8th Infantry Division (France) Army, French Third Army, French Fourth Army, French Fifth Army, French Sixth Army and French Tenth Army. During the Battle of France in May 1940 the division was made up of the following units: It was a newly created division. The 12th Foreign Infantry Regiment was mainly made up of Spanish Republican Soldiers who had fled to France after the Spanish Civil War. The other regiments were made up of reservists. The 8th Motorised Infantry Brigade was absorbed by the 7th Light Armoured Division, creating the 7th Armoured Division in 1963. In 1977, the 7th Armoured Division was dissolved and
11th Armoured Division (United Kingdom) Hussars absorb the remainder of the 24th Lancers (of the 8th Armoured Brigade). The 11th Armoured was directed again to the west, to take part in Operation "Bluecoat". Beginning on 30 July 1944 it seized Saint-Martin-des-Besaces. The division spotted an intact bridge on the Souleuvre river, which enabled it to drive the Germans back. In what became the famous "Charge of the Bull", the division liberated Le Bény-Bocage on 1 August and quickly progressed southward. Although severely weakened at that time, the German army remained ever-present and dangerous. From 5 August, The 11th Armoured worked with the Guards Armoured Division