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54th Infantry Regiment (France)

March 12, 2024

The 54th Infantry Regiment (54e régiment d’infanterie or 54e RI) is a line infantry regiment of the French Army.

54th Infantry Regiment
54e régiment d’infanterie
Active1657 – Present
Country Kingdom of France (1657 - 1792)
 France (1792 - present)
Branch French Army
TypeInfantry
RoleLine infantry
SizeRegiment
PatronSaint-Maurice
EngagementsSeven Years' War
French Revolutionary Wars
Napoleonic Wars
World War I World War II
DecorationsCroix de guerre 1914-1918 with 3 citations in army orders
1 citation in army corps orders
1 citation in divisional orders
il a right to wear the colours of the croix de guerre 1914–1918 on its forage cap.
Battle honoursValmy 1792
Alkmaar 1799
Austerlitz 1805
Friedland 1807
Kabylie 1857
La Marne 1914
Éparges 1915
Verdun 1916
L’Escaut 1918

History edit

Early service edit

It was formed in 1657 during the Ancien Régime as the régiment Mazarin-Catalans, being renamed the régiment Royal Catalan in 1661 then the régiment Royal Roussillon in 1667. The regiment was recruited in the regions of Perpignan, Roussillon and Catalonia. The regiment served at the Battle of Fontenoy in 1745 during the War of the Austrian Succession.

A second battalion of the Royal Roussillon served in Germany (1756–1762). In 1756, the 54th Infantry Regiment's uniform was white with blue facings, five gilded buttons for the linings and three buttons on each pocket. Its first battalion fought in Canada during the French and Indian War from 1756 to 1761, under the command of général Louis-Joseph de Saint-Veran, Marquis de Montcalm, with M. de Sennezergue as its colonel. The battalion arrived in New France in May 1756, and was originally posted to Montreal, with the exception of a detachment that was sent to Fort Carillon. It fought at the Battle of Fort William Henry. After that victory, the regiment took part in the 1758 Battle of Carillon. It then went to Quebec City to defend the city. At the Battle of the Plains of Abraham, it was broken and forced to flee by steady fire from the British 35th Foot, whose members are traditionally held to have picked up the 54th's plumes and placed them in their own headdress (the Roussillon Plume being formally incorporated into the badge of the 35th Foot in 1881).[1]

The regiment participated in the battles of Montmorency, the Plains of Abraham and Sainte-Foy.[2] At the subsequent siege of Quebec they were unable to subdue the garrison and had to retreat to Montreal. They could not fend off the British three pronged attack against Montréal in September and surrendered there.

Revolution and First Empire edit

In 1791, just before the French Revolution, it lost its royal title and first became the 54th Line Infantry Regiment, then in 1793 the 54e demi-brigade de bataille (consisting of the 1st Puy-de-Dôme Volunteers' Battalion and the 1st Indre Volunteers' Battalion). From 1796, it was made up of the 43e demi-brigade de bataille (itself made up of 1st battalion of the 22nd Line Infantry Regiment, 4th Seine-et-Oise Volunteers' Battalion, and the 3rd Lot Volunteers' Battalion). In 1803, it reverted to its title of 54th Line Infantry Regiment. Distinguished at Barossa and led the assault on Le Haye Sainte at Waterloo. One battalion was present in the Wagram campaign. Between 1804 and 1815, it lost 23 officers killed, 89 wounded and 14 died of wounds. During this period it fought at:

1815–1914 edit

It became a 'légion -Infanterie de ligne' from 1816 to 1820, reverting to 54th Line Infantry Regiment from 1820 to 1854 and finally taking its present name in 1854. From 1828 to 1833, it took part in the Morea expedition supporting Greek independence, especially the siege of the fort at Morea.

1914–1918 edit

On the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, the Regiment was on garrison duties at Compiègne as part of France's 23rd Infantry Brigade, itself part of 12th Infantry Division (France) of 6th Army Corps, of which it formed part throughout the war. It took part in 3rd and 4th Armies' retreat, fighting from 5 to 13 September at Longwy, Vaux-Marie, Sommaisne, Rembercourt-aux-Pots, Mouilly and the First Battle of the Marne. It then fought in the Calonne (les Hauts de Meuse- Ouest des Eparges) sector of the trenches from 22 September 1914 to 2 August 1915. Les Eparges was a heavily disputed sector, split between the regiments of France's 12th Infantry Division.

