7th Armoured Division (France) 7th Armoured Division (France) The 7th Armoured Division () was an armoured division of the French Army. The division was active during the Cold War and some time after the fall of the Berlin Wall, before being disbanded. Its traditions were carried on by the 7th Armoured Brigade. The division was created in 1955 as the "7 Division Mecanique Rapide" (7th Fast Mechanised Division), commanded by General François Huet and based in Germany. It was an experimental formation of the French Army and served to test of new structures and tactics for the expected nuclear battlefield and also new weapons,
Guards Armoured Division casualties and were struggling to find replacements. As a result, the attack was changed to one largely of armoured divisions, as lost tanks would be easier to replace. The Guards Armoured Division joined with the 7th and 11th Armoured Divisions for this attack. The aim was to strike south out of the Orne bridgehead on 18 July. The Guards Armoured Division was to advance south-east to capture Vimont and Argences. Prior to this attack the German defences were heavily bombed be the Royal Air Force. Unfortunately this was less effective than hoped against the dug-in defenders, both in the south