3rd Armored Division (France)

The 3rd Armored Division (3e Division Blindée, 3e DB) was an armored unit of the French Army. The division was active during World War II.

The 3rd Armored Division was formed in Tunisia in June 1943 and moved into Morocco for its first mission. The division didn’t receive its armor until December 1943 and then gradually lost personnel and equipment to the 1st and 5th Armored Divisions. The division was dissolved in August 1944.

The division was reformed on 1 May 1945 as the Maquis division, taking part in the final offensive in Germany and dissolved again on 18 April 1946.

The division was reformed in 1951, taking the heritage of the 3rd Algerian Infantry Division, and served throughout the Cold War.

C'est une grande unité of around 15,000 men covering the south of Germany (Baden-Württemberg) and being made up of three brigades:
 * the 5th Mechanised Brigade at Tübingen,
 * la 12th brigade mécanisée at Offenbourg,
 * la 13th brigade motorisée at Konstanz.

It became the 3rd Armored Division in 1978, son poste de commandement restant à Fribourg. Trois régiments d'infanterie, deux régiments de chars, deux régiments d'artillerie, un régiment du génie et un régiment de commandement et de soutien la composent.

It served for a number of years as part of the II Corps, French Forces in Germany (fr:Forces françaises en Allemagne). It was finally disbanded by being redesignated the 3rd Mechanised Brigade in 1999.

Organisation during World War II

 * 11th Chasseur Regiment
 * 4th Cuirassier Regiment
 * 6th Cuirassier Regiment
 * 11th Cuirassier Regiment
 * 13th Dragoon Regiment
 * 1st Demi-brigade
 * 16th Chasseur Battalion
 * 8th Chasseur Battalion
 * 30th Chasseur Battalion
 * 16th Artillery Regiment
 * 103rd Medical Battalion
 * 13th GERDB