Jules Joseph Pire (1878-1953) was a

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct language ...

career soldier and a leading figure in the

Belgian Resistance The Belgian Resistance (french: Résistance belge, nl, Belgisch verzet) collectively refers to the resistance movements opposed to the German occupation of Belgium during World War II. Within Belgium, resistance was fragmented between many sep ...

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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. In this capacity, he led the Secret Army, the largest faction of the resistance, from January 1944.

Career

Pire was born in

Hannut Hannut (; wa, Haneu; nl, Hannuit, ) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Liège, Belgium. On January 1, 2006, Hannut had a total population of 14,291. The total area is 86.53 km² which gives a population dens ...

Liège Province Liège (; wa, Lîdje ; nl, Luik ; german: Lüttich ) is the easternmost province of the Wallonia region of Belgium. Liège Province is the only Belgian province that has borders with three countries. It borders (clockwise from the north) the D ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...

on 29 March 1878. He enlisted in the

Belgian Army The Land Component ( nl, Landcomponent, french: Composante terre) is the land branch of the Belgian Armed Forces. The King of the Belgians is the commander in chief. The current chief of staff of the Land Component is Major-General Pierre Gérard ...

in 1897, initially as a

non-commissioned officer A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is a military officer who has not pursued a commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority by promotion through the enlisted ranks. (Non-officers, which includes most or all enli ...

and subsequently as an

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," ...

. He was admitted to the Ecole de Guerre and served in the staff of the 3rd Brigade during the

German invasion of Belgium German invasion of Belgium may refer to: * German invasion of Belgium (1914) during World War I *German invasion of Belgium (1940) The invasion of Belgium or Belgian campaign (10–28 May 1940), often referred to within Belgium as the 18 Days' ...

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

. Transferring to the infantry, Pire rose rapidly through the ranks during the war and in its aftermath. The culmination of his career was as commander of the newly created Corps of Chasseurs Ardennais from 1936 to 1939. He retired in April 1939 as a

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

, before being recalled in September when the

outbreak of 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 ...

led to the mobilisation of the Belgian Army, despite its neutral status. During the

18 Days' Campaign The invasion of Belgium or Belgian campaign (10–28 May 1940), often referred to within Belgium as the 18 Days' Campaign (french: Campagne des 18 jours, nl, Achttiendaagse Veldtocht), formed part of the greater Battle of France, an Military o ...

, Pire commanded the 10th Division of Chasseurs Ardennais. With Belgium under German Occupation, Pire became involved in the resistance. In 1941, he was involved in the creation of the

Belgian Legion Several military units have been known as the Belgian Legion. The term "Belgian Legion" can refer to Belgian volunteers who served in the French Revolutionary Wars, Napoleonic Wars, Revolutions of 1848 and, more commonly, the Mexico Expedition ...

, a group in the

with right-wing political sympathies. He became the group's commander in

Wallonia Wallonia (; french: Wallonie ), or ; nl, Wallonië ; wa, Waloneye or officially the Walloon Region (french: link=no, Région wallonne),; nl, link=no, Waals gewest; wa, link=no, Redjon walone is one of the three regions of Belgium—al ...

. The Belgian Legion subsequently merged with other groups, eventually becoming the Secret Army in 1944. Following the arrest of Jules Bastin and his successor's escape to the United Kingdom, Pire became head of the Secret Army in January 1944. In this role, he led the group's mobilisation after the

Normandy Landings The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as ...

and during the

Liberation of Belgium The Liberation of Belgium from German occupation was completed on 4 February 1945 when the entire country was reportedly free of German troops with the liberation of the village of Krewinkel. The operation began when Allied forces entered on 2 ...

from June to September 1944. He subsequently supervised the group's demobilisation before retiring. He died on 29 January 1953.

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pire, Jules 1878 births 1953 deaths Belgian generals Belgian resistance members Belgian people of World War I Belgian people of World War II Belgian soldiers People from Liège Province Royal Military Academy (Belgium) alumni People from Hannut