15th Military Division

15th Military Division Carte Armée d'armistice.jpg December 1940 - November 1942 27 November 1942 Vichy France 25px Vichy French Army Infantry Military Garrison and Infantry Division Marseille World War II The 15th Military Division (fr 15e Division Militaire) also known as the 15th Military Region (fr 15e Région Militaire)BnF 1997 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.Niehorster Sharp 2014aVauvillier Sumner 1998 38 This division was subordinated to the 1st Group of Military Divisions.Niehorster Sharp 2014b History The 15th Military Division was formed on 12 September 1940.Pettibone 2010 494 On 8 November 1942 at 15:00, just before Case Anton, the 15th Military Division positioned themselves for battle.Paxton 2004 ; La 15e division militaire, par exemple, prit son dispositif d'alerte à 15 heures le 8 novembre 1942. Like the rest of the Army of Vichy France, this division, except for the Garde, was demobilized on 27 November 1942.Vauvillier Sumner 1998 38 Commanders General de corps d'arméeBnF 1997 (equivalent to Lieutenant-General) Henri-Fernand DentzPettibone 2010 494 (27 June to 28 December 1940) MG Maxime Germain (General) Maxime Jean Vincent Germain es Maxime Germain fr Maxime GermainPettibone 2010 494 MG Jean-Louis-Auguste Humbert Jean-Louis-Auguste Humbert sl Jean-Louis-Auguste Humbert or MG Jules Decamp Jules-Phillipe Octave Decamp fr Jules DecampPettibone 2010 494 Composition Vichy French Military Division order of battle The 15th Military Division's Order of Battle was such:Niehorster Sharp 2014aVauvillier Sumner 1998 38Nafziger 1992 43rd Alpine Infantry Regiment (fr 43e Régiment d'Infanterie Alpine no): HQ (at Fréjus) 1st Bn. (at Fréjus) 2nd Bn. (at Fréjus) 3rd Bn. (at Arles) 21st Colonial Infantry Regiment (fr 21e Régiment d'Infanterie Coloniale no): HQ (at Marseille) 1st Bn. (at Marseille) 2nd Bn. (at Marseille) 3rd Bn. (at Tarascon) 173rd Infantry Regiment (France) 173rd Autonomous Battalion fr 173e régiment d'infanterie (fr 173e Bataillon autonome de la Corse no) (in Bastia, Corsica) 2nd Chasseurs Alpins Demi-brigade (fr 2e Demi-Brigade de Chasseurs Alpins no) (HQ at Hyères) 20th Chasseurs Alpins Battalion 20th Chasseurs Alpins Battalion fr 20e bataillon de chasseurs alpins (fr 20e Bataillon de Chasseurs Alpins no) (at Digne) 24th Chasseurs Alpins Battalion 24th Chasseurs Alpins Battalion fr 24e bataillon de chasseurs alpins (fr 24e Bataillon de Chasseurs Alpins no) (at Hyères) 25th Chasseurs Alpins Battalion 25th Chasseurs Alpins Battalion fr 25e bataillon de chasseurs alpins (fr 25e Bataillon de Chasseurs Alpins no) (at Hyères) 12th Cuirassier Regiment (fr 12e Régiment de Cuirassiers no) (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 (France) 10th Colonial Artillery Regiment fr 10e régiment d'artillerie coloniale (fr 10e Régiment d'Artillerie Coloniale no): 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 GroupThe term 'group' is used for support units, though equivalent to that of a company. (at Avignon) 15th Transportation Group (at Marseille) 2nd Garde Regiment - HQ at Marseille 1er Bataillon HQ - Marseille 1er Escadron - Cavalry/Reconnaissance 2e Escadron - Cavalry/Reconnaissance 3e Escadron - Infantry 4e Escadron - Motorcycle 2e Bataillon HQ - Nice 5e Escadron - Motorcycle 6e Escadron - Infantry 7e Escadron - Infantry 8e Escadron - Infantry Military Commands The following Departemental Military Commands (fr Commandant Militaire du Département no) were under the 15th Military Division:Niehorster Sharp 2014a Bouches-du-Rhône (at Marseille) Gard (at Nîmes) Ardèche (at Privas) Vaucluse (at Avignon) Var (at Toulon) Basses Alpes (at Digne) Alpes Maritimes (at Nice) Corsica (department) Corse fr Corse (département) (at Bastia) Numerous Military District Commands (fr Commandement du District Militaire no) of these places were subordinated to the 15th Military Division:Niehorster Sharp 2014a Aix Draguignan Grasse Ajaccio Corte Sartène Training grounds The 15th Military Division had two training grounds, namely those at Carpiagne Carpiagne fr Carpiagne and Garrigues.Niehorster Sharp 2014a References Notes Footnotes Sources BnF 1 July 1997 Dentz, Henri-Fernand (1881-1945) https://catalogue.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/cb11276042g live https://web.archive.org/web/20160305234155/https://catalogue.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/cb11276042g 5 March 2016 catalogue.bnf.fr fr Nafziger George George Nafziger 1992 Vichy French Forces in France – 1 March 1941 http://usacac.army.mil/cac2/CGSC/CARL/nafziger/941FCAA.pdf dead https://web.archive.org/web/20170127012817/http://usacac.army.mil/cac2/CGSC/CARL/nafziger/941FCAA.pdf 27 January 2017 Niehorster Leo Sharp Lee 31 October 2014a Vichy France – Order of Battle 15th Military Division – 15 April 1941 http://www.niehorster.org/020_france/41-04-15_vichy/div_15.html live https://web.archive.org/web/20190126164237/http://www.niehorster.org/020_france/41-04-15_vichy/div_15.html 26 January 2019 Niehorster Leo Sharp Lee 31 October 2014b Vichy France – Army in Metropolitan France – 15 April 1941 http://niehorster.org/020_france/41-04-15_vichy/_metro.html live https://web.archive.org/web/20150320222948/http://niehorster.org/020_france/41-04-15_vichy/_metro.html 20 March 2015 Paxton Robert O. https://books.google.com/books?id=5MZSCwAAQBAJ&q=%2215e+division+militaire%22+Vichy L'Armée de Vichy. Le corps des officiers français Tallandier 2004 9791021016774 fr Robert Paxton Pettibone Charles D. https://books.google.com/books?id=p2qj8VHx4kcC The Organization and Order of Battles of Militaries in World War II Trafford Publishing 2010 978-1426946332 VI: Italy and France Victoria, British Columbia, Canada Vauvillier François The French Army 1939-45 Sumner Ian Osprey Publishing 1998 9781855326668 Men-at-Arms I United Kingdom Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 1942 Category:Military units and formations established in 1940 Category:Divisions of Vichy France