General Henri Joseph Simon (23 February 1866 – 15 May 1956) was a French army officer. He is particularly associated with the
French protectorate of Morocco
The French protectorate in Morocco (french: Protectorat français au Maroc; ar, الحماية الفرنسية في المغرب), also known as French Morocco, was the period of French colonial rule in Morocco between 1912 to 1956. The prote ...
where he spent much of his army career. Simon served as head of intelligence to
Hubert Lyautey
Louis Hubert Gonzalve Lyautey (17 November 1854 – 27 July 1934) was a French Army general and colonial administrator. After serving in Indochina and Madagascar, he became the first French Resident-General in Morocco from 1912 to 1925. Early in ...
and as director of the Moroccan Indigenous Affairs Service as well as conventional combat roles. He later wrote books about his time in Morocco and helped the production of the 1934 film ''Itto''.
Morocco
![Mangin enters Marrakesh (September 1912)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/21/Mangin_enters_Marrakesh_%28September_1912%29.jpg)
Simon was born on 23 February 1866 at
Sélestat
Sélestat (; Alsatian: ''Schlettstàdt''; German: ''Schlettstadt'') is a commune in the Grand Est region of France. An administrative division (Subprefectures in France, sous-préfecture) of the Bas-Rhin Departments of France, department, the tow ...
in the
Bas-Rhin
Bas-Rhin (; Alsatian: ''Unterelsàss'', ' or '; traditional german: links=no, Niederrhein; en, Lower Rhine) is a department in Alsace which is a part of the Grand Est super-region of France. The name means 'Lower Rhine', referring to its low ...
department of
Alsace
Alsace (, ; ; Low Alemannic German/ gsw-FR, Elsàss ; german: Elsass ; la, Alsatia) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in eastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine next to Germany and Switzerland. In 2020, it had ...
.
As a captain Simon was attached to the native affairs office of
Algeria
)
, image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Algiers
, coordinates =
, largest_city = capital
, relig ...
and was appointed a chevalier of the
Legion of Honour
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, ...
on 11 July 1903.
As a Chef de bataillon (major) he was with the 116th Infantry Regiment in Casablanca on 30 December 1911 when he was appointed an officer of the Legion of Honour.
He was given command of the irregular
Moroccan Goumier
The Moroccan Goumiers (french: Les Goumiers Marocains) were indigenous Moroccans, Moroccan soldiers who served in auxiliary units attached to the French Army of Africa (France), Army of Africa, between 1908 and 1956. While nominally in the servic ...
s in French service in 1911.
An initially temporary arrangement Simon provided such "good service" that his superior, Colonel Pein, called them "the marvel and revelation of this campaign" and they were expanded and integrated as a permanent part of the French armed forces.
[ By 1912 Simon had been promoted to Colonel and, under the command of Colonel ]Charles Mangin
Charles Emmanuel Marie Mangin (6 July 1866 – 12 May 1925) was a French general during World War I.
Early career
Charles Mangin was born on 6 July 1866 in Sarrebourg. After initially failing to gain entrance to Saint-Cyr, he joined the 77th ...
, fought against an anti-French rebellion by the self-proclaimed Sultan Ahmed al-Hiba
Ahmed al-Hiba (, also known as The Blue Sultan; 9 September 1877 – 26 June 1919), was a leader of an armed resistance to the French colonial power in southern Morocco, and pretender to the sultanate of Morocco. In English texts he is usually ...
. After the Battle of Sidi Bou Othman
The Battle of Sidi Bou Othman was an important battle fought at Sidi Bou Othman, some 40 kilometers north of Marrakesh, during the French conquest of Morocco. It saw the victory of a French column under Colonel Charles Mangin over the forces o ...
