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7th Cavalry Division (France)

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7th Cavalry Division
7e division de cavalerie
Active1893-1917
DisbandedJuly 23, 1917
Country France
Branch French Army
TypeCavalry
Garrison/HQ1893 Meaux, 1894-1917 Melun
EngagementsWorld War I

The 7th Cavalry Division was a cavalry division of the French Army that participated in World War I.[1][2]

Composition

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Before the outbreak of World War I, these units were under the 7th Cavalry Division.

Pre-World War I

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Dragoons of the 18th Regiment of Melun

1894

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Source:[3]

1906

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Source:[3]

1914

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Others

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Source:[3]

  • 7th Cyclist Group of the 4th Battalion of Foot Chasseurs
  • 4th Horse Group of the 30th Field Artillery Regiment

World War I

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During World War I, these were the units under the division.

Armored Car and Auto-cannon Groups:

  • 6th GAMAC (from December 1914)
  • 16th GAMAC (from November 1915)

Others:

  • 7th Cyclist Group of the 4th Battalion of Foot Chasseurs
  • 4th Horse Group of the 30th Field Artillery Regiment
  • Cyclist Sappers of the 1st Engineer Regiment
  • Detachment of the Territorial Military Engineers of the 8th Engineer Regiment

Armored Car and Auto-cannon Groups:

History

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The 7th Cavalry Division was formed in 1893 at Meaux.[5][6] This location was only temporary, and the division subsequently moved to Melun.[3]

In 1914, the 7th Cavalry Division was mobilized in France and transported to the frontlines.[4] From August, it fought in the Battle of the Ardennes[4] before retreating toward the Argonne in Vavincourt.[4] On 25 August, General Gillain was removed from command because the division had been exhausted by repeated marches and had failed to adequately support the infantry.[4][7] In September, the division fought in the First Battle of the Marne and the Battle of Verdun, including fighting around Étain, Spincourt, and Doncourt-aux-Templiers.[4] Later that month, it fought at Flirey and defended the Hauts-de-Meuse. In October, the division was moved north and fought in the First Battle of Artois and it participated in the Battle of the Yser and the First Battle of Ypres.[7]

In 1915, the unit moved south from February 6 to May 8, resting in Auxi-le-Château and Saint-Pol regions. From May 8 to August 30, they moved toward Avesnes-le-Comte, standing ready to pursue interventions during the May 9 and June 16 offensives of the Second Battle of Artois, before returning to Auxi-le-Château with elements deployed toward Neuville-Saint-Vaast and the Calonne trench. Between August 30 and September 11, they moved to Conty for rest. From September 11 to October 18, they were transported by rail (VF) to the Sézanne region, moving toward Suippes starting September 20, where they prepared to support the pursuit in the Second Battle of Champagne while dismounted elements engaged near Souain. From October 18 to October 26, they moved to Champaubert to rest, and from October 26, 1915, to July 8, 1916, they moved to the front line to occupy a sector between the Marquises farm and northeast Prosnes, which was slightly reduced on the right side from May 5 to May 23.[4]

From July 8 to November 17, 1916, the unit was transported by rail (VF) to the Breteuil region, undergoing training at the Crèvecœur camp, followed by training near Auneuil (August 15 to September 5), Saint-Just-en-Chaussée (September 5 to 29), and again near Auneuil (September 29 to November 16), with elements stationed in the sector toward Tracy-le-Val and Lihons; then, from November 17, 1916, to January 15, 1917, they moved toward Château-Thierry, occupying a sector between the east of Soissons and Pernant starting December 2.[4]

In 1917, after withdrawing from the front between January 15 and March 9, the unit moved toward Provins for rest and training, followed by training at the Mailly camp from March 9 to April 8. From April 8 to 18, it moved to Fismes and was held in readiness to intervene for the pursuit during the Second Battle of the Aisne without being committed as a whole, though dismounted elements were engaged near the Cavaliers de Courcy from April 12 to May 5. Between April 18 and May 27, the unit moved south to rest near Anglure and Fère-Champenoise, with elements holding a sector in the Reims region starting May 5. From May 27 to June 21, it moved back to the front to occupy a sector near the Marquises farm and the eastern approaches to Reims alongside elements of the 2nd and 4th Cavalry Divisions. Finally, after withdrawing from the front between June 21 and July 23 to rest near Anglure and Fère-Champenoise.[4]

The division was disbanded on July 23, 1917.[1][4]

  1. 1 2 "7e DIVISION DE CAVALERIE | Service historique de la Défense". www.servicehistorique.sga.defense.gouv.fr. Retrieved 2026-08-08.
  2. ↑ "Archives de la Guerre (1875-1921), Tome 4: Groupes de divisions, Corps d'armée, Places et régions fortifiées, Divisions et brigades, Régiments - GR 21-25N. 71-72" (PDF). Retrieved August 8, 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Annuaire de l'Armée française pour l'année ... : publié sur les documents communiqués par le Ministère de la guerre". Gallica. 1894-03-01. Retrieved 2026-08-08.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 texte, France Etat-major des armées Service historique Auteur du (1923–1924). Les armées françaises dans la Grande guerre. Tome X. 10,2 / Ministère de la guerre, état-major de l'armée, service historique.
  5. ↑ Cuel, F. (Capitaine) Auteur du texte (1895). Historique du 18e régiment de dragons, 1744-1894 , publié par le capitaine F. Cuel,... d'après les documents du ministère de la guerre et ceux laissés au corps par M. le lieutenant-colonel Torel.
  6. ↑ "Le Petit Méridional : journal républicain quotidien". Gallica. 1893-09-30. Retrieved 2026-08-08.
  7. 1 2 Loisel, Yoann; Saguin, Emeric (2021). "Le choc de 1914". Littérature et Psychanalyse (in French): 77–119.
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