Gérard Pierre Louis François Armand Lecointe (7 July 1912, in

Poitiers Poitiers is a city on the river Clain in west-central France. It is a commune in France, commune, the capital of the Vienne (department), Vienne department and the historical center of Poitou, Poitou Province. In 2021, it had a population of 9 ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

– 30 January 2009, in

La Baule-Escoublac La Baule-Escoublac (; Gallo: ''Écoubiâ'', , ), commonly referred to as La Baule, is a commune in Loire-Atlantique, a department in Pays de la Loire, western France. History Seaside resort In 1879, when the Saint-Nazaire- Croisic railroa ...

, France) was a French ''

général de corps d'armée An army corps general or corps general is a rank held by a general officer who commands an army corps. The rank originates from the General officer#French Revolutionary system, French Revolutionary System, and is used by a number of countries. Nor ...

''. He served in

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 ...

and the

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

and saw colonial service in

French North Africa French North Africa (, sometimes abbreviated to ANF) is a term often applied to the three territories that were controlled by France in the North African Maghreb during the colonial era, namely Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia. In contrast to French ...

. He was the last commander of French forces in

Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...

, and completed his career as commander-in-chief of the

French Forces in Germany French military forces were stationed in Germany after the surrender of Germany after the end of World War II; France was one of four Allied powers allocated an occupation zone. The French occupation zone ( [], ) existed from the end of the war ...

Biography

Early life and career

Lecointe was born in

on 7 July 1912, the son of ''Capitaine'' (

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

) Henri Lecointe, an Officer of the

Legion of Honor The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and civil. Currently consisting of five classes, it was ...

. He attended high school in

Douai Douai ( , , ; ; ; formerly spelled Douay or Doway in English) is a city in the Nord (French department), Nord département in northern France. It is a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefecture of the department. Located on the river Scarpe (rive ...

, where he won eleven awards for excellence. He originally planned to attend 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 ...

'', but instead chose to attend the military academy at Saint-Cyr, which he entered in 1930 at the age of eighteen in the "

Joffre Joseph Jacques Césaire Joffre , (; 12 January 1852 – 3 January 1931) was a French general who served as Commander-in-Chief of French forces on the Western Front from the start of World War I until the end of 1916. He is best known for re ...

class." While at the school, he was promoted from

cadet A cadet is a student or trainee within various organisations, primarily in military contexts where individuals undergo training to become commissioned officers. However, several civilian organisations, including civil aviation groups, maritime ...

aspirant Aspirant is usually an officer cadet rank used in armies, navies and air forces. In Western Christianity, an aspirant is the first stage in becoming a monastic. Religious use In Western Christianity, the term is also used in reference to rel ...

in 1931. Lecointe graduated from Saint-Cyr in 1932 and was appointed ''sous-lieutenant'' ( second lieutenant) in the 1st Regiment of Moroccan

Tirailleur A tirailleur (), in the Napoleonic era, was a type of light infantry trained to skirmish ahead of the main columns. Later, the term "''tirailleur''" was used by the French Army as a designation for indigenous infantry recruited in the French c ...

s, in which he took part in the final operations of the pacification of

French Morocco The French protectorate in Morocco, also known as French Morocco, was the period of French colonial rule in Morocco that lasted from 1912 to 1956. The protectorate was officially established 30 March 1912, when Sultan Abd al-Hafid signed the ...

in the Grand Atlas in 1933 and in southern

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

in 1934. He received his baptism of fire at Iskerioul on 3 September 1933.

World War II

broke out in September 1939, and Lecointe returned to France in October 1939 with the 1st Moroccan Division, in which he commanded the 2nd

Company A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of legal people, whether Natural person, natural, Juridical person, juridical or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members ...

of the 1st Regiment of Moroccan Tirailleurs. During the "

Phoney War The Phoney War (; ; ) was an eight-month period at the outset of World War II during which there were virtually no Allied military land operations on the Western Front from roughly September 1939 to May 1940. World War II began on 3 Septembe ...

