The 2nd Army Corps () was first formed before World War I. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

it fought in the Campaign for France in 1940 and during the 1944–45 campaigns in

southern France Southern France, also known as the south of France or colloquially in French as , is a geographical area consisting of the regions of France that border the Atlantic Ocean south of the Marais Poitevin,Louis Papy, ''Le midi atlantique'', Atlas e ...

, the

Vosges Mountains The Vosges ( , ; ; Franconian (linguistics), Franconian and ) is a range of medium mountains in Eastern France, near its France–Germany border, border with Germany. Together with the Palatine Forest to the north on the German side of the bor ...

Alsace Alsace (, ; ) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in the Grand Est administrative region of northeastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine, next to Germany and Switzerland. In January 2021, it had a population of 1,9 ...

, and southwestern Germany. It was active under the First Army for many years after World War II.

Napoleonic Wars

The II Corps of the ''

Grande Armée The (; ) was the primary field army of the French Imperial Army (1804–1815), French Imperial Army during the Napoleonic Wars. Commanded by Napoleon, from 1804 to 1808 it won a series of military victories that allowed the First French Empi ...

'' was a French military unit that existed during the

Napoleonic Wars {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Napoleonic Wars , partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg , caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...

. At its formation in 1805, General

Auguste de Marmont Auguste Frédéric Louis Viesse de Marmont, duc de Raguse (; 20 July 1774 – 22 March 1852) was a French general and nobleman who rose to the rank of Marshal of the Empire and was awarded the title (). In the Peninsular War Marmont succeeded th ...

was appointed commander of the II Corps. Batavian Division, commanding officer Général de Division Count Jean-Baptiste Dumonceau * 1st Batavian Dragoon Regiment (2 Squadrons) * 1st Batavian Hussar Regiment (2 Squadrons) * 1st & 2nd Battalions, 1st Batavian Regiment * 1st & 2nd Battalions, 2nd Batavian Regiment * 1st & 2nd Battalions, 6th Batavian Regiment * 1st & 2nd Battalions, Waldeck Regiment * 1st Battalion, 1st Batavian Light Regiment * 2nd Battalion, 2nd Batavian Light Regiment * 1st Foot Artillery

War of the Third Coalition

The corps participated in the

Ulm campaign The Ulm campaign was a series of French and Bavarian military maneuvers and battles to outflank and capture an Austrian army in 1805 during the War of the Third Coalition. It took place in the vicinity of and inside the Swabian city of Ulm. ...

before advancing southeast to serve as a flank guard. Still under Marmont, the troops then served as the garrison of the

Illyrian Provinces The Illyrian Provinces were an autonomous province of France during the First French Empire that existed under Napoleonic Rule from 1809 to 1814. The province encompassed large parts of modern Italy and Croatia, extending their reach further e ...

until 1809 when they became the ''Army of Dalmatia'' and later XI Corps.

War of the Fifth Coalition

Meanwhile, a parallel II Corps was created in 1809 to fight against Austria. The formation was led first by Marshal Nicolas Oudinot, then by Marshal

Jean Lannes Jean Lannes, 1st Duke of Montebello, Prince of Siewierz (; 10 April 1769 – 31 May 1809), was a French military commander and a Marshal of the Empire who served during both the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. He was one of Napol ...

who was fatally wounded at Aspern-Essling. Oudinot then took over II Corps again and won his marshal's baton at

Wagram Deutsch-Wagram (literally "German Wagram", ), often shortened to Wagram, is a village in the Gänserndorf District, in the state of Lower Austria, Austria. It is in the Marchfeld Basin, close to the Vienna city limits, about 15 km (9 mi) north ...

in July 1809.

Order of battle, 1809

{, class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed toccolours" style="width:100%; background:transparent;" !colspan= , Order of battle in 1809 during the Peninsular War , - , colspan="2" , * Commanding General, Maréchal

Jean-de-Dieu Soult Marshal General Jean-de-Dieu Soult, 1st Duke of Dalmatia (; 29 March 1769 – 26 November 1851) was a French general and statesman. He was a Marshal of the Empire during the Napoleonic Wars, and served three times as President of the Council of ...

* Corps Artillery ** 1^er, 10^éme Compagnies du {3^éme Régiment d'Artillerie à Pied ** 6^éme Compagnie du 3^éme Régiment d'Artillerie à Cheval ** 1^er, 3^éme, et 4^éme Compagnies du 6^éme (part) Bataillon du Train ** 9^éme Artisan Compagnie d'Artillerie * 1st Division, commanded by Général de Division Pierre Hugues Victoire Merle ** 1st Brigade *** 1^er, 2^e, and 3^e Bataillons du 15^éme Régiment d'Infanterie de Ligne *** 1^er, 2^e, 3^e, and 4^e Bataillons du 4^éme Régiment d'Infanterie Légère ** 2nd Brigade *** 1^er, 2^e, and 3^e Bataillons du 36^éme Régiment d'Infanterie de Ligne *** 1^er, 2^e, 3^e, and 4^e Bataillons du 2^éme Régiment d'Infanterie de Ligne ** Divisional Artillery *** 15^éme Compagnie du 3^éme Régiment d'Artillerie à Pied *** (detachment) 1^er Compagnie du 3^éme Régiment d'Artillerie à Pied *** 2^éme Escadron du Train d'Artillerie de la Garde Imperiale *** 5^éme Compagnie du 6^éme (part) Bataillon du Train *** (detachment) Train d'Artillerie de la Garde Imperiale * 2nd Division, commanded by Général de Division Julien Augustin Joseph Mermet ** 1st Brigade *** Bataillon du Paris *** 1^er Batiallon du 2^éme Régiment d'Infanterie de Ligne *** 2^éme Bataillon du 3^éme Régiment d'Infanterie de Ligne *** 3^éme Bataillon du 4^éme Régiment d'Infantertie de Ligne *** 1^er, 2^e, and 3^e Bataillons du 31^éme Régiment d'Infanterie Légère ** 2nd Brigade *** 1^er, 2^e, 3^e, and 4^e Bataillons du 47^éme Régiment d'Infanterie de Ligne *** 1^er, 2^e, 3^e, and 4^e Bataillons du 122^éme Régiment d'Infanterie de Ligne (from 1st and 2nd Reserve Legions) ** Divisional Artillery *** 15^e and 20^éme Compagnies du 3^éme Régiment d'Artillerie à Pied *** 3^e and 5^e Compagnies du 6^éme (part) Bataillon du Train * 3rd Division, commanded by Général de Division Jean-Pierre-François, Comte Bonet ** 1st Brigade *** 119^éme Régiment d'Infanterie de Ligne (formed in

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

) *** 120^éme Régiment d'Infanterie de Ligne (formed in Spain) ** Divisional Artillery *** 7^éme Compagnie du 3^éme Régiment d'Artillerie à Cheval *** 20^éme Compagnie du 3^éme Régiment d'Artillerie à Pied *** (detachment) Train d'Artillerie de la Garde Imperiale * 4th Division, commanded by Général de Division Henri François Delaborde ** 1st Brigade *** 1^er, 2^e, and 3^e Bataillons du 70^éme Régiment d'Infanterie de Ligne *** 1^er, 2^e, and 3^e Bataillons du 86^éme Régiment d'Infanterie de Ligne ** 2nd Brigade *** 4^éme Bataillon du 15^éme Régiment d'Infanterie Légère ** Divisional Artillery *** 8^éme Compagnie du 3^éme Régiment d'Artillerie à Pied *** Staff, 1^er, 5^e, and 6^e Compagnies du 11^éme Principle Train d'Artillerie * 1st Cavalry Division, commanded by Général de Division Armand Lebrun de La Houssaye ** 1st Brigade *** 1^er, 2^e, and 3^e Escadrons du 17^éme Régiment de Dragons *** 1^er, 2^e, and 3^e Escadrons du 27^éme Régiment de Dragons ** 2nd Brigade *** 1^er, 2^e, and 3^e Escadrons du 18^éme Régiment de Dragons *** 1^er, 2^e, and 3^e Escadrons du 19^éme Régiment de Dragons * 2nd Cavalry Division, commanded by Général de Division Jean Thomas Guillaume Lorge ** 1st Brigade *** 1^er, 2^e, 3^e, and 4^e Escadrons du 13^éme Régiment de Dragons *** 1^er, 2^e, 3^e, and 4^e Escadrons du 22^éme Régiment de Dragons ** 2nd Brigade *** 1^er, 2^e, 3^e, and 4^e Escadrons du 15^éme Régiment de Dragons *** 1^er, 2^e, 3^e, and 4^e Escadrons du 25^éme Régiment de Dragons ** Divisional Artillery *** 4^éme Compagnie du 6^éme Régiment d'Artillerie à Pied *** 9^éme Principle Bataillon Train

