Alphonse Juin

Marshal Alphonse Juin
Marshal Juin in 1952
Seat 4 of the Académie française
In office 20 November 1952 – 27 January 1967
Preceded by	Jean Tharaud
Succeeded by	Pierre Emmanuel
Resident-General of France in Morocco
In office 15 May 1947 – 28 August 1951
Preceded by	Eirik Labonne
Succeeded by	Augustin Guillaume
Chief of the Defence Staff
In office 25 January 1951 – 19 August 1953
Preceded by	Charles Léchères
Succeeded by	Paul Ély
In office 13 August 1944 – 15 May 1947
Preceded by	Antoine Béthouart
Succeeded by	Charles Léchères
Personal details
Born	(1888-12-16)16 December 1888 Bône, French Algeria
Died	27 January 1967(1967-01-27) (aged 78) Paris, French Republic
Resting place	Les Invalides
Nationality	French
Spouse	Marie Gabrielle Mauricette Cécile Bonnefoy ​ ​ (m. 1928)​ [1]
Children	Pierre Juin
Parents	Victor Pierre Juin[1] (father) Précieuse Salini[1] (mother)
Alma mater	Grand Lycée d'Alger[1] École Spéciale Militaire[2] École Militaire
Military service
Allegiance	Third Republic Vichy France Free France Fourth Republic
Branch/service	French Army Infantry
Years of service	1912 – 1962
Rank	Army general[a]
Unit	List of units 1st Zouaves Regiment[2] 1st Algerian Tirailleurs Regiment[3] 9th Algerian Tirailleurs Regiment[4] 19th Algerian Tirailleurs Regiment[5] 3rd Zouaves Regiment[6]
Commands	List of commands 3rd Zouaves Regiment[7] 15th Motorised Infantry Division French Expeditionary Corps
Battles/wars	Zaian War First World War List of battles Battle of Verdun First Battle of the Marne First Battle of Champagne Nivelle Offensive Rif War Second World War List of battles Battle of France Tunisia Campaign Italian Campaign First Indochina War

Alphonse Pierre Juin^[b] (16 December 1888 – 27 January 1967^[1]) was a senior French Army general who became Marshal of France. A graduate of the École Spéciale Militaire class of 1912, he served in Morocco in 1914 in command of native troops. Upon the outbreak of the First World War, he was sent to the Western Front in France, where he was gravely wounded in 1915. As a result of this wound, he lost the use of his right arm.

After the war, he attended the École Supérieure de Guerre. He chose to serve in North Africa again. After the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939, he assumed command of the 15th Motorized Infantry Division. The division was encircled in the Lille pocket during the Battle of France and Juin was captured. He was a prisoner of war until he was released at the behest of the Vichy Government in 1941, and was assigned to command French forces in North Africa.

After Operation Torch, the invasion of Algeria and Morocco by British and American forces in November 1942, Juin ordered French forces in Tunisia to resist the Germans and the Italians. His great skills were exhibited during the Italian campaign as commander of the French Expeditionary Corps. His expertise in mountain warfare was crucial in breaking the Gustav Line, which had held up the Allied advance for six months.

Following this assignment, he was Chief of the Staff of the French forces and represented France at the San Francisco Conference. In 1947 he returned to Africa as the Resident-General of France in Morocco, where he opposed Moroccan attempts to gain independence. Next came a senior NATO position as he assumed command of CENTAG until 1956. During his NATO command, he was promoted to Marshal of France in 1952. He was greatly opposed to Charles De Gaulle's decision to grant independence to Algeria, and was "retired" in 1962 as a result. He was the French Army's last living Marshal of France until his death in Paris in 1967, when he was buried in Les Invalides.

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