Maurice Schmitt (born 23 January 1930 at

Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...

Bouches-du-Rhône Bouches-du-Rhône ( ; , ; ; "the Mouths of the Rhône") is a Departments of France, department in southern France. It borders Vaucluse to the north, Gard to the west and Var (department), Var to the east. The Mediterranean Sea lies to the sout ...

), is a French

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 ...

and chief of the general staff headquarters of the Armies (CEMA) from 16 November 1987 until 23 April 1991. He was then appointed as

Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

Les Invalides The Hôtel des Invalides (; ), commonly called (; ), is a complex of buildings in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, France, containing museums and monuments, all relating to the military history of France, as well as a hospital and an old soldi ...

until 1996.

Biography

Early life

Maurice is the son of général Gaston Schmitt.

Military career

He entered the

École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr The École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr (, , abbr. ESM) is a French military academy, and is often referred to as Saint-Cyr (). It is located in Coëtquidan in Guer, Morbihan, Brittany. Its motto is ''Ils s'instruisent pour vaincre'', litera ...

in October 1948. After attending a course at the

artillery Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...

school, he was assigned to the 1st Colonial Artillery Regiment (1^er RAC),

Troupes coloniales The ''Troupes coloniales'' (, "Colonial Troops") or ''Armée coloniale'' (,"Colonial Army"), commonly called ''La Coloniale'', were the colonial troops of the French colonial empire from 1900 until 1961. From 1822 to 1900, these troops wer ...

(known as Troupes de marine since 1958), whose barracks was at

Melun Melun () is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region, north-central France. It is located on the southeastern outskirts of Paris, about from the centre of the capital. Melun is the prefecture of Seine-et-Marne, ...

. Designated to serve in the

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 ...

in January 1953, he was assigned to the 4th Colonial Artillery Regiment 4^e RAC, then the North-West Operational Artillery Group (GONO), the designated name of the garrison of

Dien Bien Phu Diethylenetriamine (abbreviated and also known as 2,2’-Iminodi(ethylamine)) is an organic compound with the formula HN(CH2CH2NH2)2. This colourless hygroscopic liquid is soluble in water and polar organic solvents, but not simple hydrocarbons. ...

. During the subsequent battle, he was taken as a

prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...

on 7 May 1954. He was released on 2 September 1954. Knight Order of the Order of the

Légion d'honneur 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 ...

at 25, he became a military instructor at the

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

application school until September 1956, he was then assigned to the 3rd Colonial Parachute Regiment ( 3^e RPC) in

North Africa North Africa (sometimes Northern Africa) is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region. However, it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of t ...

where he commanded a combat support company from 1958 until October 1959. In 1959, he was made an Officer of the Order of the Légion d'honneur at 29. Following these engagements, his name often came up and was citedMarie-Catherine Villatoux, �
Général Maurice Schmitt, Deuxième bataille d’Alger (2002-2007) : la bataille judiciaire
�, Revue historique des armées, 255 , 2009. when the

torture Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons including corporal punishment, punishment, forced confession, extracting a confession, interrogational torture, interrogation for information, or intimid ...

practices were evoked during the Algerian war. 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 1974, then Général de brigade in 1979, he became

Chief of Staff of the French Army Chief may refer to: Title or rank Military and law enforcement * Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force * Chief of police, the head of a police department * Chief of the bo ...

in 1985, then

Chef d'état-major des Armées The Chief of the Defence Staff (, CEMA; ) is the military head of the Armed Forces of the French Republic, overseeing all military operations (under reserve of the particular dispositions relative to nuclear deterrence). They are responsible to ...

in 1987 responsible for

French forces The French Armed Forces (, ) are the military forces of France. They consist of four military branches – the Army, the Navy, the Air and Space Force, and the National Gendarmerie. The National Guard serves as the French Armed Forces' military ...

during the

Gulf War , combatant2 = , commander1 = , commander2 = , strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems , page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...

in 1990 and 1991. He was replaced by

Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...

Jacques Lanxade Jacques Lanxade (born 8 September 1934) is a French admiral and former navy chief, and co-author of a proposed reform of NATO. He was a private chief of staff of François Mitterrand, President of the French Republic, from 1989 to 1991, and beca ...

on 23 April 1991. In 1990, he was elevated to the dignity of Grand-Cross of the

Décret du 5 juillet 1990
and became

in 1991, until 1996.

