The 7th Armoured Division (french: 7
e Division Blindée, 7e DB) was an armoured division of the
French Army. The division was active 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 ...
and some time after the fall of the
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall (german: Berliner Mauer, ) was a guarded concrete barrier that encircled West Berlin from 1961 to 1989, separating it from East Berlin and East Germany (GDR). Construction of the Berlin Wall was commenced by the government ...
, before being disbanded. Its traditions were carried on by the
7th Armoured Brigade.
History
The division was created in 1955 as the ''7
e Division Mecanique Rapide'' (7th Fast Mechanised Division), commanded by General
François Huet
François () is a French masculine given name and surname, equivalent to the English name Francis.
People with the given name
* Francis I of France, King of France (), known as "the Father and Restorer of Letters"
* Francis II of France, King o ...
and based in
Constance (Germany). It was an experimental formation of the French Army and served to test of new structures and tactics for the expected nuclear battlefield and also new weapons, being the first large unit equipped with the new, light-weight
Panhard EBR armoured cars and
AMX-13 tanks.
In early 1956 the division was transferred to French North Africa, where its soldiers served as infantry supporting French operations in 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 ...
. In late 1956 the division was hurriedly reunited with its tanks and armoured cars to take part in
Operation Musketeer, the invasion of
Egypt by Franco-British forces. It then returned to Algeria where it remained until 1961.
The division was transferred to Metropolitan France, with its headquarters at
Besançon, forming part of
I Corps. The division was renamed, becoming the ''7
e Division Légère Blindée'' (7th Light Armoured Division). It became simply the ''7
e Division Blindée'' (7th Armoured Division) in 1963 when the 8th Motorised Infantry Brigade joined the division. In the 1970s the French Army returned to the idea of smaller, more flexible divisions, the idea which had originally led to the creation of the division. It was selected to test the new ideas, and its 7th Mechanised Brigade did much of the experimental work.
With the adoption of the new divisional structure in 1977, the 7th Armoured Division was dissolved and the new 7th Armoured, as well as the
4th Armoured and
8th Infantry Divisions, was created from the remains. The new division continued to be based at Besançon. It was later reassigned from I Corps, at
Metz to
III Corps 3rd Corps, Third Corps, III Corps, or 3rd Army Corps may refer to:
France
* 3rd Army Corps (France)
* III Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars
* III Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of th ...
at
Lille. It too was reorganised on 1 July 1999, as part of the changes which followed the end of the Cold War and the professionalisation of the French Army, to create the new 7th Armoured Brigade which carries on the traditions of the 7th Armoured.
Composition
1955 to 1963
*
2e Régiment de Dragons (2e RD)
* Régiment Colonial de Chasseurs de Chars (RCCC)
* 3
e Régiment de Chasseurs d'Afrique (3e RCA)
* 21
e Régiment d'Infanterie Coloniale (21e RIC)
* 72
e Groupe d'Artillerie
* 457
e Groupe d'Artillerie
* 57
e Bataillon du Génie
* 57
e Bataillon des services
* 57
e Compagnie de quartier général
* 57
e Compagnie de réparation divisionnaire
* 2
e Groupe aéromobile
1963 to 1977
As 7
e Brigade Mécanisé of 7
e Division Blindée
* 1
er Régiment de Dragons (1er RD) Armoured Regiment
* 30
e Régiment de Dragons (30e RD) Armoured Regiment
* 35
e Régiment d'Infanterie (35e RI) Infantry Regiment
* 1
er Régiment d'Artillerie (1er RA) Artillery Regiment
1977 to 1999
As 7
e Division Blindée
*
3e Régiment de Cuiriassiers (3e RC) Armoured Regiment
* 1
er Régiment de Dragons (1er RD) Armoured Regiment
*
5e Régiment de Dragons (5e RD) Armoured Regiment
* 35
e Régiment d'Infanterie (35e RI) Infantry Regiment
* 170
e Régiment d'Infanterie (170e RI) Infantry Regiment
* (to 1990) 30
e Groupe de Chasseurs (30e GC) Infantry Regiment
* 1
er Régiment d'Artillerie (1er RA) Artillery Regiment
* (to 1993) 60
e Régiment d'Artillerie (40e RA) Artillery Regiment
* (from 1993) 32
e Régiment d'Artillerie (32e RA) Artillery Regiment
* 19
e Régiment du Génie (19e RG) Engineer Regiment
* 7
e Régiment de commandement et de Soutien (7e RCS) Command and Signals Regiment
References
*
{{French Army Divisions
Armored divisions of France
Military units and formations established in 1955
Military units and formations disestablished in 1999
1955 establishments in France