Philippe Louis Edmé Marie François Erulin (5 July 193226 September 1979) was a senior officer in the

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 ...

. He came from a family of renowned officers and military traditions. He is best known as the

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

Commandant of the

2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment The 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment (french: 2e Régiment étranger de parachutistes, 2e REP) is the only airborne regiment of the Foreign Legion in the French Army. It is one of the four infantry regiments of the 11th Parachute Brigade and part o ...

2^e REP, who directed the military intervention in

Zaïre Zaire (, ), officially the Republic of Zaire (french: République du Zaïre, link=no, ), was a Congolese state from 1971 to 1997 in Central Africa that was previously and is now again known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Zaire was, ...

against the Katanga rebels responsible for several massacres. It was the success in the

Battle of Kolwezi The Battle of Kolwezi was an airborne operation by French and Belgian airborne forces that took place in May 1978 in Zaire during the Shaba II invasion of Zaire by the Front for the National Liberation of the Congo (FLNC). It aimed at rescuing E ...

which resulted in the liberation of the majority of the Katanga rebels' hostages. However, Erulin was later accused of having used

torture Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons such as punishment, extracting a confession, interrogation for information, or intimidating third parties. Some definitions are restricted to acts c ...

during the

Algeria 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 ...

; an accusation that remains unsubstantiated and controversial.

Biography

Family

His grandfather,

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 colonel. ...

Louis-Joseph Erulin, as well as his father,

André Erulin, were both officers, both having graduated from Saint-Cyr, having each served in a World War. His father received the

Croix de Guerre 1939-1945 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 guerre des théâtres d'opérations extérieures The ''Croix de guerre des théâtres d'opérations extérieurs'' (War Cross for foreign operational theatres), also called the ''Croix de Guerre TOE'' for short, is a French military award denoting citations earned in combat in foreign countri ...

Resistance Medal The Resistance Medal (french: Médaille de la Résistance) was a decoration bestowed by the French Committee of National Liberation, based in the United Kingdom, during World War II. It was established by a decree of General Charles de Gaulle on 9 ...

with rosette, and the

Commandeur Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

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, ...

, then died in Indochina in 1951 at the head of Mobile Group 4 under the orders of

Général is the French word for general. There are two main categories of generals: the general officers (), which are the highest-ranking commanding officers in the armed forces, and the specialist officers with flag rank (), which are high-level offic ...

Jean de Lattre de Tassigny Jean Joseph Marie Gabriel de Lattre de Tassigny (2 February 1889 – 11 January 1952) was a French général d'armée during World War II and the First Indochina War. He was posthumously elevated to the dignity of Marshal of France in 1952. As ...

who stated while presiding over pronouncing the Military Honours: His brother Dominique stated that his parents gave them a very strict education, and that at the death of his father, Philippe Erulin inherited a part of the family responsibilities.

Military career

Officer of the 1^er RCP

Engaged for 8 years at the ESMIA promotion «

French Union The French Union () was a political entity created by the French Fourth Republic to replace the old French colonial empire system, colloquially known as the " French Empire" (). It was the formal end of the "indigenous" () status of French subje ...

» on September 29, 1952, Philipe Erulin followed the course of the school of infantry application (french: École d’application de l’infanterie) until January 1955. He was assigned to the 1^e RCP from 1954 to 1959 at Bône then Philippeville with the rank of

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

. He was assigned to the 6th company of the 153rd Motorized Infantry Regiment 153^e RIM at Bône Algeria and assumed the commandment of that latter on June 1, 1962. The 153^e RIM, repatriated from Algeria became mechanized and garrisoned at Mutzig on January 4, 1963. He participated at the corps of this regiment to the

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 ...

(french: guerre d'Algérie) and Operation Musketeer (french: Opération Mousquetaire). In Algeria, he directed a section which combat engaged notably in the Aurès and in Kabylie. He was wounded twice out of which one was serious, and was cited 4 times. He was made a Chevalier of the

Legion of Honor 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 ...

at the age of 26. He participated to the Battle of Algiers (french:

bataille d'Alger Bataille is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Christian Bataille (born 1946), French politician *Frédéric Bataille (1850–1946), French educator, poet and mycologist * Georges Bataille (1897–1962), French intellectual and l ...

