general leclerc talks men 501° rcc (501st tank regiment).
the french 2nd armored division (french: 2e division blindée, 2e db), commanded general philippe leclerc, 1 of best french tank commanders. general leclerc joined free french forces after fall of france , adopted resistance pseudonym jacques-philippe leclerc . charles de gaulle upon meeting him promoted him captain major (commandant) , ordered him french equatorial africa governor of french cameroon 29 august 1940 12 november 1940. commanded column attacked axis forces chad, and, having marched troops across west africa, distinguished himself in tunisia.
m4a2 sherman tanks of Île de france of 12e rca, 2e db coming ashore in normandy
the 2nd armored division marching on champs Élysées on 26 august 1944.
the french 2nd armored division formed around core of units had raided italian libya since end of 1940 entering tripoli 1943 under leclerc, known fight @ kufra in 1941; later renamed 2nd light division, in august 1943, organized under light armored division organization.
after landing in normandy on 1 august 1944, 2nd armored division participated in battle of falaise pocket (12 21 august) destroyed 9th panzer division , went on liberate paris. allied troops avoiding paris, moving around clockwise towards germany. minimize danger of destruction of historic city if germans sought defend it. leclerc , de gaulle had persuade eisenhower send leclerc s 2nd armored division , entered paris, , liberation leclerc cement de gaulle s claim leader of french.
on 25 august, 2nd armored , u.s. 4th division entered paris , liberated it. after hard fighting cost 2nd division 35 tanks, 6 self-propelled guns, , 111 vehicles, von choltitz, german military governor of paris, capitulated @ hôtel meurice.
after division liberated paris, defeated panzer brigade during armored clashes in lorraine, forced saverne gap, , liberated strasbourg. after taking part in battle of colmar pocket, division moved west , assaulted german-held atlantic port of royan, before recrossing france in april 1945 , participating in final fighting in southern germany
after liberation of france, next tank introduced arl 44 heavy tank, came late participate in world war ii, used post-war time. arl 44s equipped 503e régiment de chars de combat stationed in mourmelon-le-grand , replaced seventeen panther tanks used earlier unit.
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