The French Forces in Berlin () were the units of the

French Armed Forces The French Armed Forces (, ) are the military forces of France. They consist of four military branches – the Army, the Navy, the Air and Space Force, and the National Gendarmerie. The National Guard serves as the French Armed Forces' milita ...

stationed since 1945 until the end of the

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

-era in

West Berlin West Berlin ( or , ) was a political enclave which comprised the western part of Berlin from 1948 until 1990, during the Cold War. Although West Berlin lacked any sovereignty and was under military occupation until German reunification in 1 ...

, according to the agreements of the

Yalta Conference The Yalta Conference (), held 4–11 February 1945, was the World War II meeting of the heads of government of the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union to discuss the postwar reorganization of Germany and Europe. The three sta ...

and Potsdam Conference. The troops were the French counterparts to the United States' Berlin Brigade and the United Kingdom's Berlin Infantry Brigade in the city.

History

By agreement of the Allies,

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

was divided into four sectors, after the

unconditional surrender An unconditional surrender is a surrender in which no guarantees, reassurances, or promises (i.e., conditions) are given to the surrendering party. It is often demanded with the threat of complete destruction, extermination or annihilation. Anno ...

on May 8, 1945. The allied powers of France, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom and the United States of America were each granted control of a sector, with permission to station troops there. The first contingent of French forces, from the 1st Armored Division, arrived in Berlin on July 3, 1945 A.D. They were led by General de Beauchesne and occupied Camp "Cyclop", in the district of Reinickendorf. After the withdrawal of the Soviet Union from the

Allied Control Council The Allied Control Council (ACC) or Allied Control Authority (), also referred to as the Four Powers (), was the governing body of the Allies of World War II, Allied Allied-occupied Germany, occupation zones in Germany (1945–1949/1991) and Al ...

and the start of the Berlin Crisis, in 1961, units from the other three countries were ordered to protect West Berlin against Soviet troops and against the GDR's own

National People's Army The National People's Army (, ; NVA ) were the armed forces of the East Germany, German Democratic Republic (DDR) from 1956 until 1990. The NVA was organized into four branches: the (Ground Forces), the (Navy), the (Air Force) and the (Bord ...

(NVA) troops, since the

Federal Republic of Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen constituent states have a total population of over 84 ...

was not allowed to station

Bundeswehr The (, ''Federal Defence'') are the armed forces of the Germany, Federal Republic of Germany. The is divided into a military part (armed forces or ''Streitkräfte'') and a civil part, the military part consists of the four armed forces: Germ ...

units in West Berlin. The French Army first stationed troops in Berlin in 1947. Their

headquarters Headquarters (often referred to as HQ) notes the location where most or all of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. The term is used in a wide variety of situations, including private sector corporations, non-profits, mil ...

were called "Quartier Napoléon". After the end of the

and the Two Plus Four Agreement, all Allied troops left Berlin, in July 1994.

Units

Combat Units

* 11^e Régiment de Chasseurs (11^e RCh) AMX-30B, 2x AMX-30">AMX-30D">AMX-30">AMX-30B<_a>,_2x_AMX-30.html" ;"title="AMX-30.html" ;"title="0x AMX-30B, 2x AMX-30D* 46^e Régiment d'Infanterie (46^e RI) [70x Véhicule de l'Avant Blindé">VAB">AMX-30">AMX-30B, 2x AMX-30">AMX-30D* 46^e Régiment d'Infanterie (46^e RI) [70x Véhicule de l'Avant Blindé">VAB* 110^e Compagnie du Génie (110^e CG) * Centre Entrainement de Commando (CEC No. 10)

Support Units

* 11^ème Compagnie de Transmission * Gendarmerie Berlin * Hôpital "Louis Pasteur" * Base Aérienne 165 Berlin Tegel (1x Max Holste MH1521 Broussard - 1988, 1x de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter">DHC-6-300 Twin Otter – 1988-1994) * Groupement de Soutien * Quartier-Général * Direction des Transport et de la Circulation de Berlin (TMFB – Train Militaire Française de Berlin) * État-Major * Détachement de l'Aviation Légère de l'Armée de Terre (DETALAT) [2x Cessna O-1 Bird Dog – 1968-1993, 2x Aérospatiale Alouette III, Sud-Ouest Alouette III – 1987-1994]

Subordinate Unit

* Mission Militaire Française de Liaison – MMFL, in Potsdam

References

External links

* * * * *{{cite web, url = http://www.western-allies-berlin.com, title = History of the French, American and British Berlin Brigades, accessdate = 2009-03-28, year = 2004 Military units and formations of France West Berlin Allied occupation of Germany Military units and formations established in 1947 Military units and formations disestablished in the 1990s