16th Senegalese Tirailleurs Regiment

16th Senegalese Tirailleurs Regiment Insigne régimentaire du 16e Régiment de Tirailleurs Sénégalais.jpg Regimental insignia of the 16e RTS 1919-1940, 1943-1944 France 23px France 23pxFrench Army Infantry Regiment World War II Battle of France The 16th Senegalese Tirailleurs Regiment (16e Régiment de Tirailleurs Sénégalais, 16e RTS) was a Senegalese Tirailleurs regiment of the French Army. It saw combat in the Battle of France during World War II. History The regiment was created in 1919 and was based in Montauban from 1922-1940. In March 1939 the unit was sent to Tarn-et-Garonne to handle the influx of refugees fleeing the nationalist victory in the Spanish Civil War.Musée de la Résistance et de la Déportation de Montauban 2008 Le 16e régiment de tirailleurs sénégalais de Montauban des années 1920 à 1940 https://www.museeresistance.montauban.com/uploads/files/plaquette16eRTS.pdf During the German invasion of France in 1940 the 16e RTS was a component of the 4th Colonial Infantry Division (4e Division d’Infanterie Coloniale, 4e DIC). In mid-May 1940 the division held positions along the Somme River. The German 2nd Motorized Infantry Division succeeded in securing bridgeheads across the Somme in the Amiens sector, and on 23 May the 4e DIC launched a series of attacks aimed at reducing these bridgeheads. The 16e RTS attempted to retake the village of Fouilloy but was repulsed.Forczyk Robert Case Red: The Collapse of France 2017 Osprey Publishing 9781472824462 225 In June 1940 the Germans launched Fall Rot, an operation aimed at taking Paris, and crossed the Somme in force. On 9-10 June the 16e RTS attempted to hold the village of Erquinvillers. One soldier of the 4e DIC described “savage combat that lasted from 1 a.m. to 3:30 a.m... On 10 June the Germans set fire to the village, finishing off the wounding and massacring the Senegalese prisoners, leaving at least 150 dead on the field.” The German 9th Infantry Division machine-gunned dozens of tirailleurs after surrender. When a French officer, Lucien Carrat, protested the killing of black prisoners, he was told by a German officer that “an inferior race does not deserve to do battle with such a civilized race as the Germans.”Forczyk Robert Case Red: The Collapse of France 2017 Osprey Publishing 9781472824462 335 Commandant Henri Bouquet of the 24e RTS attempted to regroup remaining elements of the 16e and 24e RTS and lead a breakout attempt, but this group was captured on 10 June. Marched to a woods near Cressonsacq, German troops of the Großdeutschland Regiment separated the African troops from their white officers and NCOs. Commandant Bouquet protested and attempted to protect his troops. Captain Jean Speckel, commander of the 1st Battalion, 16e RTS, who spoke German, translated for Bouquet and declared that he was proud to have commanded such soldiers. Bouquet, Speckel, and six other white officers were executed along with 64 tirailleurs of the 16e and 24e RTS in the Bois d’Eraine Massacre.Tantin Dominique BOUQUET Henri [Henry], Georg 2018-01-05 Henry https://maitron.fr/spip.php?article198135 2024-06-19 Paris Maitron/Editions de l'Atelier frSPECKEL Jean, Richard, Antoine - Maitron https://fusilles-40-44.maitron.fr/spip.php?article198285 2024-06-19 fusilles-40-44.maitron.frTantin Dominique Cressonsacq (Oise), bois d'Eraine, 10 - 11 juin 1940 2019-02-16 Le Maitron https://maitron.fr/spip.php?article198101 2024-06-19 Paris Maitron/Editions de l'Atelier fr The 16e RTS was briefly reestablished in 1943 with the aim of creating a 10th Colonial Infantry Division (10e Division d’Infanterie Coloniale, 10e DIC) to participate in the liberation of France, but the idea was abandoned and the regiment dissolved in 1944. The soldiers assigned to the 16e RTS were instead sent as replacements to reinforce the 1st Free French Division, part of the French Expeditionary Corps in Italy.Weiss Stéphane http://theses.univ-lyon2.fr/documents/lyon2/2016/weiss_s/pdfAmont/weiss_s_these_udl.pdf « Le jour d'après » Organisations et projets militaires dans la France libérée Août 1944- mars 1946 2016 Université Lumière Lyon 2 586 fr "The Day After" Military Organizations and Projects in Liberated France August 1944 - March 1946 Doctoral thesis in history References Category:1914 establishments in the French colonial empire Category:1910s establishments in Senegal Category:Military units and formations established in 1914 Category:Colonial regiments of France Category:Military history of Senegal Category:Military history of France Category:French Senegal