Armoured Cavalry Branch
Encyclopedia
The Armoured Cavalry Branch is a component of the French Army
French Army
The French Army, officially the Armée de Terre , is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces.As of 2010, the army employs 123,100 regulars, 18,350 part-time reservists and 7,700 Legionnaires. All soldiers are professionals, following the suspension of conscription, voted in...
. It was formed after the World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
by merging tank
Tank
A tank is a tracked, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility, tactical offensive, and defensive capabilities...
and cavalry
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
branches. It operates the majority of France's armoured vehicles, though a small minority of France's armour is still operated by infantry regiments. It continues the traditions and mission of the French cavalry and horse artillery
Horse artillery
Horse artillery was a type of light, fast-moving and fast-firing artillery which provided highly mobile fire support to European and American armies from the 17th to the early 20th century...
. Its training establishment is the Armoured Branch and Cavalry Training School at Saumur
Saumur
Saumur is a commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France.The historic town is located between the Loire and Thouet rivers, and is surrounded by the vineyards of Saumur itself, Chinon, Bourgueil, Coteaux du Layon, etc...
.
Military doctrine
The Armoured Cavalry Branch is a component of the French Army
French Army
The French Army, officially the Armée de Terre , is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces.As of 2010, the army employs 123,100 regulars, 18,350 part-time reservists and 7,700 Legionnaires. All soldiers are professionals, following the suspension of conscription, voted in...
. It was formed after the World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
by merging tank
Tank
A tank is a tracked, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility, tactical offensive, and defensive capabilities...
and cavalry
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
branches. It operates the majority of France's armoured vehicles, though a small minority of France's armour is still operated by infantry regiments. It continues the traditions and mission of the French cavalry and horse artillery
Horse artillery
Horse artillery was a type of light, fast-moving and fast-firing artillery which provided highly mobile fire support to European and American armies from the 17th to the early 20th century...
. Its training establishment is the Armoured Branch and Cavalry Training School at Saumur
Saumur
Saumur is a commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France.The historic town is located between the Loire and Thouet rivers, and is surrounded by the vineyards of Saumur itself, Chinon, Bourgueil, Coteaux du Layon, etc...
.
Military doctrine
The Armoured Cavalry Branch is a component of the French Army
French Army
The French Army, officially the Armée de Terre , is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces.As of 2010, the army employs 123,100 regulars, 18,350 part-time reservists and 7,700 Legionnaires. All soldiers are professionals, following the suspension of conscription, voted in...
. It was formed after the World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
by merging tank
Tank
A tank is a tracked, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility, tactical offensive, and defensive capabilities...
and cavalry
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
branches. It operates the majority of France's armoured vehicles, though a small minority of France's armour is still operated by infantry regiments. It continues the traditions and mission of the French cavalry and horse artillery
Horse artillery
Horse artillery was a type of light, fast-moving and fast-firing artillery which provided highly mobile fire support to European and American armies from the 17th to the early 20th century...
. Its training establishment is the Armoured Branch and Cavalry Training School at Saumur
Saumur
Saumur is a commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France.The historic town is located between the Loire and Thouet rivers, and is surrounded by the vineyards of Saumur itself, Chinon, Bourgueil, Coteaux du Layon, etc...
.
Military doctrine
List of regiments
Today the Armoured Cavalry Branch of the French Army consists of:4 Tank regiments, which field 52x Leclerc
Leclerc
The AMX-56 Leclerc, commonly known as the Leclerc, is a main battle tank built by Nexter of France. It was named in honour of General Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque who led the French element of the drive towards Paris while in command of the Free French 2nd Armoured Division in World War...
main battle tank
Main battle tank
A main battle tank , also known as a battle tank or universal tank, is a tank that fills the heavy direct fire role of many modern armies. They were originally conceived to replace the light, medium, heavy and super-heavy tanks. Development was spurred onwards in the Cold War with the development...
s each:
- 1er Régiment de Chasseurs (1er RCh) in VerdunVerdunVerdun is a city in the Meuse department in Lorraine in north-eastern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department.Verdun is the biggest city in Meuse, although the capital of the department is the slightly smaller city of Bar-le-Duc.- History :...
- 4e Régiment de Dragons (4e RD) in Carnoux-en-ProvenceCarnoux-en-ProvenceCarnoux-en-Provence is a commune northeast of Marseille in the department of Bouches-du-Rhône in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southern France. It was created in 1966 from the commune of Roquefort-la-Bédoule....
- 12e Régiment de Cuirassiers6th-12th Cuirassier RegimentThe 6th-12th Cuirassier Regiment was an armoured cavalry regiment in the French Army. It was the armoured component of the 2nd Armoured Brigade.-History:...
