World War II Jean de Lattre de Tassigny

1 world war ii

1.1 battle of france
1.2 army of vichy
1.3 rallying de gaulle
1.4 operation overlord
1.5 battle of bulge

world war ii
battle of france

promoted brigadier general on 22 march 1939, youngest général of france, subsequently assigned chief of general headquarters staff of 5th army (french: 5 armée), on 3 september 1939. in january 1940, took command of 14th infantry division (french: 14 division d infanterie) making front confronting @ rethel , division resisted entire month, repelling 3 times assaults in front of aisne, continued battle until champagne-ardenne, @ mourmelon, unfolded leading delay combats on marne, yvonne, loire , nevers. division conserved military cohesion , unity in middle of chaos , debacles. german officer said french resistance similar battle of verdun.

army of vichy

following armistice of 22 june 1940, remained in army of vichy , july 1940 september 1941, adjutant général commanding 13th military division @ clermont-ferrand , military commander of puy-de-dôme. during these profound complex times, de lattre instrumental in mustering cohesion, confidence , discipline. during time believed regime of marshal philippe pétain defended national interest , applied accordingly subsequent related directives. interested in youth, enacted several field schools , military instruction centres – built alsatians , soldiers – purpose of producing quality officers , chiefs (french: produire des chefs) army apt team work , spread experience across board of armistice army. promoted général de division, commander-in-chief of troops in protectorate of tunisia enacted military instruction centre. following four-month deployment, late september 1941 2 february 1942, recalled france , reassigned on 1 january 1942 after dispute superior alphonse juin. returning france de lattre took charge of 16th military division, based in montpellier. following allied landings in french north africa on 8 november 1942, germany occupied southern france , disbanded vichy army. part of occupation, de lattre arrested , imprisoned several months, succeeded in escaping london in september 1943 , joined free french. there, took command of newly formed french army b in summer 1944.

rallying de gaulle

after managing escape, travelled london , algiers, promoted rank of général d armée on 11 november 1943, charles de gaulle. in december 1943, commanded army b become french 1st army on 25 september 1944, constituted of amalgam realised on 31 july 1943, forming free french forces, army of africa (french: armée d afrique (france)) , volunteers. loyal principles, enacted cadre training centre in algiers. army liberated island of elba on 17 , 19 june 1944.

operation overlord

as commander of army b, assisted in preparations of operation dragoon allied forces, linked operation overlord, in normandy. expected forces placed under command of general alexander patch , had 7 divisions of de lattre (almost 256,000 men) , 3 divisions, special forces , airborne forces of 7th army.

with 6th , 7th corps, de lattre , commanders, générals antoine béthouart, edgard de larminat (replaced on 31 august 1944, joseph de goislard de monsabert) disembarked in provence on 15 august 1944 , took part french forces of interior, f.f.i battles of toulon on 27 august , marseille on 29 august. taking of these 2 sea ports augmented capacity of receiving personnel , materials in relation normandy front , brought forth decisive advantage following series of combat engagement events @ western front.

the armies ascended vallée du rhône , liberated saint-Étienne on 2 september, lyon on 3 september , mâcon, chalon-sur-saône, beaune , autun on 8 september.

by incorporating of french forces of interior, de lattre managed notably increase effective unit formations of 137,000 men 400,000 men. september 1944, french liberation army (french: armée française de la libération,) amalgam of armistice army, free french forces , french forces of interior (french: heureux amalgame de l armée d armistice, de la france libre et des forces françaises de l intérieur). amalgam, in straight lining formation of army b, followed formation in french 1st army forces issued french resistance , proved success.

battle of bulge

after completed junction 2nd armored division, 2 d.b coming normandie, montbard, aisey-sur-seine , nord-sur-seine, near dijon on 12 september 1944, 1st army participated beginning of october in battle of vosges (1944–1945) 7th army, took montbéliard , héricourt (haute-saône) on 17 november, gérardmer , reached rhine on 19 november, before allied forces. then, division liberated mulhouse on 24 november , belfort on 25 november.

the battle of bulge (16 december 1944 – 30 january 1945) briefly halted advance of allies , suggested doubtful fate alsace , strasbourg. de gaulle, idea of relinquishing alsace not feasible option, since strasbourg had been liberated 2nd armored division, 2 d.b of philippe leclerc de hauteclocque on 23 november. de lattre shared field american, general jacob l. devers, commanding 6th army group, had included 1st army since 1944. in meantime, on 31 december, allies encountered counter-attack on sarreguemines, bitche , since colmar, french first army responded defend strasbourg. 1st army maintained positions around city despite heavy losses.

following request reinforcement on 19 january 1945, general devers placed 4 divisions of xxi american corps of general frank w. milburn under orders of général de lattre making of him french general of world war ii command united states units. army of de lattre participated on 20 january in reduction of colmar pocket. city liberated on 9 february 1945.

de lattre had reached rhine in previous autumn, in november 1944, , 1st army crossed siegfried line during battle of palatine on 19 march. 1945. on 31 march 1945, french army crossed rhine @ speyer , germersheim , advanced through black forest , karlsruhe , stuttgart while enduring heavy combat losses. army of de lattre advanced on sigmaringen, taken french on 22 april, , ulm on danube on 24 april; reached swiss border @ basel. campaign called rhin et danube completed in austria after army engaged german 25th army in bregenz, austria, , advance through bludenz , landeck.

on 8 may 1945, de lattre in berlin @ general headquarters staff of marshal zhukov.