Alphonse Juin

Alphonse Juin
Marshal Juin in 1952
Seat 4 of the Académie française
In office
20 November 1952 – 27 January 1967
Preceded byJean Tharaud
Succeeded byPierre Emmanuel
Resident-General of France in Morocco
In office
15 May 1947 – 28 August 1951
Preceded byEirik Labonne
Succeeded byAugustin Guillaume
Chief of the Defence Staff
In office
25 January 1951 – 19 August 1953
Preceded byCharles Léchères
Succeeded byPaul Ély
In office
13 August 1944 – 15 May 1947
Preceded byAntoine Béthouart
Succeeded byCharles Léchères
Personal details
Born(1888-12-16)16 December 1888
Bône, French Algeria
Died27 January 1967(1967-01-27) (aged 78)
Paris, French Republic
Resting placeLes Invalides
NationalityFrench
Spouse
Marie Gabrielle Mauricette Cécile Bonnefoy
(m. 1928)
[1]
ChildrenPierre Juin
Parents
  • Victor Pierre Juin[1] (father)
  • Précieuse Salini[1] (mother)
Alma mater
Military service
Allegiance Third Republic
Vichy France
Free France
Fourth Republic
Branch/serviceFrench Army
Years of service1912–1962
RankArmy general[a]
Unit
List of units
  • 1st Zouaves Regiment[2]
  • 1st Algerian Tirailleurs Regiment[3]
  • 9th Algerian Tirailleurs Regiment[4]
  • 19th Algerian Tirailleurs Regiment[5]
  • 3rd Zouaves Regiment[6]
Commands
Battles/warsZaian War

First World War

Rif War
Second World War

First Indochina War

Alphonse Pierre Juin[b] (16 December 1888 – 27 January 1967)[1] was a senior French Army general who became Marshal of France. A graduate of the École Spéciale Militaire class of 1912, he served in Morocco in 1914 in command of native troops. Upon the outbreak of the First World War, he was sent to the Western Front in France, where he was gravely wounded in 1915. As a result of this wound, he lost the use of his right arm.

After the war, he attended the École Supérieure de Guerre. He chose to serve in North Africa again. After the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939, he assumed command of the 15th Motorized Infantry Division. The division was encircled in the Lille pocket during the Battle of France and Juin was captured. He was a prisoner of war until he was released at the behest of the Vichy Government in 1941, and was assigned to command French forces in North Africa.

After Operation Torch, the invasion of Algeria and Morocco by British and American forces in November 1942, Juin ordered French forces in Tunisia to resist the Germans and the Italians. His great skills were exhibited during the Italian campaign as commander of the French Expeditionary Corps. His expertise in mountain warfare was crucial in breaking the Gustav Line, which had held up the Allied advance for six months.

Following this assignment, he was Chief of the Staff of the French forces and represented France at the San Francisco Conference. In 1947 he returned to Africa as the Resident-General of France in Morocco, where he opposed Moroccan attempts to gain independence. Next came a senior NATO position as he assumed command of CENTAG until 1956. During his NATO command, he was promoted to Marshal of France in 1952. He was greatly opposed to Charles De Gaulle's decision to grant independence to Algeria, and was "retired" in 1962 as a result. He was the French Army's last living Marshal of France until his death in Paris in 1967, when he was buried in Les Invalides.

  1. ^ a b c d e Government of the French Republic. "Birth certificate of Alphonse Pierre Juin". anom.archivesnationales.culture.gouv.fr. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
  2. ^ a b Government of the French Republic (19 September 1909). "Liste, par ordre de classement, des candidats reçus à l'école spéciale militaire à la suite du concours de 1909". gallica.bnf.fr. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
  3. ^ Government of the French Republic (9 September 1912). "Décret du 9 septembre 1912 portant mutation dans l'armée active". gallica.bnf.fr. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
  4. ^ Government of the French Republic (25 March 1913). "Décret du 25 mars 1913 portant mutation dans l'armée active". gallica.bnf.fr. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
  5. ^ Government of the French Republic (7 September 1927). "Décret du 7 september 1927 portant mutation dans l'armée active". gallica.bnf.fr. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
  6. ^ Government of the French Republic (23 July 1934). "Décret du 23 juillet 1934 portant mutation dans l'armée active". gallica.bnf.fr. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
  7. ^ Government of the French Republic (24 June 1935). "Décret du 24 juin 1935 portant promotion dans l'armée active". gallica.bnf.fr. Retrieved 12 August 2019.


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