From January to May 1915, it fought in operations on the River Meuse and Argonne, both in les Eparges and the First Battle of Champagne. On 24 April that year, the Regiment was brought together to campaign near Rupt-en-Woëvre – before going, it performed a march past the general commanding 12th Infantry Division, who then decorated two of the Regiment's officers with the Légion d’Honneur. The Regiment was then mentioned in dispatches for its sustained fighting from 26 December onwards, when the Regiment was put on alert at lunchtime and went on to base itself on the edge of the Châtelaine forest opposite Mouilly. On Sunday 25 April it linked up with France's 132nd Infantry Regiment on its left. Under German 105 and 150 bombardment, the 54th was ordered to make its trenches unwinnable. The 87th Infantry Regiment had to attack before the 54th but the attack failed and night arrived.

In 1916, the Regiment saw action at Verdun and the Somme and the following year during the Chemin des Dames offensive. 1918 saw it fighting once again in the Somme, this time at Grivesnes, le Plessier and the Saint-Aignan offensive on the Aisne, then finally in the Flanders offensive.

1919–1923 edit

The regiment returned to its garrison at Compiègne in August 1919. The merger of the 54th Infantry Regiment into the 67th Infantry Regiment began in February 1923 and effective 1 April of that year the 54th ceased to exist.[3]

World war II edit

The regiment was recreated in early September 1939 as the 54th Fortress Infantry Regiment, from the 4th Battalion of the 43rd Infantry Regiment. The 54th Fortress Infantry Regiment was part of the Fortified Sector of the Escaut.[4]

Battle honours edit

The Regiment's tie is decorated with the Croix de guerre 1914-1918 with three citations in army orders, one citation in army corps orders and one citation in divisional orders. The Regiment has the right to wear the colours of the Croix on its forage cap. Its colours bear the battle honours:[5][6]

 

Colonels/chefs de brigade edit

  • 1756: M. de Sennezergue – colonel
  • 1792: Pierre-Michel-Joseph-Salomon Dumesnil – Colonel.
  • 1794: Glinec – Chef de brigade.
  • 1795: Sauvat – Chef de brigade.
  • 1796: Louis-Prix Vare – Chef de brigade (*).
  • 1803: Armand Philippon – Colonel (* *) – wounded 28 July 1809.
  • 1810: Jacques Saint-Faust – Colonel – wounded 27 February 1814.
  • 1814: Claude Charlet – Colonel.
  • 1829: Félix-Louis de Narp.
  • 1830: François Négrier.

(*) Officer who then became général de brigade, (* *) Officer who then became général de division

References edit

  1. ^ . www.nam.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 9 September 2015.
  2. ^ Nous étions le Nouveau Monde, Jean-Claude Germain, Hurtibise, p145 2009
  3. ^ Weill & Delacourt 1930, pp. 165–170.
  4. ^ Mary, Jean-Yves; Hohnadel, Alain; Sicard, Jacques (2001). Hommes et Ouvrages de la Ligne Maginot, Tome 1 (in French). Histoire & Collections. p. 64, 84, 88-140. ISBN 2-908182-88-2.
  5. ^ (in French) Decision n°12350/SGA/DPMA/SHD/DAT of 14 September 2007 relating to inscribing the names of battles on colours and standards of troop corps of the armée de terre, the army medical service and the army petrol service, Bulletin officiel des armées, n°27, 9 November 2007
  6. ^ (in French) Service Historique de la Défense, Decision N° 12350/SGA/DPMA/SHD/DAT of 14 September 2007

Bibliography edit

  • Weill, Lieutenant-Colonel; Delacourt, Lieutenant (1930). Les Régiments d'infanterie de Compiègne pendant la Grande Guerre [The infantry regiments of Compiègne during the Great War] (in French). Compiègne: Amicale des Anciens combattants des 54e R.I., 254e R.I., 13e Tal. OCLC 760963362.

External links edit

  • (in French) Les Eparges February – April 1915 (account of Général Mordacq)
  • (in French) The 72e RI, April 1915
  • (in French) The 58e RI- The Vauclusiens in WWI, les Eparges on 18/05/15
  • (in French) To the combatants at the crête des Eparges

