Paul Legentilhomme
Paul Legentilhomme | |
---|---|
General Legentilhomme in French Somaliland, 1939 or 1940 | |
Born | (1884-03-26)March 26, 1884 Valognes, France |
Died | May 23, 1975(1975-05-23) (aged 91) Villefranche-sur-Mer, France |
Allegiance | France Free French Forces |
Years of service | 1907–1950 |
Rank | Général d'armée |
Battles/wars | World War I World War II |
Awards | Grand Cross of the Légion of Honor Compagnon de la Libération Médaille Militaire Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 Commander of the Order of the Bath Commander of the Legion of Merit |
Other work | French Minister Advisor |
Paul Louis Legentilhomme (March 26, 1884 – May 23, 1975) was an officer in the French Army during World War I and World War II. After the fall of France in 1940, he joined the forces of the Free French. Legentilhomme was a recipient of the "Order of the Liberation" (Compagnon de la Libération).
Early life
Legentilhomme was born on March 26, 1884, in Valognes, Manche.
History
He was a cadet at the École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr 1905 to 1907 (promotion "la Dernière du vieux Bahut"). Promoted to sub-lieutenant in 1907. Promoted to lieutenant in 1909.
In 1914 his unit took part in the battle of Neufchâteau in Belgium, on August 22, and was captured by the Germans. He spent 1914 to 1918 in German captivity. In 1918 he was promoted to captain.
He was promoted to major in 1924. From 1926 to 1928 he was chief of staff in Madagascar. In 1929 he was promoted to lieutenant colonel From 1929 to 1931 he was chief of staff, 3rd Colonial Division. In 1934 he was promoted to colonel From 1937 to 1938 he was commanding officer 4th Senegalese Tirailleurs Regiment. In 1938 he was promoted to brigadier-general.
1939 to 1940 he was commander in chief of the French military units stationed in French Somaliland (present day Djibouti).
June 18, 1940 : In Djibouti, the capital of French Somaliland, Legentilhomme condemned the French armistice and declared his intention to continue the war with the British Empire. He declared this in his "General Order Number 4".
- August 2, 1940 : Left French Somaliland (Vichy French until 1942) and went to the United Kingdom.
- October 31, 1940 : Legentilhomme stripped of his French citizenship by the Vichy government.
- 1941
In 1941 Legentilhomme was promoted to major general in the Free French Army and returned to East Africa as the Commander-in-Chief of the Free French Forces in the Sudan and Eritrea. As part of Brigadier Harold Rawdon Briggs' Briggsforce, Free French forces participated in the East African campaign. Legentilhomme worked under the supreme command of Field Marshal Archibald Wavell, 1st Earl Wavell.
- Created the First French light division or 1st Free French Division (in French "1ère Division légère française libre" or "1ère DLFL").
- Commanded the 1st Free French Division and Gentforce during Syria–Lebanon campaign.
- Commander in Chief of Free French forces in Africa.
- November : Legentilhomme condemned in his absence for treason by the Government of Vichy to the death penalty.
- National Commissioner of War
- 1942
- Awarded the Compagnon de la Libération cross by General Charles de Gaulle on 9 September 1942,
- High Commissioner of the French possessions in the Indian Ocean
- Governor-General of Madagascar
- general Officer Commander in Chief Madagascar
- 1943
- Member of the Empire Defense Council,
- Nominated Lieutenant General
- Nominated Commissaire to the French Committee for National Liberation
- 1944 to 1945
- General Officer Commanding 3rd Military Region (France)
from 1945 to 1946 he was General Officer Commanding Paris Military Region.
- 1945 to 1947 : Military Governor of Paris
- 1946 to 1947 : General Officer Commanding 1st Military Region
- 1947 : Promoted Army General
- 1947 : Retired
- 1950 : Military advisor of the Minister for French overseas departments and territories
- 1952 : Technical advisor of the Minister François Mitterrand (who much later was President of the French Republic between 1981 and 1995)
- 1952 to 1958 : Member of the Assemblée de l'Union française for the UDSR political party (in French)
- 23 May 1975 : Paul Legentilhomme died at age 91 in Villefranche-sur-Mer, France. He is buried there.
Honour
- Grand Cross of the Légion of Honor
- Compagnon de la Libération
- Médaille militaire
- Croix de guerre 1914–1918
- Croix de guerre 1939–1945
- Knight of the Order of the Dragon of Annam
- Commander of the Order of the Bath (GB)
- Commander of the Legion of Merit (USA)
See also
External links
- (in French) Full Biography in the ordre de la Libération website
- Biography of Paul Legentilhomme
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under the Ancien Régime
- Louis I d'Anjou: 1356–1357
- Jean ade Berry: 1411
- Waléran III de Luxembourg: 1411–1413
- Jean II de Luxembourg: 1418–1420
- Jean de La Baume: 1422–142.
- Jean de Villiers: 1429–14..
- Philippe de Ternant: 14..–14..
- Jacques de Villiers: 1461
- Charles d'Artois: 1465
- Charles de Melun: 1465–1467
- Charles I d'Amboise: 1467–1470
- Charles de Gaucourt: 14..–1472
- Antoine de Chabannes: 1472–147.
- Guillaume de Poitiers: 1478–14..
- Louis d'Orléans: 1483–1485
- Antoine de Chabannes: 1485–1488
- Gilbert de Montpensier: 14..–1494
- Charles II d'Amboise: 1493–1496
- Antoine de La Rochefoucauld: 15..–15..
