Henri Gouraud (French Army officer)

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Henri Joseph Eugène Gouraud (November 17, 1867–September 16, 1946) was a French general, best known for his leadership of the French Fourth Army at the end of the First World War. Born in la Rue de Grenelle, Paris, an infantryman, he graduated from St. Cyr in 1890.

Contents 1 Africa 2 World War I 3 Post-War 4 Published Works 5 Trivia 6 References

[edit] Africa

Like many of his generation, his principal experience before the war was abroad in the colonial service of the French troupes de marine.

Henri Gouraud was assigned in 1894 to French Soudan. He developed a reputation as an effective if lucky commander. In 1898, he was ordered to head one of a number of units fighting Samory Touré, the resistance leader who had been fighting the French for more than a decade. Driven into the highlands south of Niger River valley by a series of previous defeats, Samory's forces were defeated within the year. On 29 September 1898, Gouraud's unit stumbled upon Samori's encampment and captured him^[1] . More importantly, it marked the end of the last large state opposing French colonialism in the West^[2].

The capture of Samory made Henri Gouraud a celebrated figure in France, at the same time as nationalists were recovering from defeat by the British at Fashoda. The young captain was feted in the highest political circles of Paris, where he was introduced to powerful businessmen and politicians with interests in the colonial project. Among them were Auguste d'Arenberg and Eugène Étienne, future founders of what was called the "parti colonial". Thanks to the patronage of the "parti colonial", Henri Gouraud pursued a career across French Africa for the next fifteen years, with postings in Niger, Chad and Mauritania. In 1907, he was promoted to colonel and commissaire du Gouvernement général of Mauritania, where he led a campaign against bedouin tribes who threatened transport between the colonies of Morocco and French West Africa.

In 1911, after attending the centre des Hautes études militaires in France, colonel Gouraud was stationed in Morocco, where he was promoted to général de brigade. He was placed in command of the Fez military region, and in 1914 in command of all French troops in western Morocco.

[edit] World War I

As commander of the French forces committed in the Dardanelles Campaign of 1915 (Battle of Gallipoli) he lost his right arm. From July of 1917 until the end of the war he commanded the Fourth Army on the Western Front, where he gained distinction for his use of elastic defense during the Second Battle of the Marne.

[edit] Post-War

After the war, Gouraud served from 1919 to 1923 as representative of the French Government in the Middle East. He was the top military during Franco-Turkish war. During this time he presided over the creation of the State of Greater Lebanon on September 1 1920, and led the occupation of Syria.

In 1923, he returned to France, where was the Military Governor of Paris from 1923 to 1937. He also served on the Supreme Allied War Council from 1927 until his retirement in 1937. General Gouraud died in Paris in 1946.

[edit] Published Works

La Pacification de Mauritanie. Journal des marches et opérations de la colonne de l'Adrar, 1910 ; Souvenirs d'un Africain, Au Soudan, 1939 ; Zinder-Tchad. Souvenirs d'un Africain, 1944 ; Mauritanie-Adrar, 1945 ; Au Maroc, 1946

[edit] Trivia

• Paris has a Place du Général-Gouraud in the 7^th arrondissement.
  
• A commemorative statue to Général Gouraud stands in a garden next to Les Invalides
• After marching 1920 to Damascus, Gouraud is attributed to have walked to Saladin's grave, kicked it and said: Wake up! Franks are here again!

[edit] References

• Translation of fr:Wikipedia article
• Le général Gouraud durant la Grande Guerre
• Biographie de Henri Joseph Eugène Gouraud

fr:Henri Joseph Eugène Gouraud

it:Henri Gouraud tr:Henri Gouraud