Pierre Garbay (4 October 1903 – 17 July 1980) 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 ...

General.

Biography

Of modest origins, after completing high school, Garbay was admitted to Saint-Cyr military academy in 1921 and graduated as a sub-lieutenant in 1924. He then followed a distinguished military career which led from

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 ...

(1925-1927) to China. He was captain when occurred the Armistice in 1940. He refused to accept it and as commander of the 3rd bataillon de marche of French Equatorial Africa played an active role in August 1940 in rallying

Chad Chad, officially the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of North Africa, North and Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to Chad–Libya border, the north, Sudan to Chad–Sudan border, the east, the Central Afric ...

to ''France libre''. Involved in the

Free French Forces __NOTOC__ The French Liberation Army ( ; AFL) was the reunified French Army that arose from the merging of the Armée d'Afrique with the prior Free French Forces (; FFL) during World War II. The military force of Free France, it participated ...

, he followed Leclerc up to 1944. He fought in Africa and Italy, and then participated to the landing in Provence. He was promoted général de brigade in 1944 and after the accidental death of general Diego Brosset on 20 November 1944, he succeeded him in the command of the 1st Free French Division. In April 1945, on the orders of General

Charles de Gaulle Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French general and statesman who led the Free France, Free French Forces against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government of the French Re ...

, General Garbay took the 1st Free French Division to the

Alpes-Maritimes Alpes-Maritimes (; ; ; ) is a Departments of France, department of France located in the country's southeast corner, on the France–Italy border, Italian border and Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean coast. Part of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'A ...

, where, after 3 days of fierce fighting, they cleared the fortified , the key to the enemy's defensive system in the Southern Alps. After the end of the war, Garbay's military career continued in

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 ...

in June 1947 and then in

Indochina Mainland Southeast Asia (historically known as Indochina and the Indochinese Peninsula) is the continental portion of Southeast Asia. It lies east of the Indian subcontinent and south of Mainland China and is bordered by the Indian Ocean to th ...

. He commanded the French troops 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 ...

and reacted to the terrorists attacks by the massacre of Cap Bon in 1952 (200 dead). Then he commanded all the French troops from French Occidental Africa and

Senegal Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal, is the westernmost country in West Africa, situated on the Atlantic Ocean coastline. It borders Mauritania to Mauritania–Senegal border, the north, Mali to Mali–Senegal border, the east, Guinea t ...

, and he achieved the rank of

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 1955 he became Assistant Chief of Staff of the French Army and, in 1958, he was promoted to the rank of

Army General Army general or General of the army is the highest ranked general officer in many countries that use the French Revolutionary System. Army general is normally the highest rank used in peacetime. In countries that adopt the general officer fou ...

and was appointed military governor of

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 ...

. In 1959, he was appointed as Inspector of Overseas Forces. On 1 April 1961, at his request, he relinquished control of the active army and he was placed in reserve. Pierre Garbay died on 17 July 1980 in Montluçon (

Allier Allier ( , , ; ) is a Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region that borders Cher (department), Cher to the west, Nièvre to the north, Saône-et-Loire and Loire (department), Loire to the east, Pu ...

) and he was buried in Velesmes-Échevanne in Haute-Saône.

Decorations

* Grand Cross of the Légion d'honneur * Companion of the Liberation (25 June 1941) * Croix de guerre 1939-1945 (7 citations) * Croix de guerre des Théatres d'Opérations Exterieures (2 citations) * Croix du combattant * Croix du combattant volontaire 1939–1945 * Médaille de la Résistance with rosette. * Médaille coloniale with "Maroc 1925", "AFL", "Erythrée", "Libye" and "Tunisie" bars * Médaille commémorative des services volontaires dans la France libre * Distinguished Service Cross(US) *

Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a Military awards and decorations, military award of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly throughout the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth, awarded for operational gallantry for highly successful ...

(UK) *

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(UK)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Garbay, Pierre 1903 births 1980 deaths École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr alumni French generals Military governors of Paris Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour Companions of the Liberation Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 (France) Recipients of the Croix de guerre des théâtres d'opérations extérieures Recipients of the Resistance Medal Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United States) Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Honorary commanders of the Order of the British Empire French Army personnel of World War II