(12e RC) in OlivetOlivet-Places:Middle East* The Mount of Olives, on the east side of JerusalemFrance* Olivet, Loiret, in the Loiret département* Olivet, Mayenne, in the Mayenne départementUnited States* Olivet, Illinois* Olivet, Kansas* Olivet, Michigan... - 501e Régiment de Chars de Combat501st-503rd Tank RegimentThe 501st-503rd Tank Regiment was an armoured cavalry unit in the French Army. It was the armoured component of the 1st Mechanised Brigade.-History:...
(501e RCC) in Mourmelon-le-GrandMourmelon-le-GrandMourmelon-le-Grand is a commune in the Marne department in north-eastern France.-Camp Châlons:'Camp Châlons' is a military camp of circa 10,000 hectares nearby Mourmelon-le-Grand...
4 Cavalry regiments, which field a mix of AMX 10 RC
AMX 10 RC
The AMX-10RC is a wheeled recon vehicle and tank destroyer built by GIAT. Over 300 are in service in the French Army. 120 additional vehicles were sold to Morocco and Qatar ....
and ERC 90
ERC 90 Sagaie
The Panhard ERC 90 is a French six-wheeled armoured all terrain vehicle which is highly mobile and amphibious with an option of being NBC-proof. While various models were tested, only two versions of the ERC were developed and produced: the Lynx and the Sagaie...
wheeled tanks:
- 1er Régiment1er Régiment de Spahis MarocainsThe First Regiment of Moroccan Spahis is an cavalry regiment of the French Army which was founded in 1914. It saw service in both the First World War and the Second World War as part of the Forces Françaises Libres as well as post-war service in the French-Indochina War and elsewhere...
de Spahis (1er SPAHIS) in ValenceValence, DrômeValence is a commune in southeastern France, the capital of the Drôme department, situated on the left bank of the Rhône, south of Lyon on the railway to Marseilles.Its inhabitants are called Valentinois... - 1er Régiment de Hussards Parachutistes1st Parachute Hussar RegimentThe 1st Parachute Hussar Regiment is an airborne cavalry unit in the French army. It is stationed in Tarbes and is a part of the 11th Parachute Brigade.- Composition :The 1st RHP consists of:*Command and Logistics Squadron...
(1er RHP) in TarbesTarbesTarbes is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in south-western France.It is part of the historical region of Gascony. It is the second largest metropolitan area of Midi-Pyrénées, with 110,000 inhabitants.... - 3e Régiment de Hussards (3e RH) in ImmendingenImmendingenImmendingen is a town in the district of Tuttlingen in Baden-Württemberg in Germany....
(Germany) - 4e Régiment de Chasseurs (4e RCh) in GapGap, Hautes-AlpesGap is a commune in southeastern France, the capital of the Hautes-Alpes department.-Geography:An Alpine crossroads at the intersection of D994 and Route nationale 85 the Route Napoléon, Gap lies above sea level along the right bank of the Luye River...
5 combat support regiments:
- 1er Régiment de Chasseurs d'AfriqueChasseurs d'AfriqueThe Chasseurs d'Afrique were a light cavalry corps in the French Armée d'Afrique . First raised in the 1830s from regular French cavalry posted to Algeria, they numbered five regiments by World War II...
(1er RCA) training regiment in CanjuersCanjuersCanjuers is a calcareous plateau and a military camp in Provence in southeastern France.-Geography:Situated in the département of the Var in the Prealps of Castellane, on the south of the Verdon Gorge and to the north of Draguignan.... - 2e Régiment de Dragons - Défense Nucléaire Biologique et chimique (2 RD-NBC) NBC-defense regiment in Fontevraud
- 2e Régiment de Hussards (2e RH) reconnaissance regiment in HaguenauHaguenau-Economy:The town has a well balanced economy. Centuries of troubled history in the buffer lands between France and Germany have bequeathed to Haguenau a rich historical and cultural heritage which supports a lively tourist trade. There is also a thriving light manufacturing sector centred on the...
- 4e Groupe d'escadrons de Hussards (4e GEH) support unit of the North-East regional headquarter in MetzMetzMetz is a city in the northeast of France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers.Metz is the capital of the Lorraine region and prefecture of the Moselle department. Located near the tripoint along the junction of France, Germany, and Luxembourg, Metz forms a central place...
- 13e Régiment de Dragons Parachutistes13th Parachute Dragoon RegimentThe 13th Parachute Dragoon Regiment is an airborne special forces regiment of the French Army. It is one of two regiments in the French Army Special Forces Brigade, which is under the control of the COS...
(13e RDP) long range reconnaissance regiment in SougeSougéSougé may refer to the following places in France:*Sougé, Indre, a commune in the Indre department*Sougé, Loir-et-Cher, a commune in the Loir-et-Cher department...