) in which his regiment was engaged in 1957. He was with André Charbonnier, one of the two officers that stopped

Maurice Audin Maurice Audin (14 February 1932 – c. 21 June 1957) was a renowned French mathematics assistant at the University of Algiers, a member of the Algerian Communist Party and an activist in the anticolonialist cause, who died under torture by the Fr ...

(french:

), Algerian militant communist whose party was engaged in the armed struggle with the FLN, on June 10, 1957. On July 1, 1964, he joined the general staff headquarters of the 6th Mechanized Brigade. Destined for a tour deployment overseas, he was assigned as a quality chief at the operations bureau of the

3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment The 3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment (french: 3e Régiment étranger d'infanterie, 3e REI) is an infantry regiment of the Foreign Legion in the French Army. The regiment is stationed in French Guiana. Its mission includes the protection of the C ...

3^e REI at Diego Suarez on August 2, 1966, as well as the general staff headquarters of the regiment. He was promoted to the rank of

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 ...

on July 1, 1968. Repatriated by end of tour on August 12, 1968, he was assigned to the ninth administrative regional company. In November, he joined the inspection of the infantry then integrated the 84th promotion of the Superior War School on September 1, 1970.

Controversy on assumed acts of torture

Henri Alleg Henri Alleg (20 July 1921 – 17 July 2013), born as Harry John Salem, was a French-Algerian journalist, director of the '' Alger républicain'' newspaper, and a member of the French Communist Party. After Editions de Minuit, a French publish ...

(french:

), a communist militant, director of Alger républicain (french:

Alger républicain ''Alger républicain'' (''Republican Algeria'', الجزائر الجمهورية) is an Arabic language Algerian newspaper published in Algeria. History and profile ''Alger républicain'' was founded in October 1938, and intermittently publishe ...

), stopped right after Audin in the same operation, accused Charbonnier and Erulin of having tortured him under the orders of

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

Roger Faulques Roger Louis Faulques (14 December 1924 – 6 November 2011) René Faulques, was a French Army Colonel, a graduate of the École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr, a paratrooper officer of the French Foreign Legion, and a mercenary. He fought in Wo ...

. He published in 1958 ''

La Question ''La Question'' (French for "The question") is a book by Henri Alleg, published in 1958. It is famous for precisely describing the methods of torture used by French paratroopers during the Algerian War from the point of view of a victim. ''La Que ...

'' (french:

), a testimony denouncing

torture during the Algerian war of independence Elements of both sides in the Algerian War—the French Armed Forces and the opposing Algerian National Liberation Front (FLN)—used deliberate torture during that conflict (1954–1962), creating an ongoing public controversy. Pierre Vidal-Naque ...

(french: torture pendant la guerre d'Algérie). On the services which were applicable on him, Henri Alleg talked about a « torturing lieutenant », trying to refer to Philippe Erulin.

, ''

'', , cité par Désirée Schyns, ''La mémoire littéraire de la guerre d'Algérie dans la fiction algérienne francophone'',
Google Books

Pierre Vidal-Naquet Pierre Emmanuel Vidal-Naquet (; 23 July 1930 – 29 July 2006) was a French historian who began teaching at the ''École des hautes études en sciences sociales'' (EHESS) in 1969. Vidal-Naquet was a specialist in the study of Ancient Greece, but ...

(french:

) reported the testimony of Georges Hadjad, another communist militant, who was trying to confirm having seen «

Erulin » and other officers with Audin in the space where the latter was tortured.

