Paul Adolphe Leblois (July 17, 1857 - August 28, 1930) was a divisional general of the French Army who commanded the French 2nd Colonial Infantry Division and later the Armée française d'Orient during World War I.
Paul Leblois | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | July 17, 1857 Strasbourg |
| Died | August 28, 1930 Paris |
| Allegiance | France |
| Service | French Army |
| Years of service | ~1890s-1917 |
| Rank | Divisional general |
| Commands | 2e division d'infanterie coloniale 57th Infantry Division Armée française d'Orient |
| Battles / wars | 1893 Franco-Siamese crisis World War I |
| Awards | Legion of Honor Médaille militaire |
Early life
editPaul Leblois was born in Bas-Rhin, Strasbourg on July 17, 1857. His father Georges-Louis Leblois was a pastor who advocated a form of Protestant liberalism. He had a brother, Louis Leblois, who was a lawyer for Alfred Dreyfus during the Dreyfus Affair, and a sister named Louise-Amélie Leblois who studied natural sciences.[1]
Military career
editBy the early 1890s, Leblois was serving in the French Army and had reached the rank of Captain by 1893, during the Franco-Siamese crisis. He was awarded the rank of Chevalier of the Legion of Honor in Hanoi in April 1894 for being a captain in the managing staff of France's Indo-Chinese troops.[2] In 1903, Leblois was awarded the rank of Officier of the Legion of Honor and was by this point a lieutenant colonel in the management over France's colonial infantry.[3]
Leblois later served as a divisional general over the 2nd Colonial Infantry Division in 1914, at the beginning of the First World War. Leblois led his 2nd Division during the Battle of Rossignol in August 1914, providing support for the 3rd Colonial Infantry Division (France).[4] From October 1916 to February 1917, Leblois was a commander of the Armée française d'Orient, leading engagements on the Macedonian front. His command of the "AFO" was replaced by Paul François Grossetti. For his leadership, Leblois was awarded the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor in 1926.[5]
References
edit- ^ Manceron, Gilles; Naquet, Emmanuel (2009). Être Dreyfusard Hier et Aujourd'hui. p. 135. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
- ^ "Archives nationales: L1516051". Base de données Léonore. pp. 18, 20. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
- ^ Base Léonore, p.12
- ^ Beasley, Major Rex W. (2007) [1933]. "Critical Analysis of the Operations of the French Colonial Corps in the Battle of the Ardennes, with Particular Attention to the Operations of the 3d Colonial Division at Rossignol". Command and General Staff School Student Papers, 1930–1936. Individual Research Papers (IR)/Command and General Staff School. Fort Leavenworth, KS: The Command and General Staff School: 33–34. OCLC 462132918. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
- ^ Base Léonore, p.1
