66 e regiment d'infanterie

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Régiment de Pfyffer
66 e regiment d'infanterie

Internal association badge until 1940

Internal association badge 1963–1966
active 1672 to 1966
Country Armoiries république française.svg France
Armed forces Flag of France.svg French armed forces
Armed forces Flag of France.svg Armée française de terre
Branch of service infantry
Type Infantry regiment
Location Tours
Patron saint Saint-Maurice d'Agaune
motto Sans tabac

The 66 e régiment d'infanterie was an infantry regiment of the French army , which was set up in the French service in 1672 as the "Régiment d'infanterie etrangère de Pfyffer" ( 4 e régiment Suisses - 4th Swiss Regiment) and was finally disbanded in 1966.

Since 1616 the Kingdom of France had three regiments of Swiss mercenaries in service, which in the time of Louis XIII. had been recruited. During the reign of Louis XIV in 1671, Lieutenant-général Pierre Stoppa was commissioned by the king to negotiate with the Swiss cantons about the establishment of four more regiments for service in France. The surrender (document of installation) was signed on August 14, 1671.

When it was set up, it consisted of twelve companies of 200 infantrymen each . Although the addition "Grisons" ( Graubünden ) was often used in relation to the regiment , the soldiers came mainly from the cantons of Lucerne , Glarus , Freiburg and Solothurn . The first regiment owner and commander was Colonel Louis de Pfyffer de Wyher , a Swiss who had been in French service for a long time.

It was a so-called foreign regiment (Régiment étrangere) and consisted exclusively of Swiss until 1791.

Regimental names

  • 1672: Régiment de Pfyffer (4 e régiment suisses).
  • 1689: Regiment d'Hessy
  • 1729: Régiment de Burky (51 e Régiment d'infanterie etrangère)
  • 1737: Régiment de Tschudy (51 e régiment d'infanterie etrangère)
  • 1740: Régiment de Vigier (51 e régiment d'infanterie etrangère)
  • 1756: Régiment de Castellas (52e Régiment d'infanterie etrangère)
  • 1756: Régiment de Castellas (52 e régiment d'infanterie etrangère)
  • 1762: Régiment de Castellas (52 e régiment d'infanterie etrangère) (According to the 1762 decree)
  • 1767: Régiment de Castellas (52 e régiment d'infanterie etrangère) (According to the 1767 decree)
  • 1775: Régiment de Castellas (58 e régiment d'infanterie etrangère) (According to the 1775 decree)
  • 1776: Régiment de Castellas (58 e régiment d'infanterie etrangère) (According to the 1776 decree)
  • 1779: Régiment de Castellas (58 e régiment d'infanterie etrangère)
  • 1788: Régiment de Castellas (69 e régiment d'infanterie etrangère) (According to the 1786 decree)
  • 1791: Renamed “66 e régiment d'infanterie” (January 1st).
  • 1792: After the storming of the Tuileries dissolved
  • 1795: Relocated as "66 e demi-brigade de bataille".
  • 1796: Renamed "66 e demi-brigade d'infanterie de ligne".
  • 1803: Renamed "66 e régiment d'infanterie de ligne".
  • 1882: Renamed "66 e régiment d'infanterie"
  • 1914: After mobilization , it set up its reserve regiment , the 266 e régiment d'infanterie
  • 1923: dissolution
  • 1939: re-establishment of the "66 e régiment d'infanterie"
  • 1940: dissolved
  • 1963: re-established "66 e régiment d'infanterie"

Mestres de camp / Colonels

Mestre de camp was from 1569 to 1661 and from 1730 to 1780 the denomination of rank for the regiment holder and / or for the officer in charge of the regiment. The name "Colonel" was used from 1721 to 1730, from 1791 to 1793 and from 1803 onwards.

After 1791 there were no more regimental owners.

Should the Mestre de camp / Colonel be a person of the high nobility who had no interest in leading the regiment (such as the king or queen), the command was given to the "Mestre de camp lieutenant" (or “Mestre de camp en second”) or the “Colonel-lieutenant” or “Colonel en second”.

I. II. III.
  • 1672: Colonel Pfyffer de Wyher
  • 1689: Colonel Gabriel Hessy
  • 1729: Colonel Joseph de Burky
  • 1737: Colonel Pierre de Tschudy
  • 1740: Colonel François de Vigier de Steinburg
  • 1756: Colonel Rodolf de Castellas
  • 1762: Colonel Klein (?)
  • 1773: Colonel de Castella de Montagny (?)
  • 1780: Colonel Girardier
  • 1788: Colonel de Sonnenberg de Lucerne (?)

(...)