, ''L'Affaire Audin'', cité par Nathalie Funès, ''Le camp de Lodi: Algérie, 1954-1962'
Google Books
All denied torture.Henri Alleg, ''Mémoire Algérienne'', Stock 2005, cité par Pierre-Alban Thomas, ''Pour l'honneur de l'armée: Réponse au général Schmitt sur la guerre d'Algérie'',
Google Books
In 1978, the guest of the television broadcast ''Les Dossiers de l'écran'' (french: Les Dossiers de l'écran),

René Andrieu René Andrieu ( Beauregard, 1920–1998) was a French Communist Resistance fighter, journalist and politician. He served in the Francs-Tireurs et Partisans during World War II, and headed the Communist newspaper ''l'Humanité'' from 1958 to 1984. H ...

(french:

), also editor chief of L'Humanité (french:

L'Humanité ''L'Humanité'' (; ), is a French daily newspaper. It was previously an organ of the French Communist Party, and maintains links to the party. Its slogan is "In an ideal world, ''L'Humanité'' would not exist." History and profile Pre-World Wa ...

), profited from the resounding of Operation Kolwezi, to accuse Philippe Erulin to have been the torturer of

, the latter, still insisting as mentioned in his book. The Ministre de la Défense

Yvon Bourges Yvon may refer to: * Yvon (given name), a masculine given name * Yvon (surname), a surname See also * Chapelle-Yvon * Evon * Ivon * Jaille-Yvon * Pierre-Yvon * Yvan Yvan is a given name. Notable people with the name include: * Jacques-Yvan Mor ...

(french:

), announced in a statement that he was scandalized by the behavior of

, while the rescue intervention in Shaba was still on going in action. A little later, Jean Planchais (french:

Jean Planchais Jean may refer to: People * Jean (female given name) * Jean (male given name) * Jean (surname) Fictional characters * Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character * Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations * Jean ...

) profited from the death of

Philipe Erulin to criticize the amnesty and silence on the torture during that war (french: la torture durant cette guerre). René Andrieu was condemned for defamation (without compensation for the offence of, the Court, establishing accordingly case-law (french: établissant ainsi une jurisprudence)), and the affair inspired the film

A Captain's Honor ''A Captain's Honor'' (french: L'Honneur d'un capitaine) is a 1982 French war film directed by Pierre Schoendoerffer. Plot A courtroom-drama about a dead Captain whose memory is publicly accused by a historian on TV, twenty years after his death. ...

(french: L'Honneur d'un capitaine). The family of Colonel Erulin launched accordingly several legal accusations while winning some. In 2014, Jean-Charles Deniau (french: Jean-Charles Deniau), who obtained the undisclosed topics of

général is the French word for general. There are two main categories of generals: the general officers (), which are the highest-ranking commanding officers in the armed forces, and the specialist officers with flag rank (), which are high-level offic ...

Paul Aussaresses Paul Aussaresses (; 7 November 1918 – 3 December 2013) was a French Army general, who fought during World War II, the First Indochina War and Algerian War. His actions during the Algerian War—and later defense of those actions—caused consid ...

(french:

) confirmed that Audin and Alleg were tortured, but did not cite or mention Philipe Erulin as a torturer of these last two.

Commandant of the 2^e REP

Insigne 2e régiment étranger de parachutistes

On July 9, 1976, Philipe Erulin assumed the command of the

at Calvi with the designated rank of

Battle of Kolwezi

On May 17, the

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

Valéry Giscard d'Estaing Valéry René Marie Georges Giscard d'Estaing (, , ; 2 February 19262 December 2020), also known as Giscard or VGE, was a French politician who served as President of France from 1974 to 1981. After serving as Minister of Finance under prime ...

(french:

) decided on an operation on

where Katanga rebels were committing massacres and apprehending hostages. Making his way out of Calvi with his regiment on May 19, 1978, after a transit in Kinshasa, he jumped spearheading 700

paratroopers A paratrooper is a military parachutist—someone trained to parachute into a military operation, and usually functioning as part of an airborne force. Military parachutists (troops) and parachutes were first used on a large scale during Worl ...

organized in two waves on

Kolwezi Kolwezi or Kolwesi is the capital city of Lualaba Province in the south of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, west of Likasi. It is home to an airport and a railway to Lubumbashi. Just outside of Kolwezi there is the static inverter plant of ...

