List of French generals who died during the First World War

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The Mémorial des Généraux 1914–1918 at the Cathedral of Saint-Louis des Invalides lists 40 of the generals killed during the war as well as Admiral Victor-Baptistin Senès.
Cumulative total of French generals who died because of the war by date. The signing of the armistice on 11 November 1918 is denoted by the red line.
Map showing the departments or countries of death (red shading shows location of death, darker shades indicating more deaths)

This is a list of French generals who died during the First World War (1914–1918). The list is published by the French war graves authority Le Souvenir français and includes all generals they have determined to have mort pour la France (lit. 'died for France'). It includes those killed in action or died of wounds but also those who died from illness contracted on active duty. The list includes generals who died as late as 1923.

Background[edit]

In 1914 the French Army of around 770,000 men maintained 21 army corps of around two divisions each. There were a total of 47 infantry and 10 cavalry divisions which included 92 infantry brigades, 38 cavalry brigades, and 21 field artillery brigades; these formations would typically have been commanded by a general officer.[1] By the war's end in 1918 the army had expanded to 3,000,000 men in 113 divisions. During that time it had suffered 1,327,000 men killed, died of wounds, or missing and presumed dead.[2]

There were only two general officer ranks in the French Army, that of général de brigade (equivalent to brigadier-general) and of général de division (equivalent to major-general).[3] Généraux de brigade (and sometimes colonels) commanded brigades and sub-divisions of larger units, while armies, corps and divisions were led by généraux de division; additional generals were required to serve in staff positions.[4] The military distinction (not rank) of Marshal of France, held for life, was sometimes granted to senior generals. At the start of the war in 1914 there had been no living marshals since the death of François Certain de Canrobert in 1895.[5] During the course of the war it would be awarded to two generals, Joseph Joffre and Ferdinand Foch, with Philippe Pétain receiving the honour shortly after the 11 November 1918 armistice.[6] Five other generals were granted the honour in the early 1920s, in two cases (Michel-Joseph Maunoury and Joseph Gallieni) the men had died as generals during the war.[7]

Age limits for active service were 62 years for généraux de brigade and 65 for généraux de division. Generals tended to be towards the upper limit of these ages, with all army commanders in August 1914 aged between 61 and 64. Low pay and slow career progression led to a shortage of officers and non-commissioned officers in the pre-war French Army.[3][4] At the outbreak of the war the army was short 400 officers of all ranks.[3] It could put into the field only 120 généraux de division out of a requirement of 160 and just 220 généraux de brigade, out of a requirement of 260. Additional generals were recalled from retirement, though many of these were elderly and ill suited for campaigning.[4]

List[edit]

The Le Souvenir français is responsible for maintaining French war memorials and cemeteries and providing information about war dead.[8] It maintains a list of military personnel determined to have mort pour la France ("died for France"), a designation granted under the French Code des pensions militaires d'invalidité et des victimes de guerre [fr] ("code for military disability pensions and victims of war").[9] The designation is granted for those killed in action, died of wounds, died from illness contracted on active duty or executed by an occupying power among other categories.[10]

Le Souvenir français publishes selections of those who died in the First World War as Livre d'or des morts pour la France de la guerre de 1914-1918 [fr] ("Golden book of those who died for France in the 1914-1918 war"). This list is extracted from Le Souvenir français member Gérard Gehin's Livre d'or des officiers superieurs morts pour la France guerre 14-18 ("Golden book of superior officers who died for France in the 1914-1918 war"). Gehin's work lists all officers of lieutenant-colonel rank or above, but only the 81 officers who held general rank at the time of their death are listed here. It includes some officers who died as late as 1923 where Le Souvenir français has determined they qualify as mort pour la France. Where details are missing from Gehin's list additional information has been taken from the sources cited.[11]

French historian Laurent Guillemot published a book, La Liste de Foch (French: Foch's list), in 2017 that discussed the French generals who died during the war. He notes that Foch prepared a list of 40 he deemed to have been killed in action (plus Admiral Victor-Baptistin Senès), whose names were inscribed on the memorial at Les Invalides. To this list Guillemot adds Général de Brigade Corneille Trumelet-Faber who died of wounds following a German shell explosion. Guillemot noted that the average age of the men he listed was 56.5 years and that two-thirds were killed by shell fire and the remainder shot. He notes that around 76 British generals were killed in the war, 2 Belgian, 2 Italian, and 2 Romanians. On the opposing side he notes around 70 German generals, 40 Austro-Hungarian, and one Ottoman killed.[12]

In the list below generals listed by Foch are denoted in red.

