The 19th Army Corps ( 19e Corps d'Armée) was a corps of the French army. In December 1870, the Tours delegation created the 19th Army Corps which was formed in

Alençon Alençon (, , ; ) is a commune in Normandy, France, and the capital of the Orne department. It is situated between Paris and Rennes (about west of Paris) and a little over north of Le Mans. Alençon belongs to the intercommunality of Alen� ...

. It was recreated by decree of the JO of August 13, 1874, it brought together the various military units of Algeria. It constituted the nucleus of the Army of Africa. The corps appears to have been disbanded and superseded by the 10th Military Region by a decree of 18 February 1946.

19th Military Region

The Army Corps was located in the 19th Military Region of the Metropolitan Army which included the three

départements In the administrative divisions of France, the department (, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level (" territorial collectivities"), between the administrative regions and the communes. There are a total of 101 ...

Algiers Algiers is the capital city of Algeria as well as the capital of the Algiers Province; it extends over many Communes of Algeria, communes without having its own separate governing body. With 2,988,145 residents in 2008Census 14 April 2008: Offi ...

Oran Oran () is a major coastal city located in the northwest of Algeria. It is considered the second most important city of Algeria, after the capital, Algiers, because of its population and commercial, industrial and cultural importance. It is w ...

and

Constantine Constantine most often refers to: * Constantine the Great, Roman emperor from 306 to 337, also known as Constantine I * Constantine, Algeria, a city in Algeria Constantine may also refer to: People * Constantine (name), a masculine g ...

, situated in modern day Algeria. The garrisons were principally based in

Mascara Mascara (, ) is a Cosmetics, cosmetic commonly used to enhance the upper and lower eyelashes. It is used to darken, thicken, lengthen, and/or define the eyelashes. Normally in one of three forms—liquid, powder, or cream—the modern mascara p ...

Tlemcen Tlemcen (; ) is the second-largest city in northwestern Algeria after Oran and is the capital of Tlemcen Province. The city has developed leather, carpet, and textile industries, which it exports through the port of Rachgoun. It had a population of ...

, and Ain. Elements were also in Tunisia, forming the 'Tunisian occupation division', located mainly in

Tunis Tunis (, ') is the capital city, capital and largest city of Tunisia. The greater metropolitan area of Tunis, often referred to as "Grand Tunis", has about 2,700,000 inhabitants. , it is the third-largest city in the Maghreb region (after Casabl ...

Bizerte Bizerte (, ) is the capital and largest city of Bizerte Governorate in northern Tunisia. It is the List of northernmost items, northernmost city in Africa, located north of the capital Tunis. It is also known as the last town to remain under Fr ...

and

Sousse Sousse, Sūsah , or Soussa (, ), is a city in Tunisia, capital of the Sousse Governorate. Located south of the capital Tunis, the city has 271,428 inhabitants (2014). Sousse is in the central-east of the country, on the Gulf of Hammamet, which ...

. The other twenty military regions of the Metropolitan army covered mainland France, hence the distinction this was the 'Army of Africa'.

Franco-Prussian War

The Twenty-one army corps were established in December 1870, each with its own military region. The 19th Army Corps was stood down on 13 March 1871.

From 1870 to 1914

The corps' Oran and Algiers divisions fought the -'Aït Khabbash', a fraction of the Aït Ounbgui ''khams'' of the Aït Atta confederation in the late 1890s. The conflict ended by the annexation of the Touat-Gourara-Tidikelt complex by France in 1901.

First World War

At the outbreak of war, enough men to create three infantry divisions ( 37th, 38th, 45th) were sent to mainland France. The Moroccan Division was one of the most decorated units of the

French Army in World War I During World War I, France was one of the Triple Entente powers allied against the Central Powers. Although fighting occurred worldwide, the bulk of the French Army's operations occurred in Belgium, Luxembourg, France and Alsace-Lorraine along ...

and all its regiments were distinguished by unit citations mentioned in despatches of the armed forces at the end of the conflict. The Moroccan Division was the only division to receive the battle honour of being decorated with the

légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

throughout the course of

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 ...

