Frédéric-Georges Herr (7 May 1855 – 27 October 1932) was a French general.

Pre-Military Career

Frédéric-Georges Herr was born on May 7 in

Neuf-Brisach Neuf-Brisach ( or , ; , , in contrast to " Old Breisach"; ) is a fortified town and commune of the department of Haut-Rhin in the French region of Alsace. The fortified town was intended to guard the border between France and the Holy Roman E ...

, France to Margare Emylida and Georges Jacques. Herr entered the

École polytechnique (, ; also known as Polytechnique or l'X ) is a ''grande école'' located in Palaiseau, France. It specializes in science and engineering and is a founding member of the Polytechnic Institute of Paris. The school was founded in 1794 by mat ...

in 1874. Herr married Anne Peugeot, the heiress of the

Peugeot Peugeot (, , ) is a French automobile brand owned by Stellantis. The family business that preceded the current Peugeot companies was established in 1810, making it the oldest car company in the world. On 20 November 1858, Émile Peugeot applie ...

family, in 1883.

Military career

Conquest of Madagascar

Frédéric-Georges Herr enrolled into the military after he graduated. From 1895 to 1902, he took an active part in the colonization of

Madagascar Madagascar, officially the Republic of Madagascar, is an island country that includes the island of Madagascar and numerous smaller peripheral islands. Lying off the southeastern coast of Africa, it is the world's List of islands by area, f ...

under the order of General Gallieni. During the conquest, he commanded the 32nd Artillery Regiment and later the 6th Artillery Brigade where he stayed until world War I. For his service, he was promoted to Brigadier General in 1911.

World War I

During World War I, Herr was the commander of the 12th Infantry Division, he was involved in the battle at Les Éparges. and played a minor role in the

Battle of Verdun The Battle of Verdun ( ; ) was fought from 21 February to 18 December 1916 on the Western Front (World War I), Western Front in French Third Republic, France. The battle was the longest of the First World War and took place on the hills north ...

. It is recorded Herr was in "a state of nervous collapse" as the German forces were overwhelming his troops. After being relieved at the Battle of Verdun, Herr was put into the head of the Centre for Artillery Studies in France and later on April 6, 1917, Herr was promoted to deputy chief of the General staff. On October 10 he was put as chief inspector of artillery training until October 24, 1919 where he was put into reserve.

Post-Military Career

Herr went on to win the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour. In 1923, he authored of the book: Herr, Général F-G. : ''L’Artillerie, ce qu’elle a été, ce qu’elle est, ce qu’elle doit être'', Berger-Levrault éditeurs, Nancy, Paris, Strasbourg, 1924, 6e édition. Herr died aged 77 on October 27, 1932.

References

1855 births 1932 deaths Military personnel from Haut-Rhin French generals French Army generals of World War I Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour École Polytechnique alumni 19th-century French military personnel {{France-mil-bio-stub