501e Régiment de chars de combat

The 501e Régiment de chars de combat 501e RCC in French, (501e R.C.C, or 501st Combat Tank Regiment) is an armoured tank unit of the French Army created on 13 May 1918, and which took part in the two world wars, the Russian Civil War, the Indochina war, and the Algerian war. The regiment participated to the campaigns of Free France, then the liberation of Europe at the corps of the 2nd Armoured Division 2e DB of général Philippe François Marie Leclerc de Hauteclocque. Merged with the 503e Régiment de chars de combat 503e RCC to form the 501e-503e Régiment de chars de combat 501e-503e RCC, the regiment was redesignated as 501e RCC on 23 June 2009. 1916 : creation of the assault artillery. 1918 : creation of the 501st Special Artillery Regiment (501e Régiment d'artillerie spéciale, 501e RAS). 1920 : became the 501e régiment de chars de combat 501e RCC. 1939 : the regiment became the 501st Tank Battalion Group (501e Groupe de bataillons de chars, 501e GBC). 1940 : dissolution of GBC 1940 : 1st Tank company of Free France. 1943 : creation of the 501e RCC. 1944 : merged with the 503e RCC, was designated as 501e-503e RCC. 2009 : dissolution of GE 503, regiment redesignated as 501e RCC. On 16 April 1917, 132 Schneider CA1 mounted an assault on Berry-au-Bac. Considered the first mounted tank assault in times. From this tank groupment, the 501st Assault Artillery Regiment (501e Régiment d'artillerie d'assaut, 501e RAS.) was created on 20 May 1918. the 501e RAS, designated RCC, would be the first unit formed with the new organization of the armoured troops in the beginning of 1918. Initially composed of the first Groupment of Schneider tanks and of the 1st and 2nd battalions of light tanks, (the 1er and 2e BCL), created respectively on 19 February and 18 March 1918 and equipped with Renault FT. the 3rd battalion, formed on 27 March, was initially assigned to the 508e Régiment de chars de combat 508e RCC then transferred to the 501e RCC since 29 May 1918. Each light tank battalion was composed of three companies numbered from the 301.