The 3rd North African Infantry Division was a

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 Force ...

formation during

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 opposing ...

History

During the Battle of France in May 1940 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 made up of the following units: *12th Zouaves Regiment *14th Algerian Tirailleurs Regiment *15th Algerian Tirailleurs Regiment *93rd Reconnaissance Battalion *20th Colonial Artillery Regiments *220th Colonial Artillery Regiment. It was an active division which existed between 1936 and 1940. The Tirailleurs Regiments were made up of native troops from

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

. The Zouaves Regiment was made up from

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

an settlers in

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

and some recruited from

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

Commanders

* 1936 - 1939 : General Théodore Marcel Sciard * 1939 : General Pierre François Joseph Tarrit * 1939 : General Édouard Charles François Chapouilly * 1940 : General

Charles Mast Emmanuel Charles Mast (7 January 1889 – 30 September 1977) was a major general who participated in the liberation of North Africa in 1942 and was Resident General of France in Tunisia between 1943 and 1947. Prewar He was the son of Miche ...

References

North African Infantry Division, 3rd Infantry divisions of France {{France-mil-unit-stub