12th Army Corps (France)

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12th Army Corps
12e Corps d'Armée
Active	1870–1940
Country	France
Branch	French Army
Type	Army Corps
Role	Frontier Defense
Part of	Fifth Army (1940)
Engagements	Franco-Prussian War First World War Battle of France
Commanders
Notable commanders	Barthélémy Louis Joseph Lebrun Gaston de Galliffet Jean César Graziani

The French 12th Army Corps (12e Corps d'Armée) was an army corps of the French Army created in 1870. It saw significant action in the Franco-Prussian War, the First World War, and the Second World War.

Commanded by Général Lebrun in the Franco-Prussian War then by General Galliffet from 1882 to 1886.

On the outbreak of the First World War in August 1914, the corps was subordinated to the Fourth Army.[1] It later served on the Italian front under General Jean César Graziani in 1918.[2]

During the Battle of France in 1940, the 12th Army Corps was a cornerstone of the Fifth Army within the Army Group 2. Upon mobilization, the 12th Corps was classified as a Série A formation, indicating it was a high-readiness unit with a substantial core of active-duty officers and modern equipment.[3]

The corps' structure reflected its dual mission of mobile defense and static fortification support:

• Fortification Integration: Unlike standard field corps, the 12th Corps directly commanded the Fortified Sector of Haguenau (SFH). This required a complex integration of fortress infantry (RIF) and specialized position artillery (RAP) to hold the northern Alsace frontier.[3]
• Heavy Firepower: To support the Maginot Line, the corps was assigned the 112th Heavy Artillery Regiment (112e RALH), providing long-range counter-battery fire with 105mm and 155mm guns, essential for suppressed German artillery across the Rhine.[2]
• Logistic Depth: The presence of specialized units like the 12th Medical Battalion and a full bridging train (112/16) underscored its role as a self-sufficient formation capable of sustaining prolonged combat in a high-intensity environment.[2]

The sector was organized into several sub-sectors, each reinforced by fortress infantry and position artillery to defend the Maginot Line's northern flank.[3]

• 1913–1915: Pierre Auguste Roques
• 1918: Jean César Graziani
• 1939–1940: Général Janssen

• Service Historique de l'Armée de Terre (SHAT) (1967). Les Grandes Unités Françaises: Historiques de succincts. Vol. 1. Paris: Imprimerie Nationale.
• Mary, Jean-Yves; Hohnadel, Alain (2000). Hommes et ouvrages de la ligne Maginot. Vol. 1 & 2. Histoire & Collections. ISBN 2-908182-88-2.
• Nicot, Jean (1968). Inventaire sommaire des archives de la Guerre 1914–1918. Troyes: Imprimerie La Renaissance.