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The President of the French Republic François Mitterrand and the Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany Helmut Kohl reviewing French troops during maneuvers in West Germany in 1987.

The following is a hierarchical outline for the French Land Army at the end of the Cold War. It is intended to convey the connections and relationships between units and formations. The theoretical combat strength of the army was 295,989 soldiers, of the 557,904 individuals available for service across the entire French Armed Forces in 1989.[1]

In 1967 with the withdrawal of French forces from the NATO Military Command Structure, agreements were reached between the SACEUR at the time, General Lyman Lemnitzer, and the French Chief of Staff, General Charles Ailleret (fr:Charles Ailleret), under which the French forces in Germany might in certain circumstances fight alongside Allied Forces Central Europe.[2]

In 1977 the Army had changed its military organisation in accordance with a short war-fighting strategy in Europe, and divisions lost their component brigades. Under army headquarters in 1985 were the First Army, with three corps, the Rapid Action Force, an independent corps-level rapid deployment command, six military regions in the metropole (including the former Défense opérationnelle du territoire territorial defence forces), and forces overseas, including DOM-TOM, in Guyana, Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire, Gabon, Djibouti, Seychelles/Mayotte, New Caledonia, and French Polynesia.[3][4]

Regimental structure

Below follows a description of the organisation of the various regiments of the French Army.

Armored divisions

Light armored divisions

The four light armored divisions (6e Division Légère Blindée, 9e Division d'Infanterie de Marine, 12e Division Légère Blindée and 14e Division Légère Blindée) vary in their structure.

Infantry divisions

General Staff of the Army

Outline of the French Army at the end of the Cold War is located in France
I Corps
I Corps
1 Blindée
1 Blindée
7 Blindée
7 Blindée
12 Légère Blindée
12 Légère Blindée
14 Légère Blindée
14 Légère Blindée
II Corps
II Corps
3 Blindée
3 Blindée
5 Blindée
5 Blindée
15 Infanterie
15 Infanterie
III Corps
III Corps
2 Blindée
2 Blindée
10 Blindée
10 Blindée
8 Infanterie
8 Infanterie
Force d'Action Rapide
Force d'Action Rapide
4 Aéromobile
4 Aéromobile
6 Légère Blindée
6 Légère Blindée
9 Infanterie de Marine
9 Infanterie de Marine
11 Parachutiste
11 Parachutiste
27 Alpine
27 Alpine
French Army Corps and division locations 1989
AMX-30 of 11ème Régiment de Chasseurs in West Berlin. 11 June 1988.

First French Army

A French soldier ready to fire an APILAS.
AMX-30 AuF1 in position, April 1989.
A battery from the 3rd Artillery Regiment at Camp Mailly on parade in 1989. They are armed with a rifle FAMAS.

I French Corps

One AMX-30 Pluton. A tactical nuclear weapon with a maximum range of 120 km and a power of 25 kt In service from 1974 to 1993.
1ère Division Blindée
7e Division Blindée
12e Division Légère Blindée Ecole
14e Division Légère Blindée Ecole

II French Corps

3e Division Blindée
5e Division Blindée
15e Division d'Infanterie

III French Corps

One Gazelle/HOT SA-342M of 6e RHC, 1992.
2e Division Blindée
8e Division d'Infanterie
10e Division Blindée

Rapid Action Force

Logistics Convoy of the 511e Régiment du Train of Operation Daguet.

4e Division Aéromobile

SA 330 Puma helicopters during Operation Desert Shield.

Wartime: The 4th RHCM consists of a squadron commander and liaison with ten light helicopters type SA341F Gazelle, and five utility helicopters squadrons each with ten type SA330Ba Puma transport helicopters. The 1st, 3rd and 5th RHC are composed of a squadron of light reconnaissance helicopter with nine light helicopters type SA341F Gazelle. These devices called "smooth" knowing that they do not carry on-board armament, used for reconnaissance or command support, a support helicopter squadron protection with ten light helicopters type SA341F2 Gazelle. These aircraft, each provided with a 20 mm gun used in support of ground troops and protection of other aircraft, anti-tank squadrons of three helicopters, each with ten light helicopters type SA342M Gazelle. These aircraft have four HOT antitank missiles for destroying armored vehicles of all kinds and a helicopter squadron maneuver with ten type SA330Ba Puma transport helicopters. None of these units possess Alouette III that is found only in peacetime in the 6th and 7th RHC each with ten machines.

6e Division Légère Blindée

VAB-HOT (Mephisto) of 2e REI.

9e Division d'Infanterie de Marine

11e Division Parachutiste

81mm mortar from the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment during the Battle of Kolwezi.

27e Division Alpine

1st Logistic Command

The 1st Logistic Command provided overseas logistic capabilities.

Graphic of the French Army in Europe

Structure of the active units of the French Army in Europe in 1989 (click to enlarge)

Overseas Units

French Overseas Units in 1989 (click to enlarge)

Africa

Army forces in West Africa:

Djibouti

A Bofors 40 mm anti-aircraft gun of the 5th RIAM of Djibouti towed by a GMC CCKW in 1984.
Obusier de 155 mm Modèle 50 in Djibouti in 1979.

Army forces in Djibouti:

Antilles & Guiana

Army forces in the Lesser Antilles and French Guiana:

Indian Ocean

Army forces in the Southern Indian Ocean:

French Polynesia

Army forces in French Polynesia:

New Caledonia

Army forces in New Caledonia:

Military regions and reserve forces

In 1984, Isby and Kamps wrote that the Défense opérationnelle du territoire term remained in use despite the command having been disbanded in the 1970s.[5]

1st Military Region

2nd Military Region

3rd Military Region

4th Military Region

5th Military Region

6th Military Region

Detached Units

French Air Force

The Army provided two engineer regiments to the Armée de l'Air.

French Forces in Germany

Tri-service Peacetime command for all French Forces in Germany.

Foreign Intelligence Service

The Directorate-General for External Security (DGSE) is the foreign intelligence service of the French state. It acts in the interest of the government and not as a military intelligence, but it is subordinated to the Ministry of Defence as an independent military service. In 1989 the military intelligence function was carried out by the 2nd Department of the French General Staff (2e Bureau) and the Center for Exploitation of Military Intelligence Data (Centre d’exploitation du renseignement militaire). They were eventually merged in 1992 into the current Direction du renseignement militaire[7])

Foreign Legion

See also

References

  1. ^ "Ordre de bataille". Retrieved 24 November 2020.
  2. ^ https://archives.nato.int/exchange-of-letters-between-saceur-and-the-french-commander-in-chief-concerning-cooperation-with-french-forces-in-germany-lemnitzer-ailleret-agreement, see also Jean Lacouture, Charles de Gaulle – Le souverain 1959-1970, p. 476-477.
  3. ^ Isby and Kamps, 1985, 111
  4. ^ "index - armee-francaise-1989". Retrieved 24 November 2020.
  5. ^ Isby and Kamps, Armies of NATO's Central Front, Jane's, 1985, 162.
  6. ^ 6th Company
  7. ^ "L'académie du renseignement". L'académie du renseignement (in French). Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  8. ^ "Le 44e RI, régiment de la DGSE, recevra la fourragère de l'Ordre de la Libération". l'Opinion (in French). 6 September 2018. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  9. ^ "CERP". perso.modulonet.fr. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  10. ^ "CPEOM". perso.modulonet.fr. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
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