Philippe Molitor (11 June 1869 – 27 October 1952) 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 languag ...

military officer. He is known for his role as commander of the ''Brigade Nord'' of the ''

Force Publique The ''Force Publique'' (, "Public Force"; nl, Openbare Weermacht) was a gendarmerie and military force in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1885 (when the territory was known as the Congo Free State), through the period of ...

'', during the Tabora Offensive in the East African Campaign (World War I).

Military career

At the age of 16 he joined the Belgian 1st regiment of

Carabinier A carabinier (also sometimes spelled carabineer or carbineer) is in principle a soldier armed with a carbine. A carbiniere is a carabiniere musket or rifle and were commonplace by the beginning of the Napoleonic Wars in Europe. The word is d ...

s as a volunteer. In 1886 Molitor won an appointment to the Royal Military Academy in Brussels. He graduated in 1889, and was commissioned as second lieutenant in the ''2e régiment de

Chasseurs à Pied ''Chasseur'' ( , ), a French term for "hunter", is the designation given to certain regiments of French and Belgian light infantry () or light cavalry () to denote troops trained for rapid action. History This branch of the French Army origi ...

''. In 1900 he was assigned a job at the

Ministry of War Ministry of War may refer to: * Ministry of War (imperial China) (c.600–1912) * Chinese Republic Ministry of War (1912–1946) * Ministry of War (Kingdom of Bavaria) (1808–1919) * Ministry of War (Brazil) (1815–1999) * Ministry of War (Estoni ...

and from 1906 to 1909 he was the Batman of general Jacoby. In 1912 he was commissioned as major in the ''

'' and in 1913 he was responsible for inspecting the military posts on the eastern border of the

Belgian Congo The Belgian Congo (french: Congo belge, ; nl, Belgisch-Congo) was a Belgian colony in Central Africa from 1908 until independence in 1960. The former colony adopted its present name, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), in 1964. Colo ...

in the ''Province Orientale''. In 1913-14 he warned the Belgian government in a paper of what he called 'the German threat' in German East Africa and advised to reform and strengthen the Force Publique, while the colonial officials at that time stressed the importance of the neutrality of the Belgian Congo. In 1915 Molitor was assigned to form the ''Brigade Nord'' which he was to command during the Tabora Offensive. At the end of April 1916 Molitor advanced to German East Africa, his brigade occupied Kigali on 6 May 1916,

Biharamulo Biharamulo is a town in northwestern Tanzania. It is the district headquarter of Biharamulo District. Biharamulo used to be a German administrative centre in colonial times. Biharamulo Game Reserve is located north of the town. History The town ...

on 24 June and St. Michaël on 21 August. His brigade faced supply difficulties, and because of the absence of a railway line from Kigali to Tabora, he was to advance at a slower pace than ''Brigade Sud''. In 1918 Molitor was appointed to reorganize the ''Force Publique'' and was promoted to the rank of

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

. In 1919 he was sent back to Belgium and assumed command of the 5th infantry

division Division or divider may refer to: Mathematics *Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication *Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division Military *Division (military), a formation typically consisting ...

, in 1923 he was promoted to

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 ...

and took command of the 1st infantry division. General Molitor retired in 1928. After his military career he continued to advocate the strengthening of the ''Force Publique'', mainly in the years prior to the second world war. Molitor strongly opposed

racial discrimination Racial discrimination is any discrimination against any individual on the basis of their skin color, race or ethnic origin.Individuals can discriminate by refusing to do business with, socialize with, or share resources with people of a certain g ...

, calling racism « une infirmité mentale».

References

Bibliography

Philippe Molitor
Royal Museum for Central Africa *

Military career

References

Bibliography

Further reading