The 53rd Infantry Division ()was a

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 ...

formation during

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

World War II 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 ...

World War 1

During World War I, the division comprised: *205th Infantry Regiment *224th Infantry Regiment (to August 1916) *228th Infantry Regiment (to August 1916) *236th Infantry Regiment (to July 1918) *319th Infantry Regiment *329th Infantry Regiment (to August 1916) *25th Territorial Infantry Regiment (from August 1918) It was part of the French 1st, 2nd, 5th, 9th, 11th, 13th, 20th, 33rd, 35th and 40th Corps, during which it participated in the Battle of Charleroi, the Battle of Guise, 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 ...

, the

First Battle of the Aisne The First Battle of the Aisne () was the Allied follow-up offensive against the right wing of the German First Army (led by Alexander von Kluck) and the Second Army (led by Karl von Bülow) as they retreated after the First Battle of the ...

, the

Second Battle of Artois The Second Battle of Artois (, ) from 9 May to 18 June 1915, took place on the Western Front (World War I), Western Front during the First World War. A German-held Salient (military), salient from Reims to Amiens had been formed in 1914 which me ...

, the Second Battle of Champagne, the

Battle of the Somme The Battle of the Somme (; ), also known as the Somme offensive, was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British Empire and the French Third Republic against the German Empire. It took place between 1 July and 18 Nove ...

, the Battle of the Lys, the Battle of Matz, and the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. At various times, it was part of the French First Army, French Second Army, French Third Army, French Fourth Army, French Fifth Army, French Sixth Army, French Seventh Army and French Tenth Army.

World War 2

During the

Battle of France The Battle of France (; 10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign (), the French Campaign (, ) and the Fall of France, during the Second World War was the Nazi Germany, German invasion of the Low Countries (Belgium, Luxembour ...

in May 1940, the division contained the following units: *208th Infantry Regiment *239th Infantry Regiment *329th Infantry Regiment *66th Reconnaissance Battalion *22nd Artillery Regiment *222nd Artillery Regiment It was a Series B Reserve division containing older reservists.

Commanders

World War I

* Gen. Georges Pierre Louis Perruchon (August 2, 1914 – September 7, 1914) * Gen. Day (September 7, 1914 – October 18, 1914) * Div. Gen. Louis Loyzeau de Grandmaison (October 18, 1914 – January 23, 1915) * Div. Gen.

Henri Mathias Berthelot Henri Mathias Berthelot (7 December 1861 – 29 January 1931) was a French general during World War I. He held an important staff position under Joseph Joffre, the French commander-in-chief, at the First Battle of the Marne, before later commandin ...

(January 23, 1915 – August 3, 1915) * Brig. Gen. Joseph Alfred Micheler (August 3, 1915 – March 25, 1916) * Gen. Georges Pierre Louis Lebouc (March 25, 1916 – January 15, 1917) * Div. Gen. Henri André Mesplé (January 15, 1917 – April 5, 1917) * Div. Gen. Amédée Henri Guillemin (April 5, 1917 – February 20, 1919)

World War II

*Gen. Louis Emile Charles Henri Blin (September 11, 1939 – January 6, 1940) *Gen. Jean-Marie Léon Etcheberrigaray (January 6, 1940 – June 25, 1940)

References

Bibliography

* * * . * * * * *. Infantry Division, 53rd Infantry Division, 53rd Infantry divisions of France {{World-War-II-stub