Paul Arnaud de Foïard

Paul Arnaud de Foïard
Colonel. Arnaud de Foiard
Born (1921-09-09)9 September 1921
Meudon, France
Died 7 August 2005(2005-08-07) (aged 83)
Nérac, France
Allegiance France
Service/branch

French Army

French Foreign Legion
Years of service 1941-1981
Rank Général de corps d’armée
Unit
Commands held
Battles/wars

Paul Marie Félix Jacques René Arnaud de Foïard (9 September 1921 – 7 August 2005) was a French général of the French Army who served primarily in the French Foreign Legion taking part in World War II and the conflicts of Indochina and Algeria.

Military career

Paul Arnaud de Foïard commenced his arms in the resistance where he was captured and interned on December 4, 1942 until June 3, 1943. Escaped, he disembarked in Spain where he was interned at Figueras. He was liberated at Setubal in Portugal, and embared August 21 to Morocco.

During this time, he registered an engagement for the duration of the war by joining the 501e Régiment de chars de combat 501e RCC. His services counted as retroactive counting from December 4, 1942. He passed to the instruction depot of Dellys, then joined the school of Cherchell as an aspirant. He was assigned to the Marching Regiment of the Foreign Legion RMLE with the rank of aspirant on April 1, 1944. With his unit, he participated to the disembarking at Saint-Raphaël in September then to the offensive of the Ist Army, an offensive during which he was wounded by a mine. He was evacuated, on November 28, 1944 and cited ar the orders of the brigade with his first croix de guerre 1939-1945. It was at the head of his section, in Germany, that he was awarded the Médaille militaire in 1945.

On February 8, 1945, he was assgined to the 11th company of the RMLE. Leading a section (platoon), he distinguished leadership on March 20, 1945, at the crossroad south of Buchelberg; during the siege of Mulhausen, on April 4, on the bridge of Enns, the 7; then in Herrenberg, the 18; at Hattingen, the 25; at Immendingen the 26; accordingly being awarded three citations at the orders of the armed forces and the Médaille militaire in one trimester. At the end of the war, he was sent to the École militaire interarmes, since September 1945, to validate his connaissances of an officer.

The RMLE was dissolved. Accordingly, Paul joined the 3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment 3e REI on December 20, 1945. A decree of February 1946, designated him as sous-lieutenant, to be effective starting February 1, 1944. He was then promoted to the rank of lieutenant, on February 1, 1946.

He participated to the campaigns of Indochina, he disembarked at Saigon and joined the 11th company of the 3e REI, on June 11, 1946. He was wounded by a machine gunn, at My Duc Thay, on January 22, 1947. On October 23, 1947, he was assigned the company of camions bennes CCB. Accordingly, he was awarded a new citation at the orders of the armed forces and the knight croix of the Légion d’honneur, bestowed on July 14, 1947. This last one was matched with the croix de guerre des TOE, for his personal action in Cai Lay in Cochinchine; at Am Thai Dong in the province of Mytho.

During the creation of the Parachute Company of the 3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment, Co. Para du 3e REI, on April 1, 1948, he assumed the command of a section. On May 16, he was awarded a citation at the orders of the division during a combat exchange battle at the fortified village of Tho Truong. Repatriated sanitary, he disembarked in Marseille, was hospitalized and benefitted of a break. He was assigned to the regional administrative company of Versailles.

Promoted to Captain on January 2, 1952, he reassumed the service on October 14, 1952. He was entrusted with the command of the 2nd company of the 1st battalion of the 1st Foreign Infantry Regiment 1e REI on the 20. On March 13, 1953, he commanded the platoons of the 1e REI at Saida. In November, he joined the moral service of the legion as editor in chief of Képi blanc in Sidi Bel Abbès until dissolution in July 1955. He was then assgined in the qualities of a commandant of the 5th company of the 2nd battalion of the 4th Foreign Infantry Regiment 4e REI at Fes in Morocco. The 5e du 2/4e REI became the 6e CP du 4e REI, on November 16, 1956. At the corps of this unit, he partook to operations of maintaining order in the Rif and notably at Hibel, Tembouzid, and Zoua Ouah. He was cited at the orders of the division with croix de la Valeur militaire on July 11, 1956. He joined metropole in 1957 and was assigned to the depot of the legion.

Detached the provisionary commando group, in qualities of an instructor in garrison at El Hadjeb from February 16 to July 4, 1956, he was awarded a citation at the orders of the armed corps. Another citation at the orders of the armed corps, was conferred for another engagement. On August 1, 1957, he was assigned to the depot of the Legion in Marseille. He was promoted officer in the order of the Légion d’honneur on December 18, 1958. He joined the ESMIA de Coëtquidan groupment, on June 1, 1959. He was accordingly promoted to chef de battaillon, on October 1, 1959.

He integrated the 74 promotion of the école supérieure de guerre in August 1960. Following, he was assigned to the operation means bureau of the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment 2e REP, on July 1, 1962. On October 1, 1963, he was assigned to EMAT bureau, where he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant-colonel, on October 1 1964. Designated during his command time, he embarked to Mers el Kebir and became regimental commander of the 2e REP, on June 1, 1965 at Bou Sfer.

On June 15, 1967, the REP was repatriated on Corsica. With the finalization of this command tenure, he joined the EMA on July 1. Accordingly, he was promoted to commander of the Légion d’honneur, on July 14 and to the rank of colonel, on October 1. He was designated to serve at the 1st Parachute Brigade 1re BP and placed in subsistance at the 420th command and service battalion, on August 1, 1972. Next January, he was promoted to rank of brigadier general.

In August 1974, he was designated in a director quality, hors-cadre, of the Secrétariat général de la défense et de la sécurité nationale, under the orders of the 1er Ministre and occupied the vice-presidency of the permanent counsil for military service in 1975. Reintegrated, he joined the 11th Parachute Division 11e DP and was division commander on November 29, 1975. He was promoted to division general, in December 1976.

Promoted to the rank and designation of a général de corps d’armée on August 1, 1979, he became director of the enseignement militaire supérieur of the French Army in October. On September 17, 1981, he was nominated as a grand officier de la Légion d’honneur. Attained by the reglementary age limit of his rank to the section of officer generals, on September 10, 1981.

Decorations

See also

References

    Sources

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