Recognitions and Honors

French honours

Gran Cross of the

* Commander of the

Ordre national du Mérite The (; ) is a French order of merit with membership awarded by the President of the French Republic, founded on 3 December 1963 by President Charles de Gaulle. The reason for the order's establishment was twofold: to replace the large number of ...

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 ...

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 ...

Colonial Medal The Colonial Medal () was a French decoration created by the "loi de finances" of 26 July 1893 (article 75) to reward "military services in the colonies, resulting from participation in military operations, in a colony or a protectorate". A decr ...

1939–1945 Commemorative war medal (France) The 1939–1945 Commemorative war medal () is a commemorative medal of France established on 21 May 1946 to recognize individual participation in the Second World War. Award Statute The 1939–1945 Commemorative war medal was awarded to all sol ...

* Indochina Campaign Commemorative Medal *

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 ...

Foreign honours

FIN Order of the White Rose Commander 1st Class BAR

First Class Commander of the

Order of the White Rose of Finland The Order of the White Rose of Finland (; ) is one of three official orders in Finland, along with the Order of the Cross of Liberty, and the Order of the Lion of Finland. The President of Finland is the Grand Master of all three orders. The ...

Commander 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 ...

LBN National Order of the Cedar - Grand Officer BAR

Grand Officer of the

National Order of the Cedar The National Order of the Cedar () is the highest Order (honour), state order of Lebanon, established on 31 December 1936. It is offered in five grades. History The Order was created on the 31 December 1936, but is regulated by the Lebanese C ...

(Lebanon) *

Den kongelige norske fortjenstorden storkors stripe

Grand Cross of the

Royal Norwegian Order of Merit The Royal Norwegian Order of Merit (Norwegian: ''Den Kongelige Norske Fortjenstorden'' (Bokmål) or ''Den Kongelege Norske Fortenesteordenen'' (Nynorsk)) was instituted by King Olav V in 1985. It is awarded to foreigners, Norwegian citizens livin ...

(Norway) * Military Order of Oman - 1st Class

Second Class of the

Military Order of Oman The Military Order of Oman () is the highest military Orders, decorations, and medals of Oman, order awarded by Oman. History The order was established in 1970 by Qaboos bin Said, Sultan Qaboos bin Said as a counterpart to the Order of Oman, Civi ...

Nishan-e-Imtiaz The Nishan-e-Imtiaz (; ) is one of the state organized Civil decorations of Pakistan, civil decorations of Pakistan. It is awarded for achievements towards world recognition for Pakistan or outstanding service for the country. However, the awa ...

(Pakistan) *

Kuwait Liberation Medal (Saudi Arabia) The Naut Tahrir al-Kuwait () (Medal for the Liberation of Kuwait) was instituted by King Fahd ibn Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia for service during the Liberation of Kuwait campaign. Background The Saudi Arabian version of the Kuwait Liberation Me ...

* First Class of the

Order of National Security Merit The Order of National Security Merit (Hangul: 보국훈장) is one of South Korea's orders of merit. It is awarded by the President of South Korea for "outstanding meritorious services in the interest of national security." Grades The order ...

(South Korea) * Grand Officer of the

Order of the Republic (Tunisia) The Order of the Republic is an order of Tunisia, founded 16 March 1959. Some major recipients Grand Cross National * Mohamed Ennaceur * Beji Caid Essebsi. Foreign * : Abdelaziz Bouteflika * : Carlos Menem * : Gamal Abdel Nasser * : Anwar Sad ...

* Commander 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 ...

(USA) * Medal of the Order of Naval Merit (Venezuela)

Publications

* ''Deuxième bataille d'Alger, 2002-2007, la bataille judiciaire'' (The second battle of Algiers), L'Harmattan, 2008 * ''Alger-été 1957: une victoire sur le terrorisme'' (Algiers summer of 1957 : a victory against terrorism), L'Harmattan, 2002 * ''Le double jeu du maréchal: légende ou réalité''(The double game of the marshal: legend or reality), Presses de la Cité, 1996 * ''De Diên Biên Phu à Koweït City'' (From Dien Bien Phu to Kuwait City), Grasset, 1992

References

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schmitt, Maurice 1930 births Living people Chiefs of the Staff of the French Army French generals École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr alumni Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour Commanders of the Ordre national du Mérite Recipients of the Cross for Military Valour Recipients of the Croix de guerre des théâtres d'opérations extérieures Commanders of the Legion of Merit Knights Commander of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Grand Officers of the National Order of the Cedar French military personnel of the Algerian War French military personnel of the First Indochina War Recipients of the Military Order of Oman