| Unit Name: | Military Division |
| Native Name: | Division Militaire DM |
| Dates: | 1940-42 |
| Branch: | Armistice Army |
| Type: | Infantry |
| Size: | Division |
| Battles: | World War II |
The Military Division (abbreviated to DM) was a Vichy French infantry formation in 1940-1942, during World War II. The divisions were numbered according to the military regions. The Vichy French Military Division had a near-identical organisation as the French Infantry Divisions of 1939-1940, but with the restrictions of the Armistice of 22 June 1940 imposed them. The whole Army of Vichy France, except for the Garde, was demobilized on 27 November 1942 after Case Anton.
The table below shows the order of battle that a Military Division aspired to. In addition, each Military Division had a, which had the purpose of countering politically subversive actions, especially those by Communists, but also those of the supporters of Charles de Gaulle.[1]
| Unit | ||
| Division headquarters | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3x Infantry regiments (each of an identical composition)(or 3x Demi-brigades of Chasseurs à Pied, each with 3 battalions) | ||
| I battalion | 4 mixed rifle and MG companies:[2] | |
| II battalion | 4 mixed rifle and MG companies (as above) | |
| III battalion | 4 mixed rifle and MG companies (as above) | |
| Cavalry regiment(either Cuirassier/Dragoon or Chasseur/Hussar) | ||
A single Cuirassier or Dragoon regiment (divided into reconnaissance groups)
| A single Chasseurs à cheval or Hussar regiment
| |
| Artillery regiment | ||
| I group | ||
| II group |
| |
| III group |
| |
| Engineer battalion | ||
| ||
| Signals group,[6] also known as a battalion | ||
| Transport group, also known as company | ||
| Guard regiment | ||
This Armistice banned anti-tank and gas protection equipment, while minimizing mechanization. However, the reduction of the French army meant that its remains could be entirely equipped with the newest and best equipment available, e.g. MAS-36 rifle, MAS-38 and Thompson submachine guns. The previously used VB rifle grenade was over time replaced with the Lance Grenades de 50 mm modèle 37. Artillery was only allowed to have 75mm calibre guns.
| Location of divisional headquarters | Infantry units | Cavalry regiment | Artillery regiment | ||
| 7th Military Division | Bourg-en-Bresse[7] |
| 5th Dragoon Regiment | ||
| 9th Military Division | Châteauroux | ||||
| 12th Military Division | Limoges[8] |
| 6th Cuirassier Regiment | ||
| 13th Military Division | Clermont-Ferrand[9] | 8th Dragoon Regiment | |||
| 14th Military Division | Lyon | ||||
| 15th Military Division | Marseille[10] | 12th Cuirassier Regiment | |||
| 16th Military Division | Montpellier[11] | 3rd Dragoon Regiment | |||
| 17th Military Division | Toulouse | 2nd Dragoon Regiment |