The 97th Division Reconnaissance Group (GRD 97) was a short-lived but distinctive unit of the Foreign Legion. Created at the end of 1939, it was the only Legion formation engaged in the Battle of France in 1940 to be composed entirely of active-duty legionnaires. In just a few weeks, it fought bitter actions from the Somme to the Dordogne, covering hundreds of miles of retreat while delaying the enemy at the cost of heavy losses.
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L'article en français : Groupe de reconnaissance divisionnaire 97
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Introduction
In September 1939, Germany’s attack on Poland brought France and the United Kingdom into the war. What followed was the “Phoney War,” a period of mobilization and waiting, during which the French Army created numerous new formations in anticipation of renewed hostilities.
This effort also extended to North Africa, where several Foreign Legion units were stationed. The 1st Foreign Cavalry Regiment (1er REC), then based in Tunisia, was tasked with providing the first elements of a division reconnaissance group (groupement de reconnaissance divisionnaire or groupe de reconnaissance divisionnaire, GRD).
These groups, later also called infantry division reconnaissance groups (groupes de reconnaissance de division d’infanterie, GRDI), were formed by detaching squadrons from peacetime cavalry regiments and attaching them to infantry divisions at the moment of mobilization. Their mission was to probe ahead of the division, gather intelligence, ensure security, and reinforce infantry units when necessary.
The creation of the GRD reflected the French Army’s determination to provide each division with organic reconnaissance assets suited to modern warfare.
Origins and Formation of the GRD 97
On December 1, 1939, in Sousse, Tunisia, the 1er REC created an “overseas-type” divisional reconnaissance group, initially designated the GRD 87 and later renamed the GRD 180. It was composed of a horse cavalry squadron (the 2nd, commanded by Captain de Guiraud) and attached to the 180th African Infantry Division. As early as January 1940, the GRD 180 was stationed at Pont du Fahs, in northern Tunisia.
On February 3, 1940, a ministerial decision transformed the unit into a standard-type GRD, confirming its assignment to the metropolitan army. This decision also marked the administrative separation from the 1er REC. The newly reorganized “Legion GRD” was then composed of the 2nd Squadron of the 1er REC, cadres from the 2e REC and its 3rd Squadron, as well as 360 men drawn from the training squadron of the Legion’s Joint Depot (DCRE) at Sidi Bel Abbès, a town in Algeria, where the Legion’s motherhouse was located.
This group thus became the Legion’s first true reconnaissance regiment. It was also the only Foreign Legion unit composed entirely of active-duty legionnaires, destined to take part in the Battle of France in 1940.
Organization in France, March–April 1940
After a short stay in Bizerte, still in Tunisia, the group disembarked at Marseille, in southern France, on March 21 and was directed west to Carcassonne, where it was quartered in the surrounding villages (Conques, Villalier, La Mée, Malves). On March 31, the unit officially received its final designation: the 97th Division Reconnaissance Group (GRD 97).
Major Paul Lacombe de La Tour assumed command. A former cavalryman of the Great War, decorated with eleven citations, he had served continuously in Africa since 1918. Promoted to lieutenant colonel on April 9, 1940, he was fifty years old, a “cavalryman of the old school,” respected for his experience and authority. Although not an “old legionnaire,” he had spent a short period in Morocco with the 1er REC six years earlier.
The GRD 97’s composition in April 1940:
- Command – Lt. Colonel Lacombe de La Tour
- HQ Staff – Captain Moisson, Captain Vatchnadze
- HQ Squadron – Captain Djincharadze
- Mounted Squadron – Captain de Guiraud
- Motorcycle Squadron – Captain Colonna-Renucci
- Machine-Gun and Antitank Gun Squadron – Captain Stevenin
The Command and Headquarters Staff were supported by the headquarters and command platoon, which numbered over fifty men and operated light liaison vehicles, signal trucks and vans, motorcycles with sidecars, and horses. An autonomous antitank gun group, equipped with two horse-drawn 25 mm guns, was attached to the headquarters.
