3rd Army Corps (France)

The 3rd Army Corps (French: 3e Corps d'Armée) was a corps-sized military formation of the French Army that fought during both World War I and World War II, and was active after World War II until finally being disbanded on 1 July 1998.

For the similarly numbered formation in the Grande Armée, see III Corps (Grande Armée).

3e Corps d'Armée
Active	1871–1940 1979–1998
Country	France
Branch	French Army
Type	Corps
Part of	First Army (Cold War)
Engagements	World War I World War II (Battle of Belgium, 1940)

World War II

The 3rd Army Corps (IIIe CA) was commanded by Général de Fornel de La Laurencie and had its General Headquarters (QG) located at Bouchain on 10 May 1940.

The Corps' detailed order of battle and organic support units (*Éléments organiques de corps d'armée*) on 10 May 1940 were as follows:

Command and Core Units

• Commandant: Général de Fornel de La Laurencie
• Position of QG 10 May 1940: Bouchain
• Infantry: 603e Régiment de Pionniers (603e RP)

Cavalry

• 6e Groupe de Reconnaissance de Corps d'Armée (6e GRCA)

Artillery

• 105e Régiment d'Artillerie Lourde Hippomobile (105e RALH) – (2 groupes de 105 et 2 groupes de 155 L)
• 3e Parc d'Artillerie
• 103e Compagnie d'Ouvriers d'Artillerie
• 103e Section de Munitions Automobile
• 133e Section de Munitions Automobile

Génie (Engineers)

• Compagnie de Sapeurs-Mineurs 103/1
• Compagnie de Sapeurs-Mineurs 103/2
• Compagnie d'Equipages de Ponts 103/16
• Compagnie de Parc du Génie 103/21

Transmissions (Signals)

• Compagnie Télégraphique 103/81
• Compagnie Radio 103/82
• Détachement Colombophile 103/83

Train (Transport/Supply)

• Compagnie Hippomobile 253/3
• Compagnie Automobile 353/3

Intendance (Quartermaster)

• Groupe d'Exploitation 103/3 (103/3 GE)
• Compagnie de Ravitaillement en Viande 203/3 (203/3 RV)

Service de Santé (Medical)

• 3e Ambulance Médicale Hippomobile (AMH 3)
• 203e Ambulance Chirurgicale Légère (ACL 203)
• 3e Groupe Sanitaire de Ravitaillement (GSR 3)
• 3e Section Hygiène, Lavage, Désinfection (SHLD 3)

Air Forces (Attached)

• 503e Groupe Aérien d'Observation (G.A.O. 503)
• 3/152e Section du Parc d'Aérostation

Detached Units (10 May 1940)

• Compagnie de Sapeurs-Mineurs 103/2 au Groupement SOUBEYRAN
• 6e GRCA au Groupement SOUBEYRAN

Attached Units (10 May 1940)

• 1e DIM
• 2e DINA
• Groupement SOUBEYRAN

The Corps engaged in heavy fighting during the Battle of Belgium as the First Army advanced to meet the German forces. The general structure of French Army Corps at this time typically included two to three Infantry Divisions (ID) and one or more Cavalry Reconnaissance Groups (GRCA).

Cold War

Reformed at Ste Germain-en-Laye on 1 July 1979 under the orders of Général de Barry, with its HQ fused with HQ 1st Military Region. Its major units were 2nd Armored Division and 8th Infantry Division (8 DI). On 1 July 1979 the Corps was transferred to Lille and its HQ fused with HQ 2nd Military Region. In 1991 the functions were separated, and Generals Arnold, Vaujour, Billot, and Heinrich held command as commanders of 3rd Corps solely. With its transfer to Lille, the corps took control of a force of 50,000 personnel including reservists, with 380 AMX-30, 1,300 armoured vehicles, 106 artillery pieces, and 56 Roland anti-aircraft missiles.

In 1984 the 6th Engineers Regiment joined the corps. At the end of the 1980s, the Corps comprised three major formations, the 2nd and 10th Armoured Divisions and the 8th DI. There was also a logistics brigade stationed at Beauvais. On 1 July 1990, with the promulgation of the ‘Armées 2000’ plan, the 3rd Army Corps became the only army corps in the metropolitan territory, and the 7th Armored Division joined it, with the grouping rising to 44,000 men with 15,000 vehicles.

See also: Order of battle of the French Army in 1989

In 1993, after the disbandment of the 8th DI, the Corps was reorganised to include three armoured divisions, the 2nd, 7th, and 10th, the 12th Light Armoured Division with its command post at Saumur,^[1] the 15th Infantry Division at Limoges, and the 3rd Logistics Brigade, all reporting to Corps HQ at Lille. On 1 July 1993 three specialist brigades, engineer, artillery, and signals, were created at Lille. In 1994, the 27th DIA left the FAR to rejoin the 3rd Corps as the 27th DIM.

In February 1996 the President of the Republic decided on a transition to a professional service force, and as part of the resulting changes, ten regiments were dissolved in 1997. The specialist brigades were transferred on 1 July 1997 to Lunéville (signals), Haguenau (the artillery brigade) and Strasbourg (engineers). The 2nd Armoured Division left Versailles on 1 September 1997 and was installed at Châlons-en-Champagne in place of the disbanding 10th Armoured Division. On 5 March 1998, in view of the ongoing structural adoptions of the French Army, the Minister of Defence decided to disband 3rd Corps, and the dissolution became effective 1 July 1998. The headquarters transitioned to become Headquarters Commandement de la force d'action terrestre (CFAT) (the Land Forces Action Command).

Commanders

• 1859 - 1862 : Maréchal Certain de Canrobert
• 1862 - 1864 : Maréchal de Mac Mahon
• 1864 - 1867 : Maréchal Forey
• 1867 - 1869 : Maréchal Bazaine
• 1869 - 1869 : Maréchal Bazaine
• 1873 - 1879 : Général Lebrun
• 1879 - 1881 : Général Borel
• 1911 - 1914 : Général Valabrègue
• 1914 - 1915 : Général Hache
• 1915 - 1916 : Général Nivelle
• 1916 - 1919 : Général Lebrun
• 1919 - 1921 : Général Naulin
• 1921 - 1924 : Général Duchêne
• .
• 1939 - 1940 : Général de Fornel de La Laurencie
• .
• 20 February 1945 - 18 August 1945 : Général Leclerc
• 4 September 1945 - 5 November 1945 : Général de Larminat
• .
• General Jacques Antoine de Barry (1979–1980)
• General Alain Bizard (1983–1985)

Sources

• Terre Magazine No.95, June/July 1998, p. 26-7
• ^[2]
• ^[3]
• ^[4]

See also

• Third Army (France)