during the second world war the french first army, under the command of general georges blanchard, formed part of the forces ranged against the german army during the battle of france. on 10 may 1940, it included the cavalry corps, and the 3rd, 4th, and 5th army corps, as well as the "1re division cuirassée de réserve" (1st dcr, effectively an armoured division with four battalions of tanks and one of infantry, plus supporting units) and 32nd infantry division. when the wehrmacht invaded france and the low countries in 1940, the first army was one of the many armies including the british expeditionary force (bef) that advanced north to stop the german armies.