Jean Sassi (11 June 1917 – 9 January 2009) was a

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 ...

colonel and intelligence service officer, former " ''Jedburgh''" ( BCRA) of

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 ...

and

Far East The Far East is the geographical region that encompasses the easternmost portion of the Asian continent, including North Asia, North, East Asia, East and Southeast Asia. South Asia is sometimes also included in the definition of the term. In mod ...

. Commando chief of the SDECE's 11th Shock Parachutist Regiment (''

11e régiment parachutiste de choc The ''11e régiment parachutiste de choc'' ("11th shock parachute regiment), often called ''11e choc'', was an elite parachute regiment of the French Army. It used to serve as the armed branch of the SDECE. Its insignia, designed by lieutenant ...

''). Maquis chief in

French Indochina French Indochina (previously spelled as French Indo-China), officially known as the Indochinese Union and after 1941 as the Indochinese Federation, was a group of French dependent territories in Southeast Asia from 1887 to 1954. It was initial ...

through the GCMA (1953–1955). Sassi was born in French-ruled Tunis, from a family of Corsican origin. His grandfather had been a French soldier during the Tonkin Campaign. The young Sassi aspired to be a championship swimmer. During the

Battle of Dien Bien Phu The Battle of Điện Biên Phủ was a climactic confrontation of the First Indochina War that took place between 13 March and 7 May 1954. It was fought between the forces of the French Union and Viet Minh. The French began an operation to in ...

in April 1954 Jean Sassi led Mèo partisans (GCMA) in

Operation Condor Operation Condor (; ) was a campaign of political repression by the right-wing dictatorships of the Southern Cone of South America, involving intelligence operations, coups, and assassinations of left-wing sympathizers in South America which fo ...

, also known as Operation D.Video with 1954 color footages and later comments by col. Jean Sassi (in French)
/ref> He also participated in the French war in Algeria. Promoted to Commandant (equivalent to Major) on February 2, 1960 but was sent home for serious medical issues. He left the army at the age of 54 with the rank of colonel and then joined the personnel department of

Citroën Citroën ()The double-dot diacritic over the 'e' is a diaeresis () indicating the two vowels are sounded separately, and not as a diphthong. is a French automobile brand. The "Automobiles Citroën" manufacturing company was founded on 4 June 19 ...

Honours and awards

* Commander 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 ...

Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 Croix (French for "cross") may refer to: Belgium * Croix-lez-Rouveroy, a village in municipality of Estinnes in the province of Hainaut France * Croix, Nord, in the Nord department * Croix, Territoire de Belfort, in the Territoire de Belfort d ...

Croix de guerre des théâtres d'opérations extérieures The (; "War Cross for Foreign Operational Theatres"), also called the for short, is a French military award denoting citations earned in combat in foreign countries. The Armistice of November 11, 1918 ended the war between France and Germa ...

Croix de la Valeur Militaire Croix (French for "cross") may refer to: Belgium * Croix-lez-Rouveroy, a village in municipality of Estinnes in the province of Hainaut France * Croix, Nord, in the Nord department * Croix, Territoire de Belfort, in the Territoire de Belfort d ...

Croix du combattant volontaire 1939–1945 The Volunteer combatant's cross () was a French decoration that originally recognized those who volunteered to serve in a combat unit during World War II. It is the equivalent of the " 1914–1918 Volunteer combatant's cross" (). History This dec ...

* Medal of the

Order of the Million Elephants and the White Parasol The Order of the Million Elephants and the White Parasol, also called the Order of the Million Elephants and the White Umbrella ( ''Itsariyaphon Lan Sang Hom Khao''), is the highest knighthood order of the Royal Family of Laos. History The O ...

References

1917 births 2009 deaths People from Tunis French people of Corsican descent French Army officers French military personnel of World War II French military personnel of the First Indochina War French military personnel of the Algerian War Commanders of the Legion of Honour Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 (France) Recipients of the Cross for Military Valour Recipients of the Croix de guerre des théâtres d'opérations extérieures {{France-mil-bio-stub

Honours and awards

See also

References