151e Régiment d'Infanterie de Ligne (1914-18)

Battle Record

Medals

Citations

Pictures of the Regiment

The Regimental Colors

March of the 151e RI

First-Hand Accounts

Roll of the 151e RI Dead

Historical of the 151e RIL and 351e RIR

Campaign History of the 151e RI


Official 151st Regimental Campaign Histories (JMOs):

30 July to 3 Oct. 1914

2 Sept. to 22 Sept. 1914 addendum

3 Oct. 1914 to 8 Feb. 1915

9 Feb. to 3 June 1915

4 June 1915 to 15 July 1916

16 July to 31 Dec. 1916

1 Jan. 1917 to 26 Aug. 1918

27 Aug. 1918 to 22 July 1919

Basic Facts:

In August 1914, the 151^e R.I. is garrisoned at Verdun; 84^e Brigade d'Infanterie; 42^e Division d'Infanterie, 6^e Corps d'Armée, III^e Armée (Ruffey). In September 1914, the regiment's garrison would relocate to Rennes, while the garrison of the 351 RI (the sister reserve regiment from which the 151 would draw additional replacements) relocated from Saint-Quentin to Quimper. These relocations would remain for the duration of the war.

42^e D.I.
83^e B.I.             84^e B.I.
94^e R.I., 8^e and 19^e B.C.               151^e and 162^e R.I., 16^e B.C.

Compagnies de Génie (Engineers): 6/3 (9^e Régiment), supplemented in Jan. 1916 with 6/53

Assigned to 32^e C.A. in October 1914, which it will remain in for the majority of the war. Attached to 42^e D.I. from August 1914 to December 1916. Transferred to the 69^e D.I. from January 1917 to November 1918.

69^e D.I.
151^e, 162^e R.I., 267^e R.I.*

*267 R.I. dissolved in Sept. 1917, replaced with 129 R.I. in Jan. 1918
Bat. pionniers/86 R.I.T. attached in August 1918

Compagnies de Génie (Engineers): 22/13, 22/63 (1^e Régiment); 13/25 (4^e Régiment); Sapeurs-Pionniers (1^e Régiment)

69^e D.I. disbanded 15 January 1919, 151^e reorganized into 84^e B.I. and rejoined 42^e D.I.

The successive commanders of the regiment were: Colonel Louis Georges Deville (11/24/1912 to 10/20/1914), Commandant Gabriel Monphous (9/21/1914 to 10/31/2014), Commandant de Bontin (10/31/1914 to 11/14/1914), Colonel Marie Philippe Edouard Dillemann (11/18/1914 to 5/8/1915), Colonel Edouard Jean Victor Moisson (5/9/1915 to 5/8/1918), Colonel Henri Perchenet (5/15/1918 to 11/6/1918), Colonel Martin [du Theil] (11/6/1918 to 10/8/1919). See photos of the regimental commanders here.

At the start of the war, the 151^e was composed of men primarily from the Meuse and Ardennes departments, complemented by men drawn from the department of the Nord and Pas-de-Calais, and the cities of Le Havre and Paris. Later, sizeable portions of the ranks were drawn from Aisne. As the war progressed, the regiment would eventually draw men from all the regions of France.

The regiment went by a number of nick-names including, the "Verdun Regiment" and (after the Battle of the Somme) the "Rancourt Regiment." However, "le Beau 15-1" or simply the "15-1" were perhaps more common.

The war lasted 52 months, with the 151^e in action for all but six of these. Owing to discrepancies in record keeping, the exact number of casualties for the regiment will likely never be known. A reasonable figure however is at least 12,000, including over 6,000 killed. The 1919 official historical cites the total number of casualties at 12,395, including 5,423 killed. An unofficial regimental historical done by Jean Liffroy in 1997 puts the figure much higher at roughly 300 officers and over 16,000 men, of which over 100 officers and 6,000 men were killed. Research done by Gérard Schutz in 2020 seems to confirm this by identifying 6,041 dead.