. The following troops were detached from the 19th Army Corps to serve in the Corps expéditionnaire d'Orient. Two provisional regiments (1er, 2e régiment de marche d'Afrique) comprising a total of five Zouave battalions and one Foreign Legion battalion, were created. They saw action in the Gallipoli campaign, and thereafter on the

Salonika front The Macedonian front, also known as the Salonica front (after Thessaloniki), was a military theatre of World War I formed as a result of an attempt by the Allied Powers to aid Serbia, in the autumn of 1915, against the combined attack of Germa ...

, fighting alongside British troops in both theatres of war. Two battalions of ''Tirailleurs algériens'' were to see action in the middle east as part of the

Détachement Français de Palestine et de Syrie The Détachement Français de Palestine et de Syrie was the name given to French forces in the Middle East from 1917 onwards, within the Egyptian Expeditionary Force. Although they were commanded in the field by Colonel Gilles de Philpin de Piépape ...

that were deployed by France.

Second World War

The 85th African Infantry Division (85e DIA) was a Formation-A-Class reserve mountain division mobilized 2 September 1939 in Algiers. The 85th DIA occupied covering positions along the Libyan border until the end of May 1940 and was then shipped to Marseille by 3 June 1940. On 10 May 1940, the corps comprised the 85e DIA; the 181st African Infantry Division; the 182nd African Infantry Division; the 183rd African Infantry Division; the East Saharan Front of division size; an armoured battalion, an infantry battalion (21e ''Bataillon d'Infanterie Légère d'Afrique,'' of the Battalions of Light Infantry of Africa), and a cavalry regiment. The Oran, Constantine, and Algiers Divisions existed on 8 November 1942 as

Operation Torch Operation Torch (8–16 November 1942) was an Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of French North Africa during the Second World War. Torch was a compromise operation that met the British objective of securing victory in North Africa whil ...

began; the corps was commanded by Lieutenant General :fr:Louis Koeltz while the Algiers Division was under

Charles Mast Emmanuel Charles Mast (7 January 1889 – 30 September 1977) was a major general who participated in the liberation of North Africa in 1942 and was Resident General of France in Tunisia between 1943 and 1947. Prewar He was the son of Miche ...

. The corps joined the Allies in late 1942 when

Vichy French Vichy France (; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was a French rump state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II, established as a result of the French capitulation after the defeat against G ...

forces in north-west Africa went over to the Allies after 'Torch' and Hitler ordered '

Case Anton Case Anton () was the military occupation of Vichy France carried out by Germany and Italy in November 1942. It marked the end of the Vichy regime as a nominally independent state and the disbanding of its army (the severely-limited '' Armisti ...

,' the German and Italian occupation of Vichy France. The Corps order of battle in 1942 (as far as known) during this time was: *''Division de marche d'Alger'' **1er régiment de

Tirailleurs A tirailleur (), in the Napoleonic era, was a type of light infantry trained to skirmish ahead of the main columns. Later, the term "''tirailleur''" was used by the French Army as a designation for indigenous infantry recruited in the French c ...

algériens (Algerian native infantry regiment) **9e régiment de tirailleurs algériens (Algerian native infantry regiment) **3e régiment de

Zouave The Zouaves () were a class of light infantry regiments of the French Army and other units modelled on it, which served between 1830 and 1962, and served in French North Africa. The zouaves were among the most decorated units of the French Army ...

s (north African European infantry regiment) **2e régiment de

Chasseurs d'Afrique ''Chasseur'' ( , ), a French language, French term for "hunter", is the designation given to certain regiments of France, French and Belgium, Belgian light infantry () or light cavalry () to denote troops trained for rapid action. History T ...

