The 5th Armored Division () was an armored 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 ...

that fought in

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 ...

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 ...

. It was also active in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

during the

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

World War II

The division was formed on 1 May 1943 under the command of Brig. Gen. Henri-Jacques-Jean-François de Vernejoul. It was initially the 2nd Armored Division, but renamed the 5th Armored Division on 9 July. The Division was a critical part of the French 1st Army 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. ...

, and came ashore with the U.S. 6th Army Group, under Lt. Gen. Jacob Devers, in the

Operation Dragoon Operation Dragoon (initially Operation Anvil), known as Débarquement de Provence in French ("Provence Landing"), was the code name for the landing operation of the Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of Provence (Southern France) on 15Augu ...

invasion of southern France in August 1944. The 5th Armored Division particularly distinguished itself in the assault and capture of Stuttgart, Germany in April 1945.

Cold War

During the

, the division was initially stationed in Germany; its HQ was in

Landau Landau (), officially Landau in der Pfalz (, ), is an autonomous (''kreisfrei'') town surrounded by the Südliche Weinstraße ("Southern Wine Route") district of southern Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is a university town (since 1990), a long ...

, Palatinate.

Algeria

The division left Germany for Algeria on 1 April 1956, but left some units in Palatinate, Germany. In 1961 the division comprised:Kanger, Kim "Algerian Insurgency: End of the French Empire", in Strategy & Tactics, No. 262 (May/June 2010) * 1st Armored Regiment * 6th African Chasseur Regiment * 11th African Chasseur Regiment * 19th Chasseur Battalion * 20th Chasseur Battalion * 21st Algerian Rifles Regiment * 1st/64th Artillery Regiment * 2nd/64th Artillery Regiment

Return to Germany

The division was recreated in 1978 at Landau, Germany as a part of the 2nd Army Corps (Baden-Baden). It included the 2nd Artillery Regiment (during the 1980s). The French Army in Germany was drastically reduced after the end of the Cold War; the 5th was dissolved on 30 June 1992.

References

{{French Army Divisions 5 Armored divisions of France Military units and formations established in 1943 Military units and formations disestablished in 1962 Military units and formations established in 1978 Military units and formations disestablished in 1992