25th Parachute Division (France)

The 25th Parachute Division (French: 25e Division Parachutiste, 25e D.P) was an airborne division of the French Army, part of the French Airborne Units. Consisting mainly of air infantry specialized in airborne combat, air assault and established in 1956; the Parachute Division took principal part only in the Algerian War.

Creation and different designations

 * 1 June 1956 : Creation of the 25th Parachute Division
 * 30 April 1961: the 25th Parachute was dissolved
 * In 1961 : following the putsch, the 10th Parachute Division and 25th Parachute Division were dissolved and formed on 1 May 1961 with the 11th Infantry Division (11e Division d'Infanterie), the 11th Light Intervention Division, which would later become the 11th Parachute Brigade.

Constitution
On 1 June 1956 the 25th Parachute Division was created in the 5th military region from the 25e DIAP and the Colonial Parachute Brigade. The division included five airborne infantry Regiments, two airborne cavalry regiments and one unit of Parachute Artillery:




 * Command and Support Structure
 * 75th Headquarters Company (75e CGQ)
 * 75th Transmission Company (75e CT)
 * French Army Light Aviation (ALAT) Platoon
 * 513th Transport Group ( GT 513)
 * 75th Parachute Engineer Company (75e CGAP)
 * 75th Repair Division Company (75e CRD)
 * 75th Medical Company (75e CM)
 * 75th SRI
 * General Command Staff of the 1st Brigade
 * General Command Staff of the 2nd Brigade
 * Airborne Infantry and artillery
 * 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment (1956-1961).
 * 1st Parachute Chasseur Regiment (1e RCP)
 * 14th Parachute Chasseur Regiment (14e RCP)
 * 18th Parachute Chasseur Regiment (18e RCP)
 * 8th Colonial Parachute Regiment (8e RPC), created 28 February 1951 in Hanoi as the 8th Colonial Parachute Battalion; recreated on 1 May 1956 as the 8th Colonial Parachute Regiment; renamed on 1 December 1958 the 8th Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment.
 * 35th Parachute Artillery Regiment (35e RAP)
 * Parachute Cavalry Structure
 * 13th Parachute Dragoon Regiment (13e RDP)
 * 1st Parachute Hussar Regiment (1er RHP)

During tenure, the Division witnessed changes:


 * On 1 July 1957 the 13th Parachute Dragoon Regiment was reassigned and attached to the 10th Parachute Division.
 * On 1 April 1960 the 9th Parachute Chasseur Regiment relieved the 1st Parachute Chasseur Regiment, part of the 10th Parachute Division.

On 1 December 1958 the Colonial Parachute Regiments underwent a designation change to Marine Infantry Parachute Regiments while retaining their numerical designation.

Division Commanders

 * 1956 - 1956 : General Jean Gilles
 * 1956 - 1958 : General Henri Sauvagnac
 * 1958 - 1960 : General Ducournau
 * 1960 - 1961 : General Autrand

Battle of the Frontiers
Two of the five airborne infantry regiments of the division; mainly, the 8th Colonial Parachute Regiment and the 14th Parachute Chasseur Regiment; participated from January to May 1958 in the Battle of Frontiers. Accordingly, General Raoul Salan, superior commander in Algeria, delegated all five airborne infantry regiments to General Paul Vanuxem; commander of the zone est-constantinois (ZEC). The battle took place at both the Morice Line and Challe Line and lasted for about 5 months.

Sources and bibliography

 * Collectif, Histoire des parachutistes français, Société de Production Littéraire, 1975.
 * J. Baltzer & E. Micheletti, Insignes et brevets parachutistes de l'armée française, Histoires et collections, 2001, ISBN 2-913-903-118.