The Division Legere Mecanique (DLM) was a conception of General Weygand. It was the largest and best French armored unit. Similar in organization to the German panzer division, the DLM had a reconnaissance regiment decouverte with two groupes (battalions), each consisting of one escadron (squadron) of armoured cars and one of motorcyclists. The combat AFVs were under a brigade of two cavalry regiments. Each regiment of tanks contained two groupes, one of two escadrons of Somua S35 tanks, the other of Hotchkiss H39 models. There were twenty AFVs per escadron, and including escadron, groupe, and regiment HQ tanks, the division had a total of 87 Somua and 87 Hotchkiss chars. The armored car (A.M.D.) escadrons totaled 40-50 vehicles.

A regiment of tractor-drawn 75mm guns and 105mm howitzers were organized into groupes of three 4-gun batteries. Two groupes of the former and one of the latter were in each DLM. An anti-tank escadron of twelve 25mm guns was usually assigned to one of the cavalry combat regiments. Other divisional troops included a tank repair escadron with the combat brigade, three engineer companies, signal units of one radio and one telephone company (even a carrier pigeon detachment), and medical and supply units. Like the DCR, a squadron of aircraft was also attached, but proved of little use.

The infantry regiment of dragons porfes had three 930-man battalions. Each battalion deployed five escadrons: two infantry; one motorcycle; one heavy-gun; and one of A.M.R. tanks. (DLM 3 had H39 tanks in place of A.M.R. models.) The battalion armament comprised 68 light and heavy machine guns (450 total for the division), three 60mm and four 81mm mortars, and four 25mm anti-tank guns. Battalion transport was formed from 145 solo- and combination-motorcycles and 115 Laffly half-tracks.

More French Armored Divisions

French Armored Divisions
French Division Legere Mechanique
French Division Cuirassee
French Tanks and Specs
French Tank Commanders
Large Map of Armor Movements: May 10-17 (slow: 136K)
Jumbo Map of Armor Movements: May 10-17 (very slow: 211K)

Related

1940: Campaign in France -- Armored Forces