" period, he took part in the outpost battles of December 1939 along the French border with

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. During the

Battle 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 Nazi Germany, German invasion of the Low Countries (Belgium, Luxembour ...

, he distinguished himself at the Battle of Gembloux in the vicinity of

Gembloux Gembloux (; ; ) is a municipality and city of Wallonia located in the province of Namur, Belgium. On 1 January 2006, the municipality had 21,964 inhabitants. The total area is 95.86 km2, yielding a population density of 229 inhabitants per ...

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

, on 14–15 May 1940, during which he was the last French officer to leave the soil of Gembloux when the high command ordered a retreat. He was seriously wounded near

Lille Lille (, ; ; ; ; ) is a city in the northern part of France, within French Flanders. Positioned along the Deûle river, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Prefectures in F ...

on 24 May 1940 and was made a Knight of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

. The Battle of France ended with France′s surrender to the Germans on 22 June 1940. Lecointe resumed combat in 1942 as a company commander in the 7th Moroccan Infantry Regiment, operating as part of the

Free French Free France () was a resistance government claiming to be the legitimate government of France following the dissolution of the Third French Republic, Third Republic during World War II. Led by General , Free France was established as a gover ...

forces against German and

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

forces in

Tunisia Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Tunisia also shares m ...

. At the head of his company, he distinguished himself during violent assaults on enemy positions in Tunisia in December 1942 and April 1943. He later participated in the battles of the Italian campaign with the French Expeditionary Corps in 1944 and with the French

1st Army First Army may refer to: China * New 1st Army, Republic of China * First Field Army, a Chinese Communist Party unit in the Chinese Civil War * 1st Group Army, People's Republic of China Germany * 1st Army (German Empire), a World War I field Army ...

in the Allied invasion of Southern France (

Operation Dragoon Operation Dragoon (initially Operation Anvil), known as Débarquement de Provence in French ("Provence Landing"), was the code name for the landing operation of the Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of Provence (Southern France) on 15Augu ...

) in August 1944 and the subsequent campaign in the

Vosges The Vosges ( , ; ; Franconian and ) is a range of medium mountains in Eastern France, near its border with Germany. Together with the Palatine Forest to the north on the German side of the border, they form a single geomorphological unit and ...

and to the

Rhine The Rhine ( ) is one of the List of rivers of Europe, major rivers in Europe. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein border, then part of the Austria–Swit ...

with the 1st Regiment of Moroccan Tirailleurs.

Post-World War II

After World War II, LeCointe returned to French Morocco. He was made an Officer of the Legion of Honor on an exceptional basis in 1948 and entered the ''École supérieure de Guerre'' (France′s

war college A war college is a senior military academy which is normally intended for veteran military officers and whose purpose is to educate and 'train on' senior military tacticians, strategists, and leaders. It is also often the place where advanced tac ...

) in 1949. Completing his studies there in 1951, he was promoted to ''

commandant Commandant ( or ; ) is a title often given to the officer in charge of a military (or other uniformed service) training establishment or academy. This usage is common in English-speaking nations. In some countries it may be a military or police ...

'' that year and posted to the general staff of the

, where he served as head of the operations office until 1954. He then took command of the 24th Guard ''Chasseur'' Battalion, a unit of the French 5th Armored Division, at

Bad Bergzabern Bad Bergzabern () is a municipality in the Südliche Weinstraße district, on the German Wine Route in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated near the border with France, on the south-eastern edge of the Palatinate forest, approximately s ...

West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...

. In 1956, Lecointe left West Germany for

, where he successively served as Chief of Staff of the Army Corps of

Algiers Algiers is the capital city of Algeria as well as the capital of the Algiers Province; it extends over many Communes of Algeria, communes without having its own separate governing body. With 2,988,145 residents in 2008Census 14 April 2008: Offi ...

and then for 30 months as commander of the

Cherchell District Cherchell District is a district of Tipaza Province, Algeria. The district is further divided into 4 municipalities: *Cherchell Cherchell () is a town on Algeria's Mediterranean coast, west of Algiers. It is the seat of Cherchell District ...

