Augustin Yvon Edmond Dubail (15 April 1851 – 7 January 1934) was a
French Army
The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (french: Armée de Terre, ), is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces. It is responsible to the Government of France, along with the other components of the Armed Force ...
general
A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry.
In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...
.
He commanded the
First Army and Army Group East during
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
.
Biography
Augustin Dubail was born in
Belfort
Belfort (; archaic german: Beffert/Beffort) is a city in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in Northeastern France, situated between Lyon and Strasbourg, approximately from the France–Switzerland border. It is the prefecture of the Terri ...
on April 15, 1851.
He graduated from the military school of
Saint-Cyr in 1870 and was commissioned an officer in the infantry. During the
Franco-Prussian War Dubail fought at
Saarbrücken,
Spicheren,
Borny before being captured at
Metz
Metz ( , , lat, Divodurum Mediomatricorum, then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers. Metz is the prefecture of the Moselle department and the seat of the parliament of the Grand ...
. After the war Dubail served as a professor at Saint-Cyr, as an officer on the border and in
Algeria
)
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, relig ...
, where in 1901 he became colonel of the 3rd Zouaves.
In 1904–1905 Dubail served twice as chief of staff of the
French Minister of War Maurice Berteaux. Promoted to brigadier general, Dubail commanded the 53rd Infantry Brigade, the 5th Infantry Brigade and the 14th Infantry Brigade and was commandant of Saint-Cyr (1906–1908) before being appointed to the technical committee of the infantry.
During the
Agadir Crisis
The Agadir Crisis, Agadir Incident, or Second Moroccan Crisis was a brief crisis sparked by the deployment of a substantial force of French troops in the interior of Morocco in April 1911 and the deployment of the German gunboat to Agadir, a ...
in 1911 Dubail was Chief of Staff of the Army,
reporting to the new War Minister,
Adolphe Messimy
Adolphe Marie Messimy (31 January 1869 – 1 September 1935) was a French politician and general. He served as Minister of War in 1911–12 and then again for a few months during July Crisis, the outbreak of and first three weeks of the First Wor ...
. Messimy and Dubail tried to have the Army adopt 105mm heavy guns, but French generals saw them as a drag on the offensive (preferring to use the lighter and more mobile ''"
Soixante-Quinze"'' gun) and better used as a defensive weapon like machine guns, so only a few were in use by 1914. General Victor Michel, Vice-President of the Supreme War Council and commander-in-chief designate, later claimed that Dubail had privately agreed with his plans to deploy reservists in the front line and to adopt a more defensive war plan; however Michel had to resign when no senior general backed him.
[Tuchman 1962, p.46-7] Dubail's post was abolished in Messimy's reforms.
[Tuchman 1962, p. 48-9 The job was merged with that of Vice-President of the Supreme War Council to create a new enhanced post of Chief of the General Staff; the generals considered for the post - ]Joseph Joffre
Joseph Jacques Césaire Joffre (12 January 1852 – 3 January 1931) was a French general who served as Commander-in-Chief of French forces on the Western Front from the start of World War I until the end of 1916. He is best known for regroupi ...
(who was appointed), Joseph Gallieni
Joseph Simon Gallieni (24 April 1849 – 27 May 1916) was a French soldier, active for most of his career as a military commander and administrator in the French colonies. Gallieni is infamous in Madagascar as the French military leader who e ...
and Paul Pau
Paul Marie Cesar Gerald Pau, (29 November 1848, Montélimar – 2 January 1932) was a French soldier and general who served in the Franco-Prussian War and in World War I.
He took part in the Franco-Prussian War, suffering the loss of his low ...
- were all senior to Dubail
In 1912 Dubail was given command of the
IX Corps 9 Corps, 9th Corps, Ninth Corps, or IX Corps may refer to:
France
* 9th Army Corps (France)
* IX Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars
Germany
* IX Corps (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial Germ ...
and in 1914 he became a member of the Supreme War Council.