Russian campaign

Still commanded by Oudinot, the corps took part in the invasion of Russia in 1812, at which point its size was roughly 40,000 men. 6th Division (Legrand) * Joseph Jean-Baptiste Albert Brigade ** 26th Light Infantry Regiment (4 battalions) * Moreau Brigade ** 56th Line Infantry Regiment (4 battalions) *

Nicolas Joseph Maison Nicolas Joseph Maison, marquis de Maison (; 19 December 1771 – 13 February 1840) was a French military officer who served in the French Revolutionary Wars, the Napoleonic Wars, and as commander of the Morea expedition during the Greek War of In ...

Brigade ** 19th Line Infantry Regiment (4 battalions) * Pamplona Brigade ** 128th Line Infantry Regiment (2 battalions) ** 3rd Portuguese Regiment (2 battalions) 8th Division Jean-Antoine Verdier * Raymond-Vivies Brigade ** 11th Light Infantry Regiment (4 battalions) ** 2nd Line Infantry Regiment (5 battalions) * Pouget Brigade ** 37th Line Infantry Regiment (4 battalions) ** 124th Line Infantry Regiment (3 battalions) 9th Division (Swiss) Pierre Hugues Victoire Merle * François Pierre Joseph Amey Brigade ** 4th Swiss Regiment (3 battalions) ** 3rd Provisional Croatian Regiment (2 battalions) * Condras Brigade ** 1st Swiss Regiment (2 battalions) ** 2nd Swiss Regiment (3 battalions) * Coustard Brigade ** 3rd Swiss Regiment (3 battalions) ** 123rd Line Infantry Regiment (4 battalions) Corps Cavalry * Bertrand Pierre Castex Brigade ** 23rd ''Chasseurs-à-Cheval'' Regiment (4 squadrons) ** 24th ''Chasseurs-à-Cheval'' Regiment (4 squadrons) * Jean-Baptiste Juvénal Corbineau Brigade ** 7th ''Chasseurs-à-Cheval'' Regiment (4 squadrons) ** 20th ''Chasseurs-à-Cheval'' Regiment (4 squadrons) ** 8th ''Chevau-Légers-Lanciers'' (4 squadrons) ''Sources:''

War of the Sixth Coalition

The II Corps was reorganized in Germany in 1813, with Marshal Claude Victor-Perrin appointed to lead it.

War of The Seventh Coalition

The corps was headed by General Honoré Charles Reille in 1815 and took part in the

Battle of Waterloo The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo, Belgium, Waterloo (then in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium), marking the end of the Napoleonic Wars. The French Imperial Army (1804–1815), Frenc ...

World War I

2^e Corps was one of five corps of the Fifth Army and upon mobilization consisted of the 3rd and 4th Infantry Divisions. 2 Corps headquarters in 1914 was in Amiens. Commanders were: * At mobilization: Gen.

Gérard Gérard (French language, French: ) is a French masculine given name and surname of Germanic languages, Germanic origin, variations of which exist in many Germanic and Romance languages. Like many other Germanic name, early Germanic names, it is ...

* 24 Jul 1915: Gen. Herr * 10 Aug 1915: Gen. Duchêne * 29 Dec 1916: Gen. Buat * 2 Jan 1917: Gen. Cadoudal * 11 Jun 1918: Gen. Philipot 2^e Corps received credit for participation in these battles: * Aug 1914: Battle of the Ardennes * Aug 1914: Battle of the Meuse * Sep 1914: Battle of the Marne * Sep 1914: Battle of Vitry * Feb 1915: First battle of Champagne * Apr 1915: First battle of Woëvre * Feb 1916:

Battle of Verdun The Battle of Verdun ( ; ) was fought from 21 February to 18 December 1916 on the Western Front (World War I), Western Front in French Third Republic, France. The battle was the longest of the First World War and took place on the hills north ...

