Edmond Alphonse Léon Buat (17 September 1868 – 30 December 1923
) was a
general
A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry.
In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...
in the
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 For ...
, who served as
Chief of the Army Staff from 25 January 1920 until his death.
World War I
In World War I, Buat commanded first the 121st Infantry division and then the
2nd Army Corps. In January 1917, he became the head of the General Reserve of the Artillery. From February 1918, he commanded successively the
33rd Infantry division, the
17th Army Corps and from 12 June, the
5th Army.
Chief of Staff
Buat was appointed
Chief of the Army Staff on 25 January 1920, and attended the first meeting of
Conseil supérieur de la guerre The Conseil supérieur de la guerre (CSG, Superior War Council) was the highest military body in France under the Third Republic. It was under the presidency of the Minister of War, although vice presidents presided in his absence and took care of ...
following the armistice on 31 January. When asked by
Alexandre Millerand
Alexandre Millerand (; – ) was a French politician. He was Prime Minister of France from 20 January to 23 September 1920 and President of France from 23 September 1920 to 11 June 1924. His participation in Waldeck-Rousseau's cabinet at the sta ...
whether the French Army had the capacity to occupy the
Ruhr
The Ruhr ( ; german: Ruhrgebiet , also ''Ruhrpott'' ), also referred to as the Ruhr area, sometimes Ruhr district, Ruhr region, or Ruhr valley, is a polycentric urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population density of 2,800/km ...
he replied that this would only be possible by mobilising the reserves.
Death
He was buried in the
Cemetery Miséricorde
Cemetery Miséricorde is one of the major cemeteries in Nantes, France. It is located in the Hauts-Pavés - Saint-Félix district. It was opened in 1793 and over 10,000 graves have been placed their between then and 2010.
Gallery
Cimetière Misà ...
,
Nantes
Nantes (, , ; Gallo: or ; ) is a city in Loire-Atlantique on the Loire, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the sixth largest in France, with a population of 314,138 in Nantes proper and a metropolitan area of nearly 1 million inhabita ...
. On 10 July 1927 Petain, Alexandre Millerand and Ragueneau attended the inauguration of a monument to Buat in Nantes.
Publications
He wrote several books on military history specialising in artillery tactics:
* ''Un voyage d'état-major de corps d'armée'', (with General
Henri de Lacroix), Paris, R. Chapelot, 1908.
* ''Étude critique d'histoire militaire. 1809, de Ratisbonne à Znaïm'', deux volumes, Paris, R. Chapelot, 1909, republished Paris, Teissèdre, 2008.
''L'Artillerie de campagne : son histoire, son évolution, son état actuel'', Paris, Félix Alcan, coll. «Nouvelle collection scientifique», 1911. * ''Les Méthodes de tir de la batterie d'infanterie'', M. Imhaus et R. Chapelot, 1911, new edition, 1912.
* ''Procédés de commandement du groupe de batteries sur le champ de bataille'', Paris, R. Chapelot, 1912.
* ''La Lutte d'artillerie et les méthodes de tir de la contre-batterie'', Paris, M. Imhaus et R. Chapelot, 1912.
* ''La Concentration allemande d'après un document trouvé dans un compartiment de chemin de fer'', Paris, R. Chapelot, 1914 (published anonymously)
* ''L'Armée allemande pendant la guerre de 1914-1918, grandeur et décadence, manœuvres en lignes intérieures'', Paris, Chapelot, 1920 (German translation: ''Die Deutsche Armee im Weltkriege, ihre Grösse und ihr Verfall, ihr Manöverieren auf der inneren Linie. Herausgegeben und übersetzt von Hans Krause'', Munich, Wieland Verlag, 1921).
* ''Ludendorff'', Paris, Chapelot, 1921.
*
La Prise de Loivre par le 3e Battalion du 133e (16 avril 1917)', Paris, Chapelot, 1922.
* ''Hindenburg et Ludendorff stratèges'', Paris, Berger-Levrault, 1923.
His journal, ''Journal du général Edmond Buat 1914-1923'' was published posthumously by the French Ministry of Defense in 2015.
Promotions
* April 14, 1916:
Brigadier-General
Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...
on a temporary basis
* December 29, 1916:
Divisional General
Divisional general is a general officer rank who commands an army division. The rank originates from the French (Revolutionary) System, and is used by a number of countries. The rank is above a brigade general, and normally below an army corps ...
on a temporary basis
* December 31, 1916: Brigadier-General confirmed
* September 24, 1918: General of division confirmed
References
External link
Service recordsof General Buat
{{DEFAULTSORT:Buat, Edmond
1868 births
1923 deaths
French generals
French military personnel of World War I
École Polytechnique alumni
Grand Croix of the Légion d'honneur
Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France)
Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath
Grand Officers of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus
Officiers of the Ordre des Palmes Académiques
Recipients of the Croix de guerre (Belgium)