The Headquarters Squadron brought together all administrative and technical services. It included the command platoon, pioneer (sapper) group, and the veterinary, supply, medical, and motor sections, with roughly thirty assorted vehicles and a few horses for light transport duties.
The Mounted Squadron, fully horse-mounted, was composed of four pelotons (platoons or troops), each consisting of about thirty cavalrymen. These were divided into two combat groups, each with an FM 24-29 light machine gun and mounted scout squads. The squadron’s command platoon directed the combat, machine-gun, and 60 mm mortar groups, as well as the GRD’s supply train.
The Motorcycle Squadron (escadron de fusiliers motocyclistes) was composed of four officers, 18 NCOs, and 132 legionnaires. It was divided into four motorcycle rifle platoons (each comprising two squads) supported by signal, supply, repair, and 60 mm mortar groups. The squadron operated about forty motorcycles and sidecars, several trucks and vans, and four FM 24-29 light machine guns per platoon (mounted on sidecars).
The Machine-Gun and Antitank Gun Squadron (EMCAC) numbered around 120 men. It included two platoons armed with Hotchkiss Mle 1914 machine guns (four per platoon) and one antitank group equipped with two 25 mm guns towed by trucks. The command platoon handled communications, supply, and maintenance. The squadron operated about twenty vehicles, including trucks, vans, motorcycles, and gun carriers.
This mixed structure – horse, motorcycle, and light heavy weapons – reflected the hybrid character of reconnaissance groups in 1940, still divided between cavalry tradition and modern motorized forces.
In total, the GRD 97 comprised 23 officers and about 650 non-commissioned officers and legionnaires. For comparison, by March 1940, the 1er REC had 29 officers and 776 non-commissioned officers and legionnaires.
The GRD 97 was intended to serve as the reconnaissance group of the 7th North African Infantry Division (7e DINA) under General Barré, which brought together regiments of Tunisian, Moroccan, and Algerian tirailleurs (riflemen) as well as African artillery. This division was part of the 7th Army under General Giraud, who in May was replaced by General Frère.
Stationed around Carcassonne, the group received its vehicles and carried out various distributions, turn-ins, and exchanges at the local cavalry depot. The atmosphere was bleak: men accustomed to rapid action found the routine tedious.
Only the motorcycle squadron escaped this monotony for a time, traveling to Montlhéry, near Paris, to receive its specialized equipment – the Indian 340-B motorcycles. It rejoined the unit at Carcassonne on April 14.
On April 23, the GRD 97 left Carcassonne and embarked for the Valdahon camp, in the Doubs, where it joined the 7e DINA. Here the unit continued its training while awaiting imminent combat deployment.
First Battles on the Somme (May 19–25, 1940)
On May 10, the German offensive began in Belgium and, on the same day, the Valdahon camp was hit by an air raid. The war was now a reality. A week later, the enemy had broken through the Ardennes and reached the Oise River. The 7e DINA, which was initially to remain in training until the end of May, was ordered to move urgently to the Somme River to seal a gap between the French and Belgian armies.
During the night of May 18–19, the GRD 97 – the first element of the division to move – arrived at Montdidier and was immediately tasked with reconnoitering enemy forces reported in the Péronne sector and delaying their advance. The motorcycle squadron was ordered to check crossings over the Somme River and the airfield at Rosières-en-Santerre, which the British (deployed to France) had just evacuated.
On May 19, the first clashes occurred: the patrol of the 4th Platoon under Second Lieutenant Sokoloff was engaged on the southern outskirts of Péronne, while Lieutenant Denardou’s platoon was stopped at Épénancourt. Losses for the day amounted to three killed and fifteen missing; Sokoloff was wounded and evacuated.
Meanwhile, the motorized squadrons bivouacked at Licourt, while the horse squadron camped at Guerbigny on the Avre River.
On May 20, the motorized squadrons attempted to reach Barleux and Villers-Carbonnel but encountered strong opposition from German armored vehicles, motorized infantry, and aircraft. Nevertheless, with the support of the GRD 34, they managed to slow the enemy’s advance. (By coincidence, the GRD 34 was under Colonel Landriau, who had commanded the 4th Squadron of the 1er REC during the legendary battle of Messifré in Syria on September 17, 1925.)
