# 1st Motorised Infantry Division (France)

The 1st Motorized Infantry Division (French: 1$^{re}$ Division d'Infanterie Motorisée, 1$^{re}$ DIM) was a division of the French Army that fought in World War II. It was involved in the Battle of France and largely destroyed in May, 1940.

## Command and Composition

In May 1940 the division was led by Général Paul-René Malivoire-Filhol de Camas and consisted of the following elements:
* 1st Motorized Infantry Regiment (1er Régiment d'Infanterie Motorisée, 1er RIM)
** Including Divisional Pioneer Company (Compagnie Divisionnaire de Pioniers, CDP).
* 43rd Motorized Infantry Regiment (43e Régiment d'Infanterie Motorisée, 43e RIM)
** Including Divisional Anti-Tank Company (Compagnie Divisionnaire Anti-Chars, CDAC), with 25 mm SA 34 anti-tank guns.
* 110th Motorized Infantry Regiment (110e Régiment d'Infanterie Motorisée, 110e RIM)
* 7th Divisional Divisional Reconnaissance Group (7e Groupe de Reconnaissance de Division d'Infanterie, 7e GRDI)
** Composed of two armored car squadrons equipped with Panhard 178 and Schneider P16 armored cars, two motorcycle squadrons, and a motorized heavy weapons squadron with 25mm anti-tank guns and AMR 35 ZT2/3 tankettes.
* 15th Divisional Artillery Regiment (15e Régiment d'Artillerie Divisionnaire, 15e RAD)
** Three 75 mm groups plus Divisional Anti-Tank Battery (Batterie Divisionnaire Anti-Chars, BDAC) with 47 mm SA 37 anti-tank guns and an attached battery from the 409th Air Defense Artillery Regiment (409e Régiment d'Artillerie de Défense Contre Aéronefs, 409e RADCA) with 25 mm CA mle 38 anti-aircraft guns.
* 215th Heavy Divisional Artillery Regiment (215e Régiment d'Artillerie Lourde Divisionnaire, 215e RALD)An organizational diagram of the 1re DIM's composition in May 1940.
* 1st Divisional Artillery Park (1er Parc d'Artillerie Divisionnaire, 74e PAD)
** Including the 1st Artillery Park Labor Company (1re Compagnie d'Ouvriers de Parc) and 201st Motorized Munitions Section (201e Section de Munitions Automobile).
* Engineer Companies 1/1 and 1/2 (Compagnie de Sapeurs-Mineurs 1/1 & 1/2, CSM 1/1 & 1/2)
* Telegraph Company 1/81 (Compagnie Télégraphique 1/81)
* Radio Company 1/82 (Compagnie Radiotélégraphique 1/82)
* Motorized Headquarters Transport Company 201/1 (Compagnie Automobile de QG 201/1)
* Motorized Transport Company 301/1 (Compagnie Automobile de Transport 301/1)
* Divisional Quartermaster Group 1/1 (Groupe d'Exploitation Divisionnaire 1/1)
* Divisional Medical Group 1 (Groupe Sanitaire Divisionnaire 1)
On the day of the German invasion, 10 May 1940, the 7e GRDI and both the divisional anti-tank batteries (BDAC and CDAC) were detached to form the Groupement Soubeyran, a mechanized cavalry formation, while Transport Group No. 16 (Groupement de Transport n°16) was attached to the division.

## History

The 1st Motorized Infantry Division was formed in 1939 at Anzin as a Covering Division. In late 1939 the division joined the 3rd Army Corps, later the "Groupe Moliné". In May 1940 the division, along with much of the French 1st Army, was cut off by the German advance to the English Channel and became trapped in the Lille Pocket. On 10 June 1940 the division was dissolved and surviving elements which had escaped the encirclements at Lille and Dunkirk were used to form the 1st Light Infantry Division (1re Division Légère d'Infanterie, 1re DLI).