The French 102nd Division was an Infantry division (french: link=no, 102e Division d'Infanterie Territoriale, 102e DIT) of the French Army during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, and a Fortress division (french: link=no, 102e Division d'Infanterie de Forteresse, 102e DIF) during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

World War I

During World War I, the division comprised the 286th Territorial Infantry Regiment, the 292nd Territorial Infantry Regiment, the 326th Territorial Infantry Regiment and the 342nd Territorial Infantry Regiment. The division was formed on 25 May 1915 and dissolved on 1 May 1916. During this time, it was part of the French 13th Army Corps (13e Corps d' Army (CA)) (part of the Sixth Army).

World War II

During the

Battle of France The Battle of France (french: bataille de France) (10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign ('), the French Campaign (german: Frankreichfeldzug, ) and the Fall of France, was the Nazi Germany, German invasion of French Third Rep ...

in May 1940, the division was made up of: *148th Fortress Infantry Regiment *42nd Colonial Machine Gun Half Brigade *52nd Colonial Machine Gun Half Brigade *3rd Machine Gun Battalion *160th Artillery Regiment *218th Artillery Regiment It was a Series A reserve division, which contained younger reservists and a Fortress Division defending the French Border with

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

. The division was led by General

André Corap André Georges Corap (, 15 January 1878 – 15 August 1953) was a General in the French Army who fought in World War II. He commanded the 9th Army during the battle of France in 1940. Early life Corap was born in Pont Audemer, Normandy. His fat ...

and resisted the German invasion at the

Meuse The Meuse ( , , , ; wa, Moûze ) or Maas ( , ; li, Maos or ) is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea from the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. It has a t ...

. On 14 May they held up the

6th Panzer Division The 6th Panzer Division ( en, 6th Tank Division) was an armoured division in the German Army (1935–1945), German Army, the ''Heer'', during World War II, established in October 1939. The division, initially formed as a light brigade, particip ...

at Montherme but withdrew when they came under attack from the rear.Fortress France: The Maginot Line and French Defenses in World War II by J. E. Kaufmann , H. W. Kaufmann, p160

References

{{French Army Divisions Infantry Division, 102nd

102 102 may refer to: * 102 (number), the number * AD 102, a year in the 2nd century AD * 102 BC, a year in the 2nd century BC * 102 (ambulance service), an emergency medical transport service in Uttar Pradesh, India * 102 (Clyde) Field Squadron, Royal ...

Military units and formations established in 1915 Military units and formations disestablished in 1916