Victor (Louis Lucien), baron d'Urbal (15 November 1858, in Sarreguemines – 29 January 1943, in Paris) was a French officer during the

First World War 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 ...

Life

He entered the École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr on 15 November 1876 and left it in 1878, moving to the École d’application de cavalerie at Saumur. He saw action in Algeria from 17 January 1889 to 31 December 1890. In 1906 he was put in command of a cavalry regiment and on 24 June 1911 of 4th Dragoon Brigade, with whom he set off at the start of the First World War in August 1914. He was next put in command of 7th Cavalry Division on 25 August that year but was quickly promoted to head 33rd Army Corps on 20 September. A month later, on 20 October, he was put in command of all French troops in Belgium, then on 16 November of 8th Army. He commanded 8th Army until 2 April 1915, when he was transferred to command 10th Army, which he led during the

Battle of La Bassée The Battle of La Bassée was fought by German and Franco-British forces in northern France in October 1914, during reciprocal attempts by the contending armies to envelop the northern flank of their opponent, which has been called the Race to th ...

from 10 October – 2 November 1914, the

Second Battle of Artois The Second Battle of Artois (french: Deuxième bataille de l'Artois, german: Lorettoschlacht) from 9 May to 18 June 1915, took place on the Western Front during the First World War. A German-held salient from Reims to Amiens had been formed in ...

( May–July 1915) and the

Third Battle of Artois The Third Battle of Artois (25 September – 4 November 1915, also the Loos–Artois Offensive), was fought by the French Tenth Army against the German 6th Army on the Western Front of the First World War. The battle included the Battle of Lo ...

from September–October 1915. He was retired from active service on 4 April 1916 and made inspector-general of the cavalry in the army zones on 8 April the same year. He was made inspector-general of the cavalry depots in the army zones and the interior on 28 February, a post he held until 1 June 1919, when he was fully retired, shifting to the reserves on 15 November 1920. He is buried at the

Hôtel des Invalides The Hôtel des Invalides ( en, "house of invalids"), commonly called Les Invalides (), is a complex of buildings in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, France, containing museums and monuments, all relating to the military history of France, as ...

Ranks

* Sous-lieutenant (15 October 1879) * Lieutenant (11 June 1882) * Capitaine (10 December 1887) * Chef d’escadrons (25 May 1897) * Lieutenant colonel (12 July 1908) * Colonel (22 December 1906) * Général de brigade (20 June 1911) * Général de division (30 August 1914)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Urbal, Victor d 1858 births 1943 deaths People from Sarreguemines French generals École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr alumni French military personnel of World War I Grand Croix of the Légion d'honneur