DOCSLIB.ORG

{PDF} the Fall of France: the Nazi Invasion of 1940

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
{PDF} the Fall of France: the Nazi Invasion of 1940 THE FALL OF FRANCE: THE NAZI INVASION OF 1940 PDF, EPUB, EBOOK Julian Jackson | 296 pages | 27 May 2004 | Oxford University Press | 9780192805508 | English | Oxford, United Kingdom The Fall of France: The Nazi Invasion of 1940 PDF Book In Maier et al. This seems like a critical oversight, as the origins of the Nazi regime and France's problems with Germany can be traced back to this starting point among others. Deeper positions were held by the 55th Infantry Division , a grade "B" reserve division. Bond, Brian Lawrence: University Press of Kansas. The Allies outnumbered the Germans in fighter aircraft , with 81 Belgian, British and French fighters 1, against German Bf s. Some of the best Allied units in the north had seen little fighting. English soldiers lie dead beside their vehicles. Had mobile forces been available to reinforce them rather than in Belgium , Jackson gives you the sense that the German advance would have ended there. Prisoners of war and deportee totals were around 1,, A particular point in the book I found compelling was how a relative few number of men, fairly well- organized, were able to hold the Germans up at Sedan. Wolfson History Prize The combined Allied total was 2, aircraft, about half the size of the Luftwaffe. At least 3, Senegalese Tirailleurs were murdered after being taken prisoner. However although the actual battle is covered the narrative focuses more on the French deliberations and preparations, than on the actual battle itself. The British and French held the town despite the best efforts of Schaal's division to break through. Main article: Operation Dynamo. Get exclusive access to content from our First Edition with your subscription. After France signed an armistice with Germany, the British government moved to destroy what it could of the French Navy, trying to prevent the ships from falling into German hands. The Canadian Army at War. Air Power in the Age of Total War. It was composed of the 6th and 18th Armies. The German communications system permitted a degree of communication between air and ground forces. World War One Centenary. The Fall of France: The Nazi Invasion of 1940 Writer On 21 October, Rundstedt agreed with his chief of staff, Generalleutnant Erich von Manstein , that an alternative operational plan had to be arranged that would reflect these basic ideas, by making Army Group A as strong as possible at the expense of Army Group B to the north. Army Group B had the support of 1, combat, transport and 50 glider aircraft and another 3, combat aircraft supported Army Groups A and C. Frightened by his own success, he is afraid to take any chance and so would pull the reins on us Halder then went through an "astonishing change of opinion", accepting that the Schwerpunkt should be at Sedan. Dr Gary Sheffield considers the dramatic and unexpected defeat of the Allied forces in France. Military: Jackson shows that the strategic plan and response of the French High Command were deeply flawed, but that many units gave good account of themselves. In its two-mindedness, it ironically reads like something that one of Jackson's subjects, General Gamelin, could have written: In the end, then, while it would not be true to say that the French army in had learnt nothing and was planning to fight the last war again--the French army of was very different from that of or that the military were not engaged in intensive discussions about the most appropriate ways of modernizing the army, the changes which had occurred were basically incremental adjustments, albeit important ones, of a corpus of doctrine that had not fundamentally altered. In the meantime, the Germans hurled their most mobile forces at France's weakest troops, with catastrophic results for the latter. While France had tanks and may not have been fighting WWI in a strictly technical sense, it was in a way; it was aiming for a controlled battle that relied heavily on firepower and fortifications. An aircraft spotter on the roof of a building in London, England, with St. On June 14 the French army evacuated Paris, and the Germans entered the city later that day. At the end of the campaign, Erwin Rommel praised the staunch resistance