7th Military Division (Vichy France) explained

Unit Name:7th Military Division
Dates:12 September 1940 – 27 November 1942; [1]
Country: French State
Branch: Army of the Armistice
Type:Military regional command
Size:Division
Command Structure:1st Group of Military Divisions
Garrison:Bourg-en-Bresse
Garrison Label:Divisional HQ

The 7th Military Division was a regional army division of the Armistice Army, the Vichy France military permitted under the Armistice of 22 June 1940 after the defeat of France.

History

Under the terms of the Armistice of 22 June 1940, the old French Third Republic was disestablished, and with it, its lands were divided. In Northern France and Western France, the Wehrmacht took direct control of the country while the central and Southern regions were controlled by a new nation, Vichy France. The new nation was limited in the size of its armed forces, so a reorganisation of the region was ordered. The 1st Group of Military Divisions was formed in Avignon and covered the eastern parts of the country, while the 2nd Group covered the west.[2] The 7th Division encompassed the unoccupied portions of the departments of Jura, Saône-et-Loire, as well as all of Ain.[3] [4]

On 12 September 1940, the 7th Military Division was stood up under command of Major General (former Deputy Commander, 14th Military Division). Later that year he was replaced by Major General, and in the same year replaced by Major General Marie Alphonse Théodore René Adrian Desmazes, and replaced again by Major General . In 1941, Keller was replaced by either Major General or Major General . In 1941, Major General Pierre Jules André Marie de La Font Chabert took command of the division, and following Case Anton himself and the division was demobilised on 27 November 1942.

Organisation

By 15 April 1941, the 7th Military Division was under the command of one of the two corps sized regional commands, the 1st Group of Military Division based in Avignon. The below structure is that of the division on the division mentioned beforehand.

Footnotes

Notes

  1. Sumner, p. 37–39
  2. Web site: Niehorster. Dr Leo. Vichy Army in Metropolitan France, 15.04.1941. 2021-08-17. niehorster.org.
  3. Web site: Niehorster. Dr Leo. 7e Division Militaire, 1e Groupe de Divisions Militaires, L'Armée Métropolitaine, 08.11.42. 2021-08-17. niehorster.org.
  4. Pettibone, p. 492
  5. Web site: Nafziger. George. Organization of Vichy French Infantry Divisions 1941. 21 August 2021. United States Army Combined Arms Center.
  6. Web site: Nafziger. George. Vichy French Forces in France 1 March 1941. 21 August 2021. United States Army Combined Arms Center.
  7. The term 'group' is used for support units, though equivalent to that of battalion.
  8. The term 'regiment' is used for the Guard Legion (Gendarmerie), though equivalent to that of a battalion.
  9. Web site: Nafziger. George. Organization of a Vichy French Guard Legion 1941. 21 August 2021. United States Army Combined Arms Center.

Citations

  1. Sumner, p. 37–39
  2. Web site: Niehorster. Dr Leo. Vichy Army in Metropolitan France, 15.04.1941. 2021-08-17. niehorster.org.
  3. Web site: Niehorster. Dr Leo. 7e Division Militaire, 1e Groupe de Divisions Militaires, L'Armée Métropolitaine, 08.11.42. 2021-08-17. niehorster.org.
  4. Pettibone, p. 492
  5. Web site: Nafziger. George. Organization of Vichy French Infantry Divisions 1941. 21 August 2021. United States Army Combined Arms Center.
  6. Web site: Nafziger. George. Vichy French Forces in France 1 March 1941. 21 August 2021. United States Army Combined Arms Center.
  7. The term 'group' is used for support units, though equivalent to that of battalion.
  8. The term 'regiment' is used for the Guard Legion (Gendarmerie), though equivalent to that of a battalion.
  9. Web site: Nafziger. George. Organization of a Vichy French Guard Legion 1941. 21 August 2021. United States Army Combined Arms Center.

References

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "7th Military Division (Vichy France)".

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