Charles Brécard

General Charles Brécard

Charles-Théodore Brécard (born October 14, 1867 in Sidi bel Abbès ; † December 23, 1952 in the 5th Arrondissement , Paris ) was a French general who, among other things, was Grand Chancellor of the Legion of Honor between 1940 and 1944 (Grand Chancelier de la Légion d ' Honneur) was.

Life

Brécard, son of Colonel Georges Henri Brécard and his wife Marie Louise Caroline Roussillon, completed an officer training at the Saint-Cyr military school and then found various uses as an officer and staff officer in the army (Armée de terre) . For his services he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Legion of Honor on December 29, 1910 . On March 24, 1912 he was promoted to lieutenant colonel and as such at the beginning of the First World War on August 2, 1914 to the 3rd office of the Supreme Headquarters ( Grand Quartier Général )delegated. Subsequently he was between October 14th and December 29th 1914 head of the French military mission in the Belgian army . After his promotion to colonel on December 29, 1914, he served from December 29, 1914 to December 8, 1915 as Chief of Staff of the 6th Army ( 6e armée ) , its Commander-in-Chief initially General Joseph Maunoury and from March 13, 1915 General Pierre Joseph Dubois was. On March 14, 1915, he was awarded the Officer's Cross of the Legion of Honor. He was then briefly Third Adjutant General of the Army between December 9, 1915 and January 3, 1916 and from January 3 to August 8, 1916 commander of the 310th Infantry Brigade (310e Brigade d'infanterie) .

On August 8, 1916, Brécard was promoted to Brigadier General , whereupon he was initially seconded to the Supreme Headquarters. He then served between October 18, 1916 and March 31, 1917 as commander of the 161st Infantry Division (161e Division d'infanterie) and from March 31, 1917 to January 6, 1918 as commander of the 5th Cavalry Division ( 5th Division de cavalerie) . From January 6, 1918 to February 16, 1919 he was in command of the 1st Cavalry Division (1re division de cavalerie à pied) , with which he participated in the Battle of the Matz in June 1918 and on the Western Front in the Hundred Days Offensive of 8 August 1918 to November 11, 1918 participated. He then took over between February 16, 1919 and July 7, 1922 the post of commander of the 6th Cavalry Division (6eme Division de cavalerie) and was promoted as such on March 20, 1919 to major general. On June 16, 1920 he became commander of the Legion of Honor.

Major General Brécard was between July 7, 1922 and August 9, 1923 permanent inspector general of horse supplies and from August 9, 1923 to March 20, 1924, commander of the 1st Light Division. On March 20, 1924 he was promoted to lieutenant general and served between March 20, 1924 and March 8, 1927 as commanding general of the XXXIII. Corps (33e Corps d'armée) and from March 8, 1927 to October 14, 1932 as inspector general of the cavalry. In this position he was promoted to General ( Général d'armée ) on August 7, 1928 and on December 28, 1928, Grand Officer of the Legion of Honor. He was also in personal union between August 7, 1929 and October 14, 1932 a member of the Supreme War Council and from October 3, 1929 to October 14, 1932 Military Governor of Strasbourg (Gouverneur militaire de Strasbourg) . On July 8, 1932, he was finally awarded the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor for his longstanding services . On October 14, 1932, he left active military service and retired.

During the Second World War , General Brécard was reactivated by the Vichy regime and between July 19 and November 12, 1940, he held the post of Secretary General of the cabinet of Marshal Philippe Pétain . He then replaced General Charles Nollet Grand Chancellor of the Legion of Honor (Grand Chancelier de la Légion d'Honneur) in 1940 and remained in this post until 1944, when General Darius Paul Dassault succeeded him.

On November 21, 1898 he married Marie Amélie Louise Boersch.

Web link

• Entry in Archives nationales
• Entry in generals.dk
• Entry in geneanet.org