March 12, 2024
54th, infantry, regiment, france, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, 54th, infantry, regiment, france, . This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources 54th Infantry Regiment France news newspapers books scholar JSTOR February 2013 Learn how and when to remove this template message The 54th Infantry Regiment 54e regiment d infanterie or 54e RI is a line infantry regiment of the French Army 54th Infantry Regiment54e regiment d infanterieActive1657 PresentCountry Kingdom of France 1657 1792 France 1792 present BranchFrench ArmyTypeInfantryRoleLine infantrySizeRegimentPatronSaint MauriceEngagementsSeven Years WarFrench Revolutionary WarsNapoleonic WarsWorld War I Chemin des Dames offensiveWorld War IIDecorationsCroix de guerre 1914 1918 with 3 citations in army orders1 citation in army corps orders1 citation in divisional ordersil a right to wear the colours of the croix de guerre 1914 1918 on its forage cap Battle honoursValmy 1792Alkmaar 1799Austerlitz 1805Friedland 1807Kabylie 1857La Marne 1914Eparges 1915Verdun 1916L Escaut 1918 Contents 1 History 1 1 Early service 1 2 Revolution and First Empire 1 3 1815 1914 1 4 1914 1918 1 5 1919 1923 1 6 World war II 2 Battle honours 3 Colonels chefs de brigade 4 References 4 1 Bibliography 5 External linksHistory editEarly service edit It was formed in 1657 during the Ancien Regime as the regiment Mazarin Catalans being renamed the regiment Royal Catalan in 1661 then the regiment Royal Roussillon in 1667 The regiment was recruited in the regions of Perpignan Roussillon and Catalonia The regiment served at the Battle of Fontenoy in 1745 during the War of the Austrian Succession A second battalion of the Royal Roussillon served in Germany 1756 1762 In 1756 the 54th Infantry Regiment s uniform was white with blue facings five gilded buttons for the linings and three buttons on each pocket Its first battalion fought in Canada during the French and Indian War from 1756 to 1761 under the command of general Louis Joseph de Saint Veran Marquis de Montcalm with M de Sennezergue as its colonel The battalion arrived in New France in May 1756 and was originally posted to Montreal with the exception of a detachment that was sent to Fort Carillon It fought at the Battle of Fort William Henry After that victory the regiment took part in the 1758 Battle of Carillon It then went to Quebec City to defend the city At the Battle of the Plains of Abraham it was broken and forced to flee by steady fire from the British 35th Foot whose members are traditionally held to have picked up the 54th s plumes and placed them in their own headdress the Roussillon Plume being formally incorporated into the badge of the 35th Foot in 1881 1 The regiment participated in the battles of Montmorency the Plains of Abraham and Sainte Foy 2 At the subsequent siege of Quebec they were unable to subdue the garrison and had to retreat to Montreal They could not fend off the British three pronged attack against Montreal in September and surrendered there Revolution and First Empire edit In 1791 just before the French Revolution it lost its royal title and first became the 54th Line Infantry Regiment then in 1793 the 54e demi brigade de bataille consisting of the 1st Puy de Dome Volunteers Battalion and the 1st Indre Volunteers Battalion From 1796 it was made up of the 43e demi brigade de bataille itself made up of 1st battalion of the 22nd Line Infantry Regiment 4th Seine et Oise Volunteers Battalion and the 3rd Lot Volunteers Battalion In 1803 it reverted to its title of 54th Line Infantry Regiment Distinguished at Barossa and led the assault on Le Haye Sainte at Waterloo One battalion was present in the Wagram campaign Between 1804 and 1815 it lost 23 officers killed 89 wounded and 14 died of wounds During this period it fought at 1792 Battle of Valmy and Battle of Jemappes 1793 Battle of Kaiserslautern 1794 Mainz Battle of Mainz 1799 Battle of Bergen Battle of Alkmaar 1800 Battle of Hohenlinden 1805 Battle of Austerlitz 1806 Crewitz and Battle of Lubeck 1807 Battle of Ostroleka and Battle of Friedland 1808 Battle of Espinosa and Battle of Somosierra 1809 Battle of Essling Battle of Wagram and Battle of Talavera de la Reyna 1810 Saint Louis 1811 Battle of Barossa Battle of Fuentes de Onoro and Battle of Zujar 1812 Siege of Tarifa and Siege of Cadiz 1813 Oignon Battle of Vitoria Battle of Maya Battle of Dresden Battle of Leipzig and Siege of Danzig 1814 Battle of Bar sur Aube Battle of Fere Champenoise and Maestricht 1815 Battle of Waterloo 1815 1914 edit It became a legion Infanterie de ligne from 1816 to 1820 reverting to 54th Line Infantry Regiment from 1820 to 1854 and finally taking its present name in 1854 From 1828 to 1833 it took