5th Army (France)

{{Original research|date=November 2019}} {{AI-generated|date=January 2026|certain=yes|reason=See {{section link|WP:AINB|Lehrling18 creating AI-generated pages}}}} {{Infobox military unit | unit_name = Fifth Army | image = Cinquième armée.jpg | image_size = 200px | caption = Memorial to the 5th Army | dates = 1914–1918<br/>1939–1940 | country = {{flagicon|France|1794}} France | branch = French Army | type = Field army | role = | size = Army | command_structure = French Second Army Group (until May 1940)<br />Army Group 3 (from May 1940) | garrison = | battles = {{tree list}} * First World War ** 1st Guise ** 1st Marne ** 1st Aisne ** 2nd Aisne ** 3rd Aisne ** 2nd Marne ** Meuse–Argonne offensive * Second World War ** Phony War ** Battle of France {{tree list/end}} | commander1 = Victor Bourret | commander1_label = | notable_commanders = Charles Lanrezac<br>Louis Franchet d'Espèrey<br>Victor Bourret }}

The '''Fifth Army''' ({{langx|fr|Ve Armée}}) was a field army of the French Army that fought during World War I and World War II.

== World War I == On 29 August 1914 the 5th Army under Lanrezac won a partial victory at the battle of Guise, delaying the German attack.<ref name="y014">{{cite book | last=Gregory | first=Adrian | title=A War of Peoples 1914-1919 | publisher=Oxford University Press | date=2014 | isbn=978-0-19-954257-4 | page=34}}</ref> However, Lanrezac was replaced by Louis Franchet d'Espèrey on 3 September 1914. Under its new commander, it participated in the victory at the First Battle of the Marne.<ref name="p472">{{cite book | last=Mansoor | first=Peter R. | last2=Murray | first2=Williamson | title=Grand Strategy and Military Alliances | publisher=Cambridge University Press | date=2016 | isbn=978-1-107-13602-1 | page=113}}</ref>

== World War II == During the Battle of France in 1940, the Fifth Army was part of the Second Army Group. It was responsible for the defense of the Maginot Line sector in Lower Alsace, from the Rhine to the Vosges mountains.

=== Order of Battle (10 May 1940) === At the start of the German offensive, the Fifth Army was commanded by ''Général d'armée'' Victor Bourret.<ref name="SHAT">''Les Grandes Unités Françaises de la Guerre 1939-1945'', Vol. 1, Service Historique de l'Armée de Terre (SHAT), Vincennes, 1967.</ref> Its headquarters was located at Wangenbourg.

====Army Assets (Organiques d'Armée)==== {| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:100%" ! colspan="2" | Army Assets & Reserve (Click "show" to expand) |- | * '''Pioneer Regiments:''' 405th, 415th, 425th, and 441st Pioneer Regiments (''Régiment de Pionniers'' - RP) <ref name="SHAT" /> * '''Tank Units:''' 10th and 11th Light Tank Battalions (''Bataillon de Chars de Combat'' - BCC) [Renault R35]; 43rd Reserve Tank Battalion (''Bataillon de Chars de Combat de Réserve'' - BCCR) <ref name="SHAT" /> * '''Army Heavy Artillery:''' 115th Heavy Artillery Regiment (''Régiment d'Artillerie Lourde Hippomobile'' - RALH); 155th Position Artillery Regiment (''Régiment d'Artillerie de Position'' - RAP) <ref name="SHAT" /> |}

====VIII Army Corps (8e Corps d'Armée)==== {| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:100%" ! colspan="2" | VIII Army Corps (Click "show" to expand) |- | * '''Commander:''' General Concornier <ref name="SHAT" /> * '''Corps Assets:''' 8th Reconnaissance Group of the Army Corps (''8e Groupe de Reconnaissance de Corps d'Armée'' - GRCA) <ref name="SHAT" /> * '''24th Infantry Division''' (''24e Division d'Infanterie - 24e DI'') (Aymes) – Active:<ref name="SHAT" /> ** 50th, 63rd, and 78th Infantry Regiments (''Régiment d'Infanterie'' - RI) ** 31st Divisional Reconnaissance Group (''Groupe de Reconnaissance de Division d'Infanterie'' - GRDI) ** 21st Divisional Artillery Regiment (''Régiment d'Artillerie Divisionnaire'' - RAD) * '''31st Infantry Division''' (''31e Division d'Infanterie - 31e DI'') (Vauthier) – Active:<ref name="SHAT" /> ** 15th, 81st, and 96th Infantry Regiments (RI) ** 30th Divisional Reconnaissance Group (GRDI) ** 56th Divisional Artillery Regiment (RAD) |}

