French First Army
Encyclopedia
The First Army was a field army
of France
that fought during World War I
and World War II
. It was also active during the Cold War
.
and comprised the 7th, 8th, 13th, 14th, and 21st Army Corps, two divisions of cavalry and one reserve infantry division. It was massed between Belfort and the general line Mirecourt-Lunéville with headquarters at Epinal. First Army then took part, along with the French Second Army, in the Invasion of Lorraine. The First Army intended to take the strongly defended town of Sarrebourg
. German Crown Prince Rupprecht, commander of the German Sixth Army
, was tasked with stopping the French invasion. The French attack was repulsed by Rupprecht and his stratagem of pretending to retreat and then strongly attacking back. On August 20, Rupprecht launched a major counter-offensive, driving the French armies out. Dubail was replaced in 1915. A frantic 1916 saw four different commanders command the First Army; an even more frantic 1917 saw five different commanders at the helm (including François Anthoine
during the Battle of Passchendaele).
(composed of 4 divisions) and the XXXVI Corps
(composed of 2 divisions).
. It included the 4th Army Corps
. When the Wehrmacht
invaded France
and the Low Countries
in 1940, the First Army was one of the many armies including the British Expeditionary Force
(BEF) that advanced north to stop the German
armies.
On May 21, 1940, the First Army was one of the armies trapped in a vast pocket with their backs to the sea that would eventually result in the Dunkirk evacuations
. As the Germans moved in, what remained of the once-formidable First Army was hopelessly surrounded at Lille
but counterattacked and resisted fiercely in a delaying action aiming to buy time for the beleaguered Anglo-French defenders of Dunkirk. General Jean-Baptiste Molinié's 40,000 remaining men engaged 7 German divisions (roughly 110,000 men and 800 tanks), capturing General Friedrich Kühn
of the German 33rd Infantry Division in the fighting and halting the German capture of Dunkirk for three days. It is estimated that the First Army's last battle allowed the evacuation of an additional 100,000 men from Dunkirk.
The First Army formally ceased to exist on May 29, though a portion escaped with the British troops.
landed in southern France after Operation Dragoon
, the Allied invasion of the area. On September 25, 1944 French Army B was redesignated French First Army. Liberating Marseille
, Toulon
, and Lyon
, it later formed the right flank of the Allied Southern Group of Armies at the southern end of the Allied front line, adjacent to Switzerland
. It commanded two corps, the French I
and II Corps
. The French First Army liberated the southern area of the Vosges Mountains
, including Belfort
. Its operations in the area of Burnhaupt destroyed the German IV Luftwaffe Korps in November 1944. In February 1945, with the assistance of the U.S. XXI Corps
, the First Army collapsed the Colmar Pocket
and cleared the west bank of the Rhine River of Germans in the area south of Strasbourg
. In March 1945, the First Army fought through the Siegfried Line
fortifications in the Bienwald Forest
near Lauterbourg
. Subsequently, the First Army crossed the Rhine near Speyer
and captured Karlsruhe
and Stuttgart
. Operations by the First Army in April 1945 encircled and captured the German XVIII S.S. Korps in the Black Forest
and cleared southwestern Germany. At the end of the war, the motto of the French First Army was Rhin et Danube, referring to the two great German rivers that it had reached and crossed during its combat operations.
soldiers) from the Army of Africa
which already played a major role in the liberation of Corsica
(September - October 1943) and the Italian Campaign
(1943–44) in which around 130,000 of their force's men engaged. During the French and German campaigns of 1944-45 these units formed the core of the First Army which comprised about 260,000 men (including 50% Maghrebis), and eventually more than 320,000 men during its offensive advances in Germany and in Austria,
, the II Corps
, and the III Corps as well as Army troops, including Pluton
artillery, during the 1980s.
After deactivation as the war HQ for the Central Army Group, Ouvrage Rochonvillers
was designated as the First Army's war headquarters in the 1980s.
Army
An army An army An army (from Latin arma "arms, weapons" via Old French armée, "armed" (feminine), in the broadest sense, is the land-based military of a nation or state. It may also include other branches of the military such as the air force via means of aviation corps...
of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
that fought during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and 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...
