The Division Daguet was a French Army division formed in September 1990 in Saudi Arabia as part of France's contribution to Operation Desert Shield. The French military contribution to the allied cause to liberate Kuwait from Iraqi occupation was named Opération Daguet and its ground part was subsequently named Division Daguet. In French "Daguet" is a young brocket deer.
In 1991 the division participated in Operation Desert Storm guarding the left flank of the allied advance. After Iraq surrendered the division's units returned to France and the division itself was disbanded on 30 April 1991.
After the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in August 1990 the United States and its allies began to deploy forces to Saudi Arabia to protect the country from a feared Iraqi invasion. As Iraq's dictator Saddam Hussein refused to remove his forces from Kuwait the United Nations Security Council accepted UNSC Resolution 678, which authorized UN member nations in to evict Iraqi forces from Kuwait with force after 15 January 1991.
France had already dispatched troops to Saudi Arabia in September 1990 to help deter Iraq further military adventures, but with war drawing closer, the French contingent was rapidly reinforced all through fall of 1990. Most of the initial units of the Division Daguet were drawn from the 6th Light Armoured Division (6 DLB), but ultimately the division was made up mixed units from 20 regiments with troops and equipment coming from 57 regiments in total.
Initially the commander of 6th Light Armoured Division Major General Jean-Charles Mouscardès commanded Division Daguet, but after a medical emergency on 7 February 1991 he was replaced by Brigadier General Bernard Janvier the next day. Overall commander of French forces in Saudi Arabia and Opération Daguet was General Michel Roquejeoffre, commanding officer of the French Army's Force d'action rapide (Rapid Action Force). Initially, the French operated independently under national command and control, but coordinated closely with the highest allied command CENTCOM. In January, the Division was placed under the tactical control of the US XVIII Airborne Corps and reinforced for the ground war with the following units from the US Army: 2nd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division, 18th Field Artillery Brigade, and 27th Engineer Battalion.
On 24 February 1991, the ground phase began. Reconnaissance units of Division Daguet advanced into Iraq. Three hours later, the French main body attacked. The initial objective of the division was an airfield 90 miles (140 km) inside Iraq at As-Salman. Reinforced by the US 82nd Airborne Division, the French crossed the border unopposed and attacked north. The French then came across elements of the 45th Iraqi Mechanised Infantry Division. After a brief battle, supported by French Army missile-armed Aérospatiale Gazelle attack helicopters, they controlled the objective and captured 2,500 prisoners. By the end of the first day Division Daguet had secured its objectives and continued the attack north, securing the highways from Baghdad to southern Iraq.
The division's staff was mostly drawn from the staff of the 6th Light Armoured Division based in Nîmes. After the arrival of most units the division was split into two tactical groups: Group West (Groupement Ouest) and Group East (Groupement Est). At the outset of hostilities the division was composed as follows:
Division Daguet6e Régiment de Commandement et de Soutien from the 6th Light Armoured Division
Divisional HQ company
1x reconnaissance squadron from the 1er Régiment de Hussards Parachutistes from the 11th Paratrooper Division with ERC 90 Sagaie
1x signal company, organic to the 6e Régiment de Commandement et de Soutien from the 6th Light Armoured Division
1x signal company from the 54e Régiment de Transmission
Logistic Support Group
2x transport companies, organic to the 6e Régiment de Commandement et de Soutien from the 6th Light Armoured Division
2x transport companies from the 511e Régiment du Train respectively the 602e Régiment de Circulation Routière
2x supply companies, from the 511e Régiment du Train respectively the 516e Régiment du Train
Medical Support Group
4th Air-transportable Surgical Hospital
9th Air-transportable Surgical Hospital
2x medical transport companies and 1x medical supply company from medical units
1x medical company organic to the 6e Régiment de Commandement et de Soutien from the 6th Light Armoured Division
1x CBRN defence company
1x Military Police squadron from the National Gendarmerie
General and HQ Protection Company
6x Long Range Reconnaissance/Special Forces teams from the 13e Régiment de Dragons Parachutistes
Groupement Ouest, with units from the 6th Light Armoured Division
1er Régiment de Spahis
3x squadrons with AMX-10RC
1x anti-tank squadron with VAB/HOT
1er Régiment Étranger de Cavalerie
3x squadrons with AMX-10RC
1x anti-tank squadron with VAB/HOT
2e Régiment Étranger d'Infanterie
3x companies with VAB APCs
1x company from the 21e Régiment d'Infanterie de Marine with VAB APCs