When the war broke out Dubail was given command of the
First Army, which would start the invasion of Germany by
taking Lorraine together with
de Castelnau's Second Army. The armies met strong German resistance and were repulsed out of Lorraine with heavy casualties. They were able to reform and defend the French border against a German attack.
In 1915 he was promoted to commander of
Army Group East (G.A.E) on the
Western Front, around
Belfort
Belfort (; archaic german: Beffert/Beffort) is a city in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in Northeastern France, situated between Lyon and Strasbourg, approximately from the France–Switzerland border. It is the prefecture of the Terri ...
and
Verdun
Verdun (, , , ; official name before 1970 ''Verdun-sur-Meuse'') is a large city in the Meuse department in Grand Est, northeastern France. It is an arrondissement of the department.
Verdun is the biggest city in Meuse, although the capital ...
. He became convinced that a major German offensive was coming against Verdun. He called for reinforcements and heavy artillery and the new
Allie
Allie is a unisex given name, a nickname and, more rarely a surname. It is a diminutive form of several names beginning with ''Al-''. It may refer to:
Given name or nickname Female
* Allie (wrestler) (born 1987), Canadian professional wrestler
...
tanks for the Verdun sector, but the French commander-in-chief,
Joseph Joffre
Joseph Jacques Césaire Joffre (12 January 1852 – 3 January 1931) was a French general who served as Commander-in-Chief of French forces on the Western Front from the start of World War I until the end of 1916. He is best known for regroupi ...
, wasn't convinced that an attack was imminent.
When the
German offensive began at Verdun, Joffre partly blamed Dubail, who was fired in March 1916, publicly humiliated. He claimed to have been made a scapegoat for Joffre's lack of foresight, although he had himself public played down the likelihood of a German attack at Verdun. Dubail was hired again in April 1916, becoming military governor of
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...
, a position he kept until June 1918, when he was replaced by General Guillaumat.
Dubail died on January 7, 1934,
aged 82.
Decorations
*
Légion d'honneur
The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...
**Knight (24 June 1886)
**Officer (11 July 1900)
**Commander (30 December 1905)
**Grand Officer (30 December 1911)
**Grand Cross (18 September 1914)
*
Médaille militaire
The ''Médaille militaire'' ( en, Military Medal) is a military decoration of the French Republic for other ranks for meritorious service and acts of bravery in action against an enemy force. It is the third highest award of the French Republic, ...
(8 October 1915)
*
Croix de guerre 1914–1918
Croix (French for "cross") may refer to:
Belgium
* Croix-lez-Rouveroy, a village in municipality of Estinnes in the province of Hainaut
France
* Croix, Nord, in the Nord department
* Croix, Territoire de Belfort, in the Territoire de Belfort depa ...
with 3 palms
*
Commemorative medal of the 1870–1871 War
The Commemorative medal of the 1870–1871 War (french: Médaille commémorative de la guerre 1870–1871) was a French military campaign medal awarded to those who served during the Franco-Prussian War.
The war, declared by Emperor Napoleon ...
*Médaille Interalliée de la Victoire 1914-1918
*Médaille Commémorative de la Grande Guerre
*
War Cross (Belgium)
*
Distinguished Service Medal (US)
*
Honorary Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George (UK)
*
Officer of Nichan Iftikhar (Tunisia)
*
Grand Cross of St. Stanislas
*
Grand Cross of the White Eagle
*
Grand Cross of the Crown
*
Grand Cross of the Sacred Treasure
*
Grand Cross of the Rising Sun
References
General references
* David F. Burg & L. Edward Purcell, ''Almanac of World War I'', The University Press of Kentucky, 1998.
*
Christopher Clark, ''The Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went to War in 1914'', Allen Lane, Penguin, 2012.
* .
Biography of Augustin Dubail
Base Léonore for his records concerning the Légion d'honneur (French decoration)
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dubail, Auguste
1851 births
1934 deaths
Military personnel from Belfort
French generals
French military personnel of World War I
Military governors of Paris
Grand Croix of the Légion d'honneur
Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France)
Grand Chanceliers of the Légion d'honneur
Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army)
Honorary Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George
Foreign recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (United States)
École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr commandants