I forgot to answer that in my previous post.Carl Schwamberger wrote: ... the B class units were not mobilized imeadiatly, but late in the autum and winter.
Sorry Carl, but the B class divisions were mobilized immediately:
The mobilization plan started on 21 August 1939 and ended on 21 September 1939. All the divisions raised later were not called "Active, Série A or Série B" (neither were the overseas divisions deployed in France), but "division de formation" (new divisions) made of any manpower available (including active and réserve).
Moreover, none of the so-called "Active" divisions was fully combat ready until the late stage of the plan as they were broken and their manpower divided between the "Série A" divisions (making all "Active" and "Série A" divisions at about the same level). As the Série B divisions were not supposed to get some of the "active" manpower (less than 1%) nor any modern weapons, they were used first for second line duty (security), where they were also supposed to be retrained before being sent to the line. Few actually were and some served immediately.
Here is some details about the plan:
The "Mobilisation-Concentration" Plan was fully completed on 21.09.39 and the Field Army reached about 2,600,000 men where 1,000,000 were part of the "couverture" plus another 600,000 allocated to the "réserve de couverture". All the men involved in the "couverture" were mobilised before the 27.08.39.
As the active Army had reached 865,000 men at the end of July 1939 and 848,000 more men were recalled before the 27 August 1939, the total at this date would have been 1,713,000 including 1,600,000 involved at border covering and 110,000 employed for the organisation of the following mobilisations and concentrations. (One should remember that many vehicles and horses of the Army had to be requisitioned first from the civilians).
a) "Couverture mission": 27.08 -> 07.09:
............................15 Army Corps + 36 DIs, 2 DLMs, 3 DCs (41 div.);
b) "Concentration 1": 07.09 -> 12.09:
............................14 Army Corps + 22 DIs;
c) "Concentration 2": 12.09 -> 16.09:
............................20 DIs;
d) "Concentration 3": 16.09 -> 21.09:
.............................3 Army Corps + 3 DIs
The total Force mobilised on 21.09.39 consisted of:
....................... 2 Army Groups, 8 Armies, 22 Army Corps,
.......................81 DIs, 2 DLMs, 3 DCs (+ 15 fort. equ. div.)
divided between:
Nord-Est & Jura:
.....19 Army Corps,
.....56 div. (28 Active, 19 Série A, 9 Série B)
. 7 DI Motorisées (act)
. 10 DI (act)
. 3 DI Coloniales (act)
. 3 DI N-Africaines (act)
. 15 DI (A)
. 3 DI Coloniales (A)
. 1 DI N-Africaines (A)
. 9 DI (B)
. 2 DLM (act)
. 3 DC (act)
. 1 Cavalry Brigade (act)
Sud-Est (Alps):
...... 3 Army Corps,
...... 9 div. (5 Active, 2 Série A, 2 Série B)
. 3 DI (act)
. 1 DI Coloniale (act)
. 1 DI N-Africaine (act)
. 2 DI (A)
. 2 DI (B)
. 1 Cavalry Brigade (act)
Intérieur Army: 7 div. (Série B)
. 7 DI (B)
AFN & Levant:
.......6 HQs
......14 div. (4 Active, 6 mobile, 4 static)
. 3 DIA (act)
. 1 DM (act)
. 5 DIA (mobile)
. 1 DM (mobile)
. 3 DIA (static)
. 1 DM (static)
. 2 Mixed Brigades (act - Levant)
. 5 Cavalry Brigades (act)
Amongst the "Réserve Générale" some of the elements mobilised were:
- 2 Army Group HQs (1e & 2e);
- 8 Army HQs (Ie-VIIIe);
