Prince Dimitri Zedginidze-Amilakhvari, more commonly known as Dimitri Amilakhvari ( ka, დიმიტრი ამილახვარი, french: Dimitri Amilakvari) (31 October 1906 – 24 October 1942) was a French military officer of

noble A noble is a member of the nobility. Noble may also refer to: Places Antarctica * Noble Glacier, King George Island * Noble Nunatak, Marie Byrd Land * Noble Peak, Wiencke Island * Noble Rocks, Graham Land Australia * Noble Island, Gr ...

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descent and Lieutenant Colonel of 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 ...

, who played an influential role in the

French Resistance The French Resistance (french: La Résistance) was a collection of organisations that fought the German occupation of France during World War II, Nazi occupation of France and the Collaborationism, collaborationist Vichy France, Vichy régim ...

against Nazi occupation 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 ...

. Under the nickname "Bazorka", he became an iconic figure of the

Free French Forces __NOTOC__ The French Liberation Army (french: Armée française de la Libération or AFL) was the reunified French Army that arose from the merging of the Armée d'Afrique with the prior Free French Forces (french: Forces françaises libres, l ...

Early life and career

Amilakhvari was born in Bazorkino (now Chermen, North Ossetia–Alania,

Russian Federation Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

), where his family had moved from their ancestral estate at Gori, Georgia during the

Russian Revolution of 1905 The Russian Revolution of 1905,. also known as the First Russian Revolution,. occurred on 22 January 1905, and was a wave of mass political and social unrest that spread through vast areas of the Russian Empire. The mass unrest was directed again ...

. The house of Zedginidze-Amilakhvari had formerly served as hereditary

Master of the Horse Master of the Horse is an official position in several European nations. It was more common when most countries in Europe were monarchies, and is of varying prominence today. (Ancient Rome) The original Master of the Horse ( la, Magister Equitu ...

to the Georgian Crown (''Amilakhvari'') and retained their princely dignity during the Imperial Russian rule of Georgia. Dimitri's grandfather,

Ivane Amilakhvari Ivane Amilakhori ( ka, ივანე ამილახვარი, russian: Иван Гивич �горовичАмилахвари �милахори 26 January 1829 – 27 August 1905) was a Georgia (country), Georgian nobleman and a ...

(1829–1905), was an eminent general in the Russian army. His father, Colonel Giorgi Zedginidze-Amilakhvari, also served in the Russian military and transferred his loyalty to the short-lived

Democratic Republic of Georgia The Democratic Republic of Georgia (DRG; ka, საქართველოს დემოკრატიული რესპუბლიკა ') was the first modern establishment of a republic of Georgia, which existed from May 1918 to F ...

in 1918–1921. After the

Russian SFSR The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Russian SFSR or RSFSR ( rus, Российская Советская Федеративная Социалистическая Республика, Rossíyskaya Sovétskaya Federatívnaya Soci ...

occupied Georgia early in 1921, the family fled to

Istanbul ) , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = 34000 to 34990 , area_code = +90 212 (European side) +90 216 (Asian side) , registration_plate = 34 , blank_name_sec2 = GeoTLD , blank_i ...

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, where Dimitri attended a local

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

School, and later, in 1922, emigrated to France. In 1924, Dimitri Amilakhvari entered the École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr and was commissioned as a second lieutenant after his graduation in 1926. At the same time, he was posted to the French Foreign Legion and promoted to

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 ...

in 1926. He later served in

French North Africa French North Africa (french: Afrique du Nord française, sometimes abbreviated to ANF) is the term often applied to the territories controlled by France in the North African Maghreb during the colonial era, namely Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia. I ...

and took part in all important operations in the south of

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria t ...

from 1932 to 1933. From 1934 to 1939, he was Head of the French military school in

Agadir Agadir ( ar, أݣادير, ʾagādīr; shi, ⴰⴳⴰⴷⵉⵔ) is a major city in Morocco, on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean near the foot of the Atlas Mountains, just north of the point where the Souss River flows into the ocean, and south ...

, being promoted to captain in 1937. Following his naturalisation as a French citizen, he married another member of the exiled Georgian nobility, Princess Irina, née

Dadiani The House of Dadiani ( ka, დადიანი ), later known as the House of Dadiani- Chikovani, was a Georgian family of nobles, dukes and princes, and a ruling dynasty of the western Georgian province of Mingrelia. The House of Dadiani Th ...

(1904–1944) in August 1927. Note that during his French service, the spelling of his surname was modified, dropping the 'h'. By his wife, Amilakhvari had three children, sons Georges and Othar, and daughter Thamar Amilakhvar, all of whom married and had offspring.Amilkhvari offspring
/ref>

World War II

During the "

Phoney War The Phoney War (french: Drôle de guerre; german: Sitzkrieg) was an eight-month period at the start of World War II, during which there was only one limited military land operation on the Western Front, when French troops invaded Germa ...

" before the

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occupation of France The Military Administration in France (german: Militärverwaltung in Frankreich; french: Occupation de la France par l'Allemagne) was an interim occupation authority established by Nazi Germany during World War II to administer the occupied zo ...