of British forces, despite being under-equipped and without ammunition for much of the fighting. On 24 October, Gamelin directed that an advance beyond the Escaut was only feasible if the French moved fast enough to forestall the Germans. French tanks pass through a bombarded French town on their way to the front line in France, on May 25, More filters. English soldiers lie dead beside their vehicles. This "Panic of Bulson" also involved the divisional artillery. A serious qualitative deficiency was a lack of anti-aircraft artillery, mobile anti-tank artillery and wireless, despite the efforts of Gamelin to produce mobile artillery units. The disorder that had begun at Sedan spread further. On 14 May, having been held up at Hannut, Hoepner attacked again, against orders, in the Battle of Gembloux. Bloch, Marc []. No trivia or quizzes yet. This time they were going to remain on the defensive in western Europe, while mobilising their military forces and industrial base to fight a total war. The defenders held on to the port as long as possible, aware that an early capitulation would free up German forces to advance on Dunkirk. The Fall of France: The Nazi Invasion of 1940 Reviews I found it to be only as judgmental as was necessary in context and always balanced. After two reads, I can say that this is a mediocre effort. The History Channel. The Allies settled on a long-war strategy in which they would complete the rearmament plans of the s while fighting a defensive land war against Germany and weakening its war economy with a trade blockade , ready for an eventual invasion of Germany. The Ninth Army collapsed and surrendered en masse. However, the very success of the risky blitzkrieg approach led the Germans to gamble even more heavily on their next major operation - the invasion of Russia. The armistice and cease-fire went into effect two days and six hours later, at on 25 June, once the Franco-Italian Armistice had also been signed, at on 24 June, near Rome. Absent was Reynaud, who had advocated a continuation of the fight from French North Africa , while prominent posts went to appeasers such as Pierre Laval , who urged cooperation with the Third Reich at virtually every turn. But this time the strategy failed, with consequences for the Nazi regime that were ultimately fatal. The following day the French accepted the terms, but they were required to conclude a separate armistice with the Italians before the German armistice became effective. It was to face the elite German armoured divisions in their attack at Sedan. Detailed look at the Battle of France in May and June of and specifically France's failures as a nation to prepare for the German assault. Reynolds, David Rommel lost contact with General Hermann Hoth , having disobeyed orders by not waiting for the French to establish a new line of defence. Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. Hitler, however, although not without some misgivings, gave his approval. Find out more on Wikipedia's Sister projects. Then, in January , a German plane crashed in neutral Belgium, with a copy of the attack orders on board. When the armistice took effect on the 25 June only the town of Menton and a few alpine passes had been gained by Mussolini's army. In failing to do so, he misses some essential observations. That same day in the east, following the Battle of the Grebbeberg , in which a Dutch counter-attack to contain a German breach failed, the Dutch retreated from the Grebbe line to the New Water Line. It was not a Panzer spearhead arm, since in fewer than 15 percent of Luftwaffe aircraft were designed for close support as this was not its main role. Give Feedback External Websites. Martin, J. Professor Jackson points out the vulnerability of the German flanks and how very few commanders made an effort to engage. London: Octopus Books. Nevertheless, its armour protected it from fatal damage. France lacked a figure who could rally the people and command the military effectively. German offensive tactics were crude and Hoepner soon lost 80 out of AFVs in the first attack. Print print Print. Julian Jackson. An allied soldier thrusts the plunger of an explosive mechanism that will blast a bridge to delay the Nazi advance, in the Leuven region of Belgium, on June 1, , before this area fell to the Germans. Canadian Journal of History. Having