Étienne de Villaret (February 17, 1854 - January 18, 1931) was a senior officer in the French army.

Biography

He was born on February 17, 1854 in Saint-Laurent-Lolmie, France. In his youth, he served in Algeria and Tunisia, until 1884 when he joined the French military mission to Japan (1884–89) as a captain. Here he received the

Order of the Rising Sun The is a Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese government, created on 10 April 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge features rays of sunlight ...

. After his return to France in 1887, he was promoted to Brigadier General in March 1912 and given command of the 79th Infantry Brigade. In April 1914, he became head of the French military mission to Greece (1911–14) and commander of the Greek First Army Corps. He received the

Order of the Redeemer The Order of the Redeemer ( el, Τάγμα του Σωτήρος, translit=Tágma tou Sotíros), also known as the Order of the Saviour, is an order of merit of Greece. The Order of the Redeemer is the oldest and highest decoration awarded by the ...

but at the outbreak of the First World War, he was urgently called back to France. He received command of the 14th Infantry division and fought in the

Battle of Mulhouse The Battle of Mulhouse (german: Mülhausen), also called the Battle of Alsace (french: Bataille d'Alsace), which began on 7 August 1914, was the opening attack of the First World War by the French Army against Germany. The battle was part of a ...

in mid-August 1914. His division was transferred to the Somme where he participated in the Battle of Proyart-Vauvillers,

First Battle of the Marne The First Battle of the Marne was a battle of the First World War fought from 5 to 12 September 1914. It was fought in a collection of skirmishes around the Marne River Valley. It resulted in an Entente victory against the German armies in the ...

and the

First Battle of the Aisne The First Battle of the Aisne (french: 1re Bataille de l'Aisne) was the Allied follow-up offensive against the right wing of the German First Army (led by Alexander von Kluck) and the Second Army (led by Karl von Bülow) as they retreated aft ...

. For his excellent performance, he was promoted to command the VII Army Corps. On 13 March 1915, together with General

Michel-Joseph Maunoury Michel-Joseph Maunoury (17 December 1847 – 28 March 1923) was a commander of French forces in the early days of World War I who was posthumously elevated to the dignity of Marshal of France. Initially commanding in Lorraine, as the succe ...

, he was seriously injured by a German sniper, but less than a month later, he retook command of his Army Corps, with which he fought in the

Second Battle of Champagne The Second Battle of Champagne ( or Autumn Battle) in World War I was a French offensive against the German army at Champagne that coincided with an Anglo-French assault at north-east Artois and ended with French retreat. Battle On 25 Septemb ...

. In November 1915, he received command of the Seventh Army which he led in the last stages of the

Battle of Hartmannswillerkopf The Battle of Hartmannswillerkopf (french: bataille du Vieil-Armand) was a series of engagements during the First World War fought for the control of the Hartmannswillerkopf peak in Alsace in 1914 and 1915. The peak is a pyramidal rocky spur in t ...

. He remained in command of the Seventh Army until 19 December 1916, when he retired from active service. He died on January 18, 1931 in Angiers, France.

Source

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Villaret, Etienne de 1854 births 1931 deaths French military personnel of World War I French generals Recipients of the Order of the Rising Sun Hellenic Army generals France–Greece military relations