| 9th Colonial Infantry Division | |
|---|---|
 Unit insignia | |
| Active | 16 July 1943 - November 1946 |
| Country |  France |
| Allegiance | France |
| Branch | French Army |
| Type | Infantry Division |
| Role | Infantry |
| Engagements | Invasion of Elba |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Joseph Magnan Jean Étienne Valluy |
The 9th Colonial Infantry Division (French : 9e Division d'Infanterie Coloniale, 9e DIC) was a French Army formation which fought in World War II.
A 9th Colonial Infantry Division was being formed in June 1940, but the formation wasn't finished when France surrendered after the Battle of France.
After the liberation of French North Africa, the division was created in July 1943 from Colonial units from French West Africa and Morocco. Many escapees from France who had reached North Africa via Spain joined the division. But at that time, the 9th DIC was mostly made up of Africans from all the territories of French West Africa.
The division saw its first action when it was tasked with the Invasion of Elba from Corsica on 17 June 1944. This was achieved in 4 days, in particular thanks to the actions of the 2nd battalion of the 13th regiment of Senegalese tirailleurs, commanded by Jean Gilles.
The 9th DIC became one of the components of General de Lattre de Tassigny's First French Army and in August 1944, it landed in Southern France. On 27 August 1944, the division liberated Toulon after heavy fighting.
The Division the took part in the Liberation of France advancing towards the Alsace. During this advance the Division was "whitened" (blanchichement), meaning that African soldiers were being replaced by French white volunteers.
In 1945, the division took part in the reduction of the Colmar Pocket in January and later in the invasion of Germany, taking Karlsruhe, Rastatt and Baden-Baden in April.
In December 1945, the 9th DIC, under the command of General Valluy and part of the French Far East Expeditionary Corps, was sent to Indochina.
Its task was to restore French rule in Indochina, which was under threat from the Viet Minh, which had declared Vietnam independent.
The 9th DIC was disbanded on 1 November 1946, 6 weeks before the outbreak of the First Indochina War.
The Troupes de Marine is a corps of the French Army that includes several specialities: infantry, artillery, armoured, airborne, engineering, and transmissions (Signals). Despite its name, it forms part of the Army, not the Navy. Intended for amphibious and overseas operations, the Troupes de marine have been, and still are, in all the fights of the French army. It has gradually become professionalized since 1970.
The Senegalese Tirailleurs were a corps of colonial infantry in the French Army. They were initially recruited from Senegal, French West Africa and subsequently throughout Western, Central and Eastern Africa: the main sub-Saharan regions of the French colonial empire. The noun tirailleur, which translates variously as 'skirmisher', 'rifleman', or 'sharpshooter', was a designation given by the French Army to indigenous infantry recruited in the various colonies and overseas possessions of the French Empire during the 19th and 20th centuries.
The structure of the French Army is fixed by Chapter 2 of Title II of Book II of the Third Part of the Code of Defense, notably resulting in the codification of Decree 2000-559 of 21 June 2000.
The 19th Army Corps was a corps of the French army. In December 1870, the Tours delegation created the 19th Army Corps which was formed in Alençon. 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 7th Armoured Division was an armoured division of the French Army. The division was active during the Cold War and some time after the fall of the Berlin Wall, before being disbanded. Its traditions were carried on by the 7th Armoured Brigade.
The 9th Marine Infantry Brigade is a light armoured, amphibious unit of the Troupes de marine of the French Army.
The 1st Armored Division is a unit of the French Army formed during World War II that took part in the Liberation of France.
The Régiment d'infanterie chars de marine RICM in French, is a light cavalry regiment of the French Army, successor to the Régiment d'infanterie coloniale du Maroc RICM.
Jean Marcellin Joseph Calixte Gilles was a French Army general who served in World War II and several colonial conflicts.
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.
The 4th Marine Infantry Regiment was a French marine regiment of the troupes de marine within the French Army. This regiment was part of the « Quatre Grands » of the Marine Infantry along with the 1st Marine Infantry Regiment 1er RIMa, the 2nd Marine Infantry Regiment 2e RIMa, the 3rd Marine Infantry Regiment 3e RIMa, however was dissolved in 1998. Along with the 1st Marine Artillery Regiment 1er RAMa and 2nd Marine Artillery Regiment 2e RAMa, the 4th Marine formed of the two brigades of the Blue Division. On June 14, 2001, the GSMA of Mayotte, heir to the 4th Marine Infantry Regiment, received the color guard of the regimental colors.
The 21st Marine Infantry Regiment is a unit of the French military issued by filiation from the 2e RIC.
The Army of Châlons was a French military formation that fought during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870. Formed in the camp of Châlons on August 17, 1870, from elements of the Army of the Rhine which the formation was issued from, the Army of Châlons was engaged in combats of Beaumont and Sedan while disappearing during the capitulation of September 2, 1870.
The following is a hierarchical outline for the French Land Army at the end of the Cold War. It is intended to convey the connections and relationships between units and formations. The theoretical combat strength of the army was 295,989 soldiers, of the 557,904 individuals available for service across the entire French Armed Forces in 1989.
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 Army of the Rhine was a French military unit that fought in the Franco-Prussian War. It was created after the declaration of war on July 18 1870.
The 2nd Colonial Infantry Division was a French Army formation which fought in World War I and World War II.
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.