René Jacques Adolphe Prioux (11 April 1879 – 16 June 1953) was a general of the
French Army who served in both world wars. A
cavalry
Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry ...
officer of great talent, Prioux rapidly rose through the officer ranks and commanded the
Cavalry Corps of the
First Army during the
Battle of Belgium
The invasion of Belgium or Belgian campaign (10–28 May 1940), often referred to within Belgium as the 18 Days' Campaign (french: Campagne des 18 jours, nl, Achttiendaagse Veldtocht), formed part of the greater Battle of France, an Military o ...
in May 1940. He was captured by the Germans and spent two years as a
prisoner of war. Repatriated in 1942, Prioux came to be seen as a strong supporter of the
Vichy regime and was consequently removed from a position of authority in the French Army by
Charles de Gaulle
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (; ; (commonly abbreviated as CDG) 22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French army officer and statesman who led Free France against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government ...
, the leader of the
Free French, after the
landings in French north Africa by U.S. and British forces in November 1942.
Biography
After working as a volunteer for four years for the mayor of
Bernay, Eure, Prioux joined the
6th Dragoon Regiment on 9 August 1897. Subsequently attending
Saint-Cyr military academy, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the 6th Chasseurs Regiment on 1 October 1899. Promoted to lieutenant two years later, he was successively assigned to the 21st Chasseurs Regiment (24 January 1907), the staff of the
19th Army Corps (22 October 1908) and the staff of the 1st Brigade of Algerian Cavalry on 22 October 1910. He was promoted to captain on 27 March 1911 and was assigned to the 3rd Regiment of
Chasseurs of Africa on Christmas Day in 1911, before being placed on special duties in March 1914.
First World War
The outbreak of the First World War found him assigned to the headquarters of the French Army. He moved rapidly through several positions in the next year, serving on the staff of the 34th Army Corps (7 November 1914) and then the staff of the Army of the Vosges, the 7th Army, and with the
Belgian Army. Assigned to the staff of the 36th Army Corps on 22 May 1915, Prioux became a squadron commander on 9 April 1917 and was then assigned to the 5th Dragoon Regiment on 18 February 1918. After serving on the staff of the 164th Infantry Division, Prioux was assigned as the chief of staff of the 52nd Infantry Division on 10 February 1919.
Interwar Period
Serving with French Army headquarters in Morocco in 1919, he attended the ''École Supérieure de Guerre'' (War College) in September 1919 and was subsequently assigned to duties as an instructor at the ''École Supérieure de Guerre'' in 1921. By January 1923, he was in charge of the school's cavalry studies and was then promoted to lieutenant-colonel on 25 December 1923. On 21 August 1925 he became the commander of the 8th
Spahis Regiment, which he commanded until March 1926. While on orders to report to the 11th
Cuirassiers Regiment, he took part in the French military mission to Poland in 1929, of which he became commander in 1931. On 12 August 1932 Prioux was promoted to Brigadier-General.
In October 1932, Prioux was assigned as the commander of cavalry in
Tunisia. By March 1936, Prioux was promoted to Major-General and had been assigned as the Chief of Cavalry at the Ministry of War. Commanding the 7th Military Region in
Besançon in February 1938, he was assigned as the Inspector-General of Cavalry on 1 February 1939, while still commanding the 7th Region until May 1939.
Second World War
With the start of the Second World War, Prioux was assigned as the commander of the
Cavalry Corps on 2 September 1939. He led this unit into
Belgium after the German invasion of France and the
Low Countries, meeting and severely retarding the advance of the German
XVI (motorized) Corps at the battles of
Hannut
Hannut (; wa, Haneu; nl, Hannuit, ) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Liège, Belgium.
On January 1, 2006, Hannut had a total population of 14,291. The total area is 86.53 km² which gives a population dens ...
and
Gembloux. Following the accidental death of General
Billotte, Prioux took command of the
French First Army from General
Georges Blanchard, who had been promoted to replace Bilotte as commander of the First Army Group, on 26 May 1940, and, with much of the First Army, was taken prisoner of war three days later. The Germans allowed him to return to
Vichy France in April 1942, where he was placed in the reserves in May and promoted to the rank of
général d'armée
Army general (french: Général d'armée) is the highest active military rank of the French Army and the National Gendarmerie. It is also used in the Air and Space Force, where it is called .
Officially, it is not a rank but a position and styl ...
in September 1942. He later served on the staff of General
Henri Giraud, and was among those named for ouster by
Charles de Gaulle
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (; ; (commonly abbreviated as CDG) 22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French army officer and statesman who led Free France against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government ...
, the leader of the
Free French.
While the Vichy regime existed, Prioux promulgated antisemitic guidance to senior leaders of the Vichy French forces and was considered an enthusiastic supporter of the Vichy regime.
After the Allies
landed in French north Africa and the Vichy regime collapsed, Prioux was not assigned to any position of significance in the French Army and spent the remaining ten years of his life in relative obscurity.
Decorations
* Chevalier de la
Légion d'honneur 7 November 1914
* Officier de la Légion d'honneur 28 December 1921
* Commandeur avec étoile de l'Ordre de
Polonia Restituta
, image=Polonia Restituta - Commander's Cross pre-1939 w rib.jpg
, image_size=200px
, caption=Commander's Cross of Polonia Restituta
, presenter = the President of Poland
, country =
, type=Five classes
, eligibility=All
, awa ...
March 1933
* Commandeur de la Légion d'honneur 30 December 1936
* Grand Officier de la Légion d'honneur 4 June 1940
*
Croix de Guerre
The ''Croix de Guerre'' (, ''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 awa ...
1939-1945
Works
* René Jacques Adolphe Prioux, ''Souvenirs de Guerre 1939-1943'', Flammarion, 1947
External links
Brief history of Prioux's career
Source and notes
''This article was created by translating the French Wikipedia article "René Prioux" as it existed on March 6, 2010.''
* Angelo Tasca, David Bidussa, and Denis Peschanski. ''La France de Vichy''. Milano: Fondazione Giangiacomo Feltrinelli, 1996.
* (GUF) État-Major de l'Armée de Terre. ''Guerre 1939 - 1945. Les Grandes Unités Françaises.'' Volume 1. Paris: Imprimerie Nationale, 1967.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Prioux, Rene
1879 births
1953 deaths
French military personnel of World War I
French military personnel of World War II
French generals
French military leaders
Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 (France)
Grand Officiers of the Légion d'honneur