9th Army Corps (France)
| 9th Army Corps | |
|---|---|
| 9e Corps d'Armée | |
| Active | 1870–1940 |
| Country | France |
| Branch | French Army |
| Type | Army Corps |
| Part of | Fourth Army (May 1940) |
| Engagements | Franco-Prussian War World War I Battle of France |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Gaston de Galliffet Charles Mangin Marcel Ihler |
The 9th Army Corps (9e Corps d'Armée) was a large military formation of the French Army, constituted during the Second French Empire, and during the First and the Second World War.
History
First World War
At the mobilisation, the 9e Army Corps was constituted near Tours as a subunit of the Second Army. The 9e Corps comprised two infantry divisions, the 17th and 52nd, and the Division Marocaine, a colonial infantry division.
Second World War
In early September 1939, the 9e Corps was re-created in Tours, under general Émile Laure, from elements of the 9th military region.[1] It was a part of the Fourth Army, under General Edouard Réquin, itself a part of the Second Army Group which was charged with the defence of the Maginot Line.
Battle of France
From late 1939 to May 1940, the 9e Corps was deployed around the Saint-Avold – Faulquemont sector, in Moselle, with the general staff in Landroff.
By late May, the Germans had pierced in the Ardennes and, with the military situation degrading, front units on the Maginot Line were gradually brought back and sent on the front on the Somme. On 22 May, General Marcel Ihler took command of the Corps. On 27 May, the Corps marched towards Sarcus, and then to Lyons-la-Forêt, in Normandy, along with General Altmayer's Tenth Army.
The remnants of the 9e Corps were eventually surrounded in Saint-Valéry-en-Caux and surrendered on 12 June 1940.[2]
Detailed Order of Battle (10 May 1940)
| 9th Army Corps Assets (Corps Troops) (May 1940) (Click "show" to expand) | |
|---|---|
| |
| 11th Infantry Division (11e DI) (Click "show" to expand) | |
|---|---|
| 47th Infantry Division (47e DI) (Click "show" to expand) | |
|---|---|
Commanders
- 1870 : général Cousin-Montauban
- 1873 : général de Cissey
- 1874 : général du Barail
- 1879 : général Galliffet
- .
- 20 January 1912 : général Dubail
- 29 April 1913 : général Dubois
- 13 March 1915 : général Curé
- 14 May 1916 : général Pentel
- 29 October 1916 : général Niessel
- 22 August 1917 : général Hirschauer
- 17 December 1917 : général Mangin
- 6 June 1918 : général Garnier-Duplessis
- .
- 2 September 1939 : général Laure
- 22 May – 12 June 1940 : général Ihler
Sources and references
Sources
- Les Grandes Unités Françaises (SHAT), Vol. 1, Vincennes, 1967.
| High Command of the French Army (May 1940) | |
|---|---|
|
Commander-in-Chief: Maurice Gamelin (until 19 May) • Maxime Weygand | |
| Army Groups | Army Group 1 (Billotte) • Army Group 2 (Prételat) • Army Group 3 (Besson) • Army of the Alps (Olry) |
| Field Armies | 1st • 2nd • 3rd • 4th • 5th • 6th • 7th • 8th • 9th • 10th |
| Army Corps of the French Army (1939–1940) | |
|---|---|
| Regular Army Corps |
1st • 2nd • 3rd • 4th • 5th • 6th • 7th • 8th • 9th • 10th • 11th • 12th • 13th • 14th • 15th • 16th • 17th • 18th • 19th • 20th • 21st • 22nd • 23rd • 24th • 25th |
| 1st Army Group (France) – Full Structure by Corps (May 1940) | |
|---|---|
| First Army | III Corps • IV Corps • V Corps • Cavalry Corps (I, II) |
| Second Army | 10th Corps • 18th Corps • |
| Seventh Army | I Corps • 16th Corps |
| Ninth Army | 2nd Corps • 11th Corps • 41st Fortress Corps |
| British Expeditionary Force | I Corps • II Corps • III Corps |
| Army Group Reserves | 32e DI • 1re DINA • 1re Div. Tchèque |
| 9th Army Corps – Order of Battle (May 1940) | |
|---|---|
| Subordinate Divisions | 11th Infantry Division (11e DI) • 47th Infantry Division (47e DI) |
| Corps Troops (Organiques) | Infantry: 609th Pioneer Regiment • Cavalry: 15th GRCA • Artillery: 109th Heavy Artillery Regiment (105mm/155mm) |
| Support & Services | 109/1 & 109/2 Sapper-Miner Companies • 109/16 Bridging Train • 109/21 Engineer Park • 9th Light Horse Ambulance |