The Cavalry Corps () was a French mechanized

army corps Corps (; plural ''corps'' ; from French , from the Latin "body") is a term used for several different kinds of organization. A military innovation by Napoleon I, the formation was formally introduced March 1, 1800, when Napoleon ordered Gener ...

established in 1939 and inactivated in 1940 after the defeat of France by

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. Commanded by General

René Prioux René Jacques Adolphe Prioux (11 April 1879 – 16 June 1953) was a French general who served in both world wars. A cavalry officer of great talent, Prioux rapidly rose through the officer ranks and commanded the Cavalry Corps of the First Army ...

, the Cavalry Corps advanced into

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

in May 1940 and imposed significant delay on the advance of the German XVI (motorized) Corps. Cut off by German forces from the bulk 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 ...

, the corps was evacuated to

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and then shipped back to France in late May and early June 1940. Further combat resulted in significant losses of armored vehicles and a steady deterioration of the corps' combat power. The Cavalry Corps ceased fighting as the

Second Armistice at Compiègne The Armistice of 22 June 1940, sometimes referred to as the Second Armistice at Compiègne, was an agreement signed at 18:36 on 22 June 1940 near Compiègne, France by officials of Nazi Germany and the French Third Republic. It became effective a ...

took effect, and the corps was demobilized on July 11, 1940.

Formation and Phony War

Formed on August 27, 1939 in Saint-Quentin, the Cavalry Corps did not see action until May 11, 1940 in the vicinity of

Tongres Tongeren (; ; ; ) is a city and former municipality located in the Belgian province of Limburg, in the southeastern corner of the Flemish region of Belgium. Tongeren is the oldest town in Belgium, as the only Roman administrative capital with ...

. The corps had various units assigned during the period of the

Phony War The Phoney War (; ; ) was an eight-month period at the outset of World War II during which there were virtually no Allied military land operations on the Western Front from roughly September 1939 to May 1940. World War II began on 3 Septembe ...

, but by the time of the German invasion in May 1940, the corps commanded the

2nd A second is the base unit of time in the International System of Units (SI). Second, Seconds, The Second, or (The) 2nd may also refer to: Mathematics * 2 (number), as an ordinal (also written as ''2nd'' or ''2d'') * Minute and second of arc, ...

and 3rd Light Mechanized Divisions () (DLM), as well as some small reconnaissance and artillery units.

Combat

The Cavalry Corps saw action in three distinct phasesAs defined in GUF. of the fighting in 1940. These were the Battle of the Dyle (10 to 18 May), the Battle of the North (19 May to 9 June), and the Retreat of the Left Wing (10 to 25 June). In general, these phases respectively refer to the fighting in Belgium in May, the fighting in northern France in early June, and the long retreat of the

into the south of France during mid to late June. The Cavalry Corps in particular was noted for its solid performance during the Battles of

Hannut Hannut (; ; ) is a municipality and city of Wallonia located in the province of Liège, Belgium. On January 1, 2006, Hannut had a total population of 14,291. The total area is 86.53 km2 which gives a population density of 165 inhabitants ...

and

Gembloux Gembloux (; ; ) is a municipality and city of Wallonia located in the province of Namur, Belgium. On 1 January 2006, the municipality had 21,964 inhabitants. The total area is 95.86 km2, yielding a population density of 229 inhabitants per ...

during the fighting in Belgium. At the same time that poorly trained French reservists were being defeated at Sedan, the Cavalry Corps met the German XVI (motorized) Corps of two

Panzer {{CatAutoTOC, numerals=no Words and phrases Germanic words and phrases Words and phrases by language la:Categoria:Verba Theodisca ...

divisions on equal terms at Hannut and in the Gembloux Gap. From May 31 until June 10, 1940, the men of the corps were evacuated to

and then returned to France via the ports of Brest and

Cherbourg Cherbourg is a former Communes of France, commune and Subprefectures in France, subprefecture located at the northern end of the Cotentin peninsula in the northwestern French departments of France, department of Manche. It was merged into the com ...

. At the end of the retreat of the French forces, the Cavalry Corps was made up of the 1st DLM and 3rd DLM. The 1st DLM regrouped at

Ribérac Ribérac (; ) is a commune in the Dordogne department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. The commune is situated by the Dronne River. History In response to the 848 Norman plunder of nearby Brantôme, a fort was built near a for ...

and the 3rd DLM assembled at

Saint-Aquilin Saint-Aquilin (; Limousin: ''Sent Agulin'') is a commune in the Dordogne department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. Population See also *Communes of the Dordogne department The following is a list of the 503 communes of th ...

, both in the region of the river

Dordogne Dordogne ( , or ; ; ) is a large rural departments of France, department in south west France, with its Prefectures in France, prefecture in Périgueux. Located in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region roughly half-way between the Loire Valley and ...

. The Cavalry Corps was demobilized on July 11, 1940.

Commanders

* 09/02/1939 – 05/25/1940 Lieutenant-General

* 05/25/1940 – 07/11/1940 Major-General Langlois

Notes and sources

{{reflist * (GUF) ''Guerre 1939 - 1945. Les Grandes Unités Françaises''. Volume 1. Armée de Terre, Service Historique. Paris: Imprimerie Nationale, 1967.
www.axishistory.com - the Cavalry Corps in 1940

External links

C Military units and formations established in 1939 Corps of France Cavalry units and formations of France