. Made a Commander of the Legion of Honor on an exceptional basis in 1958, he left Algeria in 1959 for

Fribourg or is the capital of the Cantons of Switzerland, Swiss canton of Canton of Fribourg, Fribourg and district of Sarine (district), La Sarine. Located on both sides of the river Saane/Sarine, on the Swiss Plateau, it is a major economic, adminis ...

, France, where he served as deputy to the general commanding the French 3rd Infantry Division. In 1960, he became

auditor An auditor is a person or a firm appointed by a company to execute an audit.Practical Auditing, Kul Narsingh Shrestha, 2012, Nabin Prakashan, Nepal To act as an auditor, a person should be certified by the regulatory authority of accounting an ...

at Saint-Cyr at the ''

Centre des hautes études militaires Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

'' (Center for Advanced Military Studies, or CHEM) and the ''

Institut des hautes études de défense nationale An institute is an organizational body created for a certain purpose. They are often research organisations (research institutes) created to do research on specific topics, or can also be a professional body. In some countries, institutes ca ...

'' (Institute for Advanced National Defense Studies, or IHEDN). Promoted to ''général de brigade'' ( brigadier general) in 1961, LeCointe returned that year to West Germany and took command of the 11th Mechanized Brigade at

Landau Landau (), officially Landau in der Pfalz (, ), is an autonomous (''kreisfrei'') town surrounded by the Südliche Weinstraße ("Southern Wine Route") district of southern Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is a university town (since 1990), a long ...

and of the French Forces of the Palatinate. In 1963 he was promoted to ''

général de division Divisional general is a general officer rank who commands an army division. The rank originates from the French Revolutionary System, and is used by a number of countries. The rank is above a brigade general, and normally below an army corps ...

'', and from 1963 to 1964 he was in Algeria, where he commanded the 4th Infantry Division and the French Forces of the

Levant The Levant ( ) is the subregion that borders the Eastern Mediterranean, Eastern Mediterranean sea to the west, and forms the core of West Asia and the political term, Middle East, ''Middle East''. In its narrowest sense, which is in use toda ...

and the

Sahara The Sahara (, ) is a desert spanning across North Africa. With an area of , it is the largest hot desert in the world and the list of deserts by area, third-largest desert overall, smaller only than the deserts of Antarctica and the northern Ar ...

. He was the last commander of the French forces in Algeria, which under his command totaled 40,000 men. In 1966, Leconte took command of the 8th Infantry Division at

Compiègne Compiègne (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Oise Departments of France, department of northern France. It is located on the river Oise (river), Oise, and its inhabitants are called ''Compiégnois'' (). Administration Compiègne is t ...

, France, and then returned to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

as first assistant to the

military governor of Paris The military governor of Paris is a post within the French Army. He commands the garrison of Paris and represents all the military based in Paris at high state occasions. He is also responsible (subordinate to the President of France) for organiz ...

. In 1970, he was promoted to ''

'' and succeeded General

Jacques Massu Jacques Émile Massu (; 5 May 1908 – 26 October 2002) was a French general who fought in World War II, the First Indochina War, the Algerian War and the Suez Crisis. He led French troops in the Battle of Algiers, first supporting and later ...

as commander-in-chief of the French Forces in Germany, which under his command totaled 110,000 French personnel, including 73,000 soldiers and 38,000 civilians. He completed this tour in 1972 and retired from the

French Army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (, , ), is the principal Army, land warfare force of France, and the largest component of the French Armed Forces; it is responsible to the Government of France, alongside the French Navy, Fren ...

. Lecointe died on 30 January 2009 at

, France.

Personal life

Lecointe was married to Mattéa Celli. After she died, he married Christiane Pensereau, the daughter of

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

Léonce Pensereau and Denise Naudeau. His second marriage ended in divorce.Patrick Empron, ''Ces Bordelais qui font Bordeaux et sa région'', 1979 (in French).

