Active 1918 – present Branch French Army | Country France Part of 2nd Armoured Brigade | |
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Engagements World War I
World War II
First Indochina War
Lebanese Civil War
Multinational Force in Lebanon
War on Terror (2001 - present) Battle honours Aisne 1918
Soissonnais 1918
Champagne (1918)
Belgique 1918
El- Alamein 1942
Paris 1944
Strasbourg 1944 | ||
The 501e Régiment de chars de combat 501e RCC in French, (501e R.C.C, or 501st Combat Tank Regiment) is an armoured tank unit of the French Army created on May 13, 1918, and which took part in the two world wars, the Indochina war and Algerian war.
Contents
- Creation and different nominations
- World War I
- Interwar period
- World War II
- 1945 to present
- Decorations
- Battle Honours
- References
The regiment participated to the campaigns of Free France, then the liberation of Europe at the corps of the 2nd Armoured Division 2e DB of général Philippe François Marie Leclerc de Hauteclocque.
Merged with the 503e Régiment de chars de combat 503e RCC to form the 501e-503e Régiment de chars de combat 501e-503e RCC, the regiment was redesignated as 501e RCC on June 23, 2009.
Creation and different nominations
World War I
On April 16, 1917, 132 Schneider CA1 mount an assaut on Berry-au-Bac. Considered the first monted tank assault in times. From this tank groupment, the 501st Assault Artillery Regiment (French: 501e Régiment d'artillerie d'assaut, 501e RAS.) was created on May 20, 1918.
the 501e RAS, designated RCC, would be the first unit formed with the new organization of the armoured troops in the beginning og 1918.
Initially composed of the first Groupment of Schneider tanks and of the 1st and 2nd battalions of light tanks (the 1er and 2e BCL), created respectively on February 19 and March 18, 1918 and equipped with Renault FT 17. the 3rd battalion, formed on March 27, was initially assigned to the 508e Régiment de chars de combat 508e RCC then transferred to the 501e RCC since May 29, 1918.
Each light tank battalion was composed of three companies numbered from the 301.
Interwar period
The 501e was engaged in outre-mer at the corps of the army of the Orient. On May 13, 1920, the 501 was designated as the 501e Régiment de chars de combat.
World War II
With the outbreak of the World War II, the regiment formed four combat tank battalions: the 1e and 2e BCC were respectively issued from the 1st and 2nd battalions of the 501e RCC and each comprised 45 Renault R35 tanks while the 30e and 31e BCC were respectively formed and equipped of 63 FT tanks from the reserves. While the 1e, 2e and 31e BCC remained at the corps of GBC 501 and were assigned to the Vth Army, the 30e BCC joined the GBC 502 of the IIIrd Army. These companies were engaged individually.
With the 342e autonomous company back from Narvik out of which a dozen of volunteers joined the Free France, the 1st autonomous tank company of Free France was formed.
The company later served within the ranks of the VIIIth British Army, equipped with British combat Crusader tank. This company was part of the "colonne volante" with the 1st Spahi Regiment.
Two other companies created in 1940 and 1941 merged then with the later to constitute a regiment (the regiment was articulated accordingly into four combat companies).
After having joined the United Kingdom with the 2nd Armoured Division 2e DB, in April 1944, the 501e embarked on August 3 to the Bancs de Grande Vey, on the north-east coast of Carentan. The regiment partook in the liberation of Paris, then Strasbourg and finished the events of campaign series engagements on May 5, 1945. The American command awarded the regiment, the « U.S. Presidential Unit Citation ».
1945 to present
Formed in September 1, 1945, a marching company embarked for Indochina.
The regiment was engaged in Central Europe, Senegal (1982), Lebanon (1984), Central African Republic (since 1985) and Yugoslavia.
On September 1, 1990, the chef d'état major de l'armée de terre CEMAT, created from the 4e Régiment de dragons 4e RD and the 503e Régiment de chars de combat, a regiment composed of 80 Leclerc tanks in two squadron groups (GE).
On August 31, 1994, the 501e Régiment de chars de combat was dissolved. Simultaneously, the squadron group of the 4e RD was designated squadron group 501. This evolution was remarked in the order of battle of the French Army, the 501e-503e Régiment de chars de combat.
On June 23, 2009, the 503 GE was dissolved and formed a fourth combat squadron in the corps of the 501e which became the 501e RCC. Accordingly, the regiment was integrated at the corps of the 2nd Armoured Brigade 2e BB.
Decorations
The regimental colors of the 501e RCC are decorated with:
Fourragere:
In 1939, six companies were entitled to wear the fourragere with colors of the Croix de Guerre 1914-1918. In total, 15 palms were awarded to six companies. Three companies of the 3rd battalion of the 501e RCC were awarded the fourragere cited at the orders of the Médaille militaire for four citations at the orders of the armed forces.