- 2 Army Reduced HQs (Ardennes, Pyrénées);
- 2 Réserve Army Corps (F & G);
- 4 Commandements de Régions Fortifiées:
.. Belfort (A)
.. Lauter (act)
.. Metz (A)
.. Sarre (A)
- 17 Secteurs Fortifiés:
.. Alpes-Mar. (A)
.. Bas-Rhin (act)
.. Boulay (A)
.. Colmar (act)
.. Crusnes (A)
.. Dauphiné (A)
.. Escaut (A)
.. Faulquemont (A)
.. Haguenau (act)
.. Jura (act)
.. Maubeuge (A)
.. Montmédy (A)
.. Mulhouse (act)
.. Rohrbach (act)
.. Savoie (A)
.. Thionville (A)
.. Vosges (act)
- 10 Secteurs Défensifs:
.. Adour (B)
.. Altkirch (act)
.. Aude (B)
.. Belfort (A)
.. Flandres (A)
.. Garonne (B)
.. Lille (A)
.. Montbéliard (act)
.. Rhône (A)
.. Sarre (A)
- 5 Commandements de Réserve Générale
....Chars, Artillerie, Génie, Train, Intendance;
- 20 Commandements de Groupes de Bataillons de Chars;
- 48 Bataillons de chars;
- 8 Compagnies de Transport de Chars;
- 19 Bataillons de Mitrailleurs;
- 78 Bataillons d'Infanterie (disponibles);
- 5 Régiments d'Infanterie (1 RI + 4 DBIL);
- 3 Demi-Brigades de Mitrailleurs Coloniaux;
- 20 États-Majors de Groupe d'Unités d'Instruction;
- 2 Brigades Mixtes (au Levant);
- 7 Brigades de Cavalerie;
- 4 Régiments de Dragons Portés;
- 56 Régiments d'Artillerie;
- 101 Batteries d'Artillerie de Position (static);
- 78 Batteries d'Artillerie de Forteresse (mobile);
- 12 Groupes d'Instruction d'Artillerie (73 Batteries);
- 10 Groupes Automobile de Transport (légers - 40 Compagnies);
- 11 Groupes Automobile de Transport (lourds - 44 Compagnies);
- 27 Groupes Automobile de Transport de Personnel (108 Compagnies);
- 12 Compagnies Auto-routières;
- 15 Compagnies Auto-sanitaires;
- 32 Compagnies Hippomobiles;
- 27 Compagnies de Muletiers;
- 8 Bataillons de Sapeurs-Mineurs;
- 3 Compagnies d'Électro-Mécaniciens;
- 9 Sections d'Électriciens de Campagne;
- 7 Bataillons de Cantonniers;
- 22 Équipages de Ponts;
- 8 Compagnies de Camps et Cantonnements;
- 8 Compagnies du Service des eaux;
- 8 Compagnies de Monteurs de Baraques;
- 2 Compagnies de Téléphériques;
- 10 Compagnies de Sapeurs-Forestiers;
- 7 Compagnies de Sapeurs-Pontonniers;
- 17 Unités de Ponts Lourds;
- 9 Compagnies de Navigation;
- 16 Bataillons de Sapeurs de Chemin-de-fer;
- 33 Groupes de Transmissions;
- 14 Boulangeries de Campagne;
- 60 Compagnies de C.O.A.;
- 19 Ambulances Médicales;
- 11 Ambulances Chirurgicales Légères;
- 20 Ambulances Chirurgicales Lourdes;
- 30 Groupes Chirurgicaux Mobiles;
- 81 Équipes Chirurgicales;
- 32 Sections d'Hygiène, Lavage et Désinfection;
- 23 Hôpitaux d'Évacuation Primaires;
- 7 Hôpitaux d'Évacuation Secondaires;
- 28 Compagnies d'Infirmiers;
- 300 Trains Sanitaires;
- 84 Locomotives Sanitaires;
- 19 Groupes de DCA (Army) - 75 auto-cannons;
- 9 Groupes de DCA (Army) - 75 sur remorque;
- 3 Groupes de Projecteurs (Army);
- Sections de 20 mm DCA (300 guns - Army);
- 325 Batteries de DCA (Interior) - 75, 90 & 105 mm;
- 14.5 Groupes de Projecteurs (Interior);
- 24 Sections de Ballons (Interior);
- 5 Batteries de 40 mm DCA (Paris);
- 5 Batteries de 25 mm DCA (Paris);
- 269 Sections de 13.2 mm DCA (Interior);
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The Mobilzation planning