. It was also active during the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
.
First World War
On mobilization in August 1914 the First Army was put in the charge of General Auguste DubailAuguste Dubail
Auguste Yvon Edmond Dubail was a French Army general. He commanded the First Army and Army Group East during World War I.-Biography:...
and comprised the 7th, 8th, 13th, 14th, and 21st Army Corps, two divisions of cavalry and one reserve infantry division. It was massed between Belfort and the general line Mirecourt-Lunéville with headquarters at Epinal. First Army then took part, along with the French Second Army, in the Invasion of Lorraine. The First Army intended to take the strongly defended town of Sarrebourg
Sarrebourg
Sarrebourg is a commune in the Moselle department in Lorraine in north-eastern France. It lies in on the upper course of the river Sarre.It should not be confused with Saarburg in Germany....
. German Crown Prince Rupprecht, commander of the German Sixth Army
German Sixth Army
The 6th Army was a designation for German field armies which saw action in World War I and World War II. The 6th Army is best known for fighting in the Battle of Stalingrad, during which it became the first entire German field army to be completely destroyed...
, was tasked with stopping the French invasion. The French attack was repulsed by Rupprecht and his stratagem of pretending to retreat and then strongly attacking back. On August 20, Rupprecht launched a major counter-offensive, driving the French armies out. Dubail was replaced in 1915. A frantic 1916 saw four different commanders command the First Army; an even more frantic 1917 saw five different commanders at the helm (including François Anthoine
François Anthoine
François Paul Anthoine was a French army general during World War I, most notable during Robert Nivelle's ill-fated campaign in 1917 and later the Third Battle of the Aisne....
during the Battle of Passchendaele).
Composition
At the time of the Battle of Passchendaele, the First Army was composed of two corps - the I CorpsI Corps (France)
The I Corps was first formed before World War I. During World War II it fought in the Campaign for France in 1940, on the Mediterranean islands of Corsica and Elba in 1943 - 1944, and in the campaigns to liberate France in 1944 and invade Germany in 1945....
(composed of 4 divisions) and the XXXVI Corps
XXXVI Corps (France)
- World War 1 :The Corps saw service throughout the entirety of the First World War, including participating in the Battle of Passchendaele . At the time of the Battle of Passchendaele, the Corps consisted of the 29th Division and 133rd Division.-Article Sources:* History of the Great War -...
(composed of 2 divisions).
1940
During World War II the Army formed part of the forces ranged against the German Army during the Battle of FranceBattle of France
In the Second World War, the Battle of France was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, beginning on 10 May 1940, which ended the Phoney War. The battle consisted of two main operations. In the first, Fall Gelb , German armoured units pushed through the Ardennes, to cut off and...
. It included the 4th Army Corps
4th Army Corps (France)
The 4th Army Corps of the French Army was formed in 1873 at Le Mans under Général Édouard-Jean-Étienne Deligny. On mobilisation in 1914, it came under control of the Third Army and comprised the 7th and 8th Infantry Divisions....
. When the Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
invaded France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and the Low Countries
Low Countries
The Low Countries are the historical lands around the low-lying delta of the Rhine, Scheldt, and Meuse rivers, including the modern countries of Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and parts of northern France and western Germany....
in 1940, the First Army was one of the many armies including the British Expeditionary Force
British Expeditionary Force (World War II)
The British Expeditionary Force was the British force in Europe from 1939–1940 during the Second World War. Commanded by General Lord Gort, the BEF constituted one-tenth of the defending Allied force....
(BEF) that advanced north to stop the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
armies.
On May 21, 1940, the First Army was one of the armies trapped in a vast pocket with their backs to the sea that would eventually result in the Dunkirk evacuations
Battle of Dunkirk
The Battle of Dunkirk was a battle in the Second World War between the Allies and Germany. A part of the Battle of France on the Western Front, the Battle of Dunkirk was the defence and evacuation of British and allied forces in Europe from 26 May–4 June 1940.After the Phoney War, the Battle of...