part in the Morea expedition supporting Greek independence especially the siege of the fort at Morea 1914 1918 edit On the outbreak of the First World War in 1914 the Regiment was on garrison duties at Compiegne as part of France s 23rd Infantry Brigade itself part of 12th Infantry Division France of 6th Army Corps of which it formed part throughout the war It took part in 3rd and 4th Armies retreat fighting from 5 to 13 September at Longwy Vaux Marie Sommaisne Rembercourt aux Pots Mouilly and the First Battle of the Marne It then fought in the Calonne les Hauts de Meuse Ouest des Eparges sector of the trenches from 22 September 1914 to 2 August 1915 Les Eparges was a heavily disputed sector split between the regiments of France s 12th Infantry Division From January to May 1915 it fought in operations on the River Meuse and Argonne both in les Eparges and the First Battle of Champagne On 24 April that year the Regiment was brought together to campaign near Rupt en Woevre before going it performed a march past the general commanding 12th Infantry Division who then decorated two of the Regiment s officers with the Legion d Honneur The Regiment was then mentioned in dispatches for its sustained fighting from 26 December onwards when the Regiment was put on alert at lunchtime and went on to base itself on the edge of the Chatelaine forest opposite Mouilly On Sunday 25 April it linked up with France s 132nd Infantry Regiment on its left Under German 105 and 150 bombardment the 54th was ordered to make its trenches unwinnable The 87th Infantry Regiment had to attack before the 54th but the attack failed and night arrived In 1916 the Regiment saw action at Verdun and the Somme and the following year during the Chemin des Dames offensive 1918 saw it fighting once again in the Somme this time at Grivesnes le Plessier and the Saint Aignan offensive on the Aisne then finally in the Flanders offensive 1919 1923 edit The regiment returned to its garrison at Compiegne in August 1919 The merger of the 54th Infantry Regiment into the 67th Infantry Regiment began in February 1923 and effective 1 April of that year the 54th ceased to exist 3 World war II edit The regiment was recreated in early September 1939 as the 54th Fortress Infantry Regiment from the 4th Battalion of the 43rd Infantry Regiment The 54th Fortress Infantry Regiment was part of the Fortified Sector of the Escaut 4 Battle honours editThe Regiment s tie is decorated with the Croix de guerre 1914 1918 with three citations in army orders one citation in army corps orders and one citation in divisional orders The Regiment has the right to wear the colours of the Croix on its forage cap Its colours bear the battle honours 5 6 nbsp Colonels chefs de brigade edit1756 M de Sennezergue colonel 1792 Pierre Michel Joseph Salomon Dumesnil Colonel 1794 Glinec Chef de brigade 1795 Sauvat Chef de brigade 1796 Louis Prix Vare Chef de brigade 1803 Armand Philippon Colonel wounded 28 July 1809 1810 Jacques Saint Faust Colonel wounded 27 February 1814 1814 Claude Charlet Colonel 1829 Felix Louis de Narp 1830 Francois Negrier Officer who then became general de brigade Officer who then became general de divisionReferences edit 35th Royal Sussex Regiment of Foot Famous Units Research National Army Museum London www nam ac uk Archived from the original on 18 May 2015 Retrieved 9 September 2015 Nous etions le Nouveau Monde Jean Claude Germain Hurtibise p145 2009 Weill amp Delacourt 1930 pp 165 170 Mary Jean Yves Hohnadel Alain Sicard Jacques 2001 Hommes et Ouvrages de la Ligne Maginot Tome 1 in French Histoire amp Collections p 64 84 88 140 ISBN 2 908182 88 2 in French Decision n 12350 SGA DPMA SHD DAT of 14 September 2007 relating to inscribing the names of battles on colours and standards of troop corps of the armee de terre the army medical service and the army petrol service Bulletin officiel des armees n 27 9 November 2007 in French Service Historique de la Defense Decision N 12350 SGA DPMA SHD DAT of 14 September 2007 Bibliography edit Weill Lieutenant Colonel Delacourt Lieutenant 1930 Les Regiments d infanterie de Compiegne pendant la Grande Guerre The infantry regiments of Compiegne during the Great War in French Compiegne Amicale des Anciens combattants des 54e R I 254e R I 13e Tal OCLC 760963362 External links edit in French Les Eparges February April 1915 account of General Mordacq in French The 72e RI April 1915 in French The 58e RI The Vauclusiens in WWI les Eparges on 18 05 15 in French To the combatants at the crete des Eparges Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title 54th Infantry Regiment France amp oldid 1195886448, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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