====XII Army Corps (12e Corps d'Armée)==== {| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:100%" ! colspan="2" | XII Army Corps (Click "show" to expand) |- | * '''Commander:''' General Dentz <ref name="SHAT" /> * '''16th Infantry Division''' (''16e Division d'Infanterie - 16e DI'') (Vauthier) – Active:<ref name="SHAT" /> ** 89th, 98th, and 105th Infantry Regiments (RI) ** 23rd Divisional Reconnaissance Group (GRDI) ** 49th Divisional Artillery Regiment (RAD) * '''70th Infantry Division''' (''70e Division d'Infanterie - 70e DI'') (Fay) – Reserve B:<ref name="SHAT" /> ** 209th, 222nd, and 234th Infantry Regiments (RI) ** 55th Divisional Reconnaissance Group (GRDI) ** 51st Divisional Mixed Artillery Regiment (''Régiment d'Artillerie Mixte Divisionnaire'' - RAMD) |}

====XVII Army Corps (17e Corps d'Armée)==== {| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:100%" ! colspan="2" | XVII Army Corps (Click "show" to expand) |- | * '''Commander:''' General Noël <ref name="SHAT" /> * '''62nd Infantry Division''' (''62e Division d'Infanterie - 62e DI'') (Laure) – Reserve B:<ref name="SHAT" /> ** 216th, 250th, and 307th Infantry Regiments (RI) ** 51st Divisional Reconnaissance Group (GRDI) ** 53rd Divisional Mixed Artillery Regiment (RAMD) * '''103rd Fortress Infantry Division''' (''103e Division d'Infanterie de Forteresse - 103e DIF'') (Valleur) – Active:<ref name="SHAT" /> ** 34th and 172nd Fortress Infantry Regiments (''Régiment d'Infanterie de Forteresse'' - RIF) ** 155th Position Artillery Regiment (RAP) [Elements] |}

====43rd Fortress Army Corps (43e Corps d'Armée de Forteresse)==== {| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:100%" ! colspan="2" | 43rd Fortress Army Corps (Click "show" to expand) |- | * '''Commander:''' General Lescanne <ref name="SHAT" /> * '''Fortified Sector of the Lower Rhine''' (''Secteur Fortifié du Bas-Rhin'') * '''Fortified Sector of Haguenau''' (''Secteur Fortifié de Haguenau'') * '''30th Infantry Division''' (''30e Division d'Infanterie - 30e DI'') (Duron) – Active:<ref name="SHAT" /> ** 49th, 55th, and 91st Infantry Regiments (RI) ** 21st Divisional Reconnaissance Group (GRDI) ** 12th Divisional Artillery Regiment (RAD) |}

== References == {{reflist}}

{| class="navbox mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:100%; border:1px solid #aaa; background:#f9f9f9; font-size:88%; text-align:center; margin-bottom: 5px; clear:both;" |- ! colspan="2" style="background:#b0c4de; padding:0.2em; font-size:110%;" | High Command of the French Army (May 1940) |- | colspan="2" style="padding:0.3em;" | '''Commander-in-Chief:''' Maurice Gamelin (until 19 May) • Maxime Weygand |- | style="background:#e6e6e6; padding:0.2em; font-weight:bold; width:20%;" | Army Groups | style="padding:0.3em;" | Army Group 1 (Billotte) • Army Group 2 (Prételat) • Army Group 3 (Besson) • Army of the Alps (Olry) |- | style="background:#e6e6e6; padding:0.2em; font-weight:bold;" | Field Armies | style="padding:0.3em;" | 1st • 2nd • 3rd • 4th • 5th • 6th • 7th • 8th • 9th • 10th |}

{| class="navbox mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:100%; border:1px solid #aaa; background:#f9f9f9; font-size:88%; text-align:center;" |- ! colspan="2" style="background:#cedff2; padding:0.2em; font-size:110%;" | 3rd Army Group (France) – Structure by Corps (May 1940) |- | style="background:#e6e6e6; padding:0.5em; font-weight:bold; width:20%;" | Third Army | style="padding:0.5em; text-align:left;" | VI Corps • XXIV Corps • 42nd Fortress Corps |- | style="background:#f0f0f0; padding:0.5em; font-weight:bold;" | Fourth Army | style="padding:0.5em; text-align:left; background:#fff;" | IX Corps • XX Corps |- | style="background:#e6e6e6; padding:0.5em; font-weight:bold;" | Fifth Army | style="padding:0.5em; text-align:left;" | VIII Corps • XII Corps • XVII Corps • 43rd Fortress Corps |- | style="background:#f0f0f0; padding:0.5em; font-weight:bold;" | Eighth Army | style="padding:0.5em; text-align:left; background:#fff;" | VII Corps • 13th Corps • 44th Fortress Corps |- | colspan="2" style="background:#f0f0f0; font-size:90%; padding:0.2em;" | ''Source: Les Grandes Unités Françaises (SHAT), 1967'' |}

Category:Field armies of France in World War I Category:Field armies of France in World War II Category:Military units and formations established in 1914 Category:1940 disestablishments in France