Georges Louis Humbert (8 April 1862 – 1921) was a French general 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 ...

. He was the son of Émile Siméon Humbert, a gendarme and Nathalie Augustine Eulalie Breton.

Career

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 ...

(1885–1887), the

Second Madagascar expedition The Second Madagascar expedition was a French military intervention which took place in 1894–95, sealing the conquest of the Merina Kingdom on the island of Madagascar by France. It was the last phase of the Franco-Hova War and followed the F ...

(1895–1896) and the Tunisia Expedition of 1906.
On 23 June 1907, he became Colonel of the 96th Infantry Regiment and on 23 March 1912 General of the 56th Infantry Brigade. In World War I, he led the ''Division marocaine'' during the Battle of the Marshes of Saint-Gond, as part 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 ...

(September 1914). Between 21 September 1914 and 9 March 1915, he was in command of the ''Groupement Humbert'', later named ''Corps combiné Humbert'', which became the 32nd Army Corps. On 9 March 1915, he received the command of the Eighth Army until 24 July of the same year, when he took over the command over the six divisions of the Third Army, which he held until the Armistice. General Humbert played a key role for General Pétain in sealing the breach on the Western Front during the German spring offensive. He also briefly commanded the Seventh Army, in 15–23 October 1918. Humbert was one of the most appreciated French generals of World War I. His son Jacques followed in his footsteps and was a general during World War II. Humbert died from complications of malaria in 1921. He was buried in the vaults of Les Invalides.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Humbert, Georges Louis 1862 births 1921 deaths People from Yvelines French generals French military personnel of World War I Officiers of the Légion d'honneur Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army)

Career

See also

References