The 25th Airborne Division () was an
airborne
Airborne or Airborn may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
Films
* ''Airborne'' (1962 film), a 1962 American film directed by James Landis
* ''Airborne'' (1993 film), a comedy–drama film
* ''Airborne'' (1998 film), an action film sta ...
unit of the
French Army
The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (french: Armée de Terre, ), is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces. It is responsible to the Government of France, along with the other components of the Armed For ...
. Constituted at the end of 1945, the
division
Division or divider may refer to:
Mathematics
*Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication
*Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division
Military
*Division (military), a formation typically consisting ...
was created on February 1, 1946 and was dissolved during the
Indochina War
The First Indochina War (generally known as the Indochina War in France, and as the Anti-French Resistance War in Vietnam) began in French Indochina from 19 December 1946 to 20 July 1954 between France and Việt Minh (Democratic Republic of Vi ...
in June 1948; it did not serve in Indochina as an entire division.
History
Following the end of
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 ...
, France planned to create two
Airborne Divisions
Airborne or Airborn may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
Films
* ''Airborne'' (1962 film), a 1962 American film directed by James Landis
* ''Airborne'' (1993 film), a comedy–drama film
* ''Airborne'' (1998 film), an action film sta ...
, organized similarly to United States airborne formations. The first to be created, the
24th Airborne Division, was dissolved after only three months due to a chronic lack of troops. The infantry of the 24th DAP and its 24th CEP were transferred to the
25th Motorized Infantry Division, which was used to form the 25th Airborne Division on February 1, 1946. The new division was formed in southwest France with its headquarters at
Bayonne
Bayonne (; eu, Baiona ; oc, label= Gascon, Baiona ; es, Bayona) is a city in Southwestern France near the Spanish border. It is a commune and one of two subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine re ...
.
From its creation, it suffered from shortcomings in manpower and equipment – for air transport, the division had only the
Junkers Ju 52
The Junkers Ju 52/3m (nicknamed ''Tante Ju'' ("Aunt Ju") and ''Iron Annie'') is a transport aircraft that was designed and manufactured by German aviation company Junkers.
Development of the Ju 52 commenced during 1930, headed by German Aeros ...
,
Douglas C-47 Dakota
The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota ( RAF, RAAF, RCAF, RNZAF, and SAAF designation) is a military transport aircraft developed from the civilian Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained in ...
, and the
SNCASE SE.161 Languedoc, the last intended for towing gliders because it was not suitable for airborne troops.
The troops of the division included units that had fought in World War II – the
1st Parachute Chasseur Regiment (RCP), the
2nd Parachute Chasseur Regiment
The 2nd Parachute Chasseur Regiment (french: 2e Régiment de Chasseurs Parachutistes) or 2e RCP, is one of the most decorated French units of the Second World War, the only land unit awarded the red fourragère in that war, including six citation ...
, which had just merged with the
3rd Parachute Chasseur Regiment
The 3rd Parachute Chasseur Regiment (french: 3e Régiment de Chasseurs Parachutistes) or 3e RCP was a French unit of Second World War known in the British Army as the 3rd SAS Regiment and originally named the 3rd Air Infantry Battalion. Involved ...
and the 4th R.I.A. S.A.S., and the
1st Choc Airborne Infantry Regiment (RICAP), made up of the combined shock units of the
1st Army.
In order to strengthen French control in Algeria and prevent an uprising, the 25th Division was transferred there in April 1946. The division headquarters was in
Algiers
Algiers ( ; ar, الجزائر, al-Jazāʾir; ber, Dzayer, script=Latn; french: Alger, ) is the capital and largest city of Algeria. The city's population at the 2008 Census was 2,988,145Census 14 April 2008: Office National des Statistiques ...
and then
Philippeville
Philippeville (; wa, Flipveye) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Namur, Belgium. The Philippeville municipality includes the former municipalities of Fagnolle, Franchimont, Jamagne, Jamiolle, Merlemont, Ne ...
