François d'Astier de La Vigerie (7 March 1886 – 9 October 1956) was a French military leader during two World Wars. His family were from Vivarais, and were ennobled in 1829 under the

French Restoration The Bourbon Restoration was the period of French history during which the House of Bourbon returned to power after the first fall of Napoleon on 3 May 1814. Briefly interrupted by the Hundred Days War in 1815, the Restoration lasted until the J ...

. His father, le baron Raoul d'Astier de La Vigerie, was an artillery officer, and his mother, Jeanne, née Masson-Bachasson de Montalivet, was the granddaughter of Camille, comte de Montalivet, who had been Minister of the Interior under

Louis-Philippe I of France Louis Philippe (6 October 1773 – 26 August 1850) was King of the French from 1830 to 1848, and the penultimate List of French monarchs#House of Orléans, July Monarchy (1830–1848), monarch of France. As Louis Philippe, Duke of Chartres, h ...

. François d’Astier was brought up partly in Paris and partly at the Château de Rançay at

Niherne Niherne () is a commune in the Indre department in central France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories ...

Military career

Having attended the Ecole Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr, he became a lieutenant in 1911 and was attached to a cavalry regiment when the First World War broke out in August 1914. He was an officer of the 1st Infantry Brigade of the 1st Moroccan Infantry Division in 1915, and gained his pilot's licence in 1916. In the course of the war he won the

Croix de Guerre The ''Croix de Guerre'' (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awa ...

and seven citations. During the inter-war years, he took several administrative positions, including postings in Finland and Italy. He was involved in the war in Morocco between 1927 and 1929. By 1936, he was the youngest general in France, commanding the 23rd aerial brigade. When war broke out in 1939, he was appointed inspector-general of military schools.(French) Accessed 5 December 2010
/ref> In December he was sent to Algiers to coordinate French military operations in Europe and northwestern Africa, and advised General Vuillemin and

Admiral Darlan Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...

to transfer the French Air Force to North Africa; his advice was not taken. In July 1940, d'Astier refused to obey Darlan's order to attack British warships at Gibraltar, and a month later he was relieved of his command. Returning to France, he joined "La Dernière Colonne", a Resistance group, and in 1942, his brother Emmanuel delivered a letter from De Gaulle, inviting d'Astier to join him. He was sent to Algeria to prepare for de Gaulle's arrival in North Africa, and was subsequently named commander of the French forces in the UK. At the beginning of 1944, he was supporting General Eisenhower in preparations for the invasion of France. After carrying out further missions in Algeria and Spain, he rejoined de Gaulle after the liberation of Paris. In November 1944, d'Astier was made a Compagnon de la Libération and became France's ambassador in Rio de Janeiro.

Works

*''Les Cahiers de la France Libérée'' (1946) *''Mermoz'' (1946) *''Le ciel n'était pas vide'' (1952)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Astier de la Vigerie, Francois d 1886 births 1956 deaths Lycée Janson-de-Sailly alumni École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr alumni French World War I pilots French military personnel of World War I French military personnel of World War II Officers of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus Grand Officiers of the Légion d'honneur French generals Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France) Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 (France) Recipients of the Croix de guerre des théâtres d'opérations extérieures Companions of the Liberation Ambassadors of France to Brazil People from Le Mans Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery