Paul François Grossetti (; Paris, 10 September 1861 – Paris, 7 January 1918) 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 ...

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

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 ...

Early years

Grossetti was born in Paris, the son of Paul François Grossetti (born in Grosseto-Prugna). His father was a captain in the 44th Infantry Regiment, based in Paris. His mother was Anna Félicité Colonna. Both were of Corsican descent.
Paul studied at the Ecole Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr and graduated 3rd of 357 in his class. Once in the army, he was first stationed in Africa, where he fought against Algerian insurgents in 1881-1882. Later, he was stationed in Asia, where 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 en ...

(1885-1887). After this campaign, he returned to Africa (1887-1890).

World War I

At the outbreak of World War I, as a general, he received command of the 42nd Infantry Division.
He participated in the

Battle of the Ardennes The Battle of the Ardennes took place during the First World War fought on the frontiers of France, Germany, Belgium and Luxembourg from 21 to 23 August 1914. The German armies defeated the French and forced their retreat. The battle was part of ...

on 21–25 August. Then the division was transported west, where it contributed to the victory 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 ...

. On 21 October 1914, the division arrived in Flanders, to support the hard-pressed Belgian Army during the

Battle of the Yser The Battle of the Yser (french: Bataille de l'Yser, nl, Slag om de IJzer) was a battle of the First World War that took place in October 1914 between the towns of Nieuwpoort and Diksmuide, along a stretch of the Yser River and the Yperlee ...

.
For his notable leadership, Grossetti was given command of the 16th Army Corps on 7 November 1914, in the midst of the

First Battle of Ypres The First Battle of Ypres (french: Première Bataille des Flandres; german: Erste Flandernschlacht – was a battle of the First World War, fought on the Western Front (World War I), Western Front around Ypres, in West Flanders, Belgium. Th ...

. In 1915-1916, he fought with his Army Corps in the Battles of Champagne and the

Battle of Verdun The Battle of Verdun (french: Bataille de Verdun ; german: Schlacht um Verdun ) was fought from 21 February to 18 December 1916 on the Western Front in France. The battle was the longest of the First World War and took place on the hills north ...

.
On 1 February 1917, Grossetti became the new commander of the French Army of the Orient in Macedonia. After the unsuccessful

Battle of the Crna Bend (1917) The Battle of the Crna Bend was a major military engagement fought between the forces of the Central Powers and the Entente in May 1917. It was part of the Allied Spring Offensive of the same year that was designed to break the stalemate on t ...

, Grossetti was infected by

dysentery Dysentery (UK pronunciation: , US: ), historically known as the bloody flux, is a type of gastroenteritis that results in bloody diarrhea. Other symptoms may include fever, abdominal pain, and a feeling of incomplete defecation. Complications ...

and was repatriated to France in September 1917. There he died from the disease in January 1918 and was buried in the

Père Lachaise Cemetery Père Lachaise Cemetery (french: Cimetière du Père-Lachaise ; formerly , "East Cemetery") is the largest cemetery in Paris, France (). With more than 3.5 million visitors annually, it is the most visited necropolis in the world. Notable figures ...

. King

Albert I of Belgium Albert I (8 April 1875 – 17 February 1934) was King of the Belgians from 23 December 1909 until his death in 1934. Born in Brussels as the fifth child and second son of Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders and Princess Marie of Hohenzollern-S ...

had a statue erected in Ajaccio, in gratitude for the intervention by Grossetti's 42nd Division during the Battle of the Yser. {{DEFAULTSORT:Grossetti, Paul Francois 1861 births 1918 deaths French military personnel of World War I French generals Grand Officiers of the Légion d'honneur Deaths from dysentery