. As the Germans moved in, what remained of the once-formidable First Army was hopelessly surrounded at Lille
Lille
Lille is a city in northern France . It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country behind those of Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Lille is situated on the Deûle River, near France's border with Belgium...
but counterattacked and resisted fiercely in a delaying action aiming to buy time for the beleaguered Anglo-French defenders of Dunkirk. General Jean-Baptiste Molinié's 40,000 remaining men engaged 7 German divisions (roughly 110,000 men and 800 tanks), capturing General Friedrich Kühn
Friedrich Kühn (general)
General Friedrich Kühn was an Panzer General in the German army during World War II who was the chief of Wehrmacht Motor Transport and mechanization....
of the German 33rd Infantry Division in the fighting and halting the German capture of Dunkirk for three days. It is estimated that the First Army's last battle allowed the evacuation of an additional 100,000 men from Dunkirk.
The First Army formally ceased to exist on May 29, though a portion escaped with the British troops.
1944-1945
French Army B under the command of General Jean de Lattre de TassignyJean de Lattre de Tassigny
Jean Joseph Marie Gabriel de Lattre de Tassigny, GCB, MC was a French military hero of World War II and commander in the First Indochina War.-Early life:...
landed in southern France after Operation Dragoon
Operation Dragoon
Operation Dragoon was the Allied invasion of southern France on August 15, 1944, during World War II. The invasion was initiated via a parachute drop by the 1st Airborne Task Force, followed by an amphibious assault by elements of the U.S. Seventh Army, followed a day later by a force made up...
, the Allied invasion of the area. On September 25, 1944 French Army B was redesignated French First Army. Liberating Marseille
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
, Toulon
Toulon
Toulon is a town in southern France and a large military harbor on the Mediterranean coast, with a major French naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur region, Toulon is the capital of the Var department in the former province of Provence....
, and Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
, it later formed the right flank of the Allied Southern Group of Armies at the southern end of the Allied front line, adjacent to Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. It commanded two corps, the French I
I Corps (France)
The I Corps was first formed before World War I. During World War II it fought in the Campaign for France in 1940, on the Mediterranean islands of Corsica and Elba in 1943 - 1944, and in the campaigns to liberate France in 1944 and invade Germany in 1945....
and II Corps
II Corps (France)
The 2nd Army Corps was first formed before World War I. During World War II it fought in the Campaign for France in 1940 and during the 1944-45 campaigns in southern France, the Vosges Mountains, Alsace, and southwestern Germany...
. The French First Army liberated the southern area of the Vosges Mountains
Vosges mountains
For the department of France of the same name, see Vosges.The Vosges are a range of low mountains in eastern France, near its border with Germany. They extend along the west side of the Rhine valley in a northnortheast direction, mainly from Belfort to Saverne...
, including Belfort
Belfort
Belfort is a commune in the Territoire de Belfort department in Franche-Comté in northeastern France and is the prefecture of the department. It is located on the Savoureuse, on the strategically important natural route between the Rhine and the Rhône – the Belfort Gap or Burgundian Gate .-...
. Its operations in the area of Burnhaupt destroyed the German IV Luftwaffe Korps in November 1944. In February 1945, with the assistance of the U.S. XXI Corps
XXI Corps (United States)
Initially constituted on 2 December 1943 in the Army of the United States, the XXI Corps was activated on 6 December 1943 at Camp Polk, Louisiana. XXI Corps fought for 116 days in the European Theater of Operations, fighting from Alsace through southern Germany and into Austria. The corps was...
