Maurice Schmitt

Maurice Schmitt, born on 23 January 1930 at Marseille (Bouches-du-Rhône), is a French general 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 of Les Invalides until 1996.


Maurice Schmitt
Born (1930-01-23) 23 January 1930
France
Allegiance France
Service/branchFrench Army
Years of service1948 - 1996
RankGénéral d'armée
Battles/warsIndochina War
Algerian War
Gulf War
Other workGovernor of Les Invalides
(1991-1996)

Biography

Early life

Maurice is the son of général Gaston Schmitt.

Military career

He entered the École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr in October 1948. After attending a course at the artillery school, he was assigned to the 1st Colonial Artillery Regiment (1er RAC), Troupes coloniales (known as Troupes de marine since 1958), whose barracks was at Melun.

Designated to serve in the Far East on January 1953, he was assigned to the 4th Colonial Artillery Regiment 4e RAC, then the North-West Operational Artillery Group (GONO), the designated name of the garrison of Dien Bien Phu. During the subsequent battle, he was taken as a prisoner of war on 7 May 1954. He was released on 2 September 1954.

Knight Order of the Order of the Légion d'honneur at 25, he became a military instructor at the infantry application school until September 1956, he was then assigned to the 3rd Colonial Parachute Regiment (3e RPC) in North Africa 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 cited[1] · [2] · [3] · [4] when the torture practices were evoked during the Algerian war.

Promoted to Colonel in 1974, then Général de brigade in 1979, he became Chief of Staff of the French Army in 1985, then Chef d'état-major des Armées in 1987 responsible for French forces during the Gulf War in 1990 and 1991. He was replaced by Admiral Jacques Lanxade on 23 April 1991.

In 1990, he was elevated to the dignity of Grand-Cross of the Légion d'honneur[5] and became Governor of Les Invalides in 1991, until 1996.

Recognitions and Honors

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
  1. « Torture : nouvelle condamnation du général Schmitt » Ligue des droits de l'homme - Section de Toulon, 18 octobre 2004.
  2. « Maurice Schmitt : l'ex-chef des armées est accusé de torture » Libération, 15 juin 2001.
  3. « La carrière de Maurice Schmitt révèle la façon dont l’institution militaire a géré l’oubli. », Philippe Bernard - 18 mars 2005.
  4. Marie-Catherine Villatoux, « Général Maurice Schmitt, Deuxième bataille d’Alger (2002-2007) : la bataille judiciaire», Revue historique des armées, 255 | 2009.
  5. Décret du 5 juillet 1990.
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