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183rd Infantry Division of Africa

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183rd Infantry Division of Africa
183e division d'infanterie d'Afrique
ActiveSeptember 1939
DisbandedJuillet 1940
CountryFrance
BranchFrench Army
TypeInfantry Division of Africa
Garrison/HQConstantine Department
EngagementsWorld War II

The 183rd Infantry Division of Africa (183e division d'infanterie d'Afrique) was a unit of the French Army formed in Algeria during the French colonial period at the beginning of World War II.

History

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The division was created in September 1939 (1939-09) in the Constantine Department.[1] It was a division designated for protection and was not well-suited for offensive operations.[2] The division remained in the Constantine Department and was disbanded in July 1940 (1940-07) without having seen combat.

Composition

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Infantry

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  • 23rd Zouaves Regiment, mobilized in late 8 in Constantine[3]
  • 15th Senegalese Tirailleurs Regiment|, which was part of the Constantine Division before the war[4]
  • Some sources indicate a Marching battalion of Senegalese Tirailleurs[4]
  • Motorized company of the 1st Foreign Infantry Regiment of the Foreign Legion Infantry.[5][6]
  • Artillery: 387th of African Artillery, with a single group,[7] also referred to as the 183rd autonomous artillery group[5][6]

Cavalry

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    • 183rd Reconnaissance Group of Infantry Division, formed on 1 of the reduced overseas type, which was the former autonomous horse-drawn group of the 3rd Regiment of African Chasers[8]
    • One cavalry squadron (unknown origin)

References

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  1. ^ Éric de Fleurian (March 8, 2016). "Deuxième guerre mondiale, campagne de France 1939-1940 : participation des régiments de tirailleurs". les-tirailleurs.fr (in French). Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  2. ^ Michelet, Louis-Christian (1994). "Pouvait-on Réellement, En Juin 1940, Continuer La Guerre En Afrique Du Nord?". Guerres Mondiales et Conflits Contemporains (174): 143–160. ISSN 0984-2292. JSTOR 25732154. Retrieved 2023-12-13.
  3. ^ Éric de Fleurian. "22nd Zouaves Regiment". les-tirailleurs.fr (in French). Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  4. ^ a b "Les troupes d'Afrique dans la guerre 39-40". Historama (HS 10). 1970.
  5. ^ a b André Truchet (1955). L'armistice de 1940 et l'Afrique du Nord (in French). Presses universitaires de France. p. 370.
  6. ^ a b Ian Summer; François Vauvillier (1998). The French Army, 1939-45 (1). Men-at-arms. Osprey Military. ISBN 1-85532-666-3. OCLC 49674512.
  7. ^ Michelet, Louis-Christian (1994). "Pouvait-on Réellement, En Juin 1940, Continuer La Guerre En Afrique Du Nord?". Guerres Mondiales et Conflits Contemporains (174): 143–160. ISSN 0984-2292. JSTOR 25732154. Retrieved 2023-12-13.
  8. ^ "Historique du 183rd GRDI". grca.free.fr. Retrieved 2023-12-13.