Jules Gaucher | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Nickname(s) | The Old Man |
| Born | 13 September 1905 Bourges, France |
| Died | 13 March 1954 (aged 48) Điện Biên Phủ, Democratic Republic of Vietnam |
| Allegiance |  France |
| Service | French Army |
| Years of service | 1929–1954 |
| Rank | Lieutenant Colonel |
| Commands | 13th Foreign Legion Demi-Brigade Groupe Mobile 9 |
| Battles / wars | Franco-Thai War World War II First Indochina War *Battle of Hòa Bình *Battle of Dien Bien Phu † |
Jules Gaucher (13 September 1905 – 13 March 1954) was a French Army officer noted for his command of Foreign Legion troops in Indochina. Described as a "burly, hard-drinking veteran of years of jungle fighting, with a nose like an axe-blade and a mouth like its cut", Gaucher was a popular commander among the Legion, known as 'the Old Man' to his troops.[1] He was killed at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu in 1954.
- ^ Windrow 2004, pp. 304–305.