The 7th Divisional Reconnaissance Group (7e Groupe de Reconnaissance de Division dâÂÂInfanterie, 7e GRDI) was a reconnaissance group of the French army which participated in the Battle of France during the Second World War. The unit participated in a number of major actions, including the Battle of Hannut and the Battle of Dunkirk, where the 7e GRDI protected the evacuation beaches, ultimately remaining behind to permit the escape of allied forces.
The unitâÂÂs insignia was a gold shield charged with a black lion rampant, crowned by a blue band with seven gold fleur-de-lis, with a silver sword running top to bottom. The insignia is meant to evoke the heraldry of Flanders and Artois, the historical regions of Saint-Omer, the unitâÂÂs garrison city. The sword symbolizes Joan of Arc.
The unitâÂÂs motto was: En avant, tout est nôtre (Forward, all is ours).
In 1940 the 7e GRDI was under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Marie Charles Jean Mariot and consisted of the following:
On 9 May 1940 the unit totalled 830 men including 35 officers. The AMD (Automitrailleuse de Découverte) platoons were equipped with Panhard 178 armored cars while the AMR (Automitrailleuse de Reconnaissance) platoons were equipped with Schneider P 16 armored cars.
The 7th Divisional Reconnaissance Group was created in 1939 with components raised from the 7th Armored Car Group (7e Groupe dâÂÂAutomitrailleuses) and Cavalry Mobilization Center 1 (Centre Mobilisateur de la Cavalerie, CMC 1) at Saint-Omer. It was attached to the 1st Motorized Infantry Division (1re Division dâÂÂInfanterie Motorisée, 1re DIM).
At the time of the German invasion on 10 May 1940 it was detached from the 1re DIM and formed part of Groupement Soubeyran, an ad-hoc motorized cavalry formation that combined a number of reconnaissance elements, led by Lieutenant-Colonel de Soubeyran, commander of the 6th Army Corps Reconnaissance Group (6e Groupe de Reconnaissance de Corps dâÂÂArmée, 6e GRCA). As part of the Dyle Maneuver, the unit crossed the Franco-Belgian border at Quiévrechain on 11 May and reached the Dyle.
On 13 May, during the Battle of Hannut, the 7e GRDI held the left flank of the 3rd Light Mechanized Division (3e Division Légère Mécanique, 3e DLM) near Tirlemont, and an outpost at Gossoncourt made contact with the enemy, buying time for the 11th Mounted Dragoon Regiment (11e Régiment de Dragons Portés, 11e RDP) to pull back. On 14 May, in cooperation with the tank brigade of the 3e DLM, the unit held positions in advance of the main body of the division.
As the 1st Army fell back towards the Sambre the 7e GRDI held bridges to permit the withdrawal of the infantry, overseeing the destruction of bridges at Chatelet and Pont-du-Loup on 16 May. The next day the group was placed at the disposal of the 5th North African Infantry Division (5e Division dâÂÂInfanterie Nord-Africaine, 5e DINA) and ordered to hold Ransaart and Gosselies to cover the divisionâÂÂs withdrawal to the French border. On 18 May the unit was returned to the 1re DIM and carried out a number of bridge destructions to cover the withdrawal of the French army and British Expeditionary Force behind the Scheldt.
On 22 May the group was placed under the command of General Bougrain of the 2e DLM. On the 22nd and 23rd the 7e GRDI was involved in combat east of Blaches, and carried out reconnaissance of Arras and Aubigny. The unit organized and held defensive positions along the Scarpe until relieved by the 5e DINA.
On 23 and 24 May it supported British troops holding the Canal d'Aire at Béthune, La Bassée, Ebblinghem, Saint-Venant and Gorre. Holding the bridge at Gorre the 4th motorcycle platoon, 2nd Squadron under Lt. Gerard was heavily engaged for most of the day. At 1500 Sub-Lieutenant Morat of the 3rd Squadron advanced his Panhard armored car onto the bridge to engage and destroy a German anti-tank gun, but subsequently suffered a hit to the turret which killed him and left the crew of the vehicle badly burned.
On 25 May the unit was attached to the 43rd Infantry Division (43e Division dâÂÂInfanterie, 43e DI). On 26 and 27 May the 7e GRDI supported British units in counterattacks on la Bassée and Violaines. Falling back towards Dunkirk, from 28 May the 7e GRDI held positions on the Canal de Moeres to cover the evacuation of allied troops, cooperating with the 18e GRCA in the defense of Boomkens.
Unable to be evacuated, a number of men of the unit were captured when Dunkirk fell on 3 June.
Over the course of the campaign the 7e GRDI suffered 17 officers killed or wounded, and 230 men killed, wounded or captured.
The 7e GRDI was cited for its actions during the campaign by Order of the Army nð1919bis and decorated with the Croix de Guerre 1939-1945 with palm.
There is a monument to the 7e GRDI at Coudekerque-Branche which reads: "On 2 and 3 June 1940 roughly 180 cavalrymen of the 7th Divisional Reconnaissance Group defended the town of Coudekerque-Branche, despite the peril to their lives they prevented penetration by German forces contributing significantly to the success of Operation Dynamo."