The Cavalry Corps (french: Corps de Cavalerie) was a French mechanized

army corps Corps (; plural ''corps'' ; from French , from the Latin "body") is a term used for several different kinds of organization. A military innovation by Napoleon I, the formation was first named as such in 1805. The size of a corps varies great ...

established in 1939 and inactivated in 1940 after the defeat of France by

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 betwee ...

. Commanded by General

René Prioux René Jacques Adolphe Prioux (11 April 1879 – 16 June 1953) was a general of the French Army who served in both world wars. A cavalry officer of great talent, Prioux rapidly rose through the officer ranks and commanded the Cavalry Corps of the ...

, the Cavalry Corps advanced into

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...

in May 1940 and imposed significant delay on the advance of the German XVI (motorized) Corps. Cut off by German forces from the bulk of the

French Army History Early history The first permanent army, paid with regular wages, instead of feudal levies, was established under Charles VII of France, Charles VII in the 1420 to 1430s. The Kings of France needed reliable troops during and after the ...

, the corps was evacuated to

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and then shipped back to France in late May and early June 1940. Further combat resulted in significant losses of armored vehicles and a steady deterioration of the corps' combat power. The Cavalry Corps ceased fighting as the Second Armistice at Compiègne took effect, and the corps was demobilized on July 11, 1940.

Formation and Phony War

Formed on August 27, 1939 in Saint-Quentin, the Cavalry Corps did not see action until May 11, 1940 in the vicinity of

Tongres Tongeren (; french: Tongres ; german: Tongern ; li, Tóngere ) is a city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Limburg, in the southeastern corner of the Flemish region of Belgium. Tongeren is the oldest town in Belgium, as the on ...

. The corps had various units assigned during the period of the Phony War, but by the time of the German invasion in May 1940, the corps commanded the

2nd A second is the base unit of time in the International System of Units (SI). Second, Seconds or 2nd may also refer to: Mathematics * 2 (number), as an ordinal (also written as ''2nd'' or ''2d'') * Second of arc, an angular measurement unit, ...

and 3rd Light Mechanized Divisions (french: Division Légère Mécanique) (DLM), as well as some small reconnaissance and artillery units.

Combat

The Cavalry Corps saw action in three distinct phasesAs defined in GUF. of the fighting in 1940. These were the Battle of the Dyle (10 to 18 May), the Battle of the North (19 May to 9 June), and the Retreat of the Left Wing (10 to 25 June). In general, these phases respectively refer to the fighting in Belgium in May, the fighting in northern France in early June, and the long retreat of the

into the south of France during mid to late June. The Cavalry Corps in particular was noted for its solid performance during the Battles of

Hannut Hannut (; wa, Haneu; nl, Hannuit, ) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Liège, Belgium. On January 1, 2006, Hannut had a total population of 14,291. The total area is 86.53 km² which gives a population dens ...

and

Gembloux Gembloux (; wa, Djiblou; nl, Gembloers, ) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Namur, Belgium. On 1 January 2006 the municipality had 21,964 inhabitants. The total area is 95.86 km², yielding a population dens ...

during the fighting in Belgium. At the same time that poorly trained French reservists were being defeated at Sedan, the Cavalry Corps met the German XVI (motorized) Corps of two

Panzer This article deals with the tanks (german: panzer) serving in the German Army (''Deutsches Heer'') throughout history, such as the World War I tanks of the Imperial German Army, the interwar and World War II tanks of the Nazi German Wehrma ...

divisions on equal terms at Hannut and in the Gembloux Gap. From May 31 until June 10, 1940, the men of the corps were evacuated to

and then returned to France via the ports of Brest and

Cherbourg Cherbourg (; , , ), nrf, Chèrbourg, ) is a former commune and subprefecture located at the northern end of the Cotentin peninsula in the northwestern French department of Manche. It was merged into the commune of Cherbourg-Octeville on 28 Febr ...

. At the end of the retreat of the French forces, the Cavalry Corps was made up of the 1st DLM and 3rd DLM. The 1st DLM regrouped at

Ribérac Ribérac (; oc, Rabairac) is a commune in the Dordogne department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. The commune is situated by the Dronne River. History In response to the 848 Norman plunder of nearby Brantôme, a fort was buil ...

and the 3rd DLM assembled at

Saint-Aquilin Saint-Aquilin (; Limousin: ''Sent Agulin'') is a commune in the Dordogne department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. Population See also *Communes of the Dordogne department The following is a list of the 503 communes of the Do ...

, both in the region of the river

Dordogne Dordogne ( , or ; ; oc, Dordonha ) is a large rural department in Southwestern France, with its prefecture in Périgueux. Located in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region roughly half-way between the Loire Valley and the Pyrenees, it is named ...

. The Cavalry Corps was demobilized on July 11, 1940.

Commanders

* 09/02/1939 – 05/25/1940 Lieutenant-General

* 05/25/1940 – 07/11/1940 Major-General Langlois

Notes and sources

{{reflist * (GUF) ''Guerre 1939 - 1945. Les Grandes Unités Françaises''. Volume 1. Armée de Terre, Service Historique. Paris: Imprimerie Nationale, 1967.
www.axishistory.com - the Cavalry Corps in 1940

External links

C Military units and formations established in 1939 Corps of France Cavalry units and formations of France