Georges Louis Humbert (8 April 1862 – 1921) was a French general 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 ...
.
He was the son of Émile Siméon Humbert, a gendarme and Nathalie Augustine Eulalie Breton.
Career
He participated in the
Tonkin Campaign
The Tonkin campaign was an armed conflict fought between June 1883 and April 1886 by the French against, variously, the Vietnamese, Liu Yongfu's Black Flag Army and the Chinese Guangxi and Yunnan armies to occupy Tonkin (northern Vietnam) and ...
(1885–1887), the
Second Madagascar expedition
The Second Madagascar expedition was a French military intervention which took place in 1894–95, sealing the conquest of the Merina Kingdom on the island of Madagascar by France. It was the last phase of the Franco-Hova War and followed the F ...
(1895–1896) and the Tunisia Expedition of 1906.
On 23 June 1907, he became Colonel of the 96th Infantry Regiment and on 23 March 1912 General of the 56th Infantry Brigade.
In World War I, he led the ''Division marocaine'' during the Battle of the Marshes of Saint-Gond, as part of the
First Battle of the Marne
The First Battle of the Marne was a battle of the First World War fought from 5 to 12 September 1914. It was fought in a collection of skirmishes around the Marne River Valley. It resulted in an Entente victory against the German armies in the ...
(September 1914).
Between 21 September 1914 and 9 March 1915, he was in command of the ''Groupement Humbert'', later named ''Corps combiné Humbert'', which became the 32nd Army Corps.
On 9 March 1915, he received the command of the
Eighth Army until 24 July of the same year, when he took over the command over the six divisions of the
Third Army, which he held until the Armistice. General Humbert played a key role for General Pétain in sealing the breach on the Western Front during the
German spring offensive.
He also briefly commanded the
Seventh Army, in 15–23 October 1918.
Humbert was one of the most appreciated French generals of World War I. His son Jacques followed in his footsteps and was a general during World War II.
Humbert died from complications of malaria in 1921.
He was buried in the vaults of
Les Invalides.
See also
*
Moroccan Division
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Humbert, Georges Louis
1862 births
1921 deaths
People from Yvelines
French generals
French military personnel of World War I
Officiers of the Légion d'honneur
Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army)