15th Military Division
ActiveDecember 1940 - November 1942
Disbanded27 November 1942
Country Vichy France
BranchVichy French Army
TypeInfantry
RoleMilitary Garrison and Infantry
SizeDivision
Garrison/HQMarseille
EngagementsWorld War II

The 15th Military Division (French: 15e Division Militaire) also known as the 15th Military Region (French: 15e Région Militaire)[1] was an infantry formation of division-size of the Armistice Army that was active during World War II. The division's headquarters was in Marseille.[2][3] This division was subordinated to the 1st Group of Military Divisions.[4]

History

The 15th Military Division was formed on 12 September 1940.[5] On 8 November 1942 at 15:00, just before Case Anton, the 15th Military Division positioned themselves for battle.[6] Like the rest of the Army of Vichy France, this division, except for the Garde, was demobilized on 27 November 1942.[3]

Commanders

  1. General de corps d'armée[1] (equivalent to Lieutenant-General) Henri-Fernand Dentz[5] (27 June to 28 December 1940)
  2. MG Maxime-Jean-Vincent Germain[5]
  3. MG Jean-Louis-Auguste Humbert or MG Jules-Phillipe Octave Decamp[5]

Composition

The 15th Military Division's Order of Battle was such:[2][3][7]

  • 43rd Alpine Infantry Regiment (French: 43e Régiment d'Infanterie Alpine):
    • HQ (at Fréjus)
    • 1st Bn. (at Fréjus)
    • 2nd Bn. (at Fréjus)
    • 3rd Bn. (at Arles)
  • 21st Colonial Infantry Regiment (French: 21e Régiment d'Infanterie Coloniale):
    • HQ (at Marseille)
    • 1st Bn. (at Marseille)
    • 2nd Bn. (at Marseille)
    • 3rd Bn. (at Tarascon)
  • 173rd Autonomous Battalion (French: 173e Bataillon autonome de la Corse) (in Bastia, Corsica)
  • 2nd Chasseurs Alpins Demi-brigade (French: 2e Demi-Brigade de Chasseurs Alpins) (HQ at Hyères)
    • 20th Chasseurs Alpins Battalion (French: 20e Bataillon de Chasseurs Alpins) (at Digne)
    • 24th Chasseurs Alpins Battalion (French: 24e Bataillon de Chasseurs Alpins) (at Hyères)
    • 25th Chasseurs Alpins Battalion (French: 25e Bataillon de Chasseurs Alpins) (at Hyères)
  • 12th Cuirassier Regiment (French: 12e Régiment de Cuirassiers) (in Orange):
    • 1 cavalry bn - 2 sqns
    • 1 bicycle bn - 2 cos
    • 1 mixed bn - 1 bicycle co & 1 armored car co.
  • 10th Colonial Artillery Regiment (French: 10e Régiment d'Artillerie Coloniale):
    • HQ (at Nîmes)
    • 1st Bn. (each battalion had 3 75mm btrys) (at Nîmes)
    • 2nd Bn. (each battalion had 3 75mm btrys) (at Marseille)
    • 3rd Bn. (1 mot 75mm btry & 2 Mountain 75mm btrys) (at Draguignan)
  • 7th Engineer Battalion (at Avignon)
  • 8/15th Signals Group[Note 1] (at Avignon)
  • 15th Transportation Group (at Marseille)
  • 2nd Garde Regiment - HQ at Marseille
    • 1er Bataillon
    • 2e Bataillon
      • HQ - Nice
      • 5e Escadron - Motorcycle
      • 6e Escadron - Infantry
      • 7e Escadron - Infantry
      • 8e Escadron - Infantry

Military Commands

The following Departemental Military Commands (French: Commandant Militaire du Département) were under the 15th Military Division:[2]

Numerous Military District Commands (French: Commandement du District Militaire) of these places were subordinated to the 15th Military Division:[2]

Training grounds

The 15th Military Division had two training grounds, namely those at Carpiagne and Garrigues.[2]

References

Notes

  1. ↑ The term 'group' is used for support units, though equivalent to that of a company.

Footnotes

  1. 1 2 BnF 1997.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Niehorster & Sharp 2014a.
  3. 1 2 3 Vauvillier & Sumner 1998, p. 38.
  4. ↑ Niehorster & Sharp 2014b.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Pettibone 2010, p. 494.
  6. ↑ Paxton 2004; La 15e division militaire, par exemple, prit son dispositif d'alerte à 15 heures le 8 novembre 1942.
  7. ↑ Nafziger 1992.

Sources

  • BnF (1 July 1997). Dentz, Henri-Fernand (1881-1945) (in French). Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  • Nafziger, George (1992). "Vichy French Forces in France – 1 March 1941" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 January 2017.
  • Niehorster, Leo; Sharp, Lee (31 October 2014). "Vichy France – Order of Battle 15th Military Division – 15 April 1941". Archived from the original on 26 January 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  • Niehorster, Leo; Sharp, Lee (31 October 2014). "Vichy France – Army in Metropolitan France – 15 April 1941". Archived from the original on 20 March 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  • Paxton, Robert O. (2004). L'Armée de Vichy. Le corps des officiers français (in French). Tallandier. ISBN 9791021016774.
  • Pettibone, Charles D. (2010). The Organization and Order of Battles of Militaries in World War II. Vol. VI: Italy and France. Victoria, British Columbia, Canada: Trafford Publishing. ISBN 978-1426946332.
  • Vauvillier, François; Sumner, Ian (1998). The French Army 1939-45. Men-at-Arms. Vol. I. United Kingdom: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 9781855326668.
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