  • 1803: Colonel Dominique-Pierre Cambriels
  • 1808: Colonel Joseph Braun
  • 1809: Colonel Jean-Pierre Béchaud
  • 1809: Colonel Louis-Francois Vatable
  • 1813: Colonel Andre Dupuy
  • 1815: Colonel Joseph-Antoine-Marie George (During the Hundred Days )
  • 1830: Colonel Jean-Marie Varlet
  • 1831: Colonel Michel Combes
  • 1832: Colonel Antoine-Louis Regnault
  • 1843: Colonel Charles Chenaux
  • 1849: Colonel Joseph Vernier de Byans
  • 1860: Colonel Joseph Guepard
  • 1863: Colonel Adrien Seroka
  • 1865: Colonel Eugène Arnaudeau
  • 1868: Colonel Charles Ameller Colonel
  • 1871: Colonel Eugène Bardin
  • 1875: Colonel Gabriel Millot
  • 1884: Colonel Jean-Marie Caillot
  • 1889: Colonel Paul d'Hugonneau de Boyat
  • 1875: Colonel Gabriel Millot
  • 1884: Colonel Jean-Marie Caillot
  • 1889: Colonel Paul d'Hugonneau de Boyat
  • 1891: Colonel Charles-Marie-François Ferry
  • 1895: Colonel Victor Humbel
  • 1900: Colonel Camille-Louis de Foucauld
  • (?)
  • 1912: Colonel Maurice Janin
  • 1914: Lieutenant colonel de Villantroys
  • 1915: (January) Commandant Rabussau (interim)
  • 1915: (March) Colonel Quintard (withdrawn wounded)
  • 1915: (May) Lieutenant-Colonel Gizard
  • 1915: (July) Colonel Quintard
  • 1916: Lieutenant colonel Paille
  • 1917: Colonel Soulle (until November 22, 1918)
  • 1918–1923:?
  • 1939: Lieutenant colonel Degremont
  • 1940: Lieutenant colonel Boby

Flags and uniforms in the Ancien Régime

  • Life flag of the Régiment de Pfyffer 1672–1689 (obverse)

  • Life flag of the Régiment de Pfyffer 1672–1689 (reverse)

  • Regiment de Pfyffer

  • Regiment de Hessy

  • Regiment de Hessy

  • Regiment de Burky

  • Régiment de Burky 1720

  • Regiment de Tschudy

  • Regiment de Tschudy 1734

  • Regiment de Vigier

  • Regiment de Vigier 1740

  • Regiment de Castellas

  • Régiment de Castellas 1762–1776

  • Régiment de Castellas 1776–1791

  • 66 e régiment d'infanterie 1791–1792

Battle calendar

Louis XIV era

The regiment was part of the "Armée des Flandres" and fights in:

In 1692 the regiment changed to the " Armée des Alpes " under the command of Nicolas de Catinat :

  • Battle of La Marsaglia (1693). During the battle, the Pignerol regiment defended against the troops of Viktor Amadeus II of Savoy.

Immediately after the battle, the regiment moved to Flanders

  • Participation in the siege of Ath (1697)
The Battle of Denain

Régence

The regiment crossed the Pyrenees and marched into Catalonia under the command of Maréchal Jacques Fitz-James de Berwick .

Louis XV era

In 1743 the regiment joined the “Armée des Alpes” under Prince de Louis François de Bourbon-Conti and fought under his command:

On March 14, 1756 Lieutenant-général Rodolphe de Castellas was appointed the new owner of the regiment. From then on it bore his name until the revolutionary changes of 1791. It was under this name that it fought:

Louis XVI era

From 1774 to 1791 the regiment did not take part in any combat operations. It was permanently stationed in Fontoy , from where it monitored the border with Luxembourg . On July 1, 1791, it moved to Verdun . After the storming of the Bastille in 1789 and the subsequent French Revolution , the regiment initially retained its owner name.

For "reasons of equality" and because of the principles of the revolution, however, it lost the name "de Castellas" and the additional designation "régiment suisse" on January 1, 1791, since only French regiments were to be in service for France. Like the other 104 French regiments, it would only have one number. From now on it was called "66 e régiment d'infanterie".

On January 1, 1792, the regiment was stationed in Metz . From here it took part in the action of the "Armée du Nord" under the command of Général Rochambeau and was on May 1, 1792 in Villers-Pol ( Nord-Pas-de-Calais region )

Immediately after the storming of the Tuileries in 1792 and the stubborn resistance of the “Gardes suisses” (Guard Swiss) posted there , the regiment, which for the most part still consisted of Swiss, was first held in Troyes on August 20 of the same year dissolved. The men who preferred to remain in the French service (around 500) were transferred to the "Légion de Luckner ".

French Revolution

The Legislative National Assembly of the French Revolution submitted a project to abolish most of the military units of the Ancien Régime and to replace them with units of “Volontaires nationaux” (national volunteers) that still have to be established. This plan was officially adopted on June 21, 1791. Since these volunteers were mostly unserved and would therefore have no combat experience, a framework ("amalgames") made up of members (professional soldiers) of the former royal army should be added to them. After long debates, it was decided on January 8, 1794 to carry out the project. The regiments renamed “Demi-brigades de bataille” since the decision of the National Convention of February 26, 1793 should consist of:

a battalion of former members of the royal army
two battalions of national volunteers.

