7th Algerian Tirailleurs Regiment

The 7th Algerian Tirailleurs Regiment (7e Régiment de Tirailleurs Algériens, 7e R.T.A), was a French infantry unit of the French Army belonging to the Army of Africa (Armée d'Afrique).

Active between 1913 and 1946, the unit is one of the most decorated of the French Army. The regiment distinguished capability during World War I, during which the unit was cited six times at the orders of the armed forces and was awarded the Légion d'honneur, then during World War II, at the corps of the 3rd Algerian Infantry Division 3e DIA, notably during the Italian campaign with the French Expeditionary Corps of général Juin; cited newly three times at the orders of the armed forces

Dissolved in 1964, the regiment became the 170th Infantry Regiment (170e RI).

Creation and different nominations

 * 1913 : creation of the 7th Marching Tirailluers Regiment, 7e RMT.
 * 1919 : designated as the 7th Algerian Tirailleurs Regiment, 7e RTA.
 * 1962 : designated as 7th Tirailleurs Regiment.
 * 1964 : dissolved July 1 and formed the 170th Infantry Regiment (170e Régiment d'Infanterie).

World War I
The 2nd battalion of the 7e RMT remained in North Africa. The regiment was part of the Moroccan Division and engaged in combat alongside the RMLE, the 4e RTT as well as the 8e RZ.

1914

 * Unfolding of the IIIrd and IVth Army on the Marne
 * 5–13 September : Battle of the Marne
 * First Battle of Ypres:
 * Bois Triangulaire
 * November 12 : Nord d'Ypres

1915

 * January 28 : Flandres : Grande Dune near Nieuport
 * Offensive d'Artois:
 * Cote 140
 * May 9 : Vimy ridge
 * September 25 - October 6 : Second Battle of Champagne
 * Butte de Souains
 * September 25 : Bois Sabot

1916

 * July 4 :
 * 4 juillet : Battle of the Somme: Belloy-en-Santerre

1917

 * 17 avril : Mont-sans-Nom, Auberive
 * Verdun

1918

 * April 26 : Villers-Bretonneux, Bois du Hangard
 * May 29 - June 1 : Montagne de Paris, Missy-aux-Bois, Chaudun
 * June 12 : Amblémy
 * Saint-Pierre-l'Aigle, Daumiers
 * July 1918 : Chaudun
 * August 28 - September 17 : Tunnel de Vauxaillon, Neuville-sous-Marginal

Casualties
From 1914 to 1918, losses for the 7th Marching Tirailleurs Regiment 7e RMT were 2326 killed or disappeared ( 97 officers, 232 sous-officiers, 260 corporals and 1737 soldiers).

Throughout the campaign course, the 7e RMT obtained collectively 31 citations and 464 Médaille militaire.

Interwar period
In 1928, the 7e RTA adopted the designation of 11e RTA and back to 7e RTA. In 1936, the 7e RTA was garrisoned at Constantine.

Composition of the regiment
During the Second World War, one North-African tirailleur regiment consisted a little more than 3000 men (out of which 500 officers and sous-officiers) and 200 vehicles. The proportion of Maghrebis reach 69% for the regiment, 74% for the battalion, 79% for the company of fusiliers-voltigeurs, 52% for the anti-tank company and 36% for the cannon infantry company.

Campaigns

 * 1939 : belonged to the 83e DIA (83e DIA)
 * 1943 : belonged to the 3rd Algerian Infantry Division
 * January to May 1944 : Battle of Monte Cassino
 * August 1944 : disembarking at Provence, liberation of Toulon and Marseille
 * Fall - winter 1944 : Alpes, Jura, Alsace, Vosges, the apprehending of Mulhouse and the mounting of defensive on Strasbourg.

Collective citations
Throughout the course of the Second World War, the 7e RTA obtained 10 collective citations at the orders of the armed forces (3 for the regiment, 4 for the battalions, and 3 for the companies).