(french:

). The town which consisted of 2000 European civilians (principally Belgian and French), was liberated after violent combats with the rebels. The regiment endured the loss of 5 men, twenty legionnaires being wounded. On June 6, the President of Zaïre

Mobutu Sese Seko Mobutu Sese Seko Kuku Ngbendu Wa Za Banga (; born Joseph-Désiré Mobutu; 14 October 1930 – 7 September 1997) was a Congolese politician and military officer who was the president of Zaire from 1965 to 1997 (known as the Democratic Republic o ...

(french:

) gave the accolade to colonels Yves Gras (french:

Yves Gras Yves may refer to: * Yves, Charente-Maritime, a commune of the Charente-Maritime department in France * Yves (given name), including a list of people with the name * ''Yves'' (single album), a single album by Loona * ''Yves'' (film), a 2019 Fren ...

) (

military attaché A military attaché is a military expert who is attached to a diplomatic mission, often an embassy. This type of attaché post is normally filled by a high-ranking military officer, who retains a commission while serving with an embassy. Opport ...

of Zaire) and Philippe Erulin: the Franco-Belge intervention equally permitted to consolidate his regime.Romain Yakemtchouk, ''La Belgique et la France: amitiés et rivalités'',
Google Books
On June 7, they returned to Calvi. The following week,

rendered them a visit to congratulate the operation during an arms ceremony at Bastia. Under his orders, during this battle, served notably

Benoît Puga Benoît Puga (born 30 January 1953) is a general in the French Army and the Grand Chancellor of the National Order of the Legion of Honour and the National Order of Merit. Military career Puga joined the École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cy ...

Bruno Dary Bruno Dary (born 21 December 1952 in Barcelonnette, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence) is a Général d'armée of the French Army and Commandant of the Foreign Legion. Général Dary is the 136th Military governor of Paris (french: Gouverneur militaire ...

and

Ante Gotovina Ante Gotovina (born 12 October 1955) is a Croatian retired lieutenant general and former French senior corporal who served in the Croatian War for Independence. He is noted for his primary role in the 1995 Operation Storm. In 2001, the Intern ...

, who according to ''L'Humanité'',also served to drive Erulin. The same journal confirmed that his brother Dominique (who associated later with Ante Gotovina) participated to the battle, while the latter had already left the army, following the Algerian War. Assigned to the general staff headquarters of the

EMAT on July 1978, he died on September 26, 1979 in Paris .

Hommages to the operation of Kolwezi

Thirty years later, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing returned to Calvi and confirmed that the operation of Kolwezi has become a reference, a school for all, military and political directors, which would have to prepare what is referred today as exterior operations. The operation of Kolwezi is actually taught in military schools. For Jean Guisnel (french: Jean Guisnel), this operation also marked the end of defiance of the political power towards the

French Foreign Legion The French Foreign Legion (french: Légion étrangère) is a corps of the French Army which comprises several specialties: infantry, Armoured Cavalry Arm, cavalry, Military engineering, engineers, Airborne forces, airborne troops. It was created ...

following the general's putsch.

Citations and homages

Philipe Erulin was cited at the orders of the Armed forces, on July 17, 1978: The Commandeur 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 ...

was personally awarded to him on September 29, 1978 by the

of the Republic

Valéry Giscard d’Estaing The French name Valery () is a male given name or surname of Germanic origin ''Walaric'' (see Walric of Leuconay), that has often been confused in modern times with the Latin name ''Valerius''—that explains the variant spelling Valéry (). The S ...

. On May 21, 2008, the President of the Republic

Nicolas Sarkozy Nicolas Paul Stéphane Sarközy de Nagy-Bocsa (; ; born 28 January 1955) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2007 to 2012. Born in Paris, he is of Hungarian, Greek Jewish, and French origin. Mayor of Neuilly-sur-Se ...

pronounced the following at the occasion of a commemorative arms ceremony marking 30 years of exterior operations in the Honor courtyard of the Invalides: The extract by

Général de division Divisional general is a general officer rank who commands an army division. The rank originates from the French (Revolutionary) System, and is used by a number of countries. The rank is above a brigade general, and normally below an army corps ...

