7th Army (France)

7e Armée
Active1915–1918
1939–1940
CountryFrance
BranchFrench Army
TypeField army
Part ofFrench First Army Group (Groupe d'Armées no. 1)
EngagementsWorld War I
Battle of France
Breda Plan
Commanders
Notable
commanders		Henri Giraud

The Seventh Army (French: VIIe Armée) was a field army of the French Army during World War I and World War II.

World War I

Created on 4 April 1915 to defend the front between the Swiss border and Lorraine, the Seventh Army was the successor of the independent Army Detachment of the Vosges under General Putz. This Detachment had been created on 8 December 1914, with the stabilisation of the Western Front as successor of the Army of Alsace, Groupement des Vosges and 34th Army Corps.

The Seventh Army held the same position until the end of the War. Its major involvements were the Battle of Hartmannswillerkopf and the Battle of Le Linge in 1915.

World War II

The Seventh Army was re-formed on 3 September 1939 as a strategic reserve force. On 11 November, under General Henri Giraud,[1] it became part of the 1st Army Group and was deployed to northern Belgium, under the Allied Dyle Plan. Following the German offensives in Western Europe from 10 May 1940, the Seventh Army advanced into the Netherlands and northern Belgium under orders to join forces with Dutch troops.

After heavy fighting in Belgium and German breakthroughs further south (the Ardennes and Flanders), the general staff ordered the withdrawal of the Seventh Army headquarters (to central France). However, Giraud remained in Belgium to command the French 9th Army, which had assumed control of the surviving 7th Army units. Giraud was captured soon afterward at Wassigny (19 May).

On 17 May, a new Seventh Army had been formed on the Somme, under the 2nd Army Group, with reserve units and surviving units of the Second Army (which had been destroyed in Flanders). The new Seventh Army took an active part in the Battle of France until 25 June, 1940.

Order of Battle (10 May 1940)

At the start of the German offensive, the Seventh Army was part of the 1st Army Group (Groupe d'Armées no. 1) under General Billotte. The following composition is based on official records:[2]

Army Assets (Organiques d'Armée)

Army Assets & Reserve (Click "show" to expand)
  • Pioneer Regiments: 407th, 417th, 427th, 441st, and 442nd Pioneer Regiments (Régiment de Pionniers - RP)
  • Tank Units: 9th and 22nd Tank Battalions (Bataillon de Chars de Combat - BCC) [equipped with Renault tanks]
  • 1st Light Mechanized Division (1re Division Légère Mécanique - 1re DLM) (Picard) – Active, mechanized:[2]
    • 4th Cuirassier Regiment (4e Régiment de Cuirassiers - RC)
    • 18th Dragoon Regiment (18e Régiment de Dragons - RD)
    • 4th Motorized Dragoon Regiment (4e Régiment de Dragons Portés - RDP)
    • 6th Cuirassier Regiment (RC)
    • 74th All-Terrain Artillery Regiment (74e Régiment d'Artillerie Tractée Tout-Terrain - RATTT)
  • Army Reserve:[2]
    • 21st Infantry Division (21e Division d'Infanterie - 21e DI) (Lanquetot) – Active:
      • 48th, 65th, and 137th Infantry Regiments (Régiment d'Infanterie - RI)
      • 27th Divisional Reconnaissance Group (Groupe de Reconnaissance de Division d'Infanterie - GRDI)
      • 35th Divisional Artillery Regiment (Régiment d'Artillerie Divisionnaire - RAD)
      • 255th Divisional Heavy Artillery Regiment (Régiment d'Artillerie Lourde Divisionnaire - RALD)
    • 60th Infantry Division (60e Division d'Infanterie - 60e DI) (Deslaurens) – Reserve B:
      • 241st, 270th, and 271st Infantry Regiments (RI)
      • 68th Divisional Reconnaissance Group (GRDI)
      • 50th Divisional Artillery Regiment (RAD)
    • 4th Infantry Division (4e Division d'Infanterie - 4e DI) (Musse) – Reserve A (GQG Reserve):
      • 45th, 72nd, and 124th Infantry Regiments (RI)
      • 12th Divisional Reconnaissance Group (GRDI)
      • 29th Divisional Artillery Regiment (RAD)
      • 229th Divisional Heavy Artillery Regiment (RALD)
  • Fortified Sector of Flanders (Secteur Fortifié des Flandres) (Barthélémy):[2]
    • 272nd Fortress Infantry Demi-Brigade (Demi-Brigade d'Infanterie de Forteresse - DBI)
    • 1st Battalion, 161st Fortress Artillery Regiment (Régiment d'Artillerie de Forteresse - RAP)

1st Army Corps (1er CA)

1st Army Corps – Units (Click "show" to expand)
  • Corps Assets: 601st Pioneer Regiment (RP), 2nd Corps Reconnaissance Group (Groupe de Reconnaissance de Corps d'Armée - GRCA), 101st Heavy Artillery Regiment (Régiment d'Artillerie Lourde - RALA)
  • 25th Motorized Infantry Division (25e Division d'Infanterie Motorisée - 25e DIM) (Molinié) – Active, motorized:[2]
    • 38th, 92nd, and 121st Infantry Regiments (RI)
    • 5th Divisional Reconnaissance Group (GRDI)
    • 16th Divisional Artillery Regiment (RAD)
    • 216th Divisional Heavy Artillery Regiment (RALD)

16th Army Corps (16e CA)

16th Army Corps – Units (Click "show" to expand)
  • Corps Assets: 616th Pioneer Regiment (RP), 18th Corps Reconnaissance Group (GRCA), 115th Heavy Artillery Regiment (Régiment d'Artillerie Lourde - RALH)
  • 9th Motorized Infantry Division (9e Division d'Infanterie Motorisée - 9e DIM) (Didelet) – Active, motorized:[2]
    • 13th, 95th, and 131st Infantry Regiments (RI)
    • 2nd Divisional Reconnaissance Group (GRDI)
    • 30th Divisional Artillery Regiment (RAD)
    • 230th Divisional Heavy Artillery Regiment (RALD)

Commanders

World War I

  • General Putz (8 December 1914 - 2 April 1915) (Army Detachment of the Vosges)
  • General de Maud’huy (2 April 1915 - 3 November 1915)
  • General de Villaret (3 November 1915 - 19 December 1916)
  • General Debeney (19 December 1916 - 4 April 1917)
  • General Baucheron de Boissoudy (4 April 1917 - 15 October 1918)
  • General Humbert (15 October 1918 - 23 October 1918)
  • General de Mitry (23 October 1918 – Armistice)

World War II

See also

References

  1. ^ "Henri Giraud, 1879–1949". Chemins de Mémoire (in French). Retrieved 10 June 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Les Grandes Unités Françaises de la Guerre 1939-1945, Historiques Succincts, Service Historique de l'Armée de Terre (SHAT), Vincennes, 1967.
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