Marie Pierre Koenig
|
|
Marie Pierre Koenig (October 10, 1898—September 2, 1970) was a French general. He commanded a Free French Brigade at the Battle of Bir Hacheim in North Africa in 1942.
Marie Pierre Koenig was born in October 10 1898 in Caen, France. He fought in the French army during the World War I and served with distinction. After the war he served in French forces in Morocco.
When the World War II broke out, Koenig returned to France. He was first assigned as a captain to lead French troops originally destined for Norway. After the fall of France he escaped to England through Dunkirk evacuation.
In London, Koenig joined general Charles de Gaulle and was promoted to colonel. He became chief of staff in the first divisions of Free French Forces. In 1941 he served in the campaigns in Syria and Lebanon. He was later promoted to general and took command of the First French Brigade in Egypt. His unit was in the battle of Bir Hacheim until they were forced to withdraw on June 19 1942 with relatively few casualties.
Later Koenig served as Free French delegate to supreme Allied headquarters under General Dwight D. Eisenhower. In 1944 he was given command of the Free French that took part of the Normandy Invasion. In June 1944 he was given command of the French Forces of the Interior to unify various French Resistance groups under De Gaulle's control. In August 21 1944 De Gaulle appointed him military governor of Paris to restore law and order.
After the war Koenig became a commander of the French army on the French occupation zone in Germany until 1949. In 1949 he became inspector general in North Africa and in 1950 vice president of the Supreme War Council. In 1951, after his retirement, he was elected as Gaullist representative to French National Assembly and briefly served as a minister of defense under Pierre Mendes-France and Edgar Faure until 1955.
Marie Pierre Koenig died on September 2 1970 in Neuilly-sur-Seine. In 1984 he was posthumously declared Marshal of France.
External Links
ordredelaliberation.fr (http://www.ordredelaliberation.fr/fr_compagnon/524.html)fr:Marie Pierre Kœnig he:מרי פייר קניג