This resulted in the following composition of the "66 e demi-brigade de bataille"

the 2nd e battalion of the former "Régiment d'infanterie de Touraine " (then 33 e régiment d 'infanterie)
the "9 e battalion de volontaires du Doubs "
the "4 e battalion de volontaires du Var "
66 e demi-brigade de bataille (1794–1796) - Assigned to the Armée de Sambre-et-Meuse (Sambre-Maas Army)
  • 1794–1795: Siege of Luxembourg

On 18th Nivôse on IV (January 8th, 1796) the board of directors determined the reorganization of the associations and renaming them "Demi-brigades d'infanterie de ligne". Simultaneously with this reform, the unit was given the new name on February 15, 1796: "96 e demi-brigade d'infanterie de ligne". The previous number 66 was vacant from then on.

  • 66 e demi-brigade d'infanterie de ligne (1796–1803)

The vacancy of number 66 was only short-lived, however, the renaming was reversed on June 1, 1796. From then on there was a new infantry unit with the number "66" which now consisted entirely of national volunteers. This "demi-brigade du Finistère " was immediately in the Vendée sent to the local rebellions to fight.

Fight in the Vendée

At that time the unit consisted of:

the "1 e bataillon de volontaires du Finistère "
the "1 e and 3 e battalion de volontaires de la Marne "
  • Calls

First empire

After the establishment of the Empire , the French army was fundamentally reorganized. As a result, with the 1st Vendémiaire on XII (September 24, 1803) the “66 e demi-brigade d'infanterie de ligne” was renamed “66 e régiment d'infanterie de ligne”, as it had been called shortly before the revolution .

Flag of the First Empire
  • Campaign in Guadeloupe to restore slavery (Law of May 20, 1802)
    • 1802 to 1812: On the island of Basse-Terre , the regiment was placed under the command of Général Richepanse to put down "la révolte des nègres" ( revolt of the negroes ) under Louis Delgrès. The regiment pursued Delgrès and his men as far as Matouba, where he was killed. The last insurgents on the island were eliminated in a place called "Bel-Air". The persecution of the resistance also extended to the neighboring islands of the Îles des Saintes and Saint-Martin . The regiment remained stationed on the island until 1808, parts remained until 1812 in order to stabilize the economy and ensure trade. This punitive military expedition killed around 10% of the population of Guadeloupe.

First restoration (1814)

After Guadeloupe became French again through the Treaty of Paris in 1814, a permanent garrison was set up there and the "62e Régiment d'infantrie légere" set up. To form the three battalions, the "66e RI" released soldiers. The new regiment was under the command of Colonel Vatable, the former commander of the "66e RI" during the island campaign.

Rule of the Hundred Days (March 1 to June 22, 1815)

The majority of the regiment in Europe was loyal to Napoleon Bonaparte and was among the first to join the emperor after his return from the island of Elba . You became part of the "Corps d'observation des Pyrénées" (Pyrenean Reconnaissance Corps)

The part stationed on Guadeloupe, (meanwhile again part of IR 66) as the only French troop on the islands, did not pass to Napoleon until June 18, 1815 (due to the long communication route) under Colonel Vatable. On August 8, 1815, a British expeditionary force reached the islands with the order to take possession of them. The unsuspecting French fought unsuccessfully against a six-fold superiority and finally surrendered to the British as the last unit of Napoleon to capitulate. Only then did they learn of the defeat of Napoleon in the Battle of Waterloo and also that he was already on his way to St. Helena .

The remnants of the unit were brought to Le Havre , where the regiment was disbanded on November 9, 1819.

July Monarchy

After the end of the July Monarchy and the Second Restoration, the regiment was re-established in Courbevoie after the July Revolution by decree of King Louis-Philippe I on August 17, 1830 .

  • 1831

Participation in the suppression of the silk weavers' uprising in Lyon

  • 1832

On the occasion of a conflict with the Papal States , the regiment was sent to Ancona in a landing operation . Two battalions went ashore from the frigate Victoire and occupied the city on February 23, 1832. The 1st and 2nd battalions stayed here as a crew until 1839.

  • Conquest of Algeria from 1832

Only the 3rd and 4th Battalions were part of the "Armée d'Oran", which belonged to the troops that were to conquer Algeria for France.

  • 1832
    • Fight at Sidi-Chabal (November 9, 1832)
    • Battle of Kheng-Nettah
  • 1833
    • Fight at Kodour-Delby. (May 7, 1833)
    • Fight at Sidi-Mahatan. (May 27, 1833)
    • Foray to Arzeu. (July 5, 1833)
    • Foray to Mostaganem . (July 23, 1833)
    • Foray to Taffaro. (August 5, 1833)
    • Fight at Ayn Brédéa. (October 10, 1833)
    • Fight at Tamezoa. (December 3, 1833).

