46th Infantry Regiment (France)

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46th Infantry Regiment
46e régiment d'infanterie
insignia
Active1644 - 1997
Country France
BranchTerritorial Army
TypeInfantry
Garrison/HQParis
Motto(s)Plutôt mourir que faillir
(Death before dishonour)
Anniversaries28 June
EngagementsRussian Campaign
World War I
World War II
monument to the dead of Vauquois
Detail from the Butte de Vauquois Monument, honouring those killed in 1915 from the 46th, 76th and 89th regiments of infantry.

The 46th Infantry Regiment was part of the French Army's 10th Infantry Division based in Paris.[1] It saw action during the First World War, particularly during the Argonne offensive, where, in October 1914—along with the rest of the division—it saw heavy fighting and suffered heavy casualties. It took part in the Battle of Vauquois in February the following year, where, the regimental band—playing the Marseillaise for the 46th, 76th, and 89th as they attacked—were among the first to be killed. The regiment's standard bearer was Collignon, a former councillor of state, while its adjutant was Maurice Cazeneuve, tenor of the Opéra-Comique. Both were killed in action at Vauquois.[2] During the Battle of Verdun in May it was commanded by Lieutenant Gustave Cohen.[3]

Following the defeat of Germany in the Second World War, and the division of Berlin, the regiment occupied the city's French zone.[4]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Garson 2016, p. 201.
  2. ^ Michelin 1919, pp. 53–56.
  3. ^ Solterer 2010, p. 25.
  4. ^ Stone 1998, p. 152.

Sources[edit]

  • Garson, P. (2016). African Colonial Prisoners of the Germans: A Pictorial History of Captive Soldiers in the World Wars. Jefferson, NC: McFarland. ISBN 978-1-47666-545-0.
  • Michelin (1919). The Americans in the Great War. Vol. III. Clermont-Ferrand: Michelin & Cie. OCLC 499724674.
  • Solterer, H. (2010). Medieval Roles for Modern Times: Theater and the Battle for the French Republic. Philadelphia: Penn State Press. ISBN 978-0-27103-613-7.
  • Stone, D. (1998). Cold War Warriors. Barnsley: Pen and Sword. ISBN 978-1-47381-325-0.