Paul-Charles Ermens (June 8, 1884 – November 1, 1957) was a senior

Force Publique The ''Force Publique'' (, "Public Force"; nl, Openbare Weermacht) was a gendarmerie and military force in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1885 (when the territory was known as the Congo Free State), through the period of ...

officer An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," f ...

, Vice-

governor general Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy ...

of the

Belgian Congo The Belgian Congo (french: Congo belge, ; nl, Belgisch-Congo) was a Belgian colony in Central Africa from 1908 until independence in 1960. The former colony adopted its present name, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), in 1964. Colo ...

and Commander of the Force Publique. His most famous post was when he served as the commander of the Force Publique 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 opposing ...

Career

He graduated in 1903 from the Belgian Royal Military Academy and joined the Royal grenadiers regiment. In 1914 he was an officer in the Force Publique, on August 4, 1914, he was promoted to

Captain-commandant ''Captain-commandant'' is a rank currently used in the Belgian Armed Forces and formerly used in the United States Revenue Cutter Service and its successor, the United States Coast Guard. Belgian Armed Forces Captain-commandant is a company grade ...

. He commanded the 3rd battalion of the Force Publique in the East African Campaign (World War I), for his service he was awarded the title of knight in the

Order of the African Star The Order of the African Star ( nl, Orde van de Afrikaanse Ster; french: Ordre de l'Étoile africaine) was established by Leopold II of Belgium on 30 December 1888, in his capacity as ruler of the Congo Free State, and was awarded for services t ...

. In 1918 he became Commander of the Force Publique in East Africa. In 1925 he became General and was appointed as commander of the Force Publique. In 1930 he didn't agree with the plans to reform the Force Publique and returned to Belgium. In 1932 he was appointed as vice-

of the Belgian Congo and governor of

Congo-Kasaï Congo-Kasaï was one of the four large provinces of the Belgian Congo defined in 1914. It was formally established in 1919, and in 1933 was divided into the new provinces of Léopoldville and Lusambo. Location Congo-Kasaï was named after the Ka ...

, and became the assistant of

Pierre Ryckmans. During

he was appointed as

Lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

and Commander of the Force Publique. After the war he was reappointed as vice-

until the end of his career.

Honors and awards

* Commemorative Medal of the 1914–1917 African Campaigns * 1940–1945 African War Medal * Knight in the

References

Informational notes Citations Bibliography * Jacques VANDERLINDEN (1994). ''Pierre Ryckmans, 1891-1959, Coloniser dans l'honneur''. Brussel, De Boeck Université, p.539. {{DEFAULTSORT:Ermens, Paul 1884 births 1957 deaths Belgian military personnel of World War I Officers of the Force Publique Belgian Congo officials Military personnel from Brussels Royal Military Academy (Belgium) alumni Belgian generals Governors of provinces of the Belgian Congo Governors of Kasaï (former province)