72nd Infantry Division (France)

Last updated

The 72nd Infantry Division (French : 72e Division d'Infanterie, 72e DI) was a French Army formation during World War I. [1]

The division was a reserve formation of the French Army, based at Verdun. It was mobilised on 2 August 1914. On mobilisation it commanded the 351st, 362nd, 364th, 365th, and 366th Infantry Regiments and the 56th and 59th Battalions of Chasseurs à Pied. It formed part of the garrison of the Verdun fortress and was subordinated to the French 3rd Army.

The division remained in the Verdun region until August 1916 (during which it participated in the Battle of Verdun), when it was then moved north, where it then participated in the Battle of the Somme. In 1918 the division took part in the Second Battle of the Marne.

At the end of the war, only the 365th Infantry Regiment of the original force remained with the division, the other units having been posted away, amalgamated, or disbanded. In addition to this, the 1st Mixed Regiment of Zouaves and Tirailleurs, and the 31st Territorial Infantry Regiment formed part of the division.

At various times, it was part of the French First Army, French Second Army, French Third Army, French Fourth Army, French Fifth Army, French Sixth Army, French Seventh Army, French Tenth Army, Army of the Lorraine, GQGA and the Fortified Region of Verdun.

Related Research Articles

The 53rd Infantry Division was a French Army formation during World War I and World War II.

The 18th Infantry Division was a French Army formation during World War I and World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Russian Expeditionary Force in France</span> Military unit

The Russian Expeditionary Force [REF] was a World War I military force sent to France and Greece by the Russian Empire. In 1915, the French requested that Russian troops be sent to fight alongside their own army on the Western Front. Initially they asked for 300,000 men, an unrealistically high figure, probably based on assumptions about Russia's 'unlimited' reserves. General Mikhail Alekseev, the Imperial Chief of Staff, was opposed to sending any Russian troops, although Nicholas II finally agreed to send a unit of brigade strength. The first Russian brigade finally landed at Marseille in April 1916.

The Tenth Army was a Field army of the French Army during World War I and World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1st Free French Division</span> Military unit of the Free French Forces during World War II

The 1st Free French Division was one of the principal units of the Free French Forces (FFL) during World War II, renowned for having fought the Battle of Bir Hakeim.

The 2nd Army Corps was first formed before World War I. During World War II it fought in the Campaign for France in 1940 and during the 1944–45 campaigns in southern France, the Vosges Mountains, Alsace, and southwestern Germany. It was active under the First Army for many years after World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2nd Foreign Infantry Regiment (France)</span> Military unit

The 2nd Foreign Infantry Regiment is an infantry regiment of the Foreign Legion in the French Army. The regiment is one of two mechanized infantry regiments of the 6th Light Armoured Brigade.

The 10th Reserve Division was a unit of the Prussian Army, part of Imperial German Army in World War I. The division was formed on mobilization of the German Army in August 1914 as part of V Reserve Corps. The division was disbanded in 1919 during the demobilization of the German Army after World War I. The division was formed with a regular infantry brigade from the Province of West Prussia and a reserve infantry brigade from West Prussia and the Province of Posen.

The 51st Reserve Division was a unit of the Imperial German Army in World War I. The division was formed in September 1914 and organized over the next month, arriving in the line in October. It was part of the first wave of new divisions formed at the outset of World War I, which were numbered the 43rd through 54th Reserve Divisions. The division was initially part of XXVI Reserve Corps. It was disbanded in 1919 during the demobilization of the German Army after World War I.

The Armée d'Orient (AO) was a field army of the French Army during World War I who fought on the Macedonian front.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1st Marine Infantry Regiment</span> Military unit

The 1st Marine Infantry Regiment is a French regiment heir of the colonial infantry. The regiment is one of the quatre vieux regiments of the Troupes de Marine, with the 2nd Marine Infantry Regiment 2e RIMa, the 3rd Marine Infantry Regiment 3e RIMa, as well the 4th Marine Infantry Regiment 4e RIMa. Along with the 1st Marine Artillery Regiment 1er RAMa and the 2nd Marine Artillery Regiment 2e RAMa, the 1st Marine formed the Blue Division. The 1er RIMa is a light armoured unit, since 1986, alike with the régiment d'infanterie-chars de marine RICM.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2nd Marine Infantry Regiment</span> Military unit

The 2nd Marine Infantry Regiment is an infantry regiment of the Troupes de marine in the French Army, the only regiment to bear 16 battle honours inscriptions of the regimental colors. The regiment is one of the "quatre vieux" regiments of the Troupes de marine, with the 1st Marine Infantry Regiment 1er RIMa, the 3rd Marine Infantry Regiment 3e RIMa and the 4th Marine Infantry Regiment 4e RIMa ; also, alongside the 1st Marine Artillery Regiment 1er RAMa as well as the 2nd Marine Artillery Regiment 2e RAMa which formed the Blue Division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">54th Infantry Regiment (France)</span> Military unit

The 54th Infantry Regiment is a line infantry regiment of the French Army.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Georges de Bazelaire</span>

Georges de Bazelaire was a Major General in the French Army. During World War I, Bazelaire commanded the 135th Infantry Regiment, the 27th and 38th Infantry Divisions and the 7th Army Corps.

The Moroccan Division or the 1st Moroccan Division of 1914, initially the Marching Division of Morocco was an infantry division of France's Army of Africa which participated in World War I.

The 31st Army Corps was a corps of the French army, created at the start of the First World War. From the date of its creation until June 1916, the army corps occupied front sectors in Lorraine. In June, the 31st Army Corps fought on the left bank of the Meuse during the Battle of Verdun. Subsequently, it occupied a front line sector in the Argonne, before being transported to the Italian Front as a reinforcement after the Italian defeat at the Battle of Caporetto, alongside the 10th Army (France). In March 1918, the army corps was redeployed to France, to face the German offensives, it was situated on the Somme front until the end of the war.

156th Infantry Division was an infantry division of the French Army during the First World War. It was deployed overseas, seeing action during the Gallipoli campaign, and thereafter on the Salonika front, fighting alongside British troops in both theatres of war. It was sent to the Crimea in December 1918 as part of the Army of the Danube.

122nd Infantry Division was an infantry division of the French Army during the First World War. It was deployed overseas, seeing action on the Salonika front, fighting alongside British troops. It was sent to the Crimea in December 1918 as part of the Army of the Danube.

57th Infantry Division was an infantry division of the French Army during the First World War. It was deployed overseas, seeing action on the Salonika front, fighting alongside British troops. It was sent to the Crimea in December 1918 as part of the Army of the Danube.

17th Colonial Infantry Division was an infantry division of the French Army during the First World War. It was deployed overseas, seeing action during the Gallipoli campaign, and thereafter on the Salonika front, fighting alongside British troops in both theatres of war. It was sent to the Crimea in December 1918 as part of the Army of the Danube.

References

  1. historique, France Etat-major des armées Service (1923–1924). Les armées françaises dans la Grande guerre. Tome X. 10,2 / Ministère de la guerre, état-major de l'armée, service historique (in French). Archived from the original on 2016-01-29.