25th Motorized Division (France)
{{Short description|WW2 French Army formation}}
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The French 25th Motorized Division was a French Army division active during World War II.
25th Infantry Division (1873-1935)
In 1873, 25th Infantry Division was created, which participated in World War I.
In 1935, this division was transformed into the 25th Motorized Division.
World War 2
= Battle Of France =
During the Battle of France in May 1940 the division contained the following units:
- 38th Infantry Regiment
- 92nd Infantry Regiment
- 121st Infantry Regiment
- 5th Reconnaissance Battalion
- 16th Artillery Regiment
- 216th Artillery Regiment
The division was an active division which had existed during peacetime. It was a fully motorized Infantry Division.
Led in May 1940 by General Jean-Baptiste Molinié, it was part of the defenders of the Lille Pocket from 26 to 31 May during the Battle of France, after which it surrendered.
= 1945 =
Towards the end of the Second World War, the French Forces of the Interior (FFI) from west-central France (notably those of the Charles Martel brigade, Indre-et-Loire, and Loire-Inférieure), were incorporated into the newly formed 25th Infantry Division, deployed in April 1945 in the Saint-Nazaire region. Equipped mainly with capture weapons, it was engaged against the German Saint-Nazaire pocket. Its commander was Raymond Chomel.[http://books.stonebooks.com/history/freefrench.shtml Stone & Stone History Page]