, Amilakhvari was serving in Algiers in North Africa, but in the spring of 1940 he joined the French expeditionary force earmarked for the Norwegian Campaign. He fought at Narvik and was then evacuated to the United Kingdom, where he joined the

. He then took part in the unhappy campaigns against the Vichy French forces in West Africa, at

Dakar Dakar ( ; ; wo, Ndakaaru) (from :wo:daqaar, daqaar ''tamarind''), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Senegal, largest city of Senegal. The city of Dakar proper has a population of 1,030,594, whereas the population of the Dakar ...

(in Senegal), and Equatorial Africa, in Cameroun. In a remarkable record of service, his war service in 1940 had thus taken him from Africa to the Arctic Circle and back again, as far as the Equator, all in the space of a few months. Amilakhvari's next move took him halfway round the continent to Eritrea, in East Africa, to join the East African Campaign against

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

in early 1941, but by the summer he was on the move again, to take part in another campaign against

Vichy France Vichy France (french: Régime de Vichy; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was the fascist French state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II. Officially independent, but with half of its te ...

(with units of the French Foreign Legion serving on both sides of the conflict), in Syria. This would be the closest he would come to the land of his birth. Amilakhvari then assumed command of the

13th Demi-Brigade of the Foreign Legion ) and veteran foreign regiments (french: Anciens régiment étranger, link=no) of the Legion, in case of the CEPs, BEPs & REPs, the context reference is referring to the paratrooper veterans (french: Anciens legionnaires parachutistes, link=no) ...

on 6 September 1941. In 1942, Amilakhvari was back in North Africa, facing the German and Italian forces in Libya as part of the North African Campaign. During the hard fighting at Bir-Hakeim (January) he wrote: "''We, foreigners, have only one way to prove to France our gratitude: to be killed ...''". Nevertheless, he survived, and in June he was made a Companion of the Liberation, a decoration second only to the Légion d'honneur. In 1942 he was also awarded the ''Krigskorset med Sverd'' or

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

War Cross with Sword The War Cross with Sword (Norwegian Bokmål: ''Krigskorset med sverd, '' Norwegian Nynorsk: ''Krigskrossen med sverd'') is the highest ranking Norwegian gallantry decoration. It is awarded for extraordinary brave actions or extraordinary leadersh ...

for his earlier service in Norway. This is Norway's highest military decoration for gallantry and he was one of only 66 Frenchmen awarded this decoration during the Second World War. In October 1942, the Allies began the final offensive in North Africa with the

Second Battle of El Alamein The Second Battle of El Alamein (23 October – 11 November 1942) was a battle of the Second World War that took place near the Egyptian railway halt of El Alamein. The First Battle of El Alamein and the Battle of Alam el Halfa had prevented th ...

. This battle took the Allied forces right across Libya and into French North Africa, where Amilakhvari had begun his operational service. However, Amilakhvari did not live to complete his great African odyssey, as he was killed in action on the second day of the battle. In May 1940, Amilakhvari was awarded a Chevalier 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 ...

(''Légion d'honneur''). Later, General Charles De Gaulle named him and his legionaries the "Pride of France" for their heroic defence of the Allies' positions.

Honours and awards

* Chevalier 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 ...

(1940) * Companion of the Liberation (9 September 1942) * Croix de Guerre 1939-1945 with four palms (5 citations) * Croix de guerre des Théatres d'Opérations Exterieures (2 citations) *

Médaille des Évadés The Escapees' Medal (french: Médaille des Évadés) is a military award bestowed by the government of France to individuals who were prisoners of war and who successfully escaped internment or died as a result of their escape attempt. The "Escap ...

Colonial Medal The Colonial Medal (french: "Médaille Coloniale") was a French decoration created by the "loi de finances" of 26 July 1893 (article 75) to reward "military services in the colonies, resulting from participation in military operations, in a colon ...

with clasp "Morocco" *

(Norway) * Officer of the

Order of Ouissam Alaouite Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of d ...

(Morocco)

References

* Rayer G., ''L'Homme qui a étonné la Légion''- ''

Paris Match ''Paris Match'' () is a French-language weekly news magazine. It covers major national and international news along with celebrity lifestyle features. History and profile A sports news magazine, ''Match l'intran'' (a play on '' L'Intransigeant ...

'', 1956 18 fevr., N 358, p. 77-82 (in French) * I. Tabagua and E. Menabde. ''He fought for the liberation''.- ''Molodyoj Gruzii'', Tbilisi, 10 March 1970 (in Russian) * G. Zhordania. Amilakhvari Dimitri.- The Encyclopedia ''Sakartvelo'', vol. I, Tbilisi, 1997, p. 129 (in Georgian) * L. Urushadze. ''Europe and the Georgian Political Emigration'', Publishing House ''Ena da Kultura'', Tbilisi, 2005, (in Georgian, English summary)

External links

*
Entry on ordredelaliberation.fr
{{DEFAULTSORT:Amilakhvari, Dimitri 1906 births 1942 deaths People from Prigorodny District, North Ossetia–Alania People from Terek Oblast French military leaders French Resistance members French Army personnel of World War II Free French military personnel of World War II Nobility of Georgia (country) Eastern Orthodox Christians from France Emigrants from the Russian Empire to France Officers of the French Foreign Legion French military personnel killed in World War II École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr alumni Companions of the Liberation Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur Recipients of the Croix de guerre des théâtres d'opérations extérieures Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 (France) Recipients of the War Cross with Sword (Norway) People of World War II from Georgia (country) Georgian emigrants to France French Army officers