François Jean Antonin Gonzalez de Linarès (7 July 1897 – 2 March 1956) was a French general who commanded forces 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 opposin ...

under General

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 ...

and in

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

under General

Raoul Salan Raoul Albin Louis Salan (; 10 June 1899 – 3 July 1984) was a French Army general. He served as the fourth French commanding general during the First Indochina War. He was one of four retired generals who organized the 1961 Algiers Putsch op ...

Early years

François Jean Antonin Gonzalez de Linarès was born in

Guérande Guérande (; br, Gwenrann, ; french: label=Gallo, Geraundd) is a medieval town located in the department of Loire-Atlantique, and the region of Pays de la Loire, Western France. The inhabitants are referred to as ''Guérandais'' (masculine), and ...

, Loire-Atlantique on 7 July 1897. 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 ...

(1914–18) he was conscripted as a private in the 93rd Infantry Regiment on 30 July 1916. He was promoted to Corporal on 30 May 1917 and Sergeant on 30 June 1917. He enlisted as a volunteer for an eight-year term on 9 August 1917 as a pupil at the

École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr The École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr (ESM, literally the "Special Military School of Saint-Cyr") is a French military academy, and is often referred to as Saint-Cyr (). It is located in Coëtquidan in Guer, Morbihan, Brittany. Its motto is ...

. He served in the 370th Infantry Regiment, the 70th Battalion of Chasseurs and the 26th Infantry Regiment. On 5 July 1918 he was promoted to Second Lieutenant.

Inter-War period

Linarès was admitted to Saint Cyr on 26 February 1919. In September 1919 he was assigned to service in Morocco. He fought in the Moroccan War from 1919 to 1922. He served in Algeria from 1930 to 1936. On the eve of World War II on 2 September 1939 he was assigned to the General Staff of the 3rd Army.

World War II

On 27 October 1939 Linarès was made commander of the 15th Battalion of

Chasseurs Alpins The ''chasseurs alpins'' ( en, Alpine Rangers) are the elite mountain infantry force of the French Army. They are trained to operate in mountainous terrain and in urban warfare. History France created its own mountain corps in the late 19th ...

. On 23 April 1940 he was assigned to the General Staff of the 2nd Army Group. He was promoted to lieutenant-colonel on 23 September 1942. He escaped from France on 24 November 1942. In March 1943 he was officially relieved of active duty and pensioned. He developed a clandestine organization for the escape of prisoners of war. In July 1943 he was a member of the French Military Mission in London. On 19 September 1943 he was appointed commander of the 3rd RTA. He was promoted to colonel on 25 March 1944. He participated in the campaign in Italy from December 1943 to August 1944. During this campaign he commanded the 3rd Regiment of Algerian Riflemen. Linarès landed in

Provence Provence (, , , , ; oc, Provença or ''Prouvènço'' , ) is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which extends from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the Italian border to the east; it is bor ...

on 17 August 1944 and participated in taking

Toulon Toulon (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Tolon , , ) is a city on the French Riviera and a large port on the Mediterranean coast, with a major naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, and the Provence province, Toulon is th ...

. On 15 September 1944 Linarès was named Deputy Chief of Staff of B Army, which became the First French Army under General de Lattre. He was appointed Brigadier General on 25 November 1944. He was named Chief of Staff of the

French First Army The First Army (french: 1re Armée) was a field army of France that fought during World War I and World War II. It was also active during the Cold War. First World War On mobilization in August 1914, General Auguste Dubail was put in the ch ...

on 16 February 1945. He entered Germany on 29 March 1945. He became commander of the 2nd Moroccan Infantry Division on 14 April 1945, which he commanded in Austria when the war ended.

Later career

In August 1945 Linarès was made chairman of a committee to revise the regulations for infantry regiments. On 10 April 1946 he was appointed commander of the 2nd Infantry Division in Nancy. He was promoted to Major-General as on 20 April 1948. On 6 March 1950 he was made commander of the 3rd Military Region. On 15 January 1951 he was given command of the French Forces in the

Tonkin Tonkin, also spelled ''Tongkin'', ''Tonquin'' or ''Tongking'', is an exonym referring to the northern region of Vietnam. During the 17th and 18th centuries, this term referred to the domain ''Đàng Ngoài'' under Trịnh lords' control, includi ...

region of North Vietnam. He was appointed Lieutenant-General as of 12 January 1951. He was given interim command of all forces in Indochina from July to September 1952 during the absence of General

. He left Vietnam on 23 May 1953. After taking leave he was appointed Inspector-General of Infantry on 2 September 1953. From 1 January 1954 until his death he was a full member of the Supreme Council of War. François de Linarès died in

Baden-Baden Baden-Baden () is a spa town in the states of Germany, state of Baden-Württemberg, south-western Germany, at the north-western border of the Black Forest mountain range on the small river Oos (river), Oos, ten kilometres (six miles) east of the ...

on 2 March 1955.

Publications

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References

Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Linares, Francois Jean Antonin Gonzalez de 1897 births 1956 deaths French generals