Awards and honors

French awards

Grand Officer of the

Commander of the Legion of Honour * Legion Honneur Chevalier ribbon

Knight of the Legion of Honour * Ordre national du Merite GO ribbon

Grand Officer of the National Order of Merit *

Croix de Guerre The (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awarded during World ...

with two palms and two stars * Croix de la Valeur Militaire ribbon

Cross for Military Valour The Cross for Military Valour () is a military decoration of France. It recognizes an individual bestowed a Mention in Dispatches earned for showing valour in presence of an enemy, in theatres of operations which are not subject to the award of ...

with two palms and one star * Medaille de la Resistance ribbon

Resistance Medal The Resistance Medal (, ) was a decoration bestowed by the French Committee of National Liberation, based in the United Kingdom, during World War II. It was established by a decree of General Charles de Gaulle on 9 February 1943 "to recognize the ...

Croix du Combattant Volontaire de la Resistance ribbon

Cross of the resistance volunteer combatant The Cross of the Resistance Volunteer Combatant () is a French decoration that recognizes, as its name implies, those who fought in one of the resistance groups, or who were deported or interned for acts of resistance, or who were killed or injur ...

Combatant's Cross The Combatant's Cross () is a French decoration that recognizes, as its name implies, those who fought in combat for France. The Poilus (French combat soldiers) of World War I worked toward recognition by the government, of a special status to t ...

* Medal for voluntary military service *

Commemorative medal for voluntary service in Free France The Commemorative medal for voluntary service in Free France () was a French commemorative war medal established by decree on 4 April 1946 on the 1945 proposition of general Edgard de Larminat to the Minister to the armies. The general propose ...

* 1939–1945 Commemorative war medal with

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, and

clasps *

North Africa Security and Order Operations Commemorative Medal The Commemorative Medal for Security Operations and the Maintenance of Order () is a French commemorative medal established in the late 1950s for award to members of the French armed forces and French civil servants under military authority for ...

with

clasp *

Medal for the War Wounded The Medal for the War Wounded () was originally a mere insignia in the form of an ribbon awarded for wounds received in the line of duty while facing an enemy. The insignia was established by the law of 11 December 1916, based on an idea by the nat ...

Foreign awards

* Grand Officer of the

Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (, or , BVO) is the highest state decoration, federal decoration of the Federal Republic of Germany. It may be awarded for any field of endeavor. It was created by the first List of president ...

* Officer of the

Order of Glory The Order of Glory () was a military decoration of the Soviet Union established by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet on November 8, 1943. It was awarded to soldiers and non-commissioned officers of the Red Army as well as to aviation ...

(

French protectorate of Tunisia The French protectorate of Tunisia (; '), officially the Regency of Tunis () and commonly referred to as simply French Tunisia, was established in 1881, during the French colonial empire era, and lasted until Tunisian independence in 1956. T ...

) * For his actions during the Battle of Gembloux in May 1940, Lecointe was made an Honorary Citizen of

, in 1954.

References

External links

''Biographie sur le site de l'École supérieur de guerre'' (in French)

* [https://www.lemonde.fr/archives/article/1970/05/08/le-general-lecointe-devient-commandant-en-chef-des-forces-francaises-en-allemagne_2666604_1819218.html?xtmc=gerard_lecointe&xtcr=1 "''Le général Lecointe devient commandant en chef des forces françaises en Allemagne''," 8 May 1970, ''Le Monde'' (in French)]
"''Le général Lecointe devient commandant en chef des forces françaises en Allemagne''," 7 Mai 1970, ''Le Monde'' (in French)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lecointe, Gérard 1912 births 2009 deaths French generals People from Poitiers École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr alumni French military personnel of World War II Free French military personnel of World War II Grand Officers of the Legion of Honour Grand Officers of the Ordre national du Mérite Knights Commander of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 (France) Recipients of the Cross for Military Valour Gembloux