The French Mobilisation Plan was somewhat complicated. It followed a pre-established schedule (revised continuously) of numbered moblisation orders. This plan included many "variantes" related to the international political situation with various theaters of operation and border covering setups. Moreover, the mobilised men were recalled by different means depending of their status: the cadres (reserve officers and NCOs) recieved nominal orders as well as the reservists belonging to the "available" classes, those affected to the border defence, the active divisions services, the mobilisation HQs, transports, requisitions and security troops, etc. As a matter of fact, it tooks many reservists in order to fully activate a single "active division", with its belonging Army Corps, as both were deprived of any services during peacetime and the distribution centers of equipment and transport would have to be activated first. If the mobilisation schedule was to be fully completed, any "active division" would have to share its manpower with some "Série A divisions" and would need even more reservists to reach its full strength level.
The Plan was divided between five successive phases called:
1. Alerte,
2. Sûreté,
3. Couverture,
4. Mobilisation,
5. Concentration.
The mobilisation was preceded by 3 stages and it would takes about 3 weeks after
the mobilisation-day in order to concentrate the last Army divisions. The time
was used for troop assembly, equipment and movement. All the troops movements
were staged in order to protect the civilian traffic from being stopped during
the concentration phases and many trains boarded with troops spent a very long
period parked on secondary lines, waiting for a slot in the traffic flow.
The timeline of the pre-mobilisation measures was the following:
21-08-39:
- Case Nr.29: Reduced DAT (Anti Air Defense) Plan: Métropole;[1]
- Case Nr.825: Reduced DAT Plan: AFN (North-Africa);[1]
22-08-39:
- Case Nr.21: "Alerte Nord-Est" Plan [2];
- Case Nr.22: "Alerte Sud-Est" Plan [2]; (variant A1= Italy hostile)[5]
- Case Nr.901: "Alerte Tunisie" Plan [2];
23-08-39:
- Case Nr.41: "Sûreté" (Safety) Nord-Est Plan; first day 25-08-39;[3]
- Case Nr.42: "Sûreté" Sud-Est Plan; first day 25-08-39;[3]
- Case Nr.54: Complete DAT Plan Métropole;
- Case Nr.854: Complete DAT Plan AFN;
24-08-39:
- Case Nr.86: Setup 1 "Réserve de Couverture" Plan; first day 25-08-39;[4]
- Case Nr.902: "Alerte" Tunisie Plan; first day 26-08-39;
26-08-39:
- Case Nr.81 & 82: "Couverture Générale" Plan; first day 27-08-39;
- Case Nr.86: Setup XVe Military Region elements for Corsica defence; first day
27-08-39;
- Case Nr.86: Setup 2 "Réserve de Couverture" Plan; first day 28-08-39;[4]
27-08-39:
- Case Nr.902: "Sûreté" Tunisie Plan (set up); (first day to be fixed);
31-08-39:
- Case Nr.903: "Sûreté" Tunisie Plan (start up); (first day to be fixed);
01-09-39:
- Mobilisation "Générale" is decreted; fist day 02-09-39 at 00h00;
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[1] Anti-Air equipment/manpower is mobilised in order for the complete Anti-Air
Defence Plan to be implemented later;
[2] mobilisation of all active divisions (moving by road) involved in border
covering mission ("Couverture Générale");
[3] mobilisation of all active divisions (moving by rail) and all fortified
sectors for "Couverture Générale";
[4] mobilisation of active divisions acting as "Réserve de Couverture";
[5] Without a clear Italian position, Italy would be considered hostile.
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