Image Name Rank Unit commanded Date of death Department or country of death Cause of death
Ernest Jean Aime [fr] Général de brigade 67th Infantry Division 6 September 1916 Meuse, France Enemy action
Ernest Anselin [fr] Général de brigade 214th Infantry Brigade 24 October 1916 Meuse, France Enemy action
Emile Olivier Paul Arlabosse Général de brigade 45th Infantry Brigade 5 February 1920 Lot-et-Garonne, France[13] Sickness contracted on service
Paul Arrivet [fr] Général de brigade 109th Reserve Infantry Brigade 29 October 1914 Somme, France Enemy action
Albert Baratier [fr] Général de division 134th Infantry Division 17 October 1917 Marne, France Died suddenly
Ernest Auguste Barbade [fr] Général de brigade 25th Infantry Brigade 10 September 1914 Marne, France Enemy action
Ernest Jacques Barbot [fr] Général de brigade 77th Infantry Division 10 May 1915 Pas-de-Calais, France Enemy action
Joseph Louis Alphonse Baret [fr] Général de division 6th Military Region 28 August 1920 Isère, France Sickness
Marie Désiré Pierre Bataille [fr] Général de brigade 41st Infantry Division 8 September 1914 Vosges, France Enemy action
Jules Augustin Williams Léon Battesti [fr] Général de brigade 52nd Reserve Infantry Division 25 September 1914 Marne, France Enemy action
Victor Paul Bouttieaux Général de brigade Engineers, 4th Army Corps 22 July 1918 Seine-et-Oise, France Accident on service
Marie Joseph Eugène Bridoux [fr] Général de division Bridoux Cavalry Corps 25 September 1914 Somme, France Enemy action
Paul Constant Caudrelier [fr] Général de brigade 6th Colonial Infantry Brigade 30 November 1914 Marne, France Enemy action
Georges Challe [fr] Général de brigade 148th Infantry Brigade 11 October 1917 Meuse, France Enemy action
Aimé Charles Henri de Clermont-Tonnerre Général de brigade 113th Infantry Brigade 22 December 1916 Côte-d'Or, France Sickness
Jean Lambert Alphonse Colin Général de brigade Infantry, 30th Infantry Division 30 December 1917 Serbia Enemy action
Camille Cousin Général de brigade 165th Territorial Infantry Brigade 16 April 1917 Seine, France Enemy action
Etienne Albert Crepey Général de division 14th Infantry Division 24 October 1917 Haute-Garonne, France Sickness
Achille Pierre Deffontaines Général de brigade 24th Infantry Division 26 August 1914 Marne, France Died of wounds
Gilbert Etienne Defforges [fr] Général de division 5th Military Region 28 March 1915 Loiret, France Sickness
Louis Gabriel Alexandre Delarue [fr] Général de brigade 121st Reserve Infantry Brigade 20 March 1915 Marne, France Enemy action
Nicolas Victor Delmotte Général de brigade 33rd Infantry Division 22 January 1916 Somme, France Sickness
Pierre des Vallières [fr] Général de brigade 151st Infantry Division 28 May 1918 Aisne, France Enemy action
Paul Emile Diou Général de brigade 63rd Infantry Brigade 23 August 1914 Aisne, France Died of wounds
Léon Adrien Duflos Général de brigade Inspector-General of the National Gendarmerie 15 May 1919 Bouches-du-Rhône, France Sickness
Gaston Dupuis [fr] Général de brigade 67th Infantry Brigade 9 September 1914 Marne, France Enemy action
Georges Jacques Durand Général de brigade 69th Infantry Brigade 18 November 1914 Charente-Maritime, France Died of wounds
François Eugène Durupt Général de brigade 147th Infantry Brigade 15 August 1922 Seine, France Died of wounds
Joseph Gallieni Général de division (also a Marshal of France) Military Governor of Paris 27 May 1916 Seine-et-Oise, France Sickness
Marie François Adolphe Ganeval Général de brigade 3rd Infantry Brigade of the Oriental Expeditionary Corps 7 June 1915 Ottoman Empire Enemy action
Auguste Gérôme Général de division 1st Group of the Eastern Division 10 May 1919 Bouches-du-Rhône, France Sickness
Pierre Girodon [fr] Général de brigade 12th Infantry Division 25 September 1916 Somme, France Enemy action
Charles Antoine Grand D'Esnon Général de brigade 149th Reserve Infantry Brigade 21 September 1914 Meuse, France Enemy action
Paul François Grossetti Général de division Army of the Orient 7 January 1918 Somme, France Sickness
Pierre Amable Guignabaudet Général de division 41st Infantry Division 30 May 1918 Belgium Died of wounds
Alfred Emile Hollender Général de brigade Assistant commander of the 3rd Military Region 1 October 1919 Moselle, France Sickness
Charles Jacquot Général de division 35th Army Corps 22 June 1922 Vosges, France Died of wounds
Henri Pierre Jullien Général de brigade Military Governor of Langres 27 December 1918 Seine, France Sickness
Athanase Marie Krien Général de brigade 35th Infantry Brigade 9 May 1916 Meuse, France Died of wounds
Emile Eugène Ladoux Général de brigade Depot of the 12th Artillery Brigade 12 November 1921 Seine, France Sickness
