A regiment de marche (roughly 'marching regiment' in English) is a French temporary (provisional not permanent), regiment created for a specific campaign or other military purpose.
Clayton describes a "bataillon de marche" as comprising the 'fit trained personnel' of all the battalions from a two to three battalion regiment. This creation of a provisional unit may be undertaken because of manpower shortages on mobilisation if new drafts of conscripts and volunteers had not yet arrived.Clayton, France, Soldiers, and Africa, Brassey's, 1988, page 16 As a terminology, this is similar to the "(Service) Battalion" designation in use in the British Army in 1914-15 onwards. Such battalions were for war service only, having a temporary nature, like that of the :fr:Bataillon de marche concept of the French Army.
Marching battalions may also be created from: units which have become disorganized, by drafting soldiers from depots, garrisons or discharged from hospitals; or from contingents of new recruits not yet formed into regular units or from reservists; foreign contingents and Troupes coloniales.
Other designations used are marching battalions () or Marching Squadrons (), or marching brigades comprising several regiments.
History The concept of marching units was used throughout the 19th and 20th centuries in the French Army and its associated military systems.
Under the First French Empire, the designation of Provisional Regiment was used to identify a regiment created by levies from different regular units, or from garrison troops. In the 20th century however only the term regiment de marche continued to be used.
Early Unites de marche of the French Army The first marching regiments appeared during the Napoleonic Wars. The Spanish War () saw heavy casualties amongst the regular French units involved and in 1808 Napoleon INapoléon Bonaparte, Correspondance de Napoléon Ier – 1808 , p. 473, Imprimerie impériale, Paris, 1864 authorised the creation of marching regiments to replace these losses.
Napoleon I designated "provisional regiments" for specific assignments as well as "marching regiments" intended for deployment outside France. These ad hoc units might also be used to bring metropolitan garrisons up to strength.
It was in 1812, during the Russian Campaign (), that the concept of marching regiments became general.
As examples: On 29 February 1812, a provisionary regiment (later redesigned as a marching regiment) of hussarss () was formed in Toulouse and at Foix from the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 10th Hussar Regiments;Napoléon Bonaparte, Correspondance de Napoléon Ier – 1812, Imprimerie imperial, Paris, year 1864, passage 260, 409, 447, 502 On 8 May 1812 the 1st Marching Regiment of Paris was created. It was deployed towards Erfurt () and subsequently Berlin () where the regiment was dissolved on 16 June; On 28 May 1812, a Cavalry Marching Regiment of 1000 men was raised, recruited from the depots of the French Army in Spain. Brought together in Bayonne () the new units was deployed in Russia; On 2 September 1812, Napoleon ordered a column to be created consisting of the "Infantry Marching Regiment of the 3rd Corps", the Cavalry Marching Regiment, the 5th Marching Cavalry, and the 6th Marching Cavalry. It participated in the Battle of Borodino ().
During the retreat from Moscow, marching regiments were constituted to bring back scattered detachments from fragmented corps to their respective units of origin. Étienne Alexandre Bardin, Nicolas Charles Victor, Oudinot de Reggio; title: Dictionnaire de l'armée de terre, tome VII; editor Perrotin, Paris, year 1841, passage 4669
Spanish expedition and siege of Algiers
During the Spanish Expedition () in April 1823, a number of depot units were sent to Spain under the designation of Provisionary Regiments
Later, during the expedition of 1830 and the siege of Algiers (), Marching Regiments''' were created and embarked. Général Étienne Alexandre Bardin () explained in his Dictionary of the French Army that these marching regiments were used because the under strength light infantry units could only provide two formed battalions of veteran chasseurs.
During this period, opinions differed in respect of the effectiveness of employing marching regiments. The administrator Pierre Agathange Audier recommended the practice in his "Study course of military administration" published in 1824. However, Général Étienne Alexandre Bardin expressed the contrary view that "If in the course of a major war and during distant operations we are forced to resort to this method of reinforcing the army, the practice is administratively deplorable".
Overseas and foreign campaigns of the Second French Empire
Expeditions undertaken in Algeria, Russia, Mexico and Italy during the Second French Empire made use of marching regiments.
Crimean War
Marching regiments drawn from units of the French Army of Africa were engaged from 1854 to 1856 in the Crimean War.
French intervention in Mexico
The French expeditionary corps which disembarked in Mexico () on 8 January 1862 consisted initially of the 1st Marching Regiment plus 2,000 men of the 1st Marine Infantry Regiment (1erRIMa) and the 2nd Marine Infantry Regiment (2e RIMa).
The same year, reinforcements were received from the 2nd Marching Cavalry Regiment (Lieutenant-Colonel Jean-Auguste Margueritte), which was composed of two squadrons drawn from the 12th Chasseurs à Cheval Regiment plus two squadrons taken from the 3rd African Chasseurs Regiment.
Franco-German war of 1870
The disaster of the Franco-Prussian War () led the French to create in urgency numerous marching regiments.
End of the Second French Empire
The 13th Army Corps () (général Vinoy () was formed in August 1870 at Paris. The Marching Regiments of this corps were constituted of three depot battalions belonging to different regiments with recruits or recalled veteran soldiers.Lieutenant-colonel Léonce Rousset, Histoire générale de la guerre franco-allemande (1870–1871), Librairie Illustrée, Paris, year 1900, tome I through VI
The 5th Marching Regiment () (colonel Hanrion) and the 6th Marching Regiment () (lieutenant-colonel du Guiny) with two marching chasseurs companies formed the 1st Brigade of général Mattat. The 7th Marching Regiment () (lieutenant-colonel Tarayre) and the 8th Marching Regiment () (lieutenant-colonel Drouet) formed the 2nd Brigade of général Daudel. With three batteries de 4 and engineer company, these two brigades constituted the 1st Infantry Division of général d'Exéa ().