completed thorough photographic reconnaissance , they destroyed 83 of the aircraft of the Aeronautique Militaire within the first 24 hours of the invasion. For example, the central irony of is that while France was a victor in WWI and at the same time deeply scarred by it, the same was not true for Germany which lost, but wanted to re-fight it--this time with more tanks. In any event, confusingly and somewhat contradictorily to his earlier assessment, Jackson notes that "It should be remembered also that the military were operating within the context of a thoroughly pacifist--or at least peace-loving--society. HMSO ]. Kleist, the commander of Panzergruppe von Kleist perceived a "serious threat" and informed Halder that he had to wait until the crisis was resolved before continuing. I especially liked the discussion of other books on the subject by other historians and I loved the follow-up through to Vichy and the deGaulle era.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Designer Notes
    France ’40 – Designer Notes Table of Contents I. Design Notes Designer's Notes – France ‘40 by David Guégan Campaign Scenario Notes and Additional Thoughts by Glenn Saunders French Army Abbreviations II. The Scenarios Scenario List Scenario Overviews Historical Timeline of Events III. Bibliography I. Design Notes Panzer Campaigns: France ‘40 By David Guégan From History to Creating the Game Since the introduction of the first Panzer Campaigns Series game in 1999, Smolensk '41, the debate and speculation upon future game titles amongst our loyal patrons grew not only in its depth of the recreated battlefield but also its breadth. The title, Sedan ’40, was frequently suggested, but the responses on the forums were usually "too big, too many units, or not enough information." When HPS Simulations produced Kursk ’43, I knew the Panzer Campaigns Series had the breadth and the title was broadened to France ’40. So, how did I get it started? I have been a player of the Panzer Campaigns Series since 2000. Being French, I have always wanted to see the 1940 France Campaign recreated. I decided to contact John Tiller in late 2003 and ask him if he would be interested. After a few e-mails exchanges, I was able to convince him with my knowledge, research on the battles that took place and the Order of Battle for the French and Belgians I had compiled, we could recreate the Battle of France in the breadth and depth it deserved. After reading Blitzkrieg-Legend by Colonel Karl-Heinz Frieser, I was comfortable we could make an interesting game.
    [Show full text]
  • African Policemen in French Equatorial Africa, 1910S - 1930S
    Between Colonizer and Colonized: African Policemen in French Equatorial Africa, 1910s - 1930s Hannah Levine Honors Thesis Submitted to the Department of History, Georgetown University Advisor: Professor Meredith McKittrick Honors Program Chairs: Professors Tommaso Astarita and Alison Games May 12, 2021 2 Table of Contents Acknowledgements 3 Introduction 4 Chapter One: Economics by Gunpoint 19 Chapter Two: Police, State, and Rebellion 44 Chapter Three: The Intermediary’s Quandary 67 Conclusion 87 Glossary 94 Appendix A: Photos of a Milicien and Two Tirailleurs 96 Appendix B: A.E.F.’s Civilian Administrative Structure 97 Bibliography 98 3 Acknowledgements Since pretty much everyone in my life—family, friends, housemates—had practically no choice but to be involved somehow in the writing of this thesis, I fortunately have a lot of people to feel grateful for at the completion of this work. Thank you all for putting up with me these last few months! All the same, there are a couple special people whom I need to recognize. First, I’d like to thank you, Professor Games, for your endless compassion and support as we navigated these challenging and isolating semesters online. You made this year worth it! A big thank you as well to my advisor, Professor McKittrick, for the wealth of knowledge that you shared with me. And of course, thank you to the other “Africanists” and all of my classmates in the thesis seminar. You all made this experience meaningful, collaborative, and fun, even on Zoom. I’d also like to thank two friends from home, Ana-Maria and Daphne, for being willing to go very much out of your way to get me the sources that I needed, even if the pandemic foiled some of our plans.