The battalions, exhausted and decimated by cholera , were sent to Mers-el-Kébir and Oran to recover , and remained there in garrison.

  • 1835
    • Fight at Muley-Ismaël. (June 26, 1835)
    • Battle of la Macta. (June 28, 1835)
    • Second move and conquest of Muaskar. (December 1, 1835)
  • 1836
    • Expédition de Tlemcen . (8 January 1836)
    • Combat de Sidi-Yacoub. (25 avril 1836)
  • 1839

Return of the 3rd and 4th battalions from Oran and the 1st and 2nd battalions from Ancona. The regiment was merged and completed in Lyon in July of the same year .

  • 1840

The regiment was completely assembled in Paris to receive the body of Napoleon Bonaparte. The 3rd Battalion marched at the head of the funeral procession that led to the Invalides . The regiment was given this honor because it was the last unit of Napoleon to lay down its arms after the "Hundred Days".

  • 1846

Intervention during the uprising of the miners of Saint-Étienne . In Outre-Furan (incorporated into a St. Etienne in 1855), General Charron had the regiment shoot at the crowd without warning, killing six people.

  • 1848

Lyon was assigned to the regiment as a garrison

Second republic

    • 1849: The 1st and 2nd battalions participated in the occupation of Rome on July 3rd . They stayed there until January 1850
    • 1850: The regiment left its garrison in Lyon and moved to Perpignan , Collioure and Port-Vendres .

Second empire

During the Second Empire , the regiment was stationed in Bar-le-Duc , Verdun , in the camp of Châlons-sur-Marne and finally in Strasbourg until 1863 .

Officer around 1869
    • 1853: The regiment was not assigned to the Crimean War , but provided 1,000 volunteers.
    • 1854: The unit was ordered to Paris .
    • 1855: Assigned to the "Armée du Nord" in Boulogne (Vendée) under the command of General Mac Mahon .
    • 1856: Reduction to three battalions
    • 1859: A fourth battalion was re-established
    • 1863: Relocation to Algeria as part of a peace mission
    • 1865: Battle at Takitount
    • 1866: Intervention in Tunisia with Aïn Béïda and Tébessa (today in Algeria)
    • 1867: return to France and garrison in Antibes .
  • Franco-German War

During the Franco-Prussian War there were two infantry regiments with the number 66. Once the "66 e régiment de ligne" made up of professional and long-serving soldiers and then the "66 e régiment de marche" made up of those called up and volunteers from Touraine composed. The latter was set up on the call of Léon Gambetta , and should become a part of the "Gouvernement de la défense nationale" with the aim of setting up a defense army, the "Armée de la Loire". This was supposed to maintain the defense of the territory after the collapse of the regular army.

Together with the “67 e régiment d'infanterie de ligne” it formed the “2 e brigade d'infanterie” (2nd Infantry Brigade) commanded by Général Jacques Alexandre Jules Fauvart-Bastoult. This brigade in turn was part of the "2 e division" under Général Bataille in the "2 e corps d'armée" (2nd army corps) of General Charles Auguste Frossard

  • The 66 e régiment "de marche" (Armée de la Loire)

The regiment was set up in Tours on December 11, 1870 . The commanding officer was Lieutenant-Colonel Le Corbeiller. It fought in the association of the "2 e armée de la Loire" and belonged to the "1 e brigade d'infanterie (Loire)" under Général Ritter. This in turn was part of the "1 s division d'infantry de la Loire" commanded by Général (transportation not yet confirmed) in bard "19 e corps d'armée de la Loire", commanded by Général Dargent.

Shortly after its commissioning, the regiment was ordered to Cherbourg on December 12, 1870 , where it arrived on January 27, 1871. Like the entire Loire Army, it lost a lot of its fighting strength due to the severe winter and the lack of food. Simultaneously with the signing of the armistice it led on the same day (January 28, 1871) together with the "88 e régiment de la garde mobile" ( Mobilgarde ) at Saint-Mélaine a last battle against the Prussians.

Third Republic

  • 1871

The "Régiment de marche" returned to Tours on March 14, 1871. From here it was sent to Limoges to suppress the unrest there. After the city was surrounded on April 6, the regiment managed to restore order without firing a shot. On April 6, 1871, the 3rd Battalion was ordered to Lyon to calm down there as well. It stayed there until June 14th.