Simon lead a column of French troops to Marrakesh
Marrakesh or Marrakech ( or ; ar, مراكش, murrākuš, ; ber, ⵎⵕⵕⴰⴽⵛ, translit=mṛṛakc}) is the fourth largest city in the Kingdom of Morocco. It is one of the four Imperial cities of Morocco and is the capital of the Marrakes ...
to rescue European hostages held there and swiftly brought the rebellion to an end. In 1913 he was placed in charge of the Moroccan Native Affairs service and, fighting successfully alongside Mangin in Western Morocco, he was given command of the Oued Zem
Oued Zem is a city in Khouribga Province, Béni Mellal-Khénifra, Morocco. According to the 2014 Moroccan census, Oued Zem had a population of 95,267.
Wadi Zem is a Moroccan city located in central Morocco, in the Chaouia-Ouardigha region in the ...
sector. During the Zaian War
Zayanes ( ber, Azayi (singular), (plural); ) are a Berbers, Berber population inhabiting the Khenifra region, located in the central Middle Atlas mountains of Morocco.
Zayanes tribes are known for their attachment to ancestral land and for the ...
of 1914-21 Simon served as General Hubert Lyautey
Louis Hubert Gonzalve Lyautey (17 November 1854 – 27 July 1934) was a French Army general and colonial administrator. After serving in Indochina and Madagascar, he became the first French Resident-General in Morocco from 1912 to 1925. Early in ...
's head of intelligence. Simon later became director of the Indigenous Affairs Service of Morocco and was a member of the Rabat
Rabat (, also , ; ar, الرِّبَاط, er-Ribât; ber, ⵕⵕⴱⴰⵟ, ṛṛbaṭ) is the capital city of Morocco and the country's seventh largest city with an urban population of approximately 580,000 (2014) and a metropolitan populati ...
Berber Studies Committee from its establishment in 1915. On 14 April 1917 Simon was appointed an officer of the Legion of Honour, at which point he was commanding an infantry brigade on the German front. On 7 February 1918 Simon was appointed commanding officer of the 73rd Infantry Brigade, transferring to the 33rd brigade on 6 June and to the 334th brigade on 28 May 1919. Simon commanded the 154th Infantry brigade from 12 September, the 255th from 11 December 1922 and was promoted to command the 77th Infantry division on 10 April 1923.
Simon was a Général de Brigade and commanded the French "bridgehead" at Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in th ...
, Germany on 12 July 1923 when he was appointed grand officer of the Legion of Honour. Simon became a grand cross of the Legion of Honour on 11 July 1928 at which point he was general commanding the 11th Infantry Division.[
]
Later life
Simon later became a writer, publishing ''Un officier d'Afrique: le commandant Verlet-Hanus: mission saharienne, pacification marocaine (1898-1912)'' (An Officer in Africa: Commandant Verlet-Hanus: Saharan Mission, Moroccan Pacification) in 1930 regarding his time in Morocco and also ''Pacification du Rif : soumission d'Abd el Krim'' (Pacification of the Rif : Submission of Abd el Krim
Muhammad ibn Abd al-Karim al-Khattabi (; Tarifit: Muḥend n Ɛabd Krim Lxeṭṭabi, ⵎⵓⵃⵏⴷ ⵏ ⵄⴰⴱⴷⵍⴽⵔⵉⵎ ⴰⵅⵟⵟⴰⴱ), better known as Abd el-Krim (1882/1883, Ajdir, Morocco – 6 February 1963, Cairo, Egypt) ...
) regarding the Rif War
The Rif War () was an armed conflict fought from 1921 to 1926 between Spain (joined by History of France, France in 1924) and the Berbers, Berber tribes of the mountainous Rif region of northern Morocco.
Led by Abd el-Krim, the Riffians at ...
.[ He was also involved with the production of the 1934 film ''Itto'', filmed in Morocco and written by fellow soldier ]Maurice Le Glay
Maurice Le Glay (1868 – 3 April 1936) was a French Army officer and author of works on Morocco. He served as an artillery and political officer in Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco before retiring to a civil post in 1918 so that he could begin ...
. Simon died on 15 May 1956.[
]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Simon, Henri
1866 births
1956 deaths
French Army officers
French military personnel of World War I