    [Show full text]
  • La Force Noire: Race in the French Colonial Army During the Great War
    Luc Renaux History Seminar 5/31/18 Research Term Paper La Force Noire: Race in the French Colonial Army during the Great War Table of Contents Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………. 2 Review of Previous Literature……………………………………………………………… 3 Fighting for the French Empire before 1910……………………………………………….. 15 La Force Noire; Mangin’s Manifesto………………………………………………………. 16 Assembling an Army……………………………………………………………………….. 18 Black Soldiers and White Officers…………………………………………………………. 19 Circulaire Linard; Differences in Understanding of Race between America and France….. 21 Remembrance after the War………………………………………………………………... 22 Conclusion and Avenues for Further Study………………………………………………… 24 Bibliography…………………………………………………………………………........... 26 1 19-24 août 1914, Givet, Ardennes, France. Gare de chemins de fer à la frontière Belge « Passage de troupes, de blesses des lignes de Charleroi (Belgique) ...un grand diable de tirailleur blesse aux jambes a son pantalon rouge de sang de la hanche au genou. a notre question, il nous répond ’Pas sang à moi, ça Boche, zigouille ‘ les autres tirailleurs que j'ai vu se trouvaient dans les mêmes conditions… » English Translation of Excerpt August 19-24, 1914 Givet, Ardennes, France Railroad station at the Belgian border Trains arriving carrying wounded from the Charleroi (Belgium) front line …A tirailleur (Senegalese) as big as a devil with a leg wound, and his trousers covered with blood from the hip to the knee. Answering our question [How were you wounded?], he responded “Not my blood, but the Boche’s [German], zigouille [I got him]” The other tirailleurs I saw were in similar conditions… - Charles Desire Brasseur Introduction The First World War was likely the most important conflict in defining European history and cultural identity. To this day its profound cultural impacts can be seen.
    [Show full text]
  • Greatwarinafrica: France, Africa, and the First World War, 100 Years On
    5/4/2017 Africa at LSE – #GreatWarInAfrica: France, Africa, and the First World War, 100 Years On #GreatWarInAfrica: France, Africa, and the First World War, 100 Years On France stands out as the only European country to include black African soldiers in their armies that fought in Europe. Richard S Fogarty of the University at Albany, State University of New York explores the resulting issues of identity for Africans and French people. In April of this year, the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War, 90 year­old Claude Mademba Sy died in a small village in southwestern France. He was, in fact, a French­African veteran of the Second World War. But his father, Abdel Kader Mademba Sy, was a Senegalese veteran of the Great War of 1914­1918, and the son’s memories of his father encapsulate some of the complex ways that war affected the people living in France’s African colonies.[1] As Claude Mademba Sy remembered, his father “let himself die” when ill with pneumonia in 1932. And this assimilated African living in France, a career soldier and officer in the French army, refused to speak French during the last few months of his life. According to his son, this was the result of his tortured conscience, since he had helped recruit thousands of Africans to fight for France, many of whom died. What, then, did the Great War mean for Africans, for French people, for ideas about identity among both groups? Senegalese Tirailleurs are addressed by an armored French Cuirassier at a1913 Bastille Day parade.
    [Show full text]
  • Scholarly Myths and Colonial Realities
    Robert Aldrich. Greater France: A History of French Overseas Expansion (European Studies Series). New York: St. Martin's Press, 1996. x + 369 pp. $37.95, paper, ISBN 978-0-312-16000-5. Patricia M. E. Lorcin. Imperial Identities: Stereotyping, Prejudice and Race in Colonial Algeria (Society and Culture in the Modern Middle East). London: I.B. Tauris, 1995. x + 323 pp. $69.95, cloth, ISBN 978-1-85043-909-7. Reviewed by Leland Barrows Published on H-France (March, 1999) The two books being reviewed reflect to vary‐ fore or after the independence of the territories in ing degrees two intellectual currents that have which they worked. been gaining momentum since the early 1980s: a These books are of quite different genres. general interest in what is called post-colonial Robert Aldrich has written an introductory sur‐ studies and a rekindling of interest, particularly vey destined, as are all the volumes in the "Euro‐ in France, in French imperial/colonial history. The pean Studies Series" of St. Martin's Press, to be first of these currents tends to be both interna‐ read by anglophone undergraduate university tional and interdisciplinary, owing much to the students. An associate professor at the University publication of Professor Edward Said's, Oriental‐ of Sydney, Aldrich is a specialist in French history ism (New York: Vintage, 1979). The other, a more with a strong interest in the current French pres‐ discipline-based current, reflects both French nos‐ ence in the Pacific.[1] Like fellow-Australian, talgia for the former colonies and the coming to Stephen Henry Roberts,[2] in whose footsteps he maturity of numbers of French scholars with colo‐ is to a greater or lesser extent treading, he has a nial and/or Algerian backgrounds.
