Order
of Battle for the
DIM - Division d'Infanterie Motorisée
Motorised Infantry Division
DIM - Division d'Infanterie Motorisée
The division d’infanterie (DI)
was the standard component used by the high command to build armies. It
contained approximately 500 officers and 17,000 men in three infantry
regiments.
Seven infantry divisions were motorised (DIM -division
d’infanterie motorisée) containing the 20 regular
motorised infantry regiments and one Zouave motorised infantry
regiment.
The DIM was organised along the same lines as the DI except
that its supporting arms were motorised. The infantry themselves did
not, unlike the British and German armies, possess their own trucks
instead these were provided by independent transport battalions.
The DIM contained the following combat units:
The DI contained 3 motorised infantry regiments (RIm -
Régiment
d'Infanterie Motorisé or RZm -
Régiment
de Zouaves Motorisé). The motorised infantry regiment had
basically the same
format as the "leg" infantry except that its supporting arms were
motorised and it had a whole motorcycle company instead of just a
platoon. The motorised infantry regiments had no intrinsic transport
for the infantry; they used the GTPs attached to the division when
available.
A motorised infantry regiment consisted of:
- 1 HQ Company (supply,
medical, signals and engineer platoons),
- 1 Motorcycle Company
- 1 Supply Company with 12 Renault UE tracked carriers
- 1 Regimental Heavy Weapons Company.
- 3 Infantry Battalions
Companie Motocycliste
The motorcycle squadrons (Escadron Motocycliste) consisted of:
- 1 command platoon & 1 60mm mortar section
- 4 motorcycle platoons each
- 1 command section, 6 men, 1 VB grenade
launcher, 3 motorcycles with side-cars.
- 2 combat sections each with 10 men, 2
Chatellerault Fusil-Mitrailleur FM 24/29 7.5mm LMGs, 1 VB grenade
launcher, 5 motorcycles with side-cars.
Companie de Engins
The regimental heavy weapons company contained:
- 2 AT gun platoons each with 3 25 mm AT guns and 3 Renault
U.E tracked vehicles
- 2 Mortar platoons with 4 81 mm mortars
- 3 AA platoons each with 4 20 mm AA 39 Oerlikon HMGs
Not all infantry regiments had 25mm guns in their anti-tank
platoons, some had to make do with the World War One vintage
37mm Mle 16 TRP.
The motorised infantry battalion had basically the same
format as the "leg" infantry except that its heavy weapons company was
motorised.
An infantry battalion contained :
- A Headquarters and command platoon including a signals
section
- 3 Rifle Companies
- 1 Battalion Heavy Weapons Company.
Compagnie de Fusiliers-Voltigeurs
The rifle company (compagnie de Fusiliers-Voltigeurs)
contained:
- 1 Command platoon
- 1 Command Section
- 1 Supply Section
- 1 Mortar Section with 1 60mm Mortar
- 4 Rifle
platoons
Companie de Mitrailleuses et Engins
The battalion heavy weapons company contained:
- 1 Mortar and Gun platoon
- 1 Mortar section with 2 81mm mortar and trucks
- 1 Anti-Tank Gun section with 2 25mm SA mle
34 anti-tank guns towed by Renault U.E tracked
vehicles
- 3 Machinegun platoons each with
- 2 Machinegun sections each with 2 8mm 1914 Hotchkiss
machineguns and trucks
The Motorised Reconnaissance
Battalion (GRDIm - Groupe de Reconnaissance de Division d'Infanterie
Motorisée)
was the only cavalry unit in the infantry division and provided it with
a reconnaissance capability.
It consisted of:
- 1 AMD Armoured-car Reconnaissance Squadron
- 1 AMR Armoured Reconnaissance Squadron
- 2 Motorcycle Squadron
- 1 heavy weapons Squadron
The 2nd and 5th GRDIm were initially without their AMD and AMR
squadrons which they only
recieved after the German invasion.
AMD Armoured-car Reconnaissance Squadron
The AMD Armoured-car Reconnaissance Squadron
contained:
- 4 platoons each of 3 armoured-cars
The armoured-cars were normally Panhard 178, but one
squadron had older White-Laffly 50 AM armoured-cars.
AMR Armoured Reconnaissance Squadron
The AMR Armoured Reconnaissance Squadron contained:
- 4 platoons each of 3 armoured reconnaissance vehicles
It was intened to equipp this squadron with 4 platoons each of 5
AMR 33 or AMR 35. However insuficent AMR 33/35 were available.
