The 73rd Line Infantry Regiment (''73e régiment d'infanterie de ligne'') is a French infantry regiment.

History

Raised in 1673 as the régiment de Listenay, it was renamed the régiment Royal Comtois in 1685. It held the latter name until 1791. It was stationed at

Béthune Béthune ( ; archaic and ''Bethwyn'' historically in English) is a city in northern France, sub-prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department. Geography Béthune is located in the former province of Artois. It is situated south-east of Calais, ...

and Aire sur la Lys between 1870 and 1914, and was stationed at the latter on the outbreak of the

First World War 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 ...

, as part of the 3rd Infantry Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, 1st Army Corps, participating in the fighting in the marshes of

Saint Gond In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Catholic, Eastern Orth ...

. It was in the 2nd Infantry Division until November 1916 (fighting before Combles during the

battle of the Somme The Battle of the Somme ( French: Bataille de la Somme), also known as the Somme offensive, was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British Empire and French Third Republic against the German Empire. It took place bet ...

), when it was moved to the 51st Infantry Division, of which it remained a part of until the end of the war.

Flag

73e régiment d'infanterie de ligne - drapeau

The flag contains battle honours for: * Jemappes (1792) * Gênes (1800) * Sevastopol (1855) * Solferino (1859) * Verdun (1916) * Flanders/Passchendaele (1917) * The Aisne (1918)

References

Infantry regiments of France