The 5th Armored Division (french: 5e Division Blindée, 5e DB) was an armored division 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 ...

that fought in

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 ...

and the

Algerian War The Algerian War, also known as the Algerian Revolution or the Algerian War of Independence,( ar, الثورة الجزائرية '; '' ber, Tagrawla Tadzayrit''; french: Guerre d'Algérie or ') and sometimes in Algeria as the War of 1 November ...

. It was also active in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

during the

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...

World War II

The division was formed on 1 May 1943 under the command of Brig. Gen. Henri-Jacques-Jean-François de Vernejoul. It was initially the 2nd Armored Division, but renamed the 5th Armored Division on 9 July. The Division was a critical part of the French 1st Army under General

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 ...

, and came ashore with the U.S. 6th Army Group, under Lt. Gen.

Jacob Devers Jacob Loucks Devers (; 8 September 1887 – 15 October 1979) was a general in the United States Army who commanded the 6th Army Group in the European Theater during World War II. He was involved in the development and adoption of numerous w ...

, in the

Operation Dragoon Operation Dragoon (initially Operation Anvil) was the code name for the landing operation of the Allied invasion of Provence (Southern France) on 15August 1944. Despite initially designed to be executed in conjunction with Operation Overlord, th ...

invasion of southern France in August 1944. The 5th Armored Division particularly distinguished itself in the assault and capture of Stuttgart, Germany in April 1945.

Cold War

During the

, the division was initially stationed in Germany; its HQ was in Landau, Palatinate.

Algeria

The division left Germany for Algeria on 1 April 1956, but left some units in Palatinate, Germany. In 1961 the division comprised:Kanger, Kim "Algerian Insurgency: End of the French Empire", in Strategy & Tactics, No. 262 (May/June 2010) * 1st Armored Regiment * 6th African Chasseur Regiment * 11th African Chasseur Regiment * 19th Chasseur Battalion * 20th Chasseur Battalion * 21st Algerian Rifles Regiment * 1st/64th Artillery Regiment * 2nd/64th Artillery Regiment

Return to Germany

The division was recreated in 1978 at Landau, Germany as a part of the 2nd Army Corps (Baden-Baden). The French Army in Germany was drastically reduced after the end of the Cold War; the 5th was dissolved on 31 June 1992.

References

{{French Army Divisions 5 Armored divisions of France Military units and formations established in 1943 Military units and formations disestablished in 1962 Military units and formations established in 1978 Military units and formations disestablished in 1992