1x squadron from the Régiment d'Infanterie-Chars de Marine from the 9th Marine Infantry Division with AMX-10RC
1x reconnaissance squadron from the 1er Régiment de Hussards Parachutistes from the 11th Paratrooper Division with ERC 90 Sagaie
11e Régiment d'Artillerie de Marine from the 9th Marine Infantry Division reinforced with men from the 68e Régiment d'Artillerie
3x batteries with towed 155mm TRF1 howitzers
1x air defence battery from the 35e Régiment d'Artillerie Parachutiste from the 11th Paratrooper Division with Mistral surface-to-air missiles
1er Régiment d'Helicopteres de Combat from the 4th Airmobile Division (including all attached units)
1st Reconnaissance and Support-protection Helicopter Squadron (EHRAP1) with Gazelle/20mm helicopters
2nd Reconnaissance and Support-protection Helicopter Squadron (EHRAP2) with Gazelle/20mm helicopters
3rd Attack Helicopter Squadron (EHA3) with Gazelle/HOT helicopters
4th Attack Helicopter Squadron (EHA4) with Gazelle/HOT helicopters from the 2e Régiment d'Helicopteres de Combat
5th Attack Helicopter Squadron (EHA5) with Gazelle/HOT helicopters
6th Maneuver Helicopter Squadron (EHM6) with Puma helicopters
1x airmobile infantry company from the 1er Régiment d'Infanterie
1x artillery battalion from the 18th Field Artillery Brigade with towed 155mm M198 howitzers
Groupement Est
4e Régiment de Dragons from the 10th Armoured Division
3x squadrons with AMX-30 B2 main battle tanks
3e Régiment d'Infanterie de Marine from the 9th Marine Infantry Division
3x companies with VAB APCs
1x company from the 21e Régiment d'Infanterie de Marine from the 6th Light Armoured Division with VAB APCs
1x squadron from the Régiment d'Infanterie-Chars de Marine from the 9th Marine Infantry Division with AMX-10RC
3e Régiment d'Helicopteres de Combat from the 4th Airmobile Division (including all attached units)
1st Reconnaissance and Support-protection Helicopter Squadron (EHRAP1) with Gazelle/20mm helicopters
2nd Reconnaissance and Support-protection Helicopter Squadron (EHRAP2) with Gazelle/20mm helicopters from the 5e Régiment d'Helicopteres de Combat
3rd Attack Helicopter Squadron (EHA3) with Gazelle/HOT helicopters from the 6e Régiment d'Helicopteres de Combat
4th Attack Helicopter Squadron (EHA4) with Gazelle/HOT helicopters
5th Maneuver Helicopter Squadron (EHM5) with Puma helicopters from the 6e Régiment d'Helicopteres de Combat
6th Attack Helicopter Squadron (EHA6) with Gazelle/HOT helicopters from the 5e Régiment d'Helicopteres de Combat
7th Maneuver Helicopter Squadron (EHM7) with Puma helicopters from the 5e Régiment d'Helicopteres de Combat
8th Maneuver Helicopter Squadron (EHM8) with Puma helicopters from the 4e Régiment d'Helicopteres de Combat
1x airmobile infantry company from the 1er Régiment d'Infanterie
2x artillery battalions from the 18th Field Artillery Brigade with towed 155mm M198 howitzers
2nd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division
1st Battalion, 325th Infantry Regiment (Airborne)
2nd Battalion, 325th Infantry Regiment (Airborne)
4th Battalion, 325th Infantry Regiment (Airborne)
2nd Battalion, 319th Field Artillery Regiment (Airborne) (105mm howitzers)
1er Régiment de Parachutistes d'Infanterie de Marine Battle Group with troops from the 11th Paratrooper Division
1x headquarters company with men from the 7e Régiment de Commandement et de Soutien and 14e Régiment de Commandement et de Soutien
1x airborne company with men from the 3e Régiment Parachutiste d'Infanterie de Marine and 6e Régiment Parachutiste d'Infanterie de Marine
1x mixed reconnaissance/artillery company with men from the 1er Régiment de Hussards Parachutistes and 35e Régiment d'Artillerie Parachutiste
Reconnaissance and Covered Action Commando from the 2e Régiment Étranger de Parachutistes
2e Régiment d'Infanterie de Marine from the 9th Marine Infantry Division
3x companies with VAB APCs
6e Régiment Étranger de Génie from the 6th Light Armoured Division
3x engineer companies
1x detachment from the 3e Régiment du Génie from the 10th Armoured Division
1x detachment from the 5e Régiment du Génie from the 1st Military Region
6e Bataillon du Matériel from the 6th Light Armoured Division
3x maintenance companies
1x maintenance company, organic to the 6e Régiment de Commandement et de Soutien from the 6th Light Armoured Division
1x maintenance company from the 9e Régiment de Soutien Aéromobile
1x maintenance company from the 9e Bataillon du Matériel from the 9th Marine Infantry Division
1x maintenance company from the 10e Bataillon du Matériel from the 10th Armoured Division
Five members of Division Daguet were killed, including one before the beginning of the conflict and two afterwards: a soldier was killed in a car accident in Saudi Arabia in November 1990. During the conflict, two paratroopers of the 1er Régiment de Parachutistes d'Infanterie de Marine were killed while clearing unexploded U.S. submunitions near Al-Salman on 26 February 1991, and after the conflict two Legionnaires of the 6e Régiment Étranger de Génie were killed in March respectively April near Kuwait City.
