The 97th Reconnaissance Group of the Infantry Division (french: 97e groupe de reconnaissance de division d'infanterie, 97e GRDI) was a motorized cavalry unit composed of members of the
French Foreign Legion
The French Foreign Legion (french: Légion étrangère) is a corps of the French Army which comprises several specialties: infantry, Armoured Cavalry Arm, cavalry, Military engineering, engineers, Airborne forces, airborne troops. It was created ...
which existed briefly at the beginning of the
Second World War
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 ...
. The unit was involved in 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 ...
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 ...
; the 97th GRDI remained intact for a few months after the surrender until it was disbanded on September 30, 1940.
History
Originally established as the 180th Reconnaissance Group of the Infantry Division on December 1, 1939, at
Sousse
Sousse or Soussa ( ar, سوسة, ; Berber:''Susa'') is a city in Tunisia, capital of the Sousse Governorate. Located south of the capital Tunis, the city has 271,428 inhabitants (2014). Sousse is in the central-east of the country, on the Gulf ...
,
Tunisia
)
, image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg
, map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa
, image_map2 =
, capital = Tunis
, largest_city = capital
, ...
as part of the French military mobilization at the beginning 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 ...
2nd Foreign Cavalry Regiment
The 2nd Foreign Cavalry Regiment () was a cavalry regiment of the Foreign Legion in the French Army. the regiment was dissolved twice in 1946 and 1962; the regimental colors have been entrusted by the Foreign Legion Detachment in Mayotte since 19 ...
in addition to elements drawn from the 4th Cavalry Depot of Africa (''4e Dépôt de Cavalerie d'Afrique''). The 180th GRDI was a part of the 180th North African Infantry Division under the command of General Rochas.
On January 2, 1940, the 97th GRDI was transferred to
Pont-du-Fahs
El Fahs ( ar, الفحص) is a town and commune located in the Zaghouan Governorate, 60 kilometers south-west of Tunis, Tunisia. Its population in 2014 was 23,561.
It is located in the Wadi Miliane valley, surrounded by mountains, in particula ...
in northern Tunisia and the unit was again transferred on February 3, 1940, to
Bizerte
Bizerte or Bizerta ( ar, بنزرت, translit=Binzart , it, Biserta, french: link=no, Bizérte) the classical Hippo, is a city of Bizerte Governorate in Tunisia. It is the northernmost city in Africa, located 65 km (40mil) north of the cap ...
also in northern Tunisia. On February 3,
Lieutenant Colonel
Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...
Paul Lacombe de La Tour was placed in command of the 97th Reconnaissance Group. On March 21, 1940, the 97th GRDI arrived at
Marseilles
Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...
and by March 24 the unit was transferred to
Carcassonne
Carcassonne (, also , , ; ; la, Carcaso) is a French fortified city in the department of Aude, in the region of Occitanie. It is the prefecture of the department.
Inhabited since the Neolithic, Carcassonne is located in the plain of the ...
where it was attached to the
16th Cavalry Division
16 (sixteen) is the natural number following 15 and preceding 17. 16 is a composite number, and a square number, being 42 = 4 × 4. It is the smallest number with exactly five divisors, its proper divisors being , , and .
In English speech, ...
.
The 97th GRDI was sent to
Camp Valdahon
Camp may refer to:
Outdoor accommodation and recreation
* Campsite or campground, a recreational outdoor sleeping and eating site
* a temporary settlement for nomads
* Camp, a term used in New England, Northern Ontario and New Brunswick to descri ...
in
Doubs
Doubs (, ; ; frp, Dubs) is a department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in Eastern France. Named after the river Doubs, it had a population of 543,974 in 2019.Montdidier by rail and quickly thereafter found itself fighting a
rear guard
A rearguard is a part of a military force that protects it from attack from the rear, either during an advance or withdrawal. The term can also be used to describe forces protecting lines, such as communication lines, behind an army. Even more ...
delaying action from May 19 to May 25. From June 5 to the 10th, the 97th Reconnaissance Group was engaged in combat as part of the French effort to defend their positions along the rivers Somme and
Avre
Armoured Vehicle Royal Engineers (AVRE), also known as Assault Vehicle Royal Engineers is the title given to a series of armoured military engineering vehicles operated by the Royal Engineers (RE) for the purpose of protecting engineers during ...
. On June 9,
Lieutenant Colonel
Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...
Paul Lacombe de La Tour was killed in action in the fighting around the woods around Noroy as the 97th GRDI, serving as a rear guard, attacked German panzer forces in an attempt to cover the 7th Division's retreat across the river
Oise
Oise ( ; ; pcd, Oése) is a department in the north of France. It is named after the river Oise. Inhabitants of the department are called ''Oisiens'' () or ''Isariens'', after the Latin name for the river, Isara. It had a population of 829,419 ...
. In the assault, the 97th lost half of its fighting vehicles within minutes. The 97th then regrouped and charged again, suffering heavy casualties and losing the remainder of its vehicles to German fire.
After de la Tour's death, command of the unit was assumed by
Captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
de Guiraud, which he held until the French surrender. From June 11, 1940, to June 22, the 97th GRDI, now fighting largely as infantry, participated in continual delaying actions as part of the
7th North African Infantry Division
The 7th Infantry Division North African ( 7 e DINA) was an infantry division of the French Army that participated in the Second World War.
Combat history
The Division formed at Camp Valdahon from March 16 to April 20, 1940, as part of the General ...
along a path of retreat running from
Luzarches
Luzarches () is a commune in the Val-d'Oise department in Île-de-France in northern France. Luzarches station has rail connections to Sarcelles and Paris.
Just south of the town is a monument on the D316, which commemorates the closest distan ...
to
Saint-Jory-de-Chalais
Saint-Jory-de-Chalais (, literally ''Saint-Jory of Chalais''; oc, Sent Jòri de Chalés) is a commune in the Dordogne department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France.
Geography
The Côle flows south through the middle of the commune; ...
. On June 13, the 97th GRDI with the assistance of Moroccan ''tirailleurs'', was able to prevent German forces from crossing the river
Second Armistice at Compiègne
The Armistice of 22 June 1940 was signed at 18:36 near Compiègne, France, by officials of Nazi Germany and the Third French Republic. It did not come into effect until after midnight on 25 June.
Signatories for Germany included Wilhelm Keitel, ...
was signed leading to a cessation of hostilities for the French. On September 7 the 97th Reconnaissance Group was repatriated back to Tunisia and by the months end the unit as a whole was disbanded. By the time of its disbandment, only 256 of the original 650 men were alive, the rest having been killed or captured.
See also
*
Major (France)
() in France, is a senior superior military rank (french: grade militaire) across various military and security institutions with history dating back well beyond the 18th century.
Typically, the contemporary rank of Major is situated differen ...
*
French Foreign Legion Music Band (MLE)
The Music of the Foreign Legion (french: Musique de la Légion étrangère, MLE), formerly known as the Principal Music of the Foreign Legion (french: Musique principale de la Légion étrangère) is a Military band of the French Foreign Legion.
...