    [Show full text]
  • French Relations with Sub-Saharan Africa Under President Sarkozy
    OCCASIONAL PAPER NO 1 0 7 South African Foreign Policy and African Drivers Programme January 2012 French Relations with Sub-Saharan Africa Under President Sarkozy R i c h a r d M o n c r i e f f s ir a f f A l a n o ti a rn e nt f I o te tu sti n In rica . th Af hts Sou sig al in Glob African perspectives. About SAIIA The South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) has a long and proud record as South Africa’s premier research institute on international issues. It is an independent, non-government think-tank whose key strategic objectives are to make effective input into public policy, and to encourage wider and more informed debate on international affairs with particular emphasis on African issues and concerns. It is both a centre for research excellence and a home for stimulating public engagement. SAIIA’s occasional papers present topical, incisive analyses, offering a variety of perspectives on key policy issues in Africa and beyond. Core public policy research themes covered by SAIIA include good governance and democracy; economic policymaking; international security and peace; and new global challenges such as food security, global governance reform and the environment. Please consult our website www.saiia.org.za for further information about SAIIA’s work. A b o u t t h e S o u t h A f r I c A n f o r e I g n p o l I c y A n d A f r I c A n d r I v e r S p r o g r A m m e Since the fall of Apartheid in 1994, South Africa’s foreign policy has prioritised the development of Africa.
    [Show full text]
  • African Colonial Soldiers, Memories and Imagining Migration in Senegal in the Twenty-first Century Martin Mourre
    Africa 88 (3) 2018: 518–38 doi:10.1017/S0001972018000207 African colonial soldiers, memories and imagining migration in Senegal in the twenty-first century Martin Mourre In 1996, for several months, African immigrants in France occupied the Saint- Bernard church in the 18th arrondissement of the French capital.1 These men and women, who initially lacked resources, succeeded in gaining support among a sector of the public for their demands for the administrative regularization of their situation (Blin 2005). Among the arguments they put forward, one was rooted in a common history shared between two spaces, Africa and France. More precisely, these ‘sans papiers’ (people without papers or ID) felt that it was necessary to draw on the history of the African soldiers recruited into the French army in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, known under the generic name of Senegalese tirailleurs.2 This argument of the ‘blood debt’, which emerged at the end of World War One, had particular echoes in West Africa.3 Another anecdote shows how the issue of migration is interwoven with a similar colonial past, this time on the other side of the Mediterranean. From 2006 onwards, the news has been dominated by the tragic departure of thousands of young Africans trying to leave the continent in the hope of a better life, and Senegal became one of the ‘hubs’ of this immigration, in particular on its coasts, where migrants embarked on pirogues, especially from a village on the out- skirts of Dakar called Thiaroye-sur-Mer. The Socialist Party candidate in the French presidential elections in 2007, Ségolène Royal, who was level pegging in the race to be head of state, travelled to this village to discuss the question of migration and to support the mothers of families, some of whom had lost a son during the sea crossing to Europe.
