Jean Bréchignac (29 September 1914 – 25 May 1984) 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 ...

, First Indochina War and

Algerian War The Algerian War, also known as the Algerian Revolution or the Algerian War of Independence,( ar, الثورة الجزائرية '; '' ber, Tagrawla Tadzayrit''; french: Guerre d'Algérie or ') and sometimes in Algeria as the War of 1 November ...

. He led the 2nd Battalion,

1st Parachute Chasseur Regiment The 1st Parachute Chasseur Regiment (french: 1er Régiment de Chasseurs Parachutistes, 1er R.C.P) is the oldest and among the most decorated airborne regiments of the French Army. Established in the French Army in 1943 and formerly part of the Fr ...

(1er RCP) in Indochina, most notable during the

Battle of Dien Bien Phu The Battle of Dien Bien Phu (french: Bataille de Diên Biên Phu ; vi, Chiến dịch Điện Biên Phủ, ) was a climactic confrontation of the First Indochina War that took place between 13 March and 7 May 1954. It was fought between the Fr ...

, and the

9th Parachute Chasseur Regiment The 9th Parachute Chasseur Regiment (french: 9e Régiment de Chasseurs Parachutistes, 9e RCP) was an airborne unit of the French Army that was part of the French Airborne Units and all three histories of the 10th Parachute Division, 25th Para ...

in Algeria. His career ended when he took part in the 1961 Algiers putsch against the French government. He was described as one of the most accomplished officers of his period by

Jules Roy Jules Roy (22 October 1907 – 15 June 2000) was a French writer. "Prolific and polemical" Roy, born an Algerian pied noir and sent to a Roman Catholic seminary, used his experiences in the French colony and during his service in the Royal Air For ...

Biography

He was a graduate from Saint-Cyr Military Academy and fought in

. Bréchignac was given command of the 2nd Battalion of the

(1er RCP), which arrived in Indochina on 17 January 1953, taking part in several airborne operations, most notable the Battle of Dien Bien Phu. He and most of his battalion jumped into Dien Bien Phu during the night of 3/4 April. Bréchignac was captured at the end of the battle; he was amongst the minority that survived

Viet Minh The Việt Minh (; abbreviated from , chữ Nôm and Hán tự: ; french: Ligue pour l'indépendance du Viêt Nam, ) was a national independence coalition formed at Pác Bó by Hồ Chí Minh on 19 May 1941. Also known as the Việt Minh Fro ...

captivity. Bréchignac commanded the

from 1959 to 1961. He took part in the 1961 Algiers putsch against the French government, when it failed he was sentenced to two years' imprisonment on 26 June.

Decorations

*Commander of 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 ...

Croix de guerre 1939–1945 The ''Croix de Guerre 1939–1945'' (English: War Cross 1939–1945) is a French military decoration, a version of the ''Croix de Guerre'' created on 26 September 1939 to honour people who fought with the Allies against the Axis forces at any ti ...

Croix de guerre des Théatres d'Opérations Exterieures 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 ...

* Croix de la Valeur Militaire He received thirteen citations during his career. {{DEFAULTSORT:Brechignac, Jean 1914 births 1984 deaths People from Annecy French Army officers École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr alumni French Army personnel of World War II French Army personnel who were court-martialed French military personnel of the First Indochina War French military personnel of the Algerian War Commanders of the Legion of Honour Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 (France) Recipients of the Croix de guerre des théâtres d'opérations extérieures Recipients of the Cross for Military Valour People convicted of treason against France