Georges Marion Pierre Hamacek (1 December 1923 – 11 May 1953) 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 For ...

officer, who fought in

World War II 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 ...

in the

French Resistance The French Resistance (french: La Résistance) was a collection of organisations that fought the German occupation of France during World War II, Nazi occupation of France and the Collaborationism, collaborationist Vichy France, Vichy régim ...

and in the

First Indochina War The First Indochina War (generally known as the Indochina War in France, and as the Anti-French Resistance War in Vietnam) began in French Indochina from 19 December 1946 to 20 July 1954 between France and Việt Minh (Democratic Republic of Vi ...

in the Foreign Legion.

Biography

Georges Hamacek was born in a family of Czech immigrants. He joined the resistance network Turma-Vengeance in January 1944 before joining the Maquis Bernard in

Morvan The Morvan (historically Morvand from the Latin ''Murvinnum'' 590)Pierre-Henri Billy, ''Dictionnaire des noms de lieux de la France'', éditions Errance, 640 pages, 2011 , is a mountainous massif lying just to the west of the Côte d'Or escarp ...

. There he quickly raises in the ranks, becoming a deputy section chief, and earning 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 ...

with two citations. When the war ends he enrolls at the

École militaire interarmes The ''Combined Arms School'' or ''Joint warfare, Joint military school'', known as École Militaire Interarmes or EMIA, is a military school of the French Army intended to train officers who have risen from the ranks. It was founded in 1942 and ba ...

on 3 July 1945 and graduates on 15 December the same year with the rank of Second Lieutenant. He chooses the Foreign Legion and was sent to the 1st Battalion,

3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment The 3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment (french: 3e Régiment étranger d'infanterie, 3e REI) is an infantry regiment of the Foreign Legion in the French Army. The regiment is stationed in French Guiana. Its mission includes the protection of the C ...

in Aubagne. He volunteered for service in the Far East and landed in Saigon in June 1946. At the end of 1947, the battalion was sent to patrol the RC 4, where Lieutenant Hamacek receives another citation. He also receives the

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 B ...

for his repeated acts of courage and command of the 1st Company of the 1st Battalion,

. In 1951, Hamacek was transferred to the

3rd Foreign Parachute Battalion The 3rd Foreign Parachute Battalion (french: Foreign Legion formed based on the Parachute Instruction Company (C.I.P) of the 7th combat company of the 2nd Battalion of the 1st Foreign Regiment">1st Foreign Infantry Regiment. History, Creation a ...

(3e BEP) and then the

2nd Foreign Parachute Battalion The 2nd Foreign Parachute Battalion (french: 2e Bataillon Étranger de Parachutistes, 2e B.E.P) was a parachute battalion of the Foreign Legion in the French Army initially composed of volunteers of the 4th Demi-Brigade of the Foreign Legion ...

in 1952. He was killed in action in Laos on 11 May 1953. The 1989-1992 promotion of the

Saint Cyr Military Academy In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Catholic, Eastern Ortho ...

was named Capitaine Georges Hamacek in his honour.

Decorations

*Knight of the

Croix de guerre 1939-1945 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 ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hamacek, Georges 1923 births 1953 deaths Military personnel from Paris French Resistance members French military personnel killed in the First Indochina War Officers of the French Foreign Legion