The Blue Division was a French
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 ...
during the
Franco-Prussian War of 1870. Consisting of ''
Troupes de Marine
The (TDM, ) is a corps of the French Army that includes several specialities: infantry, artillery, armoured, airborne, engineering, and transmissions (Signals).
Despite its name, it forms part of the Army, not the Navy. Intended for amphibi ...
'', it was the first time in the history of the marines to combine , marine infantry, and {{lang, fr, bigors, or marine artillery.
Commanded by General Élie de Vassoigne, it was made up of two brigades:
*The 1st Brigade, commanded by General Reboul, was formed from the
1st Marine Infantry Regiment of
Cherbourg and the
4th Marine Infantry Regiment of
Toulon
Toulon (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Tolon , , ) is a city on the French Riviera and a large port on the Mediterranean coast, with a major naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, and the Provence province, Toulon is th ...
;
*The 2nd Brigade, commanded by General Martin des Pallières, comprised the
2nd Marine Infantry Regiment of
Brest
Brest may refer to:
Places
*Brest, Belarus
**Brest Region
**Brest Airport
**Brest Fortress
* Brest, Kyustendil Province, Bulgaria
* Břest, Czech Republic
*Brest, France
** Arrondissement of Brest
**Brest Bretagne Airport
** Château de Brest
*Br ...
and the
3rd Marine Infantry Regiment of
Rochefort
Rochefort () may refer to:
Places France
* Rochefort, Charente-Maritime, in the Charente-Maritime department
** Arsenal de Rochefort, a former naval base and dockyard
* Rochefort, Savoie in the Savoie department
* Rochefort-du-Gard, in the Ga ...
, along with 3 batteries from the
1st Marine Artillery Regiment.
The Blue Division formed part of the
12th Army Corps under the command of
Barthélémy Louis Joseph Lebrun
Barthélémy Louis Joseph Lebrun (22 October 1809, Landrecies - 6 October 1889, Paris) was a French Army officer of the Second French Empire.
Life
Entering the école spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr in 1829, he left it as a sous-lieutenant in ...
, which was the last unit to arrive at
Sedan after having made a last attempt to retreat with General
de Wimpffen. It fought at
Bazeilles on 31 August and 1 September 1870. The town was retaken and abandoned four times, with 2,655 French and 5,200 Bavarians dead, inspiring the patriotic painting ''Les dernières cartouches'' (''The Last Cartridges'') by
Alphonse de Neuville
Alphonse-Marie-Adolphe de Neuville (31 May 183518 May 1885) was a French academic painter who studied under Eugène Delacroix. His dramatic and intensely patriotic subjects illustrated episodes from the Franco-Prussian War, the Crimean War, the ...
. Each year the marines celebrate the anniversary of the battle, ending the ceremonies with the unit's battle cry, "Au nom de Dieu, vive
la coloniale
The ''Troupes coloniales'' ("Colonial Troops") or ''Armée coloniale'' ("Colonial Army"), commonly called ''La Coloniale'', were the military forces of the French colonial empire from 1900 until 1961. From 1822 to 1900 these troops were d ...
" ("In God's name, long live ''
La Coloniale
The ''Troupes coloniales'' ("Colonial Troops") or ''Armée coloniale'' ("Colonial Army"), commonly called ''La Coloniale'', were the military forces of the French colonial empire from 1900 until 1961. From 1822 to 1900 these troops were d ...
''") - the unit had God Himself as its patron saint.
References
External links
French Marines - official site
Military units and formations of the Franco-Prussian War
Divisions of France
Marine corps units and formations