The day ended in heavy fighting, Villers-Carbonnel was set ablaze, and the French units withdrew at night toward Licourt.
On May 21, a reconnaissance carried out by the motorcycle and machine-gun squadrons rushed into Belloy-en-Santerre, a key site of fighting for the famed Foreign Legion Marching Regiment (RMLE) in 1916. But the enemy quickly countered with motorized infantry, armor, artillery, and aircraft. Nearly encircled, the legionnaires held out all day until a withdrawal was organized. That afternoon, Lieutenant Colonel Lacombe de La Tour received some reinforcements – 25 mm antitank guns, motorized 75 mm pieces, and motorcyclists from colonial troops – but German pressure did not ease.
On May 22, a liaison mission entrusted to Captain Vatchnadze and Lieutenant Frappa fell into an ambush by armored cars near Belloy; several motorcyclists were wounded or captured. The same day, the horse cavalry squadron and the HQ squadron suffered losses in a clash near Lihons, where two NCOs, Nicolas and Haggins, were killed. Captain Moisson, returning from a liaison, was taken prisoner. Despite these setbacks, the units withdrew to Chaulnes and Pressoir, establishing new defensive points.
On May 24, Lieutenant Spitzer (future commanding officer of the 1er REC) succeeded in disabling a German armored car with a 25 mm gun at Pressoir, capturing useful documents for the French. That same day, a reconnaissance by Lieutenant Prouhet’s platoon and two antitank guns was heavily engaged at Licourt.
For nearly a week, the group had defended the territory almost single-handedly against a numerically and materially superior enemy, thwarting its plans and impeding its advance. This resistance allowed French infantry – delayed by destroyed railways and bombing – to establish stronger positions south of the Somme River.
On May 25, the GRD 97 was relieved by elements of the 19th Division, which included among its ranks the foreign war volunteers of the 22e RMVE. The group’s headquarters and motorized squadrons withdrew to Bouchoir, while the horse squadron – now under Captain Vatchnadze, who replaced the wounded de Guiraud – occupied Rouvroy-en-Santerre. Five days later, on May 30, the GRD 97 moved northwest to Le Quesnel, where it held positions until June 7.
Fighting in Retreat (June 1940)
On June 5, 1940, the German offensive resumed on the Somme River. While the 22e RMVE resisted heroically at Berny-en-Santerre and Marchelepot, the GRD 97, already hard-tested, was ordered to serve as rearguard for the 7e DINA. On June 7, it held the position at Le Quesnel to allow its division to fall back toward the Avre. During these engagements, two German armored vehicles were destroyed by Lieutenant Prouhet’s detachment. But the squadrons suffered severe losses: several trucks (workshop, ammunition, fuel, baggage) were destroyed by enemy aircraft, and Lieutenants Rivoire (motor transport) and Benguigui (medical officer) were wounded.
On June 8, the GRD 97 covered the division’s retreat toward the Oise River. The passage was difficult: roads were clogged with military convoys and civilian refugees, with German armored thrusts adding to the chaos. During the night of June 8–9, the group held defensive points at Ravenel and in a wood northeast of Noroy.
On June 9, the Germans launched a massive attack against this wood, with tanks and artillery pounding the positions. Overwhelmed by numbers, the GRD 97 fought to the end to cover the division’s withdrawal and the flight of civilians toward the bridges at Verberie and Pont-Sainte-Maxence. It was during this fierce battle that Lieutenant Colonel Lacombe de La Tour was killed by a burst of submachine-gun fire in the woods of Noroy. Several officers disappeared or were taken prisoner, including Captain Djincharadze and Lieutenant Gauthier. The horse-mounted squadron broke up into three detachments. Captain Vatchnadze’s detachment went missing – he would not rejoin the free zone until July 14, after a month behind enemy lines. The detachments of Lieutenants Roumiantzeff and Spitzer managed to cross the Oise River just in time, before the bridges were blown.