Casualties
The 3rd Algerian Infantry Division 3e DIA recorded 809 killed in action in the 7e RTA from November 1942 to May 1945, out of which 614 Maghrebis (75%) and 195 Europeans (25%).

Indochina War
Four Marching Battalions were constiuted successively to combat in Indochina. The 5th Marching Battalion (V/7e RTA), of chef de battaillon de Mecquenem, illustrated capability at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu during the mounting of the defensive at the Gabrielle resistance center.

Algerian War
The 7e RTA combat engaged in Algeria, at the corps of the 21st Infantry Division, in the sector of Aurès Némenchas. At the cease-fire on March 19, 1962, the regiment constituted along with 91 other regiments, a local unit force of the Algerian order of battle, the 427 UFL-UFO composed of 10% of metropolitan military and 90% of Muslim military personnel at Barika, during the transitory period, while being at the service of the executive provisionary power of Algeria until the independence of Algeria (Evian Accords March 18, 1962). Following events, the regiment was back in France in 1962, and garrisoned until 1964 where the unit was dissolved to form the 170th Infantry Regiment.

Decorations
The Regimental Colors are decorated with the :


 * Légion d'honneur (1919) :
 * titled for the First World War
 * Croix de guerre 1914-1918 with:
 * 6 palms one vermeil star
 * Croix de guerre 1939-1945 with :
 * 3 palms
 * Croix de guerre des théâtres d'opérations extérieures with :
 * 3 palms ( 1 palm for the theatre of the Levant, 1 palm for the theatre of Indochia and 1 palm for theatre of Morocco)
 * Mérite Militaire Chérifien.
 * Fourragère:
 * Colors of the Légion d'honneur with olives of the colors of the croix de guerre 1939-1945

The regiment was the first indegenous to be awarded the Fourragère with colors of the Croix de la Légion d'honneur (1914-1918).

Battle honours

 * Artois 1915
 * Champagne 1915
 * Verdun 1915
 * Soissonnais 1918
 * Picardie 1918
 * L'Aisne 1918
 * Levant 1920–1921
 * Maroc 1925–1926
 * Fondouk El Okbi 1943
 * Rome 1944
 * marseille 1944
 * Vosges 1944
 * Indochine 1947–1954
 * AFN 1952–1962

Regimental Commanders of the 7th Marching Algerian Tirailleurs Regiment

 * Lt-Colonel Fellert : August 1914 - September 1914
 * Lt-Colonel Levêque : October 1914 - December 1914
 * Cdt Jacquot : December 1914 - January 1915
 * Lt-Colonel Demetz : January 1915 - February 1916
 * Lt-Colonel Schuhler : February 1916 - May 1916
 * Lt-Colonel Schultz : May 1916 - May 1918
 * Lt-Colonel Mensier : June 1918

Honorary arms particular to the regiment

 * Combats of May 9, 1915 in Artois.
 * Combats of September 25, 1915 in Champagne.
 * Combats of August 20, 1917 at Verdun.
 * Combats of April 1918 in the Somme.
 * Combats of May 29 to May 31 and July 18 to July 20 in Aisne.
 * Combats of September 2 to September 1918 in the Aisne.
 * Combats of April 17, 1917 in Champagne.

Notable Officers & Tirailleurs

 * Général Jacques Schmitt (1919-2005), volunteer in 1941. 12 citations, commandeur of the Légion d'honneur.

Bibliographies

 * Les Africains, Historama, hors-série n° 10, 1970
 * Anthony Clayton, Histoire de l'Armée française en Afrique 1830-1962, Albin Michel, 1994
 * L'Armée d'Afrique: 1830-1962, Charles-Lavauzelle, 1977
 * De Sétif à Marseille, par Cassino, (Préface du Général Jean Delaunay - commentaires du Colonel Henri Ortholan) Editions Anovi 2007
 * Général Jacques Schmitt, Journal d'un officier de Tirailleurs (1944) (préface du colonel Ortholan), Editions Bernard Giovanangeli, 2010.