Marie Joseph Pierre François Kœnig[b] or Koenig[4] (10 October 1898 – 2 September 1970) was a French general during World War II during which he commanded a Free French Brigade at the Battle of Bir Hakeim in North Africa in 1942. He started a political career after the war and was posthumously elevated to the dignity of Marshal of France in 1984.
Marie-Pierre Kœnig was born on 10 October 1898, in Caen, Calvados, France. His parents were from the Alsace region.
Military careeredit
World War Iedit
Kœnig fought in the French Army during World War I and served with distinction. He obtained his baccalaureate and enlisted in 1917. He served in the 36th Infantry Regiment. He was designated as an aspirant in February 1918 and joined his unit at the front. Decorated with the Médaille militaire, he was promoted to sous-lieutenant on 3 September 1918.
Interwar careeredit
After the war, he served with French forces in Morocco and Cameroon. He served in Silesia as an assistant (French: adjoint) of Captain Adrien Henry [fr] in the Alps, in Germany, and in Morocco at the general staff headquarters of the division of Marrakesh.
Liberation of Paris, France, August 25, 1944. General Dwight D. Eisenhower leaving Hotel de Ville, behind him is French General Marie-Pierre Koenig. In the background are tanks of the Division Leclerc.
In London, Kœnig joined General Charles de Gaulle and was promoted to colonel. He became chief of staff in the first divisions of the Free French Forces. In 1941, he served in the campaigns in Syria and Lebanon. He was later promoted to general and took command of the First French Brigade in Egypt. His unit of 3700 men held ground against five Axis divisions (c. 37,000 men) for 16 days at the Battle of Bir Hakeim until they were ordered to evacuate on 11 June 1942. De Gaulle said to Kœnig, "Know and tell your troops that all of France is watching you and that you are its pride."[5]
Later, Kœnig served as the Free French delegate to the Allied headquarters under General Dwight D. Eisenhower. In 1944, he was given command of the Free French who participated in the Invasion of Normandy. Kœnig also served as a military advisor to de Gaulle. In June 1944, he was given command of the French Forces of the Interior (FFI) to unify the various French Resistance groups under de Gaulle's control. Under his command, the FFI abandoned ranged battle in the maquis and preferred sabotage that was waged in support of the invading army. Important during D-Day, the FFI had a role that became decisive in the battle for Normandy and in the landing in Provence of the US Seventh Army and French Army B.
On 21 August 1944, de Gaulle appointed Kœnig military governor of Paris to restore law and order. In 1945, he was sent to arrest Marshal Philippe Pétain, who had taken refuge in Germany but gave himself up at the frontier with Switzerland.[6]
Cold Waredit
After the war, Kœnig was the military governor of the French occupation zone in Germany from 1945 to 1949.[7] In 1949, he became inspector general in North Africa, and in 1950, he became the vice-president of the Supreme War Council.
He gave his strong support to the new State of Israel as president of the Franco-Israeli Committee (Comité franco-israélien), at around the same time when he was France's Defense Minister, as shown from his informing his Israeli counterpart Shimon Peres that France was willing to sell Israel any weapons it wished to purchase, from small arms to tanks (such as the AMX-13light tank).[8] Kœnig had witnessed the heroism of a battalion of Palestinian Jewish mine layers during the Battle of Bir Hakeim and afterwards allowed them to fly their own Star-of-David flag, against British regulations.[9]
^ abGovernment of the French Republic (12 September 1918). "Décret du 12 Septembre 1918 portant promotion dans l'armée active". gallica.bnf.fr. Retrieved 3 August 2019.
^ abGovernment of the French Republic (9 October 1920). "Décret du 5 Octobre 1920 portant promotion dans l'armée active". gallica.bnf.fr. Retrieved 3 August 2019.