On June 10, Captain de Guiraud, who had served with the group since its creation in December 1939, took command. The GRD 97 was now reduced to less than 300 men and regrouped in Luzarches, north of Paris, the capital. Despite its condition, it continued to carry out rearguard tasks.
On June 12, the survivors of the horse squadron under Lieutenant Roumiantzeff rejoined the group’s motorized elements at Luzarches.
The same day, the French government declares Paris an “open city” in order to prevent it from being destroyed by street fighting. That was why the GRD 97 advanced along the outskirts of the capital toward the east, to Gournay-sur-Marne. Reinforced by 150 Moroccan tirailleurs, it spent the entire day of June 13 there.
In the evening, the group moved about 30 miles (50 km) south, in order to block the crossing of the Seine at Brolles, near Chartrettes. There, convoys of refugees and French soldiers leaving the capital crossed the river throughout the day and night of June 14, since on that very day German troops were already marching through the streets of Paris. The next morning, the bridge was destroyed by engineers.
On June 16, the 7e DINA moved to Châteauneuf on the Loire River, east of Orléans, its retreat covered by the GRD 97, which held off the pursuing enemy.
On June 18, the motorized squadrons advanced toward Tailles de Ruines, south of the Cher River. The next day, they returned between Villefranche-sur-Cher and Saint-Julien-sur-Cher, where they defended the local bridge with artillery support. The mounted elements of the group reached Tailles de Ruines, but were forced to abandon their horses for lack of shoes. The cavalrymen were then loaded into trucks.
On June 20, the GRD 97 fought along the Cher River at Saint-Julien-sur-Cher with the support of the 87e DIA under General Martin, to which the group was temporarily incorporated. The general addressed the GRD 97 an official expression of gratitude for its assistance. One enemy armored vehicle was destroyed that day. At the same time, the horse squadron was transported to Clion and, later, to Martizay.
Finally, on June 22, the armistice was signed between France and Germany. That day, the GRD was at Asnières-sur-Blour, having reached it via Villedieu-sur-Indre, Villiers, and Rosnay, after covering about 100 miles (160 km). The horse cavalry squadron defended the nearby village of Luchapt. On June 24, the remnants of the group, exhausted and reduced to only a handful of able-bodied men, regrouped some 55 miles (90 km) farther south, at Saint-Jory-de-Chalais, where they learned of the ceasefire.
In one month, covering nearly 375 miles (600 km) while fighting a retreat from the Somme to the Dordogne, the GRD 97 had fulfilled its mission: to delay an enemy vastly superior in numbers and in armored and air power, and to protect the withdrawal of the 7e DINA and the civilian population.
To make the story complete, one should not forget to mention the depot squadron of the GRD 97 (a rear base), commanded by Lieutenant Makeiew of the 2e REC and consisting of several dozen cavalry legionnaires on horseback. This little-known squadron was stationed near Lyon at Camp Sathonay – the Legion’s wartime training center in France, established for the 1940 campaign against Germany. Between June 18 and 19, it took part in the defense of Lyon as part of the bataillon de marche of the Foreign Legion Sathonay Depot.
Citations and Individual Actions
The actions of the GRD 97, from the Somme to the Dordogne, earned the unit a collective citation at Army level (the highest level of unit citation in the French Army). On June 17, 1940, General Frère, commanding the 7th Army, paid tribute to the tenacity of the group:
“Under Colonel Lacombe de La Tour, tasked with only its organic means to hold back a numerically superior enemy equipped with armored vehicles, [the unit] succeeded, from May 18 to 23, 1940, while awaiting the arrival of the first friendly infantry elements, in harassing the enemy, preventing it from carrying out its mission, providing valuable intelligence, destroying several armored cars, and taking prisoners.
On June 7, when the line of resistance had been withdrawn from the Somme River to the Avre River, [the unit] vigorously took part in rearguard fighting, destroying several enemy armored vehicles.
On June 9, [the unit] covered the division’s retreat on the Oise River, containing enemy tank attacks and, although losing on that single day its commander – who fell gloriously in battle – and more than half its strength, [the unit] was again committed on the Seine River on June 13 and, with its last elements, took part in the defense of the Cher River and then of the Indre River, once more inflicting losses on the enemy in these final battles.”