* Jul 1916:

Battle of the Somme The Battle of the Somme (; ), also known as the Somme offensive, was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British Empire and the French Third Republic against the German Empire. It took place between 1 July and 18 Nove ...

* May 1918: Third battle of the Aisne * Jun 1918: Battle of Matz * Jul 1918: Second battle of the Marne * Sep 1918: Battle of Champagne and the Argonne

World War II

In 1940, the ''2 Corps d'Armée Motorisé'' was one of three corps of the Ninth Army and consisted of the

4th Light Cavalry Division The 4th Light Cavalry Division () was a French Army division active during World War II. World War 2 Battle Of France During the Battle of France in May 1940 the Division (military), division contained the following units: * 4th Cavalry Brigade ...

and 5th Motorized Division. During the

Battle of France The Battle of France (; 10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign (), the French Campaign (, ) and the Fall of France, during the Second World War was the Nazi Germany, German invasion of the Low Countries (Belgium, Luxembour ...

, its commander general Jean Bouffet was killed and after the French capitulation, the Corps was dissolved on 26 May 1940. After

Operation Torch Operation Torch (8–16 November 1942) was an Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of French North Africa during the Second World War. Torch was a compromise operation that met the British objective of securing victory in North Africa whil ...

, the French troops in North Africa joined the allies, and a new 2nd Army Corps was created in Algeria on 16 August 1943. In November 1943, units of the 2nd Army Corps were used to create the French Expeditionary Corps (1943–44), which fought in Italy.
In September 1944, the 2nd Army Corps landed in the Provence and later liberated Lyon, Autun, Dijon and Chaumont. After having taken over the Vosges and Alsace, the 2nd Army Corps victoriously defended Strasbourg against the German counter-attack in January 1945. In April and May the Corps took part in the German campaign and captured Stuttgart. In 1944–45, the 2nd Army Corps was subordinated to the First Army. During the campaigns in France and Germany, many divisions served with the corps but the 1st March Infantry Division, the 3rd Algerian Infantry Division, and the 9th Colonial Infantry Division spent several months under 2nd Army Corps command. The 10th Infantry Division spent its last active months in the French occupation zone in Germany under the command of the 2nd Army Corps.

commanders

* general Edgard de Larminat (16.08.1943 – 31.08.1944) * general Joseph de Goislard de Monsabert (31.08.1944 - 24.07.1945)

Cold War

In 1984-5 and 1989, 2nd Army Corps was headquartered in

Baden-Baden Baden-Baden () is a spa town in the states of Germany, state of Baden-Württemberg, south-western Germany, at the north-western border of the Black Forest mountain range on the small river Oos (river), Oos, ten kilometres (six miles) east of the ...

, Germany, and controlled the 3rd and 5th Armored Divisions, as well as the 15th Infantry Division. Corps troops in 1985 included 32 and 74 ''Regiments de Artillerie,'' with the Pluton SSM; two regiments of 155mm self-propelled guns; a target acquisition regiment; 51 and 53 ''Regiments de Artillerie'' with Roland; two regiments of engineers; ''3e Regiment de Hussards,'' a reconnaissance unit; and two helicopter units. Major General Sengeisen (Jean, Pierre) was appointed Deputy General Commanding the 2nd Army Corps and Commander-in-Chief of the French forces in Germany as of October 1, 1991. The corps was disestablished on 31 August 1993 at a ceremony at Puységur, Oos, Baden-Württemberg, a part of

. The last commander was General Michel Cavaillé. With the end of the Cold War, the French Army underwent significant reorganization and no longer has any numbered corps headquarters.

References

* * ''Les Armées Françaises dans la Grande Guerre''. Army Corps. Armée Service Historique. Paris: Imprimerie Nationale, 1922.