Jeannou Lacaze Jeannou Lacaze, was a French Général d'armée of the French Army and Chef d'État-Major des armées (1981-1985), who also served in the French Foreign Legion. Biography Preliminary years Jeannou Lacaze was born in French Indochina, the s ...

, Inspector of the Infantry, and future

Chef d'état-major des armées The Chief of the Defence Staff (french: Chef d'État-Major des Armées 'CEMA'' ) is the military head of the Armed Forces of the French Republic, ensuring the commandment of all military operations (under reserve of the particular dispositions ...

( CEMA) during the pronunciation of Colonel Erulin's Military Honors:

State of service

* September 29, 1952 - promotion ''Union française'' of the EMSIA * February 1, 1953 - caporal * April 1, 1953 - sergent * October 1, 1954 -

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 ...

* October 1959 to April 1960 - Infantry application school of Saint-Maixent (1st company, 2nd section) * January 20, 1955 - assigned to the

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 ...

Bône Annaba ( ar, عنّابة, "Place of the Jujubes"; ber, Aânavaen), formerly known as Bon, Bona and Bône, is a seaport city in the northeastern corner of Algeria, close to the border with Tunisia. Annaba is near the small Seybouse River ...

then Philippeville * October 1, 1956 -

* April 1, 1961 -

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

* June 1, 1962 - received the commandment of the 6th company of the 153rd Motorized Infantry Regiment * 1963 - 1964 - commandant of the 1st company of the 153rd mechanized infantry regiment - quartier Moussy at Mutzig * July 1, 1968 -

* October 1, 1973 -

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 colonel. ...

* July 1, 1976 -

* July 1, 1976 - received commandment of the

2^e REP

Recognitions and Honors

of the Légion d'Honneur (1978) * Legion Honneur Officier ribbon

Officier of the Légion d'Honneur (1975) * Legion Honneur Chevalier ribbon

Chevalier Chevalier may refer to: Honours Belgium * a rank in the Belgian Order of the Crown * a rank in the Belgian Order of Leopold * a rank in the Belgian Order of Leopold II * a title in the Belgian nobility France * a rank in the French Legion d'h ...

of the Légion d'Honneur (1959) * Croix de la Valeur Militaire ribbon

Croix de la Valeur militaire The Cross for Military Valour (french: Croix de la Valeur Militaire) is a military decoration of France. It recognises an individual bestowed a Mention in Dispatches earned for showing valour in presence of an enemy, in theatres of operations wh ...

(4 citations) * Croix du Combattant (1930 France) ribbon

Croix du combatant * Medaille d'Outre-Mer (Coloniale) ribbon

Overseas Medal The Overseas Medal (french: Médaille d'Outre-Mer) is a commemorative or campaign medal issued to members of the French Armed Forces and other nations in assistance to French troops for participating in operations outside national territory. It rep ...

with agrafe « Zaïre » * Ordre du Merite agricole Chevalier 1999 ribbon

Chevalier of the

Ordre du Mérite Agricole The Order of Agricultural Merit (french: link=no, Ordre du Mérite agricole) is an order of merit bestowed by the French Republic for outstanding contributions to agriculture. When it was created in 1883, it was second in importance only to th ...

Medaille commemorative des Operations du Moyen-Orient ribbon

Médaille commémorative du Moyen-Orient (1956) * Médaille commémorative des opérations de sécurité et de maintien de l'ordre en Afrique du Nord with agrafe « Algérie » (1958) * Medaille des blesses de guerre (avec 2 etoiles) ribbon

Medaille des blesses de guerre (avec 2 etoiles) ribbon

Insigne des blessés militaires The Medal for the War Wounded (french: Médaille des blessés de guerre) was originally a mere insignia in the form of an ribbon awarded for wounds received in the line of duty while facing an enemy. The insignia was established by the law of 11 De ...

(2 stars) * Medaille de la Jeunesse et des Sports Bronze ribbon