On September 2, 1871, the remains of the "66 e régiment d'infanterie de ligne" were repatriated from captivity to Tours. Here it was reorganized under the orders of Lieutenant-Colonel Jouanne-Beaulieu. In the course of this reorganization, the “66 e régiment de marche” and the “66 e régiment de ligne” were merged to form the new “66 e régiment d'infanterie de ligne” on September 11th

  • 1881 expedition to Tunisia

The 1st Battalion under Commandant Veau de Lanouvelle arrived in Tunisia on September 6, 1881, where it had to defend French interests according to the Bardo Treaty and was present in the establishment of the "Protectorat français de Tunisie" (French Protectorate over Tunisia) should. Together with one battalion each from the “116 e régiment d'infanterie de ligne” and the “48 e régiment d'infanterie de ligne”, it formed the (provisional) “13 e régiment de marche de Tunisie”, which was commanded by Colonel Moulin . This regiment belonged to the "3 e brigade d'infanterie de renfort" (3rd Reinforced Infantry Brigade) in Tunis under Général Étienne. The 1st Battalion of the regiment occupied the Kasbah on September 10, 1881 without encountering any resistance. In association with the "13 e régiment de marche de Tunisie", the following cities and towns were gradually captured:

Akouda
Kalâa Kebira
Sakalin
Msaken
Sousse
Kalâa Sghira
Sidi El Hani
Kairouan
Enfida
El Djem
Oued Gilma
Sbeitla
Fériana
Gafsa
Gourbata
Tozeur

On April 18, 1882, the battalion returned to France.

  • 1896

During the visit of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia, a friendship agreement was signed with the Russian 66th Infantry Regiment in Boutirsk as part of the Franco-Russian alliance treaty.

  • 1899

Due to the Faschoda crisis , the French government felt compelled to strengthen the troops in Algeria and thus to put more pressure on Great Britain. The 4th Battalion of the 66s together with 700 volunteers of the "18 e division d'infanterie" (18th Infantry Division) were sent to Sétif , where the unit arrived on February 14th. They returned to France on August 3rd.

Belle époque

The entire French army was under pressure from nationalism and the idea of ​​the revenge of 1870. The regiments of the army maintained their history and traditions. During this time the nicknames of the regiment "Sans tabac" and "six-six" arose

The young Third Republic set about reforming the “Ministère de la Guerre” (Ministry of War), so in 1882 the addition “de ligne” disappeared from the names of the French infantry regiments. In 1905, under the government of Maurice Rouvier, the “tirage au sort” (lottery procedure for convocation) was abolished by the law of May 21st. General military service was set for two years.

In 1913 the general military service was increased again by the "Loi des trois ans" (law of three years). With the outbreak of World War I , however, young men suddenly had to become soldiers for six, seven or eight years instead.

First World War

Retreat of the reserves of the regiment in Tours 1914

At the beginning of the First World War, the regiment was stationed in the "Caserne Louis Baraguey d'Hilliers" in Tours . Together with the 32e Régiment d'infanterie from Châtellerault , it formed the "35 e brigade d'infanterie" (35th Infantry Brigade).

This brigade together with the "36 e brigade d'infanterie" formed the 18 e division d'infanterie. This in turn was part of the “9 e corps d'armée” (9th army corps) of the “9 e région militaire” (9th military region) in Tours.

The budget reserve regiment of the 66 e RI became the "266 e régiment d'infanterie"

Commendation by the “9 e corps d'armée” on November 14, 1914, together with the “125 e régiment d'infanterie” (from Poitiers)

  • 1915
    • Fighting on the Yser (near Langemark), early 1915 to April 25, 1915.
    • Second Battle of Flanders , (near Pilkem ), April 25th to May 6th. The regiment experienced its first gas attack: “The men roll over on the floor, have seizures, cough, vomit and spit blood. The panic is extremely rampant. We're suffocating in a mist of chlorine. Over the whole horizon the sky was bathed in a strange, eerie green. " (Docteur Octave Béliard, medical officer of the regiment).
    • Lorettoschlacht (near Souchez), May 9th to August 23rd, 1915. During this mission, the ditch newspaper of 66 e RI, the "Sans Tabac" , was created in July 1915
    • Fights near Loos-en-Gohelle and Aix-Noulette, October 8th to the end of 1915.
  • 1916
    • Fights at Loos-en-Gohelle and Aix-Noulette, from early 1916 to April 1916
    • Battle of Verdun (altitude 304), April 23 to May 8, 1916. Commendation by the Army Corps (Ordre n ° 211 du 9e CA)
    • Rest in Chancesay and Robert-Espagne (for three weeks)
    • Fighting in Champagne (near Souain ) from June 3 to September 1916
    • Fighting on the Somme ( Battle of the Somme ), October 9th to the end of 1916.
  • 1917
The regiment's flag with the flag division in 1917
    • Fighting on the Somme from early 1917 to February 1917
    • Fighting in Champagne from February to May 1917
    • Battle of the Aisne (1917) , (section: Tranchées des casemates) in the front line from May 9th to July 7th 1917. On the night of May 19th to 20th, the mutiny of the French troops attacked the regiment. The 3rd Battalion refused to return to the front line. As a result, 42 men were charged with obedience, 21 of whom were given a two-month suspended prison sentence, and the other 19 men were also given two-month suspended sentences. (The fate of the other two mutineers is unclear. After the war there was a rumor that the battalion had been punished by executions (decimation - decimation). However, there is no evidence of this.).
    • Fighting on the Plateau de Californie from July 7 to 23, 1917. On July 11, 1917, the regiment received a commendation from the army (ordre n ° 286 de la Xe armée française).
    • Fighting in Lorraine near Arracourt - Parroy from August to the end of 1917. Another commendation was given by the 10th Army on August 17, 1917 (ordre n ° 294 de la Xe armée). The commendation gave the members of the regiment the right to wear the Fourragère in the colors of the Croix du guerre in future.
  • 1918
    • Fighting in the Vosges from early to April 1918
    • Fighting on the Somme in April and May 1918, in the Sénécat forest near Moreuil
    • Battle of the Matz in June near Ressons-sur-Matz and Saint-Maur (Meurthe-et-Moselle) (today incorporated into Lunéville .) For this, the regiment received a commendation from the army on August 5th (Ordre n ° 482 de la IIIe Armée) associated with the right to the Fourragère of the Médaille militaire .
    • Second battle of the Marne . In July 1918 fighting at Comblizy , Chassins, Trélou-sur-Marne, and Sainte-Gemme (Marne). Commendation by the army for the offensive action on July 29, 1918, personally signed by "Général commandant en chef" (Supreme Commander) Philippe Pétain .
    • Fighting near Verdun from August to October 1918. For the fighting on October 8th and 11th, the regiment received its last commendation from the army (Ordre n ° 1380 de la IIe armée)
    • When the armistice was concluded on November 11, 1918, the unit was in Tonnoy.
    • On November 22nd the invasion of Lorraine took place via Sarreguemines .
    • At the beginning of November the regiment crossed the border into Germany and marched into the Rhine Palatinate . At the end of the year the association was in Saarbrücken .

