2nd Army Group (France)
| 2e Groupe d'Armées (GA 2) | |
|---|---|
| Active | Mobilized 1939 – Dissolved June 1940 |
| Country | France |
| Branch | French Army |
| Type | Army Group |
| Role | Defense of the Maginot Line (Central Sector) |
| Size | 3 Armies (3rd, 4th, and 5th Armies) |
| Part of | Directly subordinate to the Commander-in-Chief North-East Theatre |
| Engagements | Battle of France (1940) |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Général d'Armée André-Gaston Prételat |
Army Group 2 (Groupe d'Armées 2 [GA 2]) was a French Army formation during the Second World War, responsible for the central portion of the Maginot Line.[1]
Under the command of Général d'Armée André-Gaston Prételat, the army group covered the sector from the Moselle to the Upper Rhine, protecting the regions of Lorraine and Alsace. It was positioned between the 1st Army Group to its left and the 3rd Army Group to its right. At the start of the German invasion on 10 May 1940, the group commanded approximately 35 divisions and was headquartered in Bondy.[2]
Order of battle (10 May 1940)
The following major formations were subordinate to the French 2nd Army Group at the start of the Battle of France. The data for the constituent armies and corps is based on the military structures recorded for May 1940.[3]
- Army Group Reserves
- 87th African Infantry Division (Général Barbeyrac de St-Maurice)
- 4th Colonial Infantry Division (Général de Bazelaire de Ruppière)
- French 3rd Army (3e Armée) – Général Charles-Marie Condé[3]
- Army Reserves:
- 6th Infantry Division
- 6th Colonial Infantry Division
- 3rd Light Cavalry Division (Général Petiet)
- 1re Brigade de Spahis (Colonel Jouffrault)
- 24th Army Corps (Général Fougère):
- 51st Infantry Division
- 42nd Fortress Army Corps (Général Sivot):
- Secteur Fortifié de Crusnes
- 20th Infantry Division
- 58th Infantry Division
- Colonial Army Corps (Général Freydenberg):
- Secteur Fortifié de Thionville
- 2nd Infantry Division
- 56th Infantry Division
- (also including UK 51st Highland Div.)
- 6th Army Corps (Général Loizeau):
- Secteur Fortifié de Boulay
- 26th Infantry Division
- 42nd Infantry Division
- French 4th Army (4e Armée) – Général Édouard Réquin[3]
- Army Reserves:
- 9th Army Corps (Général Laure):
- Secteur Fortifié de Faulquemont
- 11th Infantry Division
- 47th Infantry Division
- 20th Army Corps (Général Hubert):
- Secteur Fortifié de la Sarre
- 52nd Infantry Division
- 82nd African Infantry Division
- French 5th Army (5e Armée) – Général Victor Bourret[3]
- Army Reserve:
- 44th Infantry Division
- 8th Army Corps (Général Frère):
- Secteur Fortifié de Rohrbach
- 24th Infantry Division
- 31st Infantry Division
- 43rd Fortress Army Corps (Général Lescanne):
- 30th Infantry Division
- 12th Army Corps (Général Dentz):
- Secteur Fortifié de Haguenau
- 16th Infantry Division
- 35th Infantry Division
- 70th Infantry Division
- 17th Army Corps (Général Noël):
- 103rd Fortress Division
- 62nd Infantry Division
- Army Reserve:
See also
References
- ^ Service historique de l'armée de terre (1967). Les Grandes Unités Françaises: historiques succincts (GUF) (in French). Vol. 1. Paris: Imprimerie nationale.
- ^ "Order of Battle of the French Army, 10 May 1940". France 1940. Retrieved 17 December 2025.
- ^ a b c d Sumner, Ian (1998). The French Army 1939-45 (1): The Army of 1939-40 & Vichy France. Men-at-Arms 315. Osprey Publishing. p. 9. ISBN 1-85532-666-3.
Bibliography
- Les Grandes Unités Françaises de la Guerre 1939–1945, Historiques Succincts, Service Historique de l'Armée de Terre (SHAT), Paris : Imprimerie nationale, 1967.
- Mary, Jean-Yves; Hohnadel, Alain; Sicard, Jacques. Hommes et Ouvrages de la Ligne Maginot, Tome 3, Histoire & Collections, 2003. ISBN 2-913903-88-6.
- Sumner, Ian. The French Army 1939-45 (1), Osprey Publishing, 1998. ISBN 1855326663.