, the First Army collapsed the Colmar Pocket
Colmar Pocket
The Colmar Pocket ; in Alsace, France, was the site of an operation during the Second World War, between 20 January and 9 February 1945, where the French First Army and the U.S...
and cleared the west bank of the Rhine River of Germans in the area south of Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
. In March 1945, the First Army fought through the Siegfried Line
Siegfried Line
The original Siegfried line was a line of defensive forts and tank defences built by Germany as a section of the Hindenburg Line 1916–1917 in northern France during World War I...
fortifications in the Bienwald Forest
Bienwald
The Bienwald is a large forested area in the southern Pfalz region of Germany near the towns of Kandel and Wörth am Rhein. The western edge defines the eastern extent of the Wissembourg Gap, a corridor of open terrain between the Bienwald and the hills of the Pfälzer Wald. In the northwest, the...
near Lauterbourg
Lauterbourg
Lauterbourg is a commune and Bas-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France. Situated on the German border and not far from the German city of Karlsruhe, it is the easternmost commune in Metropolitan France...
. Subsequently, the First Army crossed the Rhine near Speyer
Speyer
Speyer is a city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany with approximately 50,000 inhabitants. Located beside the river Rhine, Speyer is 25 km south of Ludwigshafen and Mannheim. Founded by the Romans, it is one of Germany's oldest cities...
and captured Karlsruhe
Karlsruhe
The City of Karlsruhe is a city in the southwest of Germany, in the state of Baden-Württemberg, located near the French-German border.Karlsruhe was founded in 1715 as Karlsruhe Palace, when Germany was a series of principalities and city states...
and Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
. Operations by the First Army in April 1945 encircled and captured the German XVIII S.S. Korps in the Black Forest
Black Forest
The Black Forest is a wooded mountain range in Baden-Württemberg, southwestern Germany. It is bordered by the Rhine valley to the west and south. The highest peak is the Feldberg with an elevation of 1,493 metres ....
and cleared southwestern Germany. At the end of the war, the motto of the French First Army was Rhin et Danube, referring to the two great German rivers that it had reached and crossed during its combat operations.
Composition
The First Army was mainly composed of North African units (Maghrebis and French Pied-noirsPied-noir
Pied-Noir , plural Pieds-Noirs, pronounced , is a term referring to French citizens of various origins who lived in French Algeria before independence....
soldiers) from the Army of Africa
Army of Africa (France)
The Army of Africa was an unofficial but commonly used term for those portions of the French Army recruited from or normally stationed in French North Africa from 1830 until the end of the Algerian War in 1962.-Composition:...
which already played a major role in the liberation of Corsica
Corsica
Corsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....
(September - October 1943) and the Italian Campaign
Italian Campaign (World War II)
The Italian Campaign of World War II was the name of Allied operations in and around Italy, from 1943 to the end of the war in Europe. Joint Allied Forces Headquarters AFHQ was operationally responsible for all Allied land forces in the Mediterranean theatre, and it planned and commanded the...
(1943–44) in which around 130,000 of their force's men engaged. During the French and German campaigns of 1944-45 these units formed the core of the First Army which comprised about 260,000 men (including 50% Maghrebis), and eventually more than 320,000 men during its offensive advances in Germany and in Austria,
- 1st Free French Division1st Free French DivisionThe 1st Free French Division was one of the principal units of the Free French Forces during World War II, and the first Free French unit of divisional size.-World War II:...
(1st DFL, later became the 1st Motorized Infantry Division and finally the 1st March Infantry Division) - 2nd Armoured Division (2nd DB, former 2nd Light Division)
- 2nd Moroccan Infantry Division (2nd DIM)
- 3rd Algerian Infantry Division (3rd DIA)
- 4th Moroccan Mountain Division (4th DMM)
- 9th Colonial Infantry Division (9th DIC)
- 1st Armoured Division (1st DB)
- 5th Armoured Division5th Armored Division (France)The 5th Armored Division was an armored division of the French Army that fought in World War II and the Algerian War. It was also active in Germany during the Cold War.-World War II:...
(5th DB) - Moroccan GoumsGoumierMoroccan Goumiers were soldiers who served in auxiliary units attached to the French Army of Africa, between 1908 and 1956. The term Goumier was also occasionally used to designate native soldiers in the French army of the French Sudan and Upper Volta during the colonial era.-Description:The word...