At least 3330 soldiers of the regiment were killed or have been missing since then.

Interwar period

  • The 3rd battalion was commanded in the first half of 1919 to the "Armée française d'Orient" (French Orient Army), the occupation force in Istanbul . It stayed there until 1921.
  • The remainder of the regiment moved into his garrison in Tours on September 14, 1919.
  • In 1923 the regiment was disbanded.

Second World War

On September 7, 1939, the regiment was reorganized as a Type A reserve unit. It belonged to the "18 e division d'infanterie" in the "11 e corps d'armée" (11th army corps) of the "9 e armée française" (9th army)

  • 1939 Drôle de guerre (Comical War)
    • September 2nd: the appointed staff are assembled at the “Center mobilisateur n ° 93” in the barracks in Châtellerault .
    • September 7th: Official declaration that the regiment was reestablished and the regimental flag was handed over.
    • September 13th: Arrival in Lorraine , the regiment and mass housed in Sorneville.
    • September 26: Occupation of the “Saint-Jean-Rohrbach” section in the “la Sarre” defense area of ​​the Maginot Line .
    • October 8: Forbach
    • November 1st: Creation of a "Corps francs" Franc-shooter of the regiment.
    • December 6th: Relocated to the Sissonne camp as a reserve of the "18 e division d'infanterie".
  • 1940 Battle of France
    • January 14th: The defenses of Pointe de Givet are occupied.
    • January 20th: occupation of the village of Vireux-Molhain .
    • March 16: Occupation of the defenses in the forest of Saint-Michel (Aisne) (near Hirson ).
    • April 7th: On the initiative of the "Anciens combattants du six-six de 14-18" (former combatants of the regiment from 14-18) the "Fanions" (company pennants) are brought to the garrison in Tours.
    • April 11th: The regiment marches to Belgium . Occupation of the defenses on the Meuse in the Houx sector , but only Dinant
    • May 10th: Order to carry out the “Manœuvre générale” (general maneuver) “ Dijle - Breda ”
    • May 12: The regiment closed the bridge at Houx when around 4 p.m. the heads of the 5th Panzer Division appeared on the opposite bank of the river.
    • May 13th: In the early morning the German troops crossed the river in dense (artificial) fog with rubber boats.
    • May 14: After initial resistance, the regiment withdrew in good order to the Falaën plateau . The Meuse was lost.
    • 15 May: The town of Ermeton-sur-Biert was initially held against the frontal attacking units of the 5th Panzer Division, but was then also attacked by units of the 7th Panzer Division on the left flank of d' Anthée . At 1 p.m., both of the regiment's anti-tank guns were unusable. From that moment on the resistance of the regiment was broken and further retreat became inevitable.
    • May 16: The 1st and 2nd battalions were in Solre-Saint-Géry, the 3rd battalion in Barbençon .
    • MAY 17: The remains of the 1st Battalion left the front line and withdrew to Cousolre back
    • May 18: Isolated parts of the regiment were taken prisoner at Crèvecœur-sur-l'Escaut .
    • May 23: The scattered parts of the unit were collected in La Bassée ( Département du Nord ).
    • May 24th: These were worn out by the attack of German armored forces while defending Steenvoorde . The remaining soldiers (8 officers and 450 NCOs and men) were assigned to the "110e Régiment d'infanterie", which was immediately used against the German tank attacks at Saint-Amand ( Department Pas-de-Calais ). The last survivors of the regiment fought until the evacuation of Dunkirk
    • May 25th: The remnants of the regiment (except those who had escaped to England) were collected at the military training area "Camp de la courtine" (in the unoccupied area - Département Creuse ) and formed the 1st battalion of the 90 e régiment d 'infantry . The "66 e régiment d'infanterie" was dissolved and the regimental flag was withdrawn. (She remained on the training area.)

