Pierre Paul Jeanpierre (14 March 1912 – 29 May 1958) was a senior officer of the Foreign Legion. He initially served 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 Force ...

and fought during

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 ...

, the First Indochina War, the Suez Crisis and the Algerian War, where he was killed in action. Apart from a short time spent 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 ...

and as a deportee during World War II, he served with the Foreign Legion from 1936. Jeanpierre commanded the

1st Foreign Parachute Battalion The 1st Foreign Parachute Battalion (french: 1er Bataillon Etranger de Parachutistes (1er BEP)) was a parachute battalion of the Foreign Legion formed from the Parachute Company of the 3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment. History 1er Bataillon ...

, expanded into the

1st Foreign Parachute Regiment The 1st Foreign Parachute Regiment (french: 1er Régiment Etranger de Parachutistes, 1er REP) was an airborne regiment of the Foreign Legion in the French Army which dated its origins to 1948. The regiment fought in the First Indochina War as th ...

(1^er REP) until his death during the Algerian War.

Early life

Jeanpierre was born in 1912 at Belfort. His father was an active duty career

officer An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," f ...

and captain in the 42nd Infantry Regiment (french: 42^e Régiment d'Infanterie), killed 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 ...

in 1916 at

Marne Marne can refer to: Places France *Marne (river), a tributary of the Seine *Marne (department), a département in northeastern France named after the river * La Marne, a commune in western France *Marne, a legislative constituency (France) Nethe ...

without ever seeing his family since the outbreak of the war in August 1914. Pierre was raised by the paternal sight of his mother and enlisted in the

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and mar ...

at barely 18 years of age.

Military career

Prior to World War II

Pierre enlisted in the 131st Infantry Regiment as a soldier in 1930 and worked being seconded from the enlisted corps by passing by all the non-commissioned ranks, graduating second from the Infantry and Tank School of Saint-Maixent as a Second-Lieutenant on 1 October 1936. Pierre's accomplished graduation ranking allowed him to choose the Foreign Legion's 1st Foreign Regiment, making a Legion

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 ...

on 1 October 1938.

World War II

Phoney War & Battle of France

Pierre endured 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 ...

"''Drôle de Guerre''" and was put at disposition. He was also deeply marked by the defeat of 1940.

Syria–Lebanon Campaign

During

, Pierre also served with distinction in the

Syria–Lebanon Campaign The Syria–Lebanon campaign, also known as Operation Exporter, was the Allied invasion of Syria and Lebanon (then controlled by Vichy France) in June and July 1941, during the Second World War. The French had ceded autonomy to Syria in Septemb ...

6th Foreign Infantry Regiment The 6th Foreign Infantry Regiment (french: 6e Régiment Étranger d'Infanterie, 6e REI) was an infantry regiment of the Foreign Legion in the French Army from 1939 to 1941 and again from 1949 to 1955. History, creations and different nomin ...

, deployed in 1939 to the French Levant and took part in

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western Europe, Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa ...

operations in 1940 at the corps formation of the

, part of the Foreign Legion Group. Following combats in the

which he did not partake in confronting other French contingents, Pierre refused to join 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 ...

from the principle of sticking with his idea of a

Tricolour Flag A tricolour () or tricolor () is a type of flag or banner design with a triband design which originated in the 16th century as a symbol of republicanism, liberty, or revolution. The flags of France, Italy, Romania, Mexico, and Ireland were ...

Resistance and deportation

Pierre joined instead 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 ...

under the alias "''Jardin''" and integrated the ranks of the movement ''Ceux de la Libération''; recruiting and arming over 60 volunteers; (those of the liberation). Pierre was arrested at Orléans on 19 January 1944 and was deported to as a

prisoner A prisoner (also known as an inmate or detainee) is a person who is deprived of liberty against their will. This can be by confinement, captivity, or forcible restraint. The term applies particularly to serving a prison sentence in a prison. ...

interred in the

Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp Mauthausen was a Nazi concentration camp on a hill above the market town of Mauthausen (roughly east of Linz), Upper Austria. It was the main camp of a group with nearly 100 further subcamps located throughout Austria and southern Germa ...

after passing by the grouping camp of ''de Compiègne''. With

forced labor Forced labour, or unfree labour, is any work relation, especially in modern or early modern history, in which people are employed against their will with the threat of destitution, detention, violence including death, or other forms of ex ...