, the 1st RCP in the
Sétif
Sétif ( ar, سطيف, ber, Sṭif) is the capital of the Sétif Province in Algeria. It is one of the most important cities of eastern Algeria and the country as a whole, since it is considered the trade capital of the country. It is an inner ci ...
area, the 2nd RCP in the
Constantine
Constantine most often refers to:
* Constantine the Great, Roman emperor from 306 to 337, also known as Constantine I
*Constantine, Algeria, a city in Algeria
Constantine may also refer to:
People
* Constantine (name), a masculine given name ...
area between Philippeville,
Bone
A bone is a Stiffness, rigid Organ (biology), organ that constitutes part of the skeleton in most vertebrate animals. Bones protect the various other organs of the body, produce red blood cell, red and white blood cells, store minerals, provid ...
, and
Guelma
Guelma ( ar, قالمة ''Qālima''; arq, ڨالمة; Algerian pronunciation: ) is the capital of Guelma Province and Guelma District, located in north-eastern Algeria, about 65 kilometers from the Mediterranean coast. Its location correspon ...
, and the 1st RICAP near Algiers.
![Organigramme 25e DAP](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1d/Organigramme_25e_DAP.jpg)
Unable to develop as planned, it was reorganized multiple times, first in September 1946, when its structure was revised to include three Independent Airborne Groups (GAP). GAPs 1 and 2 were combat units, while GAP 3 would become responsible for training in France. GAP 1 was located around Constantine, GAP 2 in Morocco, and GAP 3 would form during 1947 in the
5th Military Region in France. The division headquarters was relocated to
Pau while a deputy in North Africa was appointed. The division commander took command of the Airborne Troops Training Center in Pau, but this arrangement was brief, as in November the training center and the 11th Choc Battalion were attached to the inspector of the Airborne Troops in Paris.
The unit was reorganized a final time in February 1947 to prepare for the formation of GAP 3 and the detachment of elements to the intensifying
Indochina War
The First Indochina War (generally known as the Indochina War in France, and as the Anti-French Resistance War in Vietnam) began in French Indochina from 19 December 1946 to 20 July 1954 between France and Việt Minh (Democratic Republic of Vi ...
. The 1st RCP formed the infantry of GAP 1, although two of its battalions had already been deployed to Indochina, the 42nd Demi-Brigade formed that of GAP 2, and GAP 3 was formed later that year from the 18th BIP, the 3rd Battalion of the 2nd RCP, and the 5th BPIC, which were part of its subordinate 43rd Demi-Brigade.
During these tenures, other constitutions witnessed formations. The
1st Parachute Chasseur Regiment,
2nd Parachute Chasseur Regiment
The 2nd Parachute Chasseur Regiment (french: 2e Régiment de Chasseurs Parachutistes) or 2e RCP, is one of the most decorated French units of the Second World War, the only land unit awarded the red fourragère in that war, including six citation ...
and
1st Choc Airborne Infantry Regiment 1er R.I.C.A.P formed in 1946, the
S.A.S Parachute Demi-Brigade.
As a result of the number of men sent to reinforce the forces in Indochina with the demi-brigade of colonial parachute commandos on 1 October 1947, the 25th Airborne Division and GAP 2 were dissolved in June 1948.
[In ''Histoire des parachutistes français'', page 168]
Commanders
*1945–1946 :
général
is the French word for general. There are two main categories of generals: the general officers (), which are the highest-ranking commanding officers in the armed forces, and the specialist officers with flag rank (), which are high-level offic ...
Bonjour
*1946–1948 : général Demetz
Subordinate units
*Adjoint : général Lecoq
*G.A.P 1 : commandant Noiret
*G.A.P 2 : colonel Brissaut-Demaillet
*G.A.P 3 : lieutenant-colonel Bastiani
*42
e Demi-Brigade : colonel Vergoz
*43
e Demi-Brigade : colonel Ailleret
See also
*
Moroccan Division
*
Jean de Lattre de Tassigny
Jean Joseph Marie Gabriel de Lattre de Tassigny (2 February 1889 – 11 January 1952) was a French général d'armée during World War II and the First Indochina War. He was posthumously elevated to the dignity of Marshal of France in 1952.
As ...
*
List of French paratrooper units
The history of French Airborne forces, airborne units began in the Interwar period when the French Armed Forces formed specialized 1st Parachute Chasseur Regiment, paratroopers units. First formed in the French Air Force, they were rapidly i ...
References
Sources and Bibliographies
*Gaujac, Paul, Histoire des parachutistes français, Société de Production Littéraire, 1975.
{{French Army Divisions
Defunct airborne units and formations of France
Military units and formations established in 1946
Military units and formations disestablished in 1948
Airborne divisions of France