Further whereabouts

After the Algerian War , the regiment was reorganized in Tours in 1963. It was not involved in any combat operations and was disbanded in 1966.

Honors

On the back of the regimental flag (since Napoleonic times) the campaigns and battles in which the regiment took part are listed in gold letters.

  • Flag of the regiment with Fourragère of the medal militaire

  • Reverse with honorable mentions

  • Médaille militaire

  • Croix de guerre with five palm branches and two stars

  • Pennant of the headquarters company. Handed over on April 7, 1940 by the association "la sans tabac" of the 1914–1918 veterans of the regiment

The regiment is decorated with the Croix de guerre (1914-1918) (with five palm branches for the commendations by the army, and two gold stars for the commendations by the army corps) and the medal militaire . The regiment also received a commendation from the Belgian Army.

As the first soldier in the French army, the Caporal Silvain Métivier of the 66th RI was awarded the Croix de guerre on February 23, 1915.

Inscriptions on the regimental flag:

  • Luxembourg 1794-1795
  • Alkmaar 1799
  • Oporto 1809
  • Ypres
  • Artois 1914-1915
  • Verdun
  • L'Aisne 1916-1917
  • Matz 1918
  • La Marne 1918

The regiment's patron saint is Saint-Maurice d'Agaune .

Motto

The regiment's motto was “Sans Tabac” (without tobacco). This is supposed to stem from the fact that the regiment carried out a decisive attack in a battle under Napoleon Bonaparte, without, like the other parts of the brigade, having received the tobacco ration due. So it carried out its attack “without tobacco”.

Known members of the regiment

particularities

In 1790 the regiment was used in the suppression of the mutiny in Nancy .

literature

  • Historique du 66e regiment d'infanterie, 1672–1900, rédigé par le capitaine Dumay (Alfred-Hippolyte Dumay), imp E. Arrault, Tours 1900.
  • Précis de l'historique du 66e regiment d'infanterie, depuis sa création, en 1672, jusqu'à nos jours. Impr. De Juliot. 1885.
  • Histoire du 66e regiment d'infanterie, 1672–1820, rédigé par le capitaine Augustin Jean-Louis Galdemar, 1878.
  • Le 66e régiment d'infanterie: Le régiment suisse de Castella, 4e régiment au service de la France 1672–1792, Rodolphe de Castella de Delley, chez l'auteur, 1969.
  • Souvenirs et observations sur la campagne de 1870 (armée du Rhin), depuis notre départ du camp de Châlons (14 juillet) jusqu'à la capitulation de Metz, travail rédigé durant ma captivité à Lübeck, d'après mes notes personnelles prises au jour le jour comme lieutenant au 66e regiment d'infanterie. Appendice: Siège de Paris contre la Commune, du général Anne Albert Devaureix, H. Charles-Lavauzelle, 1909.
  • Le SIX-SIX à la guerre 1914–1918, par le sergent Fabien Pineau, éditions Bardo & Gallon, Tours 1919.
  • Historique des 66e regiment d'infanterie, 266e regiment d'infanterie et 70e regiment d'infanterie territoriale pendant la guerre 1914–1918, imp A. Mame, Tours.
  • “Journal de marche” of the 66th infantry regiment en 14-18, numérisé et conservé au SHAT (voir liens).
  • Hommage des Tourangelles au Six-Six, September 1919. Fêtes du retour des 66e et 266e RI et du 70e RIT Récit des fêtes, discours, illustrations et poésies extraites du “Livre d'or”. Impr. De A. Mame et fils. 1919.
  • La sublime hécatombe, Robert Jamet, imp Albin Michel, 1917. (Témoignage 14-18).
  • Gloire et Mouscaille, H. Evein, imp Berger-Levrault, 1933. (Témoignage 14-18).
  • Un toubib sous l'uniforme, carnets de François Perrin, 1908-1918, paru en 2009. (Témoignage 14-18).
  • De la charrue au fusil, Charles Charruau, ACL de Saint-Sylvain d'Anjou, 1993. (Témoignage 14-18).
  • Priére du soldat, De Josaphat Moreau Aumonier au 66e RI. (14-18).
  • Les Belles Lettres de Soldat de France, Mensuel, N ° 38 de Décembre 1930, petite compilation de lettre du sergent Jacques de Laumont “mort pour la France”, imprimerie I. Vidaillon, Toulouse. (Témoignage 14-18)
  • Les 66e et 90e RI au combat en 1939–1940: Carnet de route d'un officer, J. Dalat. Poitiers, imp P. Oudin, 1961. (Témoignage 39-40).