, Pierre would be among only 2 survivors out 45 in his stalag when the camp was liberated by the Allies on 5 May 1945. Liberated and healed, Pierre was nominated as a Captain at the center of recruitment of the

Legion Legion may refer to: Military * Roman legion, the basic military unit of the ancient Roman army * Spanish Legion, an elite military unit within the Spanish Army * Legion of the United States, a reorganization of the United States Army from 179 ...

in Kehl. In July 1948, learning that in

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

would be created a foreign parachute battalion, he volunteered, rejoined

Sidi Bel Abbès Sidi Bel Abbès ( ar, سيدي بلعباس), also called Bel Abbès, is the capital (2005 pop. 200,000)''Sidi Bel Abbes'', lexicorient.com (Encyclopaedia of the Orient), internet article. of the Sidi Bel Abbès wilaya (2005 pop. 590,000), Alger ...

then Philippeville where he was brevetted as a legion paratrooper. 3 month later, the battalion was in the high region of

Indochina Mainland Southeast Asia, also known as the Indochinese Peninsula or Indochina, is the continental portion of Southeast Asia. It lies east of the Indian subcontinent and south of Mainland China and is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the west an ...

Indochina

1^er Bataillon Etranger de Parachutiste, 1^er BEP (1 July 1948 – 1 September 1955) - I,II,III Formations - Pierre sailed to Indochina as second-in-command to Pierre Segrétain in the (1^er BEP, I Formation) of the

(1^er BEP) in 1948. During the evacuation of RC 4, ''route de sang'' , he and the battalion jumped over That Khe in a traditional Foreign Legion battlefield while facing an enemy 20 times superior in numbers. Jeanpierre, owing to his energy, his savoir-faire around the terrain and his qualities of a combatant chief, managed to repel waves of incessant hellish ambushes by inheriting over much of the leadership of the

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions a ...

after Segrétain was killed leading the battalion.
Official Website of the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment, History of the 2e REP, the 1st Foreign Parachute Battalion ''1er Bataillon Etranger de Parachutistes'' In October 1950, tasked with taking Dong Khé during the disaster of Cao Bang, the mission was to save column "Charton" which was unfolding. Hardly short of audacity, he held the line until the last, divided the survivors into small groups and reled the charge of 23 legionnaires, 3 French Foreign Legion, sous-officiers, 2

officers An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," f ...

to That Khé where a French garrison should still hold standing. From the hundreds of legionnaires that constituted the

(^1er BEP, I Formation), only 12 men remained almost capable still. Commandant Segrétain was killed during combat at arms and

Faulque fell pierced with projectiles, none of which were mortal. Seriously wounded, he was made

and liberated 4 years later; he would be part of the troop of the living-dead which the Viet Minh would give back to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

. the 1st Foreign Parachute Battalion (1^e BEP, I Formation) with 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 Ce ...

were annihilated in Coxa. Following, Pierre rejoined the Legion in

Mascara Mascara is a cosmetic commonly used to enhance the upper and lower eyelashes. It is used to darken, thicken, lengthen, and/or define the eyelashes. Normally in one of three forms—liquid, powder, or cream—the modern mascara product has vari ...

where he retook his passion, the instruction and forming of ''les jeunes'' legionnaires. The 1^er BEP was recreated (1^er BEP, II Formation); however, the last combats in

would take place without his leadership. A

Para Para, or PARA, may refer to: Businesses and organizations * Paramount Global, traded as PARA on the Nasdaq stock exchange * Para Group, the former name of CT Corp * Para Rubber, now Skellerup, a New Zealand manufacturer * Para USA, formerly ...

