Jules Gaucher (13 September 1905 – 13 March 1954) was a French Army officer noted for his command of
Foreign Legion troops in
Indochina
Mainland Southeast Asia, also known as the Indochinese Peninsula or Indochina, is the continental portion of Southeast Asia. It lies east of the Indian subcontinent and south of Mainland China and is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the west an ...
. Described as a "burly, hard-drinking veteran of years of jungle fighting, with a nose like an axe-blade and a mouth like its cut", Gaucher was a popular commander among the Legion, known as 'the Old Man' to his troops. He was killed at the
Battle of Dien Bien Phu in 1954.
Early life
Gaucher graduated from the French
military academy
A military academy or service academy is an educational institution which prepares candidates for service in the officer corps. It normally provides education in a military environment, the exact definition depending on the country concerned. ...
at
Saint-Cyr in 1929 and was commissioned as a
Sous-lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank.
Australia
The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until 19 ...
(2nd Lieutenant). He was posted to
French Algeria and served as an officer with the
Régiment de Tirailleurs Algériens from 1929 to 1931. He transferred to the Foreign Legion in 1931 and served in North Africa with the
1st Foreign Legion Regiment (1e REI) and the
3rd Foreign Legion Regiment (3e REI). In 1938 he was promoted to
Capitaine (Captain) and transferred to 5th Foreign Infantry Regiment (5° REI) in
Tonkin
Tonkin, also spelled ''Tongkin'', ''Tonquin'' or ''Tongking'', is an exonym referring to the northern region of Vietnam. During the 17th and 18th centuries, this term referred to the domain '' Đàng Ngoài'' under Trịnh lords' control, includ ...
. When
open conflict erupted between the occupying Japanese and French forces in March 1945, Gaucher led his battalion out of
Hanoi
Hanoi or Ha Noi ( or ; vi, Hà Nội ) is the capital and second-largest city of Vietnam. It covers an area of . It consists of 12 urban districts, one district-leveled town and 17 rural districts. Located within the Red River Delta, Hanoi is ...
and marched to
Dien Bien Phu, where he received an encouraging radio message from General
Charles De Gaulle. Pursued by the Japanese, he then led his soldiers into China. He was promoted to
Chef de bataillon
Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...
(Major) that same year and returned to the Foreign Legion depot at
Sidi Bel Abbes
''Sidi'' or ''Sayidi'', also Sayyidi and Sayeedi, ( ar, سيدي, Sayyīdī, Sīdī (dialectal) "milord") is an Arabic masculine title of respect. ''Sidi'' is used often to mean "saint" or "my master" in Maghrebi Arabic and Egyptian Arabic. W ...
where he joined
13e Démi-Brigade de la Légion Étrangère (13e DBLE).
Indochina 1950–54
Gaucher was appointed to command of 3rd battalion of 13th demi-brigade (III/13e DBLE) in 1949 and returned to Indochina at the head of his battalion in 1950 as part of the
French Far East Expeditionary Corps
The French Far East Expeditionary Corps (french: Corps Expéditionnaire Français en Extrême-Orient, CEFEO) was a colonial expeditionary force of the French Union Army that was initially formed in French Indochina in 1945 during the Pacific W ...
to participate 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 ...
. Under his command, III/13e DBLE served throughout Indochina – notably in the Delta (1951) and at the
Battle of Hòa Bình
The Battle of Hòa Bình was fought during the First Indochina War. It occurred from 10 November 1951 to 25 February 1952, when French Union forces attempted to lure the Việt Minh out into the open and to force it to fight on French terms.
P ...
(1951–52). In 1951 he was promoted to
Lieutenant-colonel
Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colo ...
and asked to remain in Indochina with 13e DBLE instead of accepting command elsewhere. He served as
second-in-command (executive officer) of 13e DBLE from 1951 to 1953, until in 1953 he was appointed as commander of 13e DBLE. He had the reputation of a tough and hard-drinking soldier.
Dien Bien Phu 1953–54
Gaucher was appointed to command of Groupe Mobile 9 during the
Battle of Dien Bien Phu. The group (equivalent to a
regimental combat team
A regimental combat team (RCT) is a provisional major infantry unit which has seen use by branches of the United States Armed Forces. It is formed by augmenting a regular infantry regiment with smaller combat, combat support and combat service ...
) comprised three infantry battalions, the I/13e DBLE (''Demi-brigade de Légion étrangère'', Foreign Legion half-brigade), III/13e DBLE, and III/3e RTA (''Régiment de
tirailleurs
A tirailleur (), in the Napoleonic era, was a type of light infantry trained to skirmish ahead of the main columns. Later, the term "''tirailleur''" was used by the French Army as a designation for indigenous infantry recruited in the French ...
algériens'', Algerian sharpshooters regiment), and one artillery battery (the III/10e RAC). Stationed at the collection of strong points known as ''Béatrice'' to the northeast of the main base, Gaucher showed visitors that his men had cleared brambles and thickets to establish clear fields of fire and he expressed confidence in the formidable French defenses. By the beginning of March, Gaucher's men at ''Béatrice'' were taking casualties while on patrol, losing six officers in addition to the enlisted men.
On March 13, 1954, Gaucher made rounds among his men, pointing out weaknesses in defensive works and ordering final preparations for the attack he was confident would come that night. He told his men that ''Béatrice'', overlooking the road and exposed on the northeastern edge of the French base, was "the little goat that the tiger eats for breakfast."
During the attack that indeed came that night, Gaucher's
command post
Command and control (abbr. C2) is a "set of organizational and technical attributes and processes ... hatemploys human, physical, and information resources to solve problems and accomplish missions" to achieve the goals of an organization or e ...
was hit by artillery fire. Suffering from serious wounds – the loss of both arms, severe injuries to both legs, and an open chest wound – he died at the hospital.
[Windrow, p. 382-383.] His command of the base's central sub-sector was passed on to Lieutenant-colonel
Pierre Langlais
Pierre Charles Albert Marie Langlais (2 December 190917 July 1986http://www.dienbienphu.org/english/html/annuaire/langlais.htm) was a senior French military officer who fought in World War II and the First Indochina War. Hailing from the Brittany ...
.
Notes
References
*
Fall, Bernard B. 1966 (2002). ''Hell in a Very Small Place: The Siege of Dien Bien Phu''. Da Capo Press.
* Morgan, Ted. ''Valley of Death: The Tragedy at Dien Bien Phu That Led America into the Vietnam War'', Random House.
*
Windrow, Martin. 2004. ''The Last Valley''. Da Capo Press.
External links
Biography (in Italian)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gaucher, Jules
1905 births
1954 deaths
People from Bourges
Officers of the French Foreign Legion
French military leaders
French military personnel killed in the First Indochina War
French military personnel of the First Indochina War