This citation was confirmed a year later, on September 8, 1941, by General Huntzinger, Minister and Secretary of State for War. It entitled the unit to the award of the War Cross (Croix de guerre) with palm.
In addition to this collective distinction, many legionnaires were individually cited:
Sergeant Scapucci:
Of the motorcycle riflemen squadron, distinguished himself on May 19, 1940, during a reconnaissance toward Péronne. Wounded four times and taken prisoner after killing two enemy motorcyclists while shouting “The Legion does not surrender!”, he succeeded in escaping at night and rejoining French lines. For his courage, he was awarded the Military Medal and the war Cross with palm, presented by General Weygand.
Sergeant Fosdick:
Of the machine-gun and antitank squadron, stood alone against enemy armor on June 9, 1940, in the woods of Noroy. Standing upright, he threw three grenades at a tank, one of which caused an internal explosion, before collapsing, likely mortally wounded. Reported missing, he was later confirmed as a prisoner.
Sergeant Klaus:
A bold and energetic motorcycle NCO. Captured by an enemy motorized detachment and carried away on the hood of an armored car, he managed to escape. He recovered his motorcycle and rejoined his unit only after warning a convoy that was to take the same route. He then returned with a few men to recover the bodies of two NCOs killed in the action.
Senior Corporal Henry:
Commander of a 25 mm antitank gun. In the battle of the Noroy wood on June 9, after his gunner was wounded and his loader killed, he alone continued to serve his piece until it was put out of action. Captured, he later escaped at the risk of his life to continue serving France.
Corporal Gaston Muller:
An excellent light-machine-gun section commander, distinguished himself during the fighting of June 9 and 21. Buried by earth from a shell explosion, he kept his weapon in action and continued his mission under bombardment.
Legionnaire Dietche:
On June 9, 1940, as part of a mounted detachment that, to escape encirclement, galloped through artillery fire and enemy automatic weapons and suffered heavy losses, he reached the village of Éranne and engaged in combat against an enemy group disarming French troops. He stood out for his disregard of danger and his determination.
Many other officers and NCOs, such as Captain Vatchnadze, Lieutenant Spitzer, and Lieutenant Prouhet, distinguished themselves by covering retreats, destroying enemy armored vehicles, or organizing perilous withdrawals. Accounts also highlight the heroism of anonymous legionnaires, like the wounded cavalryman who saved two children from a burning house during the chaos of the civilian exodus.
In total, between May and June 1940, the GRD 97 men earned:
- 2 Military Medal awards for wartime actions
- 4 citations at Army level
- 2 citations at Corps level
- 18 citations at Division level
- 334 citations at Regimental level
These collective and individual recognitions testified to the fighting spirit of the group and the sacrifice of its men, who upheld the tradition of the Foreign Legion during the desperate battles of May–June 1940.
Return to Africa
At the beginning of the campaign, the GRD 97 numbered 23 officers and about 650 NCOs and legionnaires. At the signing of the armistice on June 22, 1940, only 12 officers and around 250 men remained – nearly two-thirds of its strength lost in a single month of combat.
After the armistice, the GRD 97, exhausted and reduced to a handful of survivors under Captain de Guiraud, was regrouped at Saint-Jory-de-Chalais, in the Dordogne. The following weeks were marked by gradual demobilization and temporary stays in the southwest and in the Haute-Vienne.
There, during a ceremony on August 9, 1940, at Darnac, the War Cross with palm was presented to the GRD 97’s fanion by Lieutenant Colonel Tribot-Laspierre of the 20th Regiment of Tunisian Riflemen. Afterwards, a palm bearing the inscription “The Legion GRD to its Veterans of the War of 1914–1918” was placed at the village war memorial.
After a short stay in the Marseille region, the legionnaires of the GRD 97 were repatriated to North Africa. The last elements arrived in Tunisia on September 7. A few weeks later, on September 30, 1940, the GRD 97 was officially disbanded there.