- Paul de Thermes: 1559–1562
- Charles de Cossé: 1562–1563
- François de Montmorency: 15..–1572
- René de Villequier: 1580
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- Charles-Emmanuel de Savoie: 1589–1590
- Jean-Francois de Faudoas: 1590–1594
- Charles II de Cossé: 1594
- François d'O: 1594
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- Hercule de Rohan: 1643–16..
- François de L'Hospital: 1648–1657
- Ambroise-François de Bournonville: 1657–1662
- Antoine d'Aumont: 1662–1669
- Gabriel de Rochechouart: 1669–1675
- Charles III de Créquy: 1676–1687
- Léon Potier: 1687–1704
- Duc de Tresmes: 1704–1739
- Bernard Potier: 1739–1757
- Charles Louis d'Albert: 1757–1771
- Jean de Cossé-Brissac: 1771–1780
- Louis de Cossé-Brissac: 1780–1791
of the Armed Forces in Paris
- Louis-Auguste-Augustin d'Affry: 1791–1792
- Jacques-François de Menou: 1792–1794
- Jean Thierry: 1794–1795
- Jacques-François de Menou: 1795
- Paul de Barras: 1795
- Napoléon Bonaparte: 1795–1796
- Jacques Maurice Hatry: 1796–1797
- Pierre Augereau: 1797
- Louis Lemoine: 1797
- Jean-François Moulin: 1797–1798
- Joseph Gilot: 1798–1799
- Barthélemy Catherine Joubert: 1799
- Jean-Antoine Marbot: 1799
- François Joseph Lefebvre: 1799–1800
- Édouard Mortier: 1800–1803
- Jean-Andoche Junot: 1803–1804
after the French Revolution
- Joachim Murat: 1804–1805
- Louis Bonaparte: 1805–1806
- Joachim Murat: 1806
- Jean-Andoche Junot: 1806–1807
- Pierre-Augustin Hulin: 1807–1814
- Louis de Rochechouart: 1814
- Louis Sébastien Grundler: 1814–1815
- Nicolas-Joseph Maison: 1815
- Pierre-Augustin Hulin: 1815
- André Masséna: July 1815
- Nicolas-Joseph Maison: 1815
- Hyacinthe Despinoy: 1815–1816
- Catherine-Dominique de Pérignon: 1816–1818
- Nicolas-Joseph Maison: 1819–1821
- Auguste de Marmont: 1821–1830
- Pierre-Claude Pajol: 1830–1842
- Tiburce Sébastiani: 1842–1848
- Nicolas Changarnier: 1848–1851
- Achille Baraguey d'Hilliers: 1851
- Bernard Pierre Magnan: 1851–1865
- François Certain de Canrobert: 1865–1870
- Achille Baraguey d'Hilliers: 1870
- Louis-Jules Trochu: 1870–1871
- Joseph Vinoy: 1871
- Paul de Ladmirault: 1871–1878
- Édouard Aymard: 1878–1880
- Justin Clinchant: 1880–1881
- Alphonse Lecointe: 1882–1884
- Félix-Gustave Saussier: 1884–1898
- Émile Zurlinden: 1898–1899
- Joseph Brugère: 1899–1900
- Georges-Auguste Florentin: 1900–1901
- Paul-Vincent Faure-Biguet: 1901–1903
- Jean Dessirier: 1903–1906
- Jean-Baptiste Dalstein: 1906–1910
- Michel-Joseph Maunoury: 1910–1912
- Victor-Constant Michel: 1912–1914
- Joseph Gallieni: 1914–1915
- Michel-Joseph Maunoury: 1915–1916
- Augustin Dubail: 1916–1918
- Adolphe Guillaumat: 1918
- Charles Emile Moinier: 1918–1919
- Pierre Berdoulat: 1919–1923
- Henri Gouraud: 1923–1937
- Gaston Billotte: 1937–1939
- Pierre Héring: 1939–1940
- Henri Dentz: 1940
under the German occupation
since 1944
- Philippe Leclerc: 1944
- Marie-Pierre Kœnig: 1944–1945
- Paul Legentilhomme: 1945–1947
- René Chouteau: 1947–1953
- Henri Zeller: 1953–1957
- Louis-Constant Morlière: 1957–1958
- Pierre Garbay: 1958–1959
- Raoul Salan: 1959–1960
- Maurice Gazin: 1960
- André Demetz: 1960–1962
- Louis Dodelier: 1962–1965
- Philippe de Camas: 1965–1968
- André Meltz: 1968–1971
- Bernard Usureau: 1971–1974
- Philippe Clave: 1974–1975
- Jean Favreau: 1975–1977
- Jacques de Barry: 1977–1980
- Jeannou Lacaze: 1980–1981
- Roger Périer: 1981–1982
- Alban Barthez: 1982–1984
- Michel Fennebresque: 1984–1987
- Hervé Navereau: 1987–1991
- Daniel Valéry: 1991–1992
- Michel Guignon: 1992–1996
- Michel Billot: 1996–2000
- Pierre Costedoat: 2000–2002
- Marcel Valentin: 2002–2005
- Xavier de Zuchowicz: 2005–2007
- Bruno Dary: 2007–2012
- Hervé Charpentier: 2012–2015
- Bruno Le Ray: 2015–2020
- Christophe Abad: 2020