The 9th Marching Regiment () (lieutenant-colonel Miquel de Riu) and the 10th Marching Regiment () (lieutenant-colonel Damedor de Molans) formed the 1st Brigade of général Guerin. The 11th Marching Regiment () (lieutenant-colonel Née-Devaux) and the 12th Marching Regiment () (lieutenant-colonel de Labaume) formed the 2nd Brigade of général Blaise. With three batteries de 4 and one engineer company, these two brigades constituted the 2nd Infantry Division of général de Maud'Huy.
The 13th Marching Regiment () (lieutenant-colonel Morin) and the () (lieutenant-colonel Vanche) with two marching chasseurs companies formed the 1st Brigade of général de Susbielle. The 35th Infantry Regiment () (colonel de la Mariouse) and the 42nd Infantry Regiment () (colonel Avril de Lenclos) formed the 2nd Brigade of général Guilhem. With three batteries de 4 and one engineer company, these two brigades constituted the 3rd Infantry Division of général Blanchard ().
Beginning of the Third French Republic
Siege of Paris
Following the disaster of Sedan (), a national defense government () proclaimed on 4 September 1870 the Third French Republic and the decline of Emperor Napoleon III (). The 14th Army Corps (général Renault ()) was formed accordingly in the entrenched camp of Paris. The battalions in depot had already deployed, and the only available units left were a company of each deployed regiment, in charge of receiving soldiers recalled for service. Accordingly, the available companies were doubled. These demi-companies were supposed to form the regiment of the 14th Corps. Each new regiment accordingly consisted of eighteen different company corps.
The 15th Marching Regiment () (lieutenant-colonel Benedetti) and the 16th Marching Regiment () (lieutenant-colonel Guadel) with two chasseurs companies à pied formed the 1st Marching Brigade of général Ladreit de la Charrière () which was killed on 2 December 1870 during the defense of Paris.
The 17th Marching Regiment () (lieutenant-colonel Sermensan) and the 18th Marching Regiment () formed the 2nd Brigade of général Lecomte (). With two batteries de 4 and one engineer section, these two brigades constituted the 1st Division of général Béchon de Caussade () which was killed on 9 November 1870 during the siege of Paris.
The 19th Marching Regiment () (lieutenant-colonel Collasseau) and the 20th Marching Regiment () (lieutenant-colonel Niel) with two chasseurs companies à pied formed the 1st Brigade of général Bocher.
The 21st Marching Regiment () (lieutenant-colonel de Vandeuil) and the 22nd Marching Regiment () (lieutenant-colonel Barbe) formed the 2nd Brigade of général Paturel. With two batteries de 4 and one engineer section, these two brigades constituted the 2nd Division of général d'Hugues.
The 23rd Marching Regiment () of (lieutenant-colonel Dupuy de Podio) and the 24th Marching Regiment () (lieutenant-colonel Sanguinetti) with two chasseur companies formed the 1st Brigade of général Benoît.
The 25th Marching Regiment () (lieutenant-colonel Jourdain) and 26th Marching Regiment () (lieutenant-colonel Lecerf) formed the 2nd Brigade of général Courty. With batteries de 4 and one engineer section, these two brigades constituted the 3rd Division of général de brigade de Maussion ().
Excluding these two army corps, a Zouaves Marching Regiment was formed from divers units, the 28th Marching Regiment () with the depot of the Imperial Guard of the Second Empire (), the 36th Marching Regiment (), the 37th Marching Regiment (), the 38th Marching Regiment (), and the 39th Marching Regiment () with the depots which remained in Paris.
Army of the East
In December 1870, the different army corps of the Army of the east () of général de division Bourbaki were reinforced by marching regiments.
The 15th Army Corps of général de division Martineau des Chenez received:
The 1st Zouaves Marching Regiment () (lieutenant-colonel Parran) and the 4th Marching Chasseur Battalion à Pied () in the 1st Division of général D'Astugue.
The 2nd Zouaves Marching Regiment () (lieutenant-colonel Chevalier), 5th Marching Chasseur Battalion à Pied () (Commandant Boudet) and the 30th Marching Regiment () (lieutenant-colonel Godin) in the 2nd Division of général Rebillard.
The 6th Marching Chasseur Battalion à Pied () (Commandant Regain), the 27th de Marche () (lieutenant-colonel Péragallo), the 34th Marching Regiment () (lieutenant-colonel Audouard) and a battalion of the 33rd Marching Regiment () in the 3rd Division of général Peytavin.
The 1st Marching Chasseur Battalion à Pied () (colonel Rouher) and the 1st Cuirassiers Marching Battalion (colonel de Renusson d'Hauteville) in the Cavalry Division of général de Longuerue.
The 18th Army Corps of général de division Billot received:
The 9th Marching Chasseur Battalion à Pied () (Commandant N...), the 42nd Marching Regiment () (lieutenant-colonel Couston) and the 44th Marching Regiment () (lieutenant-colonel Achilli) in the 1st Division of général Feillet-Pilatrie.
The 12th Marching Chasseur Battalion à Pied () (Commandant Villeneuve), the 52nd Marching Regiment () (lieutenant-colonel Quénot) in the 2nd Division of French Navy Contre-Amiral (Counter admiral) Jérôme-Hyacinthe Penhoat ().