Moroccan Division (France)

1st Moroccan Division
or Moroccan Division
(1re Division Marocaine)
Active August 1914
Country  France
Allegiance France
Branch French Army
Type Infantry Division
Role Infantry
Motto(s)

Sans Peur Sans Pitié (Fr)
بلا خوف ولا شفقة (Ar)
(Topping a Crescent equally as inscribed in French and Arabic, Moroccan Division Memorial)

without Fear without Pity (Eng)
Engagements

1914 - Bataille de la Fosse-à-l'Eau
(French: Bataille de la Fosse-à-l'Eau)
1914 - First Battle of the Marne (Bataille des Marais de Saint-Gond)
(French: Bataille des Marais de Saint-Gond)
1915 - Bataille de l'Artois
1915 - 2e Bataille de Champagne
1916 - Bataille de la Somme
1917 - Bataille des monts de Champagne
1917 - Bataille de Verdun
1918 - Bataille de l'Aisne
1918 - Offensive des Cent-Jours

(Bataille de Vauxaillon)
(French: Bataille de Vauxaillon)
Insignia
Marching Division of Morocco Division de Marche du Maroc (D.M du Maroc)
1st Moroccan Division Division Marocaine
1re Division Marocaine
(D.M, 1re D.M)

The Moroccan Division (French: Division marocaine, 1re D.M) or the 1st Moroccan Division of 1914, initially the Marching Division of Morocco (French: « Division de Marche du Maroc »D.M du Maroc) was an infantry division of France's Army of Africa (French: Armée d'Afrique) which participated in World War I.

During the major engagements of the Division, the composition of the latter consisted of, half of Maghrebi soldiers (Algerian and Tunisian Tirailleurs, Moroccans)[1] and the other half made of "European" soldiers (Marsouins ex-Infantry Colonial Troops, Zouaves and Legionnaires), the Moroccan Division illustrated capability in the First Battle of the Marne in September and the Battle of Artois of May 1915 where for the first time, a French division pierced the front.[2]

The Moroccan Division was one of the most decorated units of the French Army and all its regiments were cited at the orders of the armed forces at the end of the conflict.[3] The Moroccan Division was the only division of all French regimental colours to be decorated with the légion d’honneur throughout the course of World War I.[4]

The four principal units which composed formation of the Moroccan Division between 1914 and 1918 were the Marching Regiment of the Foreign Legion RMLE, the 4th Marching Tirailleurs Regiment 4e RTT, the 7th Marching Tirailleurs Regiment 7e RTA and 8th Marching Zouaves Regiment 8e RZ, all awarded the French fourragere with colours of the légion d’honneur at the end of the conflict.

Creation and different nominations

A 1917 poster advertising an art exposition for the benefit of wounded Moroccan soldiers serving in the French Army.

On the eve of mobilisation on August 2, 1914, the troops which were at the disposition of the French Army in Morocco constituted:

While at disposition, these part forces where made immediately available to Général Lyautey who created since moblisation in Morocco, the Marching Division of Morocco (French: « Division de Marche du Maroc » ) (future Moroccan Division, « Division Marocaine » ), with mainly 3 battalions (6th, 7th, 9th Colonial Infantry Battalions of Morocco) regrouped at Bled-el-Makhzen which formed the Colonial Infantry Marching Regiment of Morocco ( future « R.I.C.M » in 1956) of the 1st Marching Brigade of Morocco (French: « 1re Brigade de Marche du Maroc ») belonging to this division.

Under orders of G.al Humbert, the units constituting the Marching Division of Morocco (French: « Division de Marche du Maroc » ) were regrouped at Bordeaux and positioned themselves in the region of Tournes (French Ardennes) on August 18, and that to join the Colonial Army Troop Corps (French: « Corps d’Armée des Troupes Coloniales ») of the IVth Army (French: « 4e Armée Française ») in the battle of (French: « Bataille des frontières »).

On August 20, 1914, the Marching Division of Morocco (French: « Division de Marche du Maroc ») was renamed the Moroccan Division (French: « Division du Maroc ») (another Moroccan Division « 2e Division du Maroc » was enacted on August 4, 1918) formed by principle of two Marching brigades of Morocco (French: « Brigade de Marche du Maroc »).