Web links

Commons : Flags of the 66 ° regiment d'infanterie  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Colonel was the name for the regiment owner at that time, but he did not have to be the commander at the same time and often left this to his representative, the lieutenant-colonel, for convenience.
  2. ↑ Up to 1791 the regimental number assigned does not match the numerical order
  3. ↑ also de Castella
  4. ^ East of Nice, which at that time did not yet belong to France
  5. ↑ it was more about eliminating the hated royal features
  6. ↑ today part of Mannheim
  7. ↑ which Offenbach it is is uncertain
  8. ^ Assemblée nationale “Archives parlementaires de 1787 à 1860” - Recueil complet des débats législatifs et politiques des chambres françaises 1787–1864 Paris 1864 BNF | 36600672r
  9. ↑ Those who had been drafted in 1911 had to stay with the flag until 1919
  10. ↑ Location of the "Caserne Louis Baraguey d'Hilliers" on geoportail.gov.fr
  11. ↑ consisting of the 77 e régiment d'infanterie and 135 e régiment d'infanterie
  12. ↑ Ordre de bataille de l'armée française au début de la Première Guerre mondiale le 1er août 1914 | Ordre de bataille de l'armée française au début de la Première Guerre mondiale le 1er août 1914
  13. ↑ Fabien Pineau "Le SIX-SIX à la guerre de 1914–1918" Bardo & Gallon Tours 1919, p. 14. (online) (PDF file; 842 kB)
  14. ↑ order n ° 57 du 9e CA
  15. ↑ Several authors "Historique des 66e regiment d'infanterie, 266e regiment d'infanterie et 70e regiment d'infanterie territoriale pendant la guerre 1914-1918". Imp A. Mame Tours 1919, p. 11.
  16. ↑ Fabien Pineau "Le SIX-SIX à la guerre de 1914–1918" Bardo & Gallon Tours 1919, p. 18 (online) (PDF file; 842 kB)
  17. ↑ Several authors "Historique des 66e regiment d'infanterie, 266e regiment d'infanterie et 70e regiment d'infanterie territoriale pendant la guerre 1914-1918". Imp A. Mame Tours 1919, p. 12.
  18. ^ Fabien Pineau "Le SIX-SIX à la guerre de 1914–1918" Bardo & Gallon Tours 1919, pp. 30/63 | (online) (PDF file; 842 kB)
  19. ^ Auteur: Collectif "Historique des 66e regiment d'infanterie, 266e regiment d'infanterie et 70e regiment d'infanterie territoriale pendant la guerre 1914–1918". Imp A. Mame Tours 1919, p. 17.
  20. ^ C. Taffet Service Historique de la Defense "Archives de la justice militaire du 9e CA, sous dossier" 66e RI "". Carton 19N1558 1917.
  21. ↑ Fabien Pineau “Le SIX-SIX à la guerre de 1914–1918” Bardo & Gallon Tours 1919, p. 39.
  22. ^ Auteur: Collectif "Historique des 66e regiment d'infanterie, 266e regiment d'infanterie et 70e regiment d'infanterie territoriale pendant la guerre 1914–1918". Imp A. Mame Tours 1919, p. 20.
  23. ↑ Fabien Pineau “Le SIX-SIX à la guerre de 1914–1918” Bardo & Gallon Tours 1919, p. 63.
  24. ^ Auteur: Collectif "Historique des 66e regiment d'infanterie, 266e regiment d'infanterie et 70e regiment d'infanterie territoriale pendant la guerre 1914–1918". Imp A. Mame Tours 1919, p. 22.
  25. ↑ Fabien Pineau “Le SIX-SIX à la guerre de 1914–1918” Bardo & Gallon Tours 1919, p. 51.
  26. ↑ «  Décision n ° 12350 / SGA / DPMA / SHD / DAT du 14 September 2007 relative aux inscriptions de noms de batailles sur les drapeaux et étendards des corps de troupe de l'armée de terre, du service de santé des armées et du service des essences des armées, Bulletin officiel des armées, n ° 27, 9 November 2007  »(German:“ Provision n ° 12350 / SGA / DPMA / SHD / DAT of September 14, 2007 on the appearance of the inscriptions on the flags and standards of the Troops of the army, the medical service and the fuel supply branch. Published with the official army bulletin No. 27 of November 9, 2007 ")
  27. ↑ "  Arrêté relatif à l'attribution de l'inscription AFN 1952–1962 sur les drapeaux et étendards des formations des armées et services, du 19 novembre 2004 (A) NORDEF0452926A Michèle Alliot-Marie  " (German: "Order AFN 1952–1962 on the assignment of the inscriptions on the flags and standards of the formations of the army and the services of November 19, 2004 (A) NORDEF0452926A Michèle Alliot-Marie ")
  28. ↑ This also applies to units that have already been disbanded, as they can (theoretically) be put back into active service at any time