An entire platoon of survivors from the horse cavalry squadron, under Lieutenant Martinez, was incorporated into the new 2nd Squadron of the 1er REC. As for the survivors of the motorized squadrons of the GRD 97, they formed, at the end of 1940, the 5th Squadron of the 1er REC at Guercif, Morocco. The legionnaires from the 2e REC, who had fought in France with the group, contributed after their regiment’s dissolution to the creation of the 3rd and 6th Squadrons of the 1er REC at Fez and Guercif, respectively.
The 5th and 6th Squadrons of the 1er REC at Guercif formed a combined motorized group, which around 1941 or 1942 adopted an insignia said to commemorate the GRD 97.
At the same time, in 1942, the training squadron of the DCRE was re-established at Sidi Bel Abbès and officially became the “tradition squadron” of the GRD 97, in which it had been incorporated in 1940. Attached to the 1st Foreign Regiment (1er RE) in 1949, it was finally dissolved in Corsica in 1963, bringing the heritage of the GRD 97 to a definitive close.
Conclusion
In only a few weeks, from May 19 to June 24, 1940, the GRD 97 of the Foreign Legion fought almost every day across hundreds of miles. Created in haste, with limited means and light weaponry, it succeeded in fulfilling its mission: delaying the enemy, protecting the 7e DINA, and enabling thousands of soldiers and civilians to escape the German onslaught.
The price was heavy – nearly two-thirds of the unit’s original strength were lost, killed, wounded, or taken prisoner. The death of its commander, Lieutenant Colonel Lacombe de La Tour, the first of only two Foreign Legion commanding officers killed during the Second World War, symbolized the sacrifice of this formation which, despite everything, managed to maintain its cohesion and fighting spirit until the very end.
The Army-level citation and the award of the War Cross with palm consecrated this exemplary conduct.
Although disbanded as early as September 1940 in Tunisia, the GRD 97 – a true reconnaissance regiment – marked the history of the Foreign Legion as the only formation that fought in the Battle of France and was composed solely of legionnaires, with no foreign volunteers or mobilized soldiers among its ranks (unlike the 11e REI, 12e REI, or RMVEs). It was also the only cavalry unit of the Legion that fought in the 1940 campaign.
Its brief yet heroic campaign illustrates the adaptability of the legionnaires and serves as a reminder that in 1940, in the face of an overwhelming enemy, they knew how to fight with honor, courage, and fidelity to their traditions.
But the story did not end there. Three years later, in 1943, the 1er REC itself was transformed into a reconnaissance regiment. With the 5th Armored Division, it took part in the liberation of France and Europe in 1944–1945. Thus, what the GRD 97 had embodied in 1940 in defense and fighting withdrawals, the 1er REC carried forward in an offensive role, successfully pursuing the German forces until their defeat.
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Main information sources:
Képi blanc magazines
Légion Etrangère magazines
Vert et Rouge magazines
Collectif: Le 1er Régiment Étranger de Cavalerie, Historique et Combats (FASQUELLE Éditeurs, 1947)
J. Brunon, G.-R. Manue, P. Carles: Le Livre d’Or de la Légion (Charles-Lavauzelle, 1976)
Jean-Charles Jauffret: L’idée d’une division de Légion étrangère et le Premier régiment étranger de cavalerie, 1836-1940 (Centre d’histoire militaire et d’études de défense nationale, 1978)
Henri Le Mire: L’épopée moderne de la Légion 1940-1976 (SPL, 1978)
Collectif: Historique du 1er Régiment étranger de cavalerie 1921-1982 (Képi blanc, 1983)
Alain Gandy: Royal Etranger: Légionnaires cavaliers au combat (Presses de la Cité, 1985)
Pierre Dufour: La Légion au combat 1939-1945 (Jean Pierre Taillandier, 1990)
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Learn more about the Foreign Legion history:
French Foreign Legion in World War II
11th Foreign Infantry Regiment
12th Foreign Infantry Regiment
History of the 13th Foreign Legion Demi-Brigade
Legionnaires paratroopers in WWII
Foreign Legion Artillery Batteries
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The page was updated on: October 10, 2025