French Army Corps in 1911

[Hoplophile]

In 1911, the French general Michel, who was then the "vice-president of the Supreme War Council" and thus the commander-in-chief designate in case of war, proposed the creation of "super size" army corps. Instead of standard army corps of 24 infantry battalions and 30 artillery batteries, he wanted to create army corps of 48 battalions and 45 batteries.

I am wondering if any Pals have access to an order of battle of the kind of army corps that Michel proposed. I realise that this is a long shot, but I figured that it didn't hurt to post this message.

By the way, I've posted a similar message on a couple of French web-sites.

[Paul Hederer]

In 1911, the French general Michel, who was then the "vice-president of the Supreme War Council" and thus the commander-in-chief designate in case of war, proposed the creation of "super size" army corps. Instead of standard army corps of 24 infantry battalions and 30 artillery batteries, he wanted to create army corps of 48 battalions and 45 batteries.

I am wondering if any Pals have access to an order of battle of the kind of army corps that Michel proposed. I realise that this is a long shot, but I figured that it didn't hurt to post this message.

By the way, I've posted a similar message on a couple of French web-sites.

Let me check on this for you...I remember reading something about this in French in a book on my shelves...

Paul

[Paul Hederer]

Let me check on this for you...I remember reading something about this in French in a book on my shelves...

Paul

I checked through the French OH. There is a section on organization and war plans before the war, but I saw nothing on this...sorry.

Paul

[Hoplophile]

Dear Paul,

Many thanks for looking!

Best wishes,

Bruce

[Paul Hederer]

Bruce,

Hello, I didn't realize it was you!

Actually I've found something. Found a reference in a modern book that took me back to the OH. Tracked it down....

From Les armées françaises dans la grande guerre: Tome I, vol 1. L'avant Guerre. La bataille des frontières, page 38.

General Michel indeed recommended suppression of the reserve divisions and the formation, at mobilization, of demi-brigades, obtained by joining with each active infantry regiment, the corresponding regiment of reserve, - the whole being placed under the command of the colonel commanding in peace time the active regiment. The mobilized brigade would be then contain four regiments - the infantry division eight [regiments], - the army corps sixteen [regiments] or even twenty-four regiments, according to whether it has two or three divisions. Thus amalgamated, our forces of first line would go up to the strength of 40 army corps formed on this new type. With regard to artillery, the batteries of reinforcement would remain in theory in the groups which form them at mobilization and which would be thus add four batteries. On the whole, the army corps mobilized would thus have 40 batteries of field artillery; it would be equipped moreover with a heavy artillery including three groups of two batteries. Submitted to the Supreme War Council, during their meeting of July 19, 1911, these proposals of General Michel, relating to the regiments of reserve and their employment in the active formations, were unanimously rejected.

The number of batteries in a reserve division was 9 in 1914. This was increased, it seems, from 1911 when it seems to have been 3 or 4.

Paul

[Hoplophile]

Dear Paul,

Many thanks for the lookup! (I am many miles away from the nearest copy of the French OH and the last time I saw a complete set for sale it was going for 18,000 Euros!)

The field artillery reform of 1909-1911 gave each military region 30 peacetime field batteries (more for the two regions with three active divisions). Once a sufficient number of gunners had 'passed' into the reserve, this would have yielded fifteen reserve batteries and fifteen ammunition columns - enough to give six 'reinforcing batteries' to each army corps and nine batteries to each of the 'ordinary' reserve divisions formed upon mobilisation. The three 'supernumary' reserve divisions called for by Plan XVI, however, would have to find their guns somewhere else.

If you like, I can send you a PDF of the law that laid out the artillery reform of 1909-1911, which has largely escaped the attention of historians.

[Paul Hederer]

Dear Paul,

Many thanks for the lookup! (I am many miles away from the nearest copy of the French OH and the last time I saw a complete set for sale it was going for 18,000 Euros!)

The field artillery reform of 1909-1911 gave each military region 30 peacetime field batteries (more for the two regions with three active divisions). Once a sufficient number of gunners had 'passed' into the reserve, this would have yielded fifteen reserve batteries and fifteen ammunition columns - enough to give six 'reinforcing batteries' to each army corps and nine batteries to each of the 'ordinary' reserve divisions formed upon mobilisation. The three 'supernumary' reserve divisions called for by Plan XVI, however, would have to find their guns somewhere else.

If you like, I can send you a PDF of the law that laid out the artillery reform of 1909-1911, which has largely escaped the attention of historians.

18,000 Euros! I got my set for 700 quid back in 1991...wow.

Yes, I would love to have the PDF. I suspected that something must have occured in the interval, as the number of batteries just didn't add up.

Paul

[Hoplophile]

Dear Paul,

I've just sent you an ordinary e-mail with the PDF. Needless to say, I'm happy to post the PDF - or send it out via e-mail - to any other Pals who might be interested.

Cheers,

Bruce

[Hoplophile]

PS: Most of the heavy batteries called for by Michel's scheme seem to have come from converted field batteries. One in six, however, would have come from the army heavy artillery, which, at that time, consisted of 21 batteries of 155mm 'Rimailho' howitzers.

Here's how it probably worked -

Upon mobilisation, the 30 peacetime batteries of a standard military region (army corps district) formed 30 active batteries, 15 reserve batteries and 15 ammunition columns.

Subtracting 40 batteries from the total of 45 yields five spare batteries.

Adding one heavy battery to each army corps yields six spare batteries.

As the number of spare batteries equals the number of heavy batteries called for by Michel's scheme, I suspect that he wanted to convert five field batteries in each army corps into heavy batteries.

NB: In the French Army of 1911, batteries armed with 75mm field guns and those armed with 155mm Rimailho howitzers were both classed as 'field batteries' (batteries montees).