(Four groups of Tabors equivalent to one brigade)
Postwar
During the Cold War the First Army was again active, controlling the I CorpsI Corps (France)
The I Corps was first formed before World War I. During World War II it fought in the Campaign for France in 1940, on the Mediterranean islands of Corsica and Elba in 1943 - 1944, and in the campaigns to liberate France in 1944 and invade Germany in 1945....
, the II Corps
II Corps (France)
The 2nd Army Corps was first formed before World War I. During World War II it fought in the Campaign for France in 1940 and during the 1944-45 campaigns in southern France, the Vosges Mountains, Alsace, and southwestern Germany...
, and the III Corps as well as Army troops, including Pluton
Pluton (missile)
The Pluton missile was a French nuclear-armed short-range ballistic missile system launched from a transporter erector launcher platform mounted on an AMX 30 tank chassis. It was designed to provide the tactical part of French nuclear deterrence during the Cold War.The Pluton came in replacement...
artillery, during the 1980s.
After deactivation as the war HQ for the Central Army Group, Ouvrage Rochonvillers
Ouvrage Rochonvillers
Ouvrage Rochonvillers is one of the largest of the Maginot Line fortifications. Located above the town of Rochonvillers in the French region of Lorraine, the gros ouvrage or large work was fully equipped and occupied in 1935 as part of the Fortified Sector of Thionville in the Moselle...
was designated as the First Army's war headquarters in the 1980s.
World War I
- General Auguste DubailAuguste DubailAuguste Yvon Edmond Dubail was a French Army general. He commanded the First Army and Army Group East during World War I.-Biography:...
(Mobilisation – 5 January 1915) - General Pierre RoquesPierre RoquesPierre Auguste Roques was a French general and creator of the French air force.-Biography:...
(5 January 1915 – 25 March 1916) - General Olivier MazelOlivier MazelOlivier Charles Armand Adrien Mazel was a French Army general during World War I. He commanded the First and Fifth Armies during the war.-Decorations:*Légion d'honneur**Knight **Officer...
(25 March 1916 – 31 March 1916) - General Augustin Gérard (31 March 1916 – 31 December 1916)
- General Emile FayolleMarie Émile FayolleMarie Émile Fayolle was a Marshal of France.Fayolle studied at the École polytechnique, where he graduated with the class of 1873. During his career he served in the artillery. From 1897 to 1908 he taught artillery at the École supérieure de Guerre...
(31 December 1916 – 6 May 1917) - General Joseph Alfred Micheler (6 May 1917 – 1 June 1917)
- General Henri GouraudHenri Gouraud (soldier)Henri Joseph Eugène Gouraud was a French general, best known for his leadership of the French Fourth Army at the end of the World War I.-Early life:...
(1 June 1917 – 15 June 1917) - General François AnthoineFrançois AnthoineFrançois Paul Anthoine was a French army general during World War I, most notable during Robert Nivelle's ill-fated campaign in 1917 and later the Third Battle of the Aisne....
(15 June 1917 – 21 December 1917) - General Marie-Eugène DebeneyMarie-Eugène DebeneyMarie-Eugène Debeney was a French Army general. Several streets in his birthplace are named after him-Life:Marie-Eugène Debeney was born in Bourg-en-Bresse, Ain. A student at Saint-Cyr, Marie-Eugène Debeney became Lieutenant des Chasseurs in 1886...
(21 December 1917 – ArmisticeArmistice with Germany (Compiègne)The armistice between the Allies and Germany was an agreement that ended the fighting in the First World War. It was signed in a railway carriage in Compiègne Forest on 11 November 1918 and marked a victory for the Allies and a complete defeat for Germany, although not technically a surrender...
)
World War II
- General Georges Blanchard (2 September 1939 – 26 May 1940)
- General René PriouxRené PriouxRené Jacques Adolphe Prioux 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 First Army during the Battle of Belgium in May 1940. He was captured by the Germans...
(26 May – 29 May 1940) - General Jean de Lattre de TassignyJean de Lattre de TassignyJean Joseph Marie Gabriel de Lattre de Tassigny, GCB, MC was a French military hero of World War II and commander in the First Indochina War.-Early life:...
(September 1944 – 1 August 1945)