    [Show full text]
  • Jonathan Wyrtzen COLONIAL STATE-BUILDING and THE
    Int. J. Middle East Stud. 43 (2011), 227–249 doi:10.1017/S0020743811000043 Jonathan Wyrtzen COLONIAL STATE- BUILDING AND THE NEGOTIATION OF ARAB AND BERBER IDENTITY IN PROTECTORATE MOROCCO Abstract Colonial state-building in Protectorate Morocco, particularly the total “pacification” of territory and infrastructural development carried out between 1907 and 1934, dramatically transformed the social and political context in which collective identity was imagined in Moroccan society. Prior scholarship has highlighted the struggle between colonial administrators and urban Arabophone nationalist elites over Arab and Berber ethnic classifications used by French officials to make Moroccan society legible in the wake of conquest. This study turns to the understudied question of how rural, tribal communities responded to state- and nation-building processes, drawing on a unique collection of Tamazight (Berber) poetry gathered in the Atlas Mountains to illuminate the multiple levels on which their sense of group identity was negotiated. While studies of identity in the interwar Arab world have concentrated on how Pan-Islamism, Pan-Arabism, and local nationalisms functioned in the Arab East, this article changes the angle of analysis, beginning instead at the margins of the Arab West to explore interactions between the consolidation of nation-sized political units and multivocal efforts to reframe the religious and ethnic parameters of communal solidarity during the colonial period. The complex relationship between Arab and Berber identity is one
    [Show full text]
  • THE LUTHER Skald Luther College History Department’S Journal of Student Research
    1 THE LUTHER SKALd Luther College History Department’s Journal of Student Research Editor: Richard Mtisi Production Assistant: Heather Frey Vol. 1 No. 4 March 2021 H I S T O R Y D E P A R T M E N T F A C U L T Y Brian Caton Robert Christman Victoria Christman Richard Mtisi Anna Peterson Jacqueline Wilke – Emerita/Adjunct The Luther Skald is published twice annually, spring and fall, and is intended to provide a venue for outstanding student history writing, which may also serve as a model for students working on history essays during their undergraduate careers. Although Luther’s History faculty recommend student work for publication, The Luther Skald accepts submissions, in the forms of book reviews and essays, from Luther alumni and current students. Manuscript submissions should follow the style guidelines established in the American Historical Review and should be sent to the editor. Manuscripts received by January 1 will be considered for the spring issue, and those received by August 1 will be considered for the fall issue. The Luther Skald will also print, from time to time, news of the honors and achievements of History students, faculty, and alumni. The Luther Skald March 2021 2 Table of Contents “Their Old Propensity for Raiding Cattle Was, However, Their Undoing”: Maasai Participation in the First World War in East Africa……………………………….…………………………...3 Race L. Fisher, ‘19 (Re)reading, (Re)imagining, and (Re)thinking: Questions of Representation in the Case of Thiaroye………………………………………………………………………………………….30 Kaitlyn Buls, ‘19 French West African Soldiers and Anti-Colonialism During the World Wars…………………..56 Anna DeWitt, ‘19 The Luther Skald March 2021 3 “THEIR OLD PROPENSITY FOR RAIDING CATTLE WAS, HOWEVER, THEIR UNDOING”: MAASAI PARTICIPATION IN THE FIRST WORLD WAR IN EAST AFRICA Race L.
    [Show full text]
  • Honor, Violence, Resistance and Conscription in Colonial Cameroon During the First World War
    Soldiers of their Own: Honor, Violence, Resistance and Conscription in Colonial Cameroon during the First World War by George Ndakwena Njung A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (History) in the University of Michigan 2016 Doctoral Committee: Associate Professor Rudolph (Butch) Ware III, Chair Professor Joshua Cole Associate Professor Michelle R. Moyd, Indiana University Professor Martin Murray © George Ndakwena Njung 2016 Dedication My mom, Fientih Kuoh, who never went to school; My wife, Esther; My kids, Kelsy, Michelle and George Jr. ii Acknowledgments When in the fall of 2011 I started the doctoral program in history at Michigan, I had a personal commitment and determination to finish in five years. I wanted to accomplish in reality a dream that began since 1995 when I first set foot in a university classroom for my undergraduate studies. I have met and interacted with many people along this journey, and without the support and collaboration of these individuals, my dream would be in abeyance. Of course, I can write ten pages here and still not be able to acknowledge all those individuals who are an integral part of my success story. But, the disservice of trying to acknowledge everybody and end up omitting some names is greater than the one of electing to acknowledge only a few by name. Those whose names are omitted must forgive my short memory and parsimony with words and names. To begin with, Professors Emmanuel Konde, Nicodemus Awasom, Drs Canute Ngwa, Mbu Ettangondop (deceased), wrote me outstanding references for my Ph.D.
