Auguste Marie Émile Laure (3 June 1881 – 1957) was a French general He was born on 3 June 1881 in Apt,

Vaucluse Vaucluse (; or ) is a department in the southeastern French region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. It had a population of 561,469 as of 2019.

, France. His father was Jacques Ernest Laure (Ingénieur des Arts et Manufactures). His mother was Marguerite Marie Louise Duval. He died in

Hyères Hyères (), Provençal dialect, Provençal Occitan language, Occitan: ''Ieras'' in classical norm, or ''Iero'' in Mistralian norm) is a Communes of France, commune in the Var (département), Var Departments of France, department in the Provence-Al ...

in 1957. He married Eugénie Marguerite Degasquet in Draguignan on 27 September 1908. Just prior to

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, he commanded the 9th Military Region. At the time of the outbreak of World War II, he commanded 9^e Corps d'Armée. At the

Fall of France The Battle of France (; 10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign (), the French Campaign (, ) and the Fall of France, during the Second World War was the German invasion of the Low Countries (Belgium, Luxembourg and the Net ...

, he commanded 8th Army until his capture. After his release, he served the

Vichy government Vichy France (; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was a French rump state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II, established as a result of the French capitulation after the defeat against ...

as Secretary-General to the Head of State until April 1942. In 1940, he was the commanding officer of the VIII^e Armée on the

Lorraine Lorraine, also , ; ; Lorrain: ''Louréne''; Lorraine Franconian: ''Lottringe''; ; ; is a cultural and historical region in Eastern France, now located in the administrative region of Grand Est. Its name stems from the medieval kingdom of ...

front. He was imprisoned in

La Bresse La Bresse () is a commune in the Vosges department in Grand Est in northeastern France. The area is known for its ski resorts and outdoor activities. La Bresse is located about 45 km west of Colmar and 55 km north west of Mulhouse in ...

, with four other generals, on 22 June 1940. Freed following the intervention of Marshal

Philippe Pétain Henri Philippe Bénoni Omer Joseph Pétain (; 24 April 1856 – 23 July 1951), better known as Marshal Pétain (, ), was a French marshal who commanded the French Army in World War I and later became the head of the Collaboration with Nazi Ger ...

, Laure became secretary general of the office of the head of state (secrétaire général du cabinet du chef de l'État) on 15 November 1940 and, in December, secretary general of the

Légion française des combattants The French Legion of Veterans (, or LFC) was a paramilitary association established in Vichy France and French colonial empire, Vichy's colonial territories in World War II. Legion Shortly after the Battle of France, French defeat, the newly es ...

(LFC), the Vichy veterans organization, replacing

Xavier Vallat Xavier Vallat (December 23, 1891 – January 6, 1972) was a French politician and antisemite who was Commissioner-General for Jewish Questions in the wartime collaborationist Vichy government, and was sentenced after World War II to ten years ...

. He left this position in 1942 after the return of

Pierre Laval Pierre Jean Marie Laval (; 28 June 1883 – 15 October 1945) was a French politician. He served as Prime Minister of France three times: 1931–1932 and 1935–1936 during the Third Republic (France), Third Republic, and 1942–1944 during Vich ...

to the government. He was arrested by the Germans in December 1943 and deported to Germany. He was not released until May 1945. He was tried in the ''

Épuration légale The (; French for 'legal purge') was the wave of official trials that followed the Liberation of France and the fall of the Vichy regime. The trials were largely conducted from 1944 to 1949, with subsequent legal action continuing for decade ...

'' (French: "legal purge") anti-collaborator trials that followed World War II in France. He was acquitted on 2 July 1948. His son, René Laure, also became a general in the French army. Another son, Henri Laure, became an admiral.

Publications

*Under the pseudonym Henri-René, ''Au 3^e Bureau du troisième GQG (1917-1919)'', Plon, Paris, 1921, 279 pages. *''Pétain, biographie du maréchal jusqu'à la capitulation'', Berger-Levrault, 1942, 442 pages

References

*''Translated in part from the corresponding article in the

French Wikipedia The French Wikipedia () is the French-language edition of Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia. This edition was started on 23 March 2001, two months after the official creation of Wikipedia. It has :fr:Special:Statistics, encyclopedia artic ...

.'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Laure, Emile 1881 births 1957 deaths People from Vaucluse French generals French military personnel of World War I French Army generals of World War II French prisoners of war in World War II World War II prisoners of war held by Germany