Grandes Unités Françaises
Encyclopedia
Grandes Unités Françaises (full title: Guerre 1939-1945 Les Grandes Unités Françaises) is a monumental six-volume (the fifth volume is actually composed of four separate works) World War II
order of battle
and military unit history reference compiled by the historical service of the chief of staff of the French Army
. The volumes were published in Paris
by the Imprimerie Nationale.
The volumes progress chronologically through the war, are divided by sections devoted to each corps or division of the French Army, and detail, day-by-day, the subordination of the units, their sub-units, location of the command posts, and the actions of the units.
The volumes are written in French, but the tabular organization of much of the information allows the volumes to be used by any researcher familiar with French Army terminology of World War II. The entire series runs to thousands of pages; Part 2 of Volume 5 alone has 1,422 pages.
The volumes, their content, and their publication date are:
Among order of battle researchers and enthusiasts, the volumes are often referred to as the GUF, or sometimes, the LGUF.
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
order of battle
Order of battle
In modern use, the order of battle is the identification, command structure, strength, and disposition of personnel, equipment, and units of an armed force participating in field operations. Various abbreviations are in use, including OOB, O/B, or OB, while ORBAT remains the most common in the...
and military unit history reference compiled by the historical service of the chief of staff of the French Army
French Army
The French Army, officially the Armée de Terre , is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces.As of 2010, the army employs 123,100 regulars, 18,350 part-time reservists and 7,700 Legionnaires. All soldiers are professionals, following the suspension of conscription, voted in...
. The volumes were published in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
by the Imprimerie Nationale.
The volumes progress chronologically through the war, are divided by sections devoted to each corps or division of the French Army, and detail, day-by-day, the subordination of the units, their sub-units, location of the command posts, and the actions of the units.
The volumes are written in French, but the tabular organization of much of the information allows the volumes to be used by any researcher familiar with French Army terminology of World War II. The entire series runs to thousands of pages; Part 2 of Volume 5 alone has 1,422 pages.
The volumes, their content, and their publication date are:
- Volume 1. 1940: Corps, Fortified Regions, and Groups. 1967.
- Volume 2. 1940: Infantry Divisions, Light ChasseurChasseurChasseur [sha-sur; Fr. sha-sœr] is the designation given to certain regiments of French light infantry or light cavalry troops, trained for rapid action.-History:...
Divisions, and North African Divisions. 1967. - Volume 3. 1940: Colonial Divisions, African Divisions, Light Infantry Divisions, Polish Divisions, Light Cavalry Divisions, Armored Divisions, SpahiSpahiSpahis were light cavalry regiments of the French army recruited primarily from the indigenous populations of Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco. The modern French Army retains one regiment of Spahis as an armoured unit, with personnel now recruited in mainland France...
Brigades, Defensive and Fortified Sectors, and Fortress Divisions. 1967. - Volume 4. November 1942 - July 1944: French forces in North Africa, French Expeditionary Corps in Italy, subordinate divisions of these corps, and the operations on Corsica and Elba. 1970.
- Volume 5, Part 1. August 1944 - May 1945: 3rd Algerian, 4th Moroccan, 9th Colonial, and 27th Alpine Divisions. 1972.
- Volume 5, Part 2. August 1944 - May 1945: 1st March, 2nd Moroccan, 10th Infantry, 14th Infantry, 1st Armored, 2nd Armored, and 5th Armored Divisions. 1975.
- Volume 5, Part 3. August 1944 - May 1945: I and II Corps. 1976.
- Volume 5, Part 4. Maps to accompany Volume 5, Parts 1 through 3. 1976.
- Volume 6. August 1944 - May 1945: The Atlantic and Alpine Fronts. 1980.
Among order of battle researchers and enthusiasts, the volumes are often referred to as the GUF, or sometimes, the LGUF.