The Colonial Infantry Marching Regiment of Morocco (French: « Régiment de Marche d’Infanterie Colonial du Maroc ») was subsequently designated as 1st Colonial Infantry Marching Regiment of Morocco (French: « 1er Régiment de Marche d’Infanterie Colonial du Maroc » ) with regimental commander Lieutenant-Colonel Pernot leading 3 battalions:

The regiment was attached to the 1st Marching Brigade of Morocco (French: « 1re Brigade de Marche du Maroc ») of général Blondlat, along with the 1st Zouaves Regiment (French: « 1er Régiment de Zouaves ») of Lieutenant-Colonel Leveque leading also 3 battalions of Commandants Lagure, Randier and Burkart.

The 2nd Marching Brigade of Morocco (French: « 2e Brigade de Marche du Maroc ») of Colonel Cros regrouped:

The 1st Moroccan Division (French: « 1re Division du Maroc ») was supported by:

During the battle of Bataille des Ardennes on August 23, 1914, the 1st Moroccan Division (French: « 1re Division du Maroc ») was integrated in the 9th Army Corps (French: « 9e Corps d’Armée ») of the IVth Army (French: « IVe Armée ») under the orders of général Dubois. This army corps had for mission to cover the unfolding of the later while maintaining positions on the designated line Signy-l'Abbaye / La-Fosse-à-l'Eau, on which this corps had to counter a massive advancement.

World War I

Order of Battle

Generalissimo Joseph Joffre in 1914.

Composition formations

August–September 1914

October 1914 – June 1918

July–November 1918

Engagements

Mobilized in Morocco:

1914

August 28 : combats of Dommery and Battle of la Fosse-à-l'Eau (Meuse Battle).
August 30 : combats at Bertoncourt.
September 1 : combats of Neuflize and Alincourt.
September 23–28 : participation to the French attacks in direction of Berru.
October 12, 13 - December 22 : local attack.
October 22 : combats in the forest by the Zouaves.
October 26, 1914 - February 8, 1915 : the 2nd Brigade was transferred to the north. Engaged November 11 in the first Battle of Ypres, lifting of the bois triangulaire (north of Ypres and the Grand Dune (Nieuport-Bain)).

1915

June 16–22 : French attacks in direction of Givenchy-en-Gohelle.
September 25–28 : attack towards Trou Bricot and the butte of Souain-Perthes-lès-Hurlus. As of September 30, movement of rocade and occupation of a sector south-east of Sainte-Marie-à-Py.

1916

July 7–13 : French attack, south-east of Belloy-en-Santerre.

1917

engaged in the second Battle of Verdun 1917, apprehending of the wooden forest of Corbeaux. Accordingly, organisation of positions towards Meuse and west towards Forges-sur-Meuse
January 8, 1918 : Local French action north of Flirey towards the wooden forest of Montmare.

1918

June 12 : counter-attacked.

Army attachments and Army Corps detachments

Marshal of France Ferdinand Foch in 1918 with baton.

Most Armed/Army Corps (French: Corps d'armée,C.A) (which are a formation of several divisions)[6] are the subdivisions of an Army (French: Armée), which could also be the designation of an Air Army/Force (French: l'Armée de l'Air) or Naval Army/Force (French: l'Armée de Mer) contingent. However and throughout the courses of the World Wars, France centralized the vast majority of front combat theatre battles, led almost entirely by regiments of the French Army (French: L'Armée de Terre), hence the designation of "Army" (France). During World War I, the Moroccan Division being organically assigned part of the French Army included the following land "Army" (French: Armée) attachments which included various Army Corps (French: Corps d'armée,C.A) detachments:

August 1914 : isolated
September 1914 : combined corps Humbert, then 32nd Army Corps (France) (French: 32e Corps d'Armée 32e C.A.) which included French Navy Fusiliers Marins of the Brigade de Fusiliers Marins
Octobre 1914 - Novembre 1918 : isolated
Octobre 29 - November 3, 1916
January 5 - March 26, 1918
April 4 - May 7, 1918
22–27 August 1918
January 23 - February 13, 1916
July 24 - September 3, 1917
July 16 - October 29, 1916
January 11 - March 31, 1917
7–12 May 1918
21–29 August 1914
March 31 - June 2, 1917
September 15 - October 20, 1915
7–24 July 1917
Octobre 7 1914 - April 26, 1915
June 2 - July 7, 1917
March 31 - April 4, 1918
12–27 May 1918
October 20, 1915 - January 23, 1916
February 13 - April 12, 1916
June 20 - July 16, 1916
May 27 - June 2, 1918
July 4 - September 15, 1915
September 3, 1917 - January 5, 1918
26 - 31 Mars 1918
Septembre 27 - Novembre 10, 1918
September 5 - Octobre 7, 1914
April 26 - July 4, 1915
April 12 - June 20, 1916
November 3, 1916 - January 3, 1917
June 2 - August 22, 1918
August 27 - Septembre 27 1918
10–11 November 1918
August 29 - September 5, 1914
  • Interior
August 2–21