    [Show full text]
  • View PDF Free French Army List
    AN UNOFFICIAL SUPPLEMENT FOR BOLT ACTION The battle then centred upon Bir Hacheim, where the Free French resisted with the utmost gallantry. Around this place the struggle surged for eight or nine days. Finally it was decided to withdraw the garrison, and this was successfully accomplished, though with heavy losses. Here, no doubt, was a turning point in the battle. Prime Minister Churchill in the House of Commons, July 2nd, 1942 In the whole course of the desert war, we never encountered a more heroic and well sustained defence. Generalmajor Friedrich von Mellenthin, staff officer in the Panzer Armee Afrika, post war. rance’s defeat and occupation did not mean the end Legion and Marines from the Pacific. They used a of the fight for all Frenchmen. Many units not in France mixture of old French equipment, some British and some Fitself when it fell took refuge in Great Britain. Under improvised combinations of both. The French defenders Charles De Gualle they formed the Free French Brigade. In fought off the Italian Ariete Division, knocking out 70 early June 1942, the 1st Free French Brigade found itself tanks, but by June 10th the garrison’s ammunition was on the extreme southern flank of the fortified Gazala line in exhausted (with only 22 howitzer shells left in reserve), Libya. For 15 days they stubbornly defended the fortress of Around midnight, General Kœnig’s ordered the garrison Bir Hakeim against constant German and Italian assaults. to break through the encirclement and force their way This fortress was holding up Rommel’s swirling armoured through enemy lines.
    [Show full text]
  • 1940 FRENCH ARMAMENT by David Lehmann April 19, 2006
    1 1939-1940 FRENCH ARMAMENT by David Lehmann April 19, 2006 NOTES ABOUT INFANTRY / CAVALRY UNITS INFANTRY There are many different types of infantry troops : ! Infantry ! Light infantry ! Light infantry, type Overseas ! Motorized infantry ! Mechanized infantry ! Mountain infantry ! Light mountain infantry ! North African infantry ! Colonial infantry And different types of infantry units : ! Infantry Brigade ! Metropolitan Infantry Regiment type "North-East" ! Metropolitan Infantry Regiment type "Overseas" ! Half-Brigade and Battalions of Chasseurs ! Zouave Infantry Regiment ! North African Tirailleurs Regiments ! Mountain Infantry Regiment ! Half-Brigade and Battalions of Alpine Chasseurs ! Pyrenean Half-Brigade and Battalions ! Motorized Infantry Regiment ! Mechanized Infantry Battalion ! Foreign Legion Regiment, Battalion, Half-Brigade, Brigade ! Half-Brigade and Battalions of Light Infantry ! Fortress Infantry Regiments ! Alpine Fortress Half-Brigades and Battalions ! Machine-gun Battalions Dragons portés "Dragons Portés" (Portés means roughly carried by a vehicle) is a motorized infantry kind of unit. The Dragons Portés were professional units of better morale, though few personnel had any combat experience (senior officers were often WW1, Poland and/or Rif war veterans though). They were the motorized infantry in the Division Légère Mécanique (DLM) and Division Légère de Cavalerie (DLC). The firepower of the squads was high since each was armed with two LMGs instead of only one for a typical infantry squad. The Dragons Portés squad was designed to cover a large ground area and as such during initial planning for these units (in the early 30's), each squad received 2 LMGs. At the beginning, all squads were equipped with 2 vehicles (Citroën-Kégresse P19) carrying each 1 LMG and 7 men : in fact 1 half-squad of 6 men + 1 driver.
    [Show full text]