Ernest Petit

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ernest-Émile Petit (born February 20, 1888 in Paimbœuf , Loire-Atlantique department , † May 28, 1971 in Saint-Maur-des-Fossés , Val-de-Marne department ) was a French general and politician of the Parti communiste français ( PCF), who was among other things head of the military cabinet in the Ministry of National Defense in 1947 and a member of the Senate between 1948 and 1968 .

Life

Officer training and promotion to general

Petit completed his education at the grammar school of Nantes and then an officer training at the Military School Saint-Cyr and at the Supreme War School ( École supérieure de guerre ). Then he was an officer in various units of the army (Armée de terre) . He took part in the First World War and was awarded the Croix de guerre for his services . During the war he became a German prisoner of war, which he spent in the state fortress of Ingolstadt . It was there that he met Charles de Gaulle .

After being freed from captivity, Petit found various uses in the military and between 1934 and 1936 was chief of staff in the Paris military region as a commandant . He was then from 1936 to 1938 instructor at the School for Liaison and Military Intelligence (École de Liaison et Transmissions) and was promoted to lieutenant-colonel on December 25, 1936 during this time . He then acted between March 20, 1938 and his replacement by Général de division Paul-Émile Angénot on December 19, 1940 as head of the military mission in Paraguay .

Petit, who was promoted to Colonel on December 25, 1940 and, six days later, to Général de brigade on January 1, 1941, was Chief of Staff from January 1, 1941 to March 5, 1942, Commander of the French Free Forces FFL ( Forces françaises libres ) , General Charles de Gaulle. He was then the successor to Général de brigade Pierre Billotte from March 5, 1942 to 1944 head of the free military mission in the Soviet Union and then from 1944 to August 20, 1945 military attaché at the embassy in the Soviet Union. During this time he was promoted to Général de Division on June 25, 1944. For his services in the Second World War as well as the relations with the Soviet Union he received several awards, namely as commander of the Legion of Honor , with the Croix de guerre and with the Order of the Red Banner .

After his return to France, General Petit acted from August 20, 1945 to March 8, 1946, initially as commander of the 3rd military region and then between March 8 and March 19, 1946 as deputy commander of the 1st military region and in personal union at the same time as Deputy Military Governor of Paris. After his promotion to the Général de corps d'armée on November 19, 1946, he was in command of the 1st military region until January 23, 1947. After his promotion to the Général d'armée on January 23, 1947, he was head of the military cabinet in the Ministry of National Defense and as such was until May 4, 1947 one of the closest collaborators of the then Minister of National Defense , François Billoux . On July 15, 1947, he retired from active military service after he had already submitted his resignation on February 20, 1947.

Senator 1948 to 1968

After his retirement, Petits began his political commitment. As a candidate for the Parti communiste français (PCF), he was elected for the first time by the National Assembly as a member of the Senate of the French Fourth Republic on January 5, 1948 . In the elections of May 18, 1952 and June 8, 1958, he was re-elected and represented the interests of the Seine department until April 26, 1959 . During his Senate membership, he was a member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Senate Committee on National Defense between 1948 and 1959. In addition, he became a member of the Senate Committee for Economic Affairs in 1953 and was active as President of the French-Soviet Society.

In the elections of April 28, 1959, Petit was also a member of the Senate of the Fifth Republic for the PCF, to which he was a member until October 1, 1968. During that time, he continued to serve on the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee and the Senate National Defense Committee. He decided not to run again in the Senate elections on September 22, 1968.

Web links

  • Entry in The Generals of WWII
  • Entry on the homepage of the Senate (Fourth Republic)
  • Entry on the homepage of the Senate (Fifth Republic)

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Charles D. Pettibone: The Organization and Order of Battle of Militaries in World War II: VOLUME VI ITALY and FRANCE Including the Neutral Countries of San Marino, Vatican , Verlag Trafford Publishing, 2010, p. 297, ISBN 978-1-4269 -4633-2
  2. ^ Charles D. Pettibone: The Organization and Order of Battle of Militaries in World War II: VOLUME VI ITALY and FRANCE Including the Neutral Countries of San Marino, Vatican , Verlag Trafford Publishing, 2010, p. 356
personal data
SURNAME Petit, Ernest
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Petit, Ernest-Émile (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION French general and politician (PCF)
DATE OF BIRTH February 20, 1888
PLACE OF BIRTH Paimbœuf , Loire-Atlantique department
DATE OF DEATH May 28, 1971
Place of death Saint-Maur-des-Fossés , Val-de-Marne department