(north African European cavalry regiment) **1er régiment de spahis algériens (Algerian native cavalry regiment) **65e régiment d'artillerie d'Afrique (north African artillery regiment) **410e régiment d'artillerie de défense contre aéronef (anti-aircraft artillery regiment) *''Division de Marche d'Oran'' **2e régiment de tirailleurs algériens (Algerian native infantry regiment) **6e régiment de tirailleurs algériens (Algerian native infantry regiment) **15e régiment de tirailleurs sénégalais (African native infantry regiment) ** 1st Foreign Infantry Regiment (French Foreign Legion) **1st et 3rd Batteries, 62e Regiment d'Artillerie Africaine (RAA), 2e 66e RAA, 1er 68e RAA. **Batteries A/C 47mm (2 ? 3? Š) **411e régiment d'artillerie de défense contre aéronef (anti-aircraft artillery regiment) *''Division de Marche du Maroc'' : As of 27 December 1942 : **7e régiment de tirailleurs marocains (Moroccan native infantry regiment) **3e régiment de tirailleurs marocains (Moroccan native infantry regiment) **4e régiment de tirailleurs tunisiens (Tunisian native infantry regiment) **3e régiment étranger d'infanterie (foreign legion infantry regiment) **1er Groupe de tabors marocains (Moroccan native infantry regiment) **

1st Foreign Cavalry Regiment The 1st Foreign Cavalry Regiment () is the only cavalry regiment of the Foreign Legion in the French Army. It is one of two armoured cavalry regiments of the 6th Light Armoured Brigade. The regiment has been stationed at Camp Carpiagne near ...

(''1er régiment étranger de cavalerie'') (2 escadrons ? 1 groupe ?) (Foreign Legion) **2 groupes de 75 **1 battery of 47mm **1 squadron of armoured cars (GB) **1 company of light tanks (US) NB sont mentionnés : mountain artillery reinforcements (2 ou 3 ou 4 batteries ?) The 19th Army Corps fought as an Allied formation within the British 1st Army until the surrender of

Axis An axis (: axes) may refer to: Mathematics *A specific line (often a directed line) that plays an important role in some contexts. In particular: ** Coordinate axis of a coordinate system *** ''x''-axis, ''y''-axis, ''z''-axis, common names ...

forces in Tunisia.

Postwar changeover to 10th Military Region

General :fr:Henry Martin (général) appears to have been the last commander of the 19th Army Corps (1944–46) and the first commander of the successor 10th Military Region, formed in accordance with the decree of 18 February 1946. .

Corps commanders 1920 – 1946

* 5 March 1920 – 30 September 1920:

Général is the French word for general. There are two main categories of generals: the general officers (), which are the highest-ranking commanding officers in the armed forces, and the specialist officers with flag rank (), which are high-level offic ...

Henri Albert Niessel * 9 November 1920 – 26 September 1923: Genéral Marie Jean Auguste Paulinier * 4 October 1923: General Edmond Just Victor Boichut * 24 December 1925: General Stanislas Naulin * 23 November 1930 : General Georges * 20 March 1933: General Charles Noguès * 16 September 1936 : General Catroux * 29 January 1939 – 20 August 1940 : General Poupinel * August 1940 – September 1941 : General Paul Beynet * 15 September 1941 – 10 May 1944 : General Koeltz * 30 August 1944 – 27 June 1945 : General

Martin Martin may refer to: Places Antarctica * Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land * Port Martin, Adelie Land * Point Martin, South Orkney Islands Europe * Martin, Croatia, a village * Martin, Slovakia, a city * Martín del Río, Aragón, Spain * M ...

Notes

References

* * * {{Cite book , editor1-last=Tournyol du Clos , editor1-first=Alain , title=Les armées françaises dans la Grande guerre. Tome IX. 1er Volume. Théatre d'opérations du Levant , series=Ministère De la Guerre, Etat-Major de l'Armée - Service Historique , publisher =Imprimerie Nationale , location =Paris , chapter=Chapitre VI: Renforcement du détachement français de Palestine , edition=1st , date=1936 , language=French , url=https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k62789162/f119.image , access-date=30 July 2020 *Service Historique de l'Armée de Terre. ''Guerre 1939–1945 Les Grandes Unités Françaises''. Paris: Imprimerie Nationale, 1967. Vol. 3 019 019 019 Military units and formations established in 1873 Military units and formations disestablished in 1946