Eugène Mordant (23 July 1885 in

Châteauneuf-la-Forêt Châteauneuf-la-Forêt (; oc, Chasteu Nuòu) is a commune in the Haute-Vienne department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in western France. Inhabitants are known as ''Castelneuviens'' in French. See also *Communes of the Haute-Vienne departm ...

–8 September 1959) was a French lieutenant-general in the Second World War. The son of a policeman, he was admitted to the

École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr The École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr (ESM, literally the "Special Military School of Saint-Cyr") is a French military academy, and is often referred to as Saint-Cyr (). It is located in Coëtquidan in Guer, Morbihan, Brittany. Its motto is ...

in 1904. Upon graduation he became an officer in the Colonial Infantry and served in Morocco. Mordant had a distinguished record in the

First World War 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 ...

and fought in the

Fall of France The Battle of France (french: bataille de France) (10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign ('), the French Campaign (german: Frankreichfeldzug, ) and the Fall of France, was the German invasion of France during the Second World ...

during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. He became military commander of French forces in Indochina and was there during the Japanese coup d'état in French Indochina. He took part in the defence of the French garrison in

Hanoi Hanoi or Ha Noi ( or ; vi, Hà Nội ) is the capital and second-largest city of Vietnam. It covers an area of . It consists of 12 urban districts, one district-leveled town and 17 rural districts. Located within the Red River Delta, Hanoi is ...

and was taken prisoner but was released after the Japanese surrender.

Sources

biography
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Charles de Gaulle Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (; ; (commonly abbreviated as CDG) 22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French army officer and statesman who led Free France against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government ...

, ''Mémoires de guerre'', Volume 2 ''L'unité'' French lieutenant generals 1885 births 1959 deaths People from Haute-Vienne World War II prisoners of war held by Japan {{france-mil-bio-stub