Pierre Henri Lafont Général de brigade French Military Mission to Romania 12 December 1918 Romania Sickness
Paul Lancrenon Général de division Assistant to the General Commander of the Staff 10 July 1922 Seine, France Sickness
Henri Armand de Laporte d'Hust Général de brigade 55th Infantry Division 3 October 1916 Meuse, France Sickness
Victor Emmanuel Largeau [fr] Général de brigade 37th Infantry Brigade 27 March 1916 Meuse, France Sickness
Jean Pierre Larroque [fr] Général de brigade 10th Colonial Infantry Division 31 December 1921 Tarn-et-Garonne, France Sickness
Emile Charles Lavisse Général de brigade Assistant Commander of the 15th Military Region 28 June 1915 Seine, France Died of wounds
Pierre Auguste Georges Léré Général de brigade 92nd Territorial Infantry Division 15 February 1915 Pas-de-Calais, France Sickness
Lucien Lizé [it] Général de brigade Artillery of the French Army in Italy 5 January 1918 Italy Enemy action
Louis Loyzeau de Grandmaison Général de division 5th Group of Reserve Divisions 19 February 1915 Aisne, France Died of wounds
Gabriel Malleterre Général de brigade Director, Army Museum 26 November 1923 Seine, France Died of wounds
Louis François Marcot [fr] Général de division 81st Territorial Infantry Division 4 October 1914 Pas-de-Calais, France Enemy action
Louis Joseph Margueron Général de brigade 120th Infantry Brigade 30 December 1917 Seine, France Sickness
Georges Marquet Général de brigade 17th Infantry Brigade 16 September 1914 Meuse, France Enemy action
Joseph Georges Antoine Masnou [fr] Général de division 1st Division of the Oriental Expeditionary Corps 17 July 1915 Mediterranean Died of wounds
Michel Joseph Maunoury Général de division (also a Marshal of France) On reserve list 28 March 1923 Loiret, France Sickness
Victor Joseph Antoine Meunier [fr] Général de division Military Governor of Lyon 13 July 1916 Seine, France Sickness
Frédéric Henry Micheler [it] Général de division 5th Army Corps 15 August 1917 Rhône, France Died of wounds
Marie Henry Louis de Montangon Général de brigade 105th Reserve Infantry Brigade 29 July 1919 Seine, France Sickness
Louis Fernand Montaudon Général de brigade Cavalry depots, 9th Military Region 29 March 1916 Maine-et-Loire, France Sickness
Alphonse Jean André Monterou Général de brigade 30th Infantry Division 19 May 1919 Haute-Garonne, France Sickness
Charles Montignault Général de brigade 1st Colonial Infantry Brigade 24 November 1921 Ille-et-Vilaine, France[14] Sickness
Jean Baptiste Albert Moussy Général de brigade 33rd Infantry Division 21 May 1915 Pas-de-Calais, France Enemy action
Joseph Maurice Pambet Général de division Assistant to the commander of the 12th Military Region 6 January 1916 Dordogne, France Accident on service
Louis Victor Plessier Général de brigade 88th Infantry Brigade 27 August 1914 Rhône, France Died of wounds
Jean Baptiste Joseph Proye Général de brigade 45th Infantry Brigade 10 December 1915 Seine, France Died of wounds
Léon Amédée François Raffenel Général de brigade 3rd Colonial Infantry Division 22 August 1914 Belgium Enemy action
Camille Marie Emile Ravenez Général de brigade 315th Infantry Brigade 7 November 1917 Alpes-Maritimes, France Sickness
Marius Abel Rey Général de brigade Military Government of Paris 17 December 1918 Seine, France Sickness
Edouard Auguste Reymond Général de brigade 4th Colonial Infantry Brigade 27 December 1914 Marne, France Enemy action
Georges Emile Riberpray Général de brigade 128th Infantry Division 11 September 1917 Meuse, France Enemy action
Charles Rondony Général de brigade 3rd Colonial Brigade 22 August 1914 Belgium Enemy action
Charles Auguste Henri Roques [fr] Général de brigade 10th Infantry Division 26 September 1914 Meuse, France Died of wounds
Jean Louis Théodore Rousseau Général de brigade 137th Reserve Infantry Brigade 20 September 1914 Marne, France Enemy action
Christian Léon Sauret Général de brigade 2nd Section of General Officers 30 June 1920 Sickness
Marcel Serret [fr] Général de brigade 66th Infantry Division 6 January 1916 Haut-Rhin, Germany Died of wounds
Charles Antoine Sibille Général de brigade 64th Infantry Brigade 27 September 1914 Meurthe-et-Moselle, France Enemy action
Jean Paul Ernest Stirn [fr] Général de brigade 77th Infantry Division 12 May 1915 Pas-de-Calais, France Enemy action
Corneille Gustave Ernest Trumelet-Faber Général de brigade 81st Territorial Infantry Division 11 April 1916 Seine, France Died of wounds
Henri Alexis Joseph Vanwaetermeulen Général de brigade Infantry, 165th Division 16 July 1918 Marne, France Died of wounds
Paul Venel Général de brigade With the Army of the Orient 25 March 1920 Meurthe-et-Moselle, France Sickness
Walter Waddington Général de brigade 12th Dragoon Brigade 23 June 1920 Germany Sickness

