The division was formed on 1 May 1943 under the command of Brig. Gen. Henri-Jacques-Jean-François de Vernejoul. It was initially the 2nd Armored Division, but renamed the 5th Armored Division on 9 July. The Division was a critical part of the French 1st Army under General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny, and came ashore with the U.S. 6th Army Group, under Lt. Gen. Jacob Devers, in the Operation Dragoon invasion of southern France in August 1944. The 5th Armored Division particularly distinguished itself in the assault and capture of Stuttgart, Germany in April 1945.
Cold War
During the Cold War, the division was initially stationed in Germany; its HQ was in Landau, Palatinate.
Algeria
The division left Germany for Algeria on 1 April 1956, but left some units in Palatinate, Germany.
The division was recreated in 1978 at Landau, Germany as a part of the 2nd Army Corps (Baden-Baden). It included the 2nd Artillery Regiment (during the 1980s). The French Army in Germany was drastically reduced after the end of the Cold War; the 5th was dissolved on 30 June 1992.
References
^Kanger, Kim "Algerian Insurgency: End of the French Empire", in Strategy & Tactics, No. 262 (May/June 2010)
