Joseph Jean de Goislard de Monsabert (

Libourne Libourne (; ) is a commune in the Gironde department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. It is the wine-making capital of northern Gironde and lies near Saint-Émilion and Pomerol. Geog ...

30 September 1887 – Dax, 13 June 1981), was a French general who served during the

Second World War 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 ...

. Monsabert graduated from

Saint-Cyr military academy Saint-Cyr refers to the popular child-saint Cyricus, whose following was strong in France because relics were brought back from Antioch by the 4th-century Bishop Saint Amator of Auxerre. Saint-Cyr may refer to: Places France * École spécia ...

and was commissioned as a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

in 1911. He initially served with the 44th Infantry Regiment and then was moved to the 3rd Moroccan Rifle Regiment, with which he first saw combat in 1912. Assigned to the 1st Mixed Rifle and Zouaves Regiment and then the 9th Zouaves March Regiment in the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, he finished the war at the head of a

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of up to one thousand soldiers. A battalion is commanded by a lieutenant colonel and subdivided into several Company (military unit), companies, each typically commanded by a Major (rank), ...

and as a holder 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 ...

. Promoted to

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 ...

in 1937, he was made a

brigadier Brigadier ( ) is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore (rank), commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several t ...

in August 1941. This promotion was followed by promotion to major general in March 1943. He was promoted again to

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

in August 1944, and then to

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

in September 1946. Monsabert commanded first the Corps Francs d'Afrique and then the reserve elements of the XIX Corps (France) during the campaign for Tunisia. Subsequently, he commanded the 3rd Algerian Infantry Division with the French Expeditionary Corps in the Italian campaign. On 3 July 1944 his forces liberated

Siena Siena ( , ; traditionally spelled Sienna in English; ) is a city in Tuscany, in central Italy, and the capital of the province of Siena. It is the twelfth most populated city in the region by number of inhabitants, with a population of 52,991 ...

. To an artillery officer who was complaining about the sheer number of valuable monuments that were cluttering the maps, he issued the instruction "tirez où vous voulez, mais si vous tirez en-deçà du XVIII^eme siècle, on vous fera fusiller!" (Fire where you wish, but if you fire on anything before the 18th century we'll get you shot!). On 31 August 1944, Monsabert took command of the French II Corps of General

Jean de Lattre de Tassigny Jean Joseph Marie Gabriel de Lattre de Tassigny (2 February 1889 – 11 January 1952) was a French ''général d'armée'' during World War II and the First Indochina War. He was posthumously elevated to the dignity of Marshal of France in 1952. ...

's Army B, later renamed the French First Army. Monsabert led the II Corps with distinction for the remainder of the war in Europe. Monsabert, with about 130000 soldiers took Toulon and Marseille and played an active part in Alsace with a corps numbering nearly 150000 soldiers at that time. He then fought in Germany. In July 1945, he was made the commander of French forces in Germany. In 1946, he retired from active military service. From 1951 until 1955, Monsabert served as a deputy in the '' Rassemblement du Peuple Français'' political party in the

National Assembly of France The National Assembly (, ) is the lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral French Parliament under the French Fifth Republic, Fifth Republic, the upper house being the Senate (France), Senate (). The National Assembly's legislators are known ...

, representing the region Pyrénées-Atlantiques.

Decorations

* Grand Cross of the Légion d'honneur * Companion of the Liberation (20 November 1944) *

Médaille militaire The ''Médaille militaire'' (, "Military Medal") is a military decoration of the French Republic for other ranks for meritorious service and acts of bravery in action against an enemy force. It is the third highest award of the French Republic, ...

* Croix de guerre 1914–1918 (7 citations) *

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 ...

(5 citations) * Croix de guerre des Théatres d'Opérations Exterieures (5 citations) * Médaille coloniale with "Maroc" bar *

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level until 1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) Other ranks (UK), other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth of ...

(UK) *

Bronze Star Medal The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious a ...

(US) *Officer of the

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a Awards and decorations of the United States military, military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievemen ...

(US) * Grand Officer of the Order of Leopold (Belgium) *Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (Belgium) *Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 (Luxembourg) * Ordre du Mérite Militaire Chérifien (Morocco)

External links

*
Joseph de Goislard de Monsabert
biography on the website of the '' Ordre de la Libération''
Page at generals.dk
{{DEFAULTSORT:Goislard De Monsabert, Joseph De 1887 births 1981 deaths People from Libourne Politicians from Nouvelle-Aquitaine Rally of the French People politicians Deputies of the 2nd National Assembly of the French Fourth Republic French generals French military personnel of World War I French Army generals of World War II Companions of the Liberation Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France) Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 (France) Recipients of the Croix de guerre des théâtres d'opérations extérieures Recipients of the Military Cross Officers of the Legion of Merit Recipients of the Croix de guerre (Belgium) École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr alumni