) was a French Army general who served in World War I, World War II and First Indochina War. Early life Born on 2 March 1895 in Marseille, he was the eldest son in his family. At 1 ...

* April 1945 - August 1945: Général François de Linares

Division Combat Casualties

During

, the 2nd DIM was cited twice on the orders of the Army, and lost more than 16,000 men (killed, wounded and missing): *8,181 including 265 officers in Italy, *5,100 including 145 officers in France, *1,700 men including 75 officers in Germany and Austria.

Sources

cavalier blindés
* De Lattre de Tassigny, ''Histoire de la première armée française'', Plon, 1949 *'' Grandes Unités Françaises'', Volumes IV and V-1, French Army Historical Service, Paris: Imprimerie Nationale, 1970 and 1972. *''Le Réarmement et la Réorganisation de l'Armée de Terre Française (1943 - 1946)'', J. Vernet, French Army Historical Service, Château de Vincennes, 1980. * Souvenirs de guerre 2e Division d'infanterie marocaine: De Meknès en Autriche avec la 2e D.I.M, Crét, 1946. {{Liberation of France Infantry divisions of France Moroccan Infantry Division, 2nd