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ United States War Department General Staff (1916). Strength and Organization of the Armies of France, Germany, Austria, Russia, England, Italy, Mexico and Japan: (showing Conditions in July, 1914). U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 15.
  2. ^ What France Has Done in the War. 1919.
  3. ^ a b c Clayton, Anthony (5 November 2015). Paths of Glory: The French Army, 1914-18. Orion. pp. 238–239. ISBN 978-1-4746-0333-1.
  4. ^ a b c Bourachot, André (30 June 2014). Marshal Joffre: The Triumphs, Failures and Controversies of France's Commander-in-Chief in the Great War. Pen and Sword. p. 181. ISBN 978-1-4738-3826-0.
  5. ^ Halsey, Francis W. (20 January 2010). The Literary Digest History of the World War: Compiled from Original and Contemporary Sources: American, British, French, German, and Others - Western Front July 1915 - May 1917. Cosimo, Inc. p. 151. ISBN 978-1-61640-081-1.
  6. ^ Halsey, Francis W. (1 January 2009). The Literary Digest History of the World War: Compiled from Original and Contemporary Sources. Cosimo, Inc. p. 189. ISBN 978-1-61640-096-5.
  7. ^ Greenhalgh, Elizabeth (13 November 2014). The French Army and the First World War. Cambridge University Press. p. 401. ISBN 978-1-107-01235-6.
  8. ^ "Notre mission". Le Souvenir Français (in French). Retrieved 20 December 2022.
  9. ^ "Morts pour la France de la Première Guerre mondiale - Mémoire des hommes". Ministère des Armées. French Government. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
  10. ^ "Code des pensions militaires d'invalidité et des victimes de guerre : Article L511-1". French Government. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
  11. ^ Gehin, Gérard. Livre d'or des officiers superieurs morts pour la France guerre 14-18 (PDF). Le Souvenir français. pp. 81–86. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 March 2014.
  12. ^ Guillemot, Laurent (2017). La Liste de Foch: Les 42 Généraux morts au champ d'honneur. Paris: Editions de Fallois. p. 9, 12.
  13. ^ "ARLABOSSE, Emile Olivier Paul". Mémorial-GenWeb. Retrieved 3 March 2013.
  14. ^ "Charles (Félix Eugène) Général MONTIGNAULT". geneanet. Retrieved 4 March 2013.
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