Division Decorations

Generalissimo Joseph Joffre with soldiers of the Moroccan Division in 1915.

Moroccan Division Commanders

Division Commanders

Brigade Commanders

Général Blondlat : August 18 - September 14, 1914.
Colonel Mérienne-Lucas : September 14 - October 1914.
Colonel Lavenir : October 5, 1914 - March 13, 1915.
Colonel Pein : March 13 - May 9, 1915 (killed in action) while also regimental commander in lead of 2nd Marching Regiment of the 1st Foreign Regiment
Colonel Delavau : May 14, 1915 - February 10, 1916.
Colonel Demetz : February 10, 1916 - July 5, 1917.
Colonel Eugène Mittelhauser : July 9, 1917 - April 27, 1918.
Colonel Boucher : April 27, 1918.
Colonel Cros : September 28, 1914 - May 10, 1915 (killed).
Colonel d'Anselme : May 14, 1915 - January 23, 1916.
Colonel Pierre Girondon : January 25, 1916 - May 25, 1916 (killed as général commandant of the French 12th Infantry Division (French: 12e division d'infanterie, 12e DI))
Colonel Schuhler : May 25, 1916 - July 17, 1918.
Colonel Bertrand : July 20, 1918.

Memorial of Givenchy-en-Gohelle

Moroccan Division Memorial.

A Monument was inaugurated in June 1925 at Givenchy-en-Gohelle on the plateau de Vimy, in front of the Canadian National Vimy Memorial, and renders homage to the Moroccan Division and the hundreds of thousands of Foreign soldiers engaged for France during the War.[7]

Moroccan Division - Gallery

See also

References

  1. ↑ "The regiments de marche were in fact formed from the Algerian and Tunisian battalions serving in Morocco at the time and not from Moroccans. These latter were to be found in the third independent brigade, the Brigade des Chasseurs Indigenes, known from September 1914 as the Brigade Marocaine, as its units were Moroccan, the future Tirailleurs Marocains", Anthony Clayton, France, Soldiers, and Africa, Brassey&s Defence Publ., 1988, p.96
  2. ↑ « ... Le 9 mai 1915, les régiments de la division marocaine s’élançant à 10 heures des tranchées de Berthonval et brisant de haute lutte la résistance des allemands atteignirent d’un bond la côte 140, leur objectif, rompant pour la première fois le front ennemi »
  3. ↑ Marc Michel, L'Afrique dans l'engrenage de la Grande Guerre, 1914–1918, Karthala, 2013, p.103
  4. ↑ 4e R.T.T; 7e R.T.A; the R.M.L.E; 8e R.Z; Bulletin des lois de la République française, Imprimerie Royale, 1919, pp.2023–2035
  5. ↑ Memorialgenweb.org - Château-Salins : plaque commémorative de la Division Marocaine (relevé n° 201037).
  6. ↑ The Corps d'armée was a creation of Napoleon Bonaparte, who for the first time used this denomination in 1805 within the Grande Armée. Bonaparte regrouped the divisions of the latter in grand inter-arm units (cavalry, artillery and infantry) commanded by marshals, these groupments were relatively small to harbor in a nation. This sort of force decentralization, then concentration was validated later in 1805. By the subsequent augmentation of numbers in the 19th century, the term Corps d'armée (Army Corps) became a subdivision of an Armée(Army), and often specialized in an inter-arm character. In France, during the two world conflicts, each Army Corps was composed of two infantry divisions
  7. ↑ Pedrero, Maxime (6 January 2015). "Givenchy-en-Gohelle: le maire veut sauver le monument à la mémoire de la division marocaine". La Voix du Nord..

Bibliographies

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