Instead they were mostly equipped with the
obsolete Panhard-Schneider-Kégresse P16 halftrack armoured
car;
only 3 to a platoon instead of 5. The 2nd GRDIm with the 9th DIM had
Hotchkiss H 39 light tanks and the
5th GRDIm with the 25th DIM had Hotchkiss H 35 light tanks.
Motorcycle Squadron
The Motorcycle Squadrons consisted of:
- 1 command troop including 1 60mm mortar section in
motorcycles with side-cars.
- 4 motorcycle troops each with
- 1 command section, 6 men, 1
VB grenade launcher, 3 motorcycles with side-cars.
- 2 combat sections each
with 10 men, 2 Chatellerault Fusil-Mitrailleur FM 24/29 7.5mm LMGs, 1
VB grenade launcher, 5 motorcycles with side-cars.
Heavy Weapons Squadron
The Heavy Weapons Squadron contained:
- 2 motorcycle machinegun platoons each with 4 8mm 1914
Hotchkiss
machineguns and heavy motorcycle and
sidecar combinations.
- 2 anti-tank sections with 2 25mm SA38 anti-tank
guns
transported by light trucks. In the 6th and 7th GRDIm these four guns
were replaced by four AMR 35 ZT3 tank destroyers.
The divisional anti-tank company (CDAC –
Compagnie Divisionnaire Anti Char) contained 12 infantry-crewed 25mm SA
mle 34 anti-tank guns. The battery was split
into 3 platoons each of four guns. The guns
were usually towed by Renault U.E tracked
vehicles although the 12th DIm used the Latil M7 T1 instead.
The motorised light field artillery regiment (RADm
Régiment
d'Artillerie Divisionnaire Motorisé) contained three
battalions of 12 mle 1897
75mm guns divided into 3 batteries each of 4 guns.
This regiment had the same basic organisation as its horse-drawn
equivalent except that the guns were now towed by Unic P107 BU or
Laffly S15T artillery tractors.
Also attached to this regiment, was the divisional anti-tank
battery (BDAC) and an anti-aircraft battery (BCA).
The divisional anti-tank battery (BDAC –
Batterie
Divisionnaire Anti Char) was attached to the RADm and contained 8
artillery-crewed 47mm SA37 APX anti-tank guns. The battery was split
into 4 sections each of two guns. It was intended to tow the guns
using Laffly W15T
trucks, but insuficient were available so the older Citroen P17 were
still in use.
The anti-aircraft battery was attached to the RADm and
contained 6
artillery-crewed Hotchkiss 25mm mle 1939 anti-aircraft guns.
It was intended to tow the guns
using Laffly W15T
trucks, but insuficient were available so the older Citroen P17 were
still in use in many units.
The motorised heavy field artillery regiment (RALDm -
Régiment
d'Artillerie Lourde Divisionnaire Motorisé) contained one
battalion of 12 mle
1917 155mm howitzers and one battalion of 12 mle 1935 105mm
howitzers. The battalions were both divided into 3 batteries each of 4
guns. This regiment had the same basic organisation as its
horse-drawn
equivalent except that the guns vehicle towed.
The 105mm battalion was towed by Unic P107 BU or Laffly S15T
artillery tractors and the 155mm battalion by SOMUA
MCG artillery tractors.
The motorised engineer company (compagnie de sapeurs-mineurs
motorisé) consisted
of 4 platoons each with 3 squads. The company had 28 motor vehicles
to carry its stores and equipment; the engineers themselves marched on
foot.
The compagnie de sapeurs-mineurs
portés in the DLM/DCR/DLM differed from
the compagnie de sapeurs-mineurs motorisé in the
DIM in that
the porté company
was fully motorised carrying both equipment and engineers
in motor vehicles.
The motorisé company carried its equipment
in motor vehicles but the engineers marched on foot.
The engineers were not intended to be used as combat troops.
They were mainly armed with small arms (revolvers/pistols for the
officers
and rifles/carbines for the men). There were no LMGs. There were 2
Hotchkiss mle 1914 MGs or
Saint-Etienne mle 1907 MGs in each company, mounted on tripods and used
as AAMGs for convoy protection when moving.
In 1939 the Enginner regiments and battalions were disbanded and the
companies were then
officially independent. However these remained under the command of the
engineer HQ at the
division level.
Three infantry transport battalions (GTP - Groupes de
Transport de Personnel) could be attached to the DIM for strategic
movement. Each GTP consisted of:
- 1 company of trucks (80 to 100 trucks)
- 1 company of TTN trucks (Transport Toute Nature: these were
trucks that could carry horses) (80 to 100 trucks)
- 2 company of buses (160 to 200 buses each)
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