legionnaire's legionnaire, Pierre returned to Indochina to command the (1^er BEP, II Formation) of the reconstituted

(1^er BEP, II Formation) after its second annihilation at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu. Reconstituted in a (1^er BEP, III Formation) on 19 May 1954; Pierre took command of the 3rd reconstituted 1^e BEP (III Formation) on 1 November 1954, the day on which the Algerian War commenced. The 1^er BEP (III Formation) left Indochina on 8 February 1955. The 1^er BEP totaled 5 citations at the orders of the armed forces and the

fourragère The ''fourragère'' () is a military award, distinguishing military units as a whole, in the form of a braided cord. The award was first adopted by France, followed by other nations such as the Netherlands, Belgium, Portugal, and Luxembourg. Fou ...

of the colors of the

Médaille militaire The ''Médaille militaire'' ( en, Military Medal) is a military decoration of the French Republic for other ranks for meritorious service and acts of bravery in action against an enemy force. It is the third highest award of the French Republic, ...

. The 1^er BEP became the

(1^er REP) in

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

on 1 September 1955.

Suez Crisis

After the 1st Foreign Parachute Battalion 1^e BEP became the

1^e REP, Pierre was passed over for command on 6 February 1956, instead serving as second-in-command, this time to Colonel Albert Brothier which he assumed but was deeply disappointed.
Official Website of the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment, History of the 2e REP, the 1st Foreign Parachute Regiment ''1er Régiment Etranger de Parachutiste'' The regiment was put on alert on 1 August 1956 after the preparation of the Suez Crisis, campaign in Egypt; Pierre embarked on October 31, however, his views and reservations of this disembarking were well known. a new mission was confined to Pierre, which was to end in the insurgency in Algeria, a police mission which no one wanted or liked but a mission which had to be executed successfully. Pierre retook command of the

in March 1957.

Algeria

1^er Regiment Etranger de Parachutiste, 1^er REP (1 September 1955 – 30 April 1961) Pierre reassumed command as the regimental commander following the leave of Colonel Brothier at command headquarters of the 10th Parachute Division commanded by

Brigadier General Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

Jacques Massu Jacques Émile Massu (; 5 May 1908 – 26 October 2002) was a French general who fought in World War II, the First Indochina War, the Algerian War and the Suez crisis. He led French troops in the Battle of Algiers, first supporting and later ...

. Partnering operations with Pierre, was the 9th Parachute Chasseur Regiment 9^ème RCP commanded by regimental commander

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 o ...

Buchond. This new mission was complicated and implied certain techniques of

clandestine Clandestine may refer to: * Secrecy, the practice of hiding information from certain individuals or groups, perhaps while sharing it with other individuals * Clandestine operation, a secret intelligence or military activity Music and entertainme ...

counter-insurgency operations, which several legion officers and a couple of legion sous-officiers were given authorization to complete. These techniques often featured

torture Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons such as punishment, extracting a confession, interrogational torture, interrogation for information, or intimidating third parties. definitions of tortur ...

. The

won fame and success for security operations against the insurgents during the battle of Algiers, although his leg was badly wounded by a grenade launched by Saadi Yacef. Despite this, Jeanpierre wanted to pursue operations in the Atlas Mountains. Consequently, he adopted helicopters which would allow him to be present anywhere while surveilling all operations and leading assaults from the ground. His stationary code radio name was "'' Soleil''" (The Sun). He operated in the Sahara for some time. On 19 January 1958 the 1st Foreign Parachute Regiment left the Sahara after defeating ALN guerillas who wanted to compromise the security routes of oil convoys. Following him securing the petrol routes in the Sahara, combat operations engaged the regiment in the region of Guelma during the Battle of the borders. Pierre lead para assaults from the air and ground. On 24 January, 75 rebels were put outside of combat, and 6 heavy machine guns were stripped from then. Until March 1 and during 3 months, 1300 arms out of which 120 automatic machine guns were stripped from militants whom lost considerable influence over the region of Guelma. Pierre had at his command not only his regiment but also support units and troop unit sectors that could be available for him. At his disposition were several helicopters out of which "Alouette" was the main one he used. Pierre was all over the air, as he permanently hovered above his

companies A company, abbreviated as co., is a legal entity representing an association of people, whether natural, legal or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common purpose and unite to achieve specific, declared go ...

. Launching his ideas, Pierre successfully applied putting into motion various tactics such as night operations,

artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...

support, heavy helicopter transport, aerial observations and aerial bombardments. Pierre privileged intelligence, speed and surprise to apprehend an adversary with no escape. Pierre's most difficult idea: launch the assault by close range corps-a-corps combat, the essential role of the

and choc troops. Pierre Paul Jeanpierre lead the usual example in the field amongst his legionnaires and also slept sitting on the

terrain Terrain or relief (also topographical relief) involves the vertical and horizontal dimensions of land surface. The term bathymetry is used to describe underwater relief, while hypsometry studies terrain relative to sea level. The Latin wo ...

, retaking habits adopted in Indochina. On 13 May 1958 Pierre was conducting and focusing on tasked operations while events stirred up in Algeria with the

May 1958 crisis The May 1958 crisis, also known as the Algiers putsch or the coup of 13 May, was a political crisis in France during the turmoil of the Algerian War of Independence (1954–1962) which led to the collapse of the Fourth Republic and its replacem ...

, he considered his mission unchanged. Accordingly, the regiment made way towards the mountains and canyons. While providing mobile leadership from the air followed by ground assaults, recon, intel, and direction to his combat companies from the "Alouette" in which he was hovering close to a little mountain. He was at the time pursuing several ALN militants. While commanding his troops, a shot striked Jeanpierre against the pilot fired by hidden Algerian insurgents. Shortly after, Captain Ysquierdo reported on the radio the following message: "''Soleil est mort''" meaning "the Sun (Jeanpierre) is dead". Pierre Jeanpierre died on 28 or 29 May 1958. Soon after his death, his Helicopter was also shot down by the Algerians. Although the trap was successful, and Jeanpierre did die, his paras later successfully sealed the breach caused by the ALN.

Citations

This war chief "''chef de guerre''", a veteran of numerous conflicts, was feared in reason of his hard, harsh and demanding requirements in combat, sometimes passing the status of operations before the life of his legionnaires. Nevertheless, his legionnaires admired him since he always trained them, led and never asked them to conduct an act in which he would not lead the example first; the essence and corps of a Legion Officer's conduct becoming and leading even from the air followed by ground assaults. Legionnaires mainly and legion officers under his tasked orders and training, commanded a great deal of loyalty to Pierre. His portrait is exposed amongst the most prestigious

in the

in the honorary '' La Salle d'Honneur'' in the French Foreign Legion Museum at

Aubagne Aubagne (, ''Aubanha'' in Occitan according to the classic norm or ''Aubagno'' according to the Mistralian norm) is a commune in the southern French department of Bouches-du-Rhône. In 2018, it had a population of 47,208. Its inhabitants are k ...

. In the annex of the report of the battle of the frontiers (french: Bataille des Frontières)Henri Le Mire, Les Paras Français, La Guerre d'Indochine : La bataille des frontières, page 76 reserved exclusively for, regimental commander Colonel Buchond insists on: << the work of a single

Commandant Commandant ( or ) is a title often given to the officer in charge of a military (or other uniformed service) training establishment or academy. This usage is common in English-speaking nations. In some countries it may be a military or police ran ...

assisted by only one Captain and who only in one day mounts 4

para Para, or PARA, may refer to: Businesses and organizations * Paramount Global, traded as PARA on the Nasdaq stock exchange * Para Group, the former name of CT Corp * Para Rubber, now Skellerup, a New Zealand manufacturer * Para USA, formerly ...

combat operations each time mounting at least a dozen of para combat companies, assists to 3 briefings in three different places, ensures the air sortie of 8 para air assaults, conducts 3 to 4 hours of flying in Alouette, moves his command post 3 times>>... cited << this company Commandant is placed the 28th of April at 1000 by helicopter only 200 meters from the rebels, demolishes an entire section, brings back 3 automatic arms, is found engaged at 1800, embarked in vehicles at night, hits the road for 4 hours, is found at midnight at 20 km from there, engaged in combat till the morning, repacked at 0800, is engaged again at 1200 noon time after 4 hours truck drives, flown by helicopter at 1500 and is found 20 km from combat engaging two companies of rebels...>> The author André Maurois rendered hommage and tribute with a couple of words: "''Un héros au cœur généreux et au caractère détestable, une assez bonne combinaison pour un chef ''"
<< a hero with a generous heart and a detestable character, a fairly good combination for a chief >>

Funeral

The funeral of Pierre Paul Jeanpierre was the equivalent of a State Funeral with several honorific commemorative ceremonies. On 31 May Gelma and its more than 10,000 Muslim inhabitants rendered a huge and grandiose homage to

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 o ...

Jeanpierre. From January to May, the legionnaires had lost 110 men, Jeanpierre was their 3rd. In 1959, the grande place of Zeralda, the garrison of the 1^er REP and the chapel bore his name. All; local, foreign, senior French

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

and civilian authorities, specially, Para commanders, other

commanders, came all the way from

and elsewhere to pay their respects.

Honours and awards

This soldier of Legend was injured twice in battle and is cited 9 times out of which 6 are at the orders of the armed forces, and several other awards not including: *

Grand Officer An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," fr ...

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 ...

* Croix de guerre 1939-1945 (3 citations) * Croix de guerre des Théatres d'Opérations Exterieures (5 citations) *

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 ...

(3 citations) *

Médaille de la Résistance 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 ...

avec rosette (Medal of the Resistance with Officer's Rosette) * Médaille coloniale * Médaille commémorative de la campagne d'Indochine * Médaille commémorative des opérations de sécurité et de maintien de l'ordre en Afrique du Nord

Legacy

Posthumous homages

École militaire interarmes ESM

The 146th promotion of the École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr chose the promotion Lieutenant-Colonel Jeanpierre. The song of the promotion recalls the arms celebration of lieutenant-colonel Jeanpierre.

Homages

* The garrison and camp of the

carried his name in 1959. * The grande place and chapel of

Zéralda Zeralda is a suburb of the city of Algiers in northern Algeria. Notable people * Mohamed Belhocine, Algerian medical scientist, professor of internal medicine and epidemiology. * Abdelaziz Bouteflika, fifth President of Algeria (1999–2019). ...

bears his hame in 1959. * The "stage" 001 (1960) of academy officers of reserve in the Cherchell military academy bears his name. * One of the Corniche prep classes of the Corniche Lyautey bears his name. * A promotion EOR Infantry of St Cyr Coetquidan (Fev.Mars.Avril.Mai 1972) bears his name. * A square in

Nice Nice ( , ; Niçard dialect, Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department in France. The Nice urban unit, agg ...

bears his name in which a commemorative plaque has been erected. * An avenue in Cagnes-sur-Mer and the Le Cannet bears his name. * A roundabout in Aix-en-Provence bears his name. * A road in Guelma,

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

bears his name. * A road in Nevers bears his name. * A road in Belfort bears his name.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jeanpierre, Pierre 1912 births 1958 deaths Military personnel from Belfort French Resistance members French military personnel of World War II French military personnel of the First Indochina War French military personnel of the Suez Crisis French military personnel of the Algerian War Officers of the French Foreign Legion Grand Officiers of the Légion d'honneur Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 (France) Recipients of the Croix de guerre des théâtres d'opérations extérieures Recipients of the Resistance Medal Recipients of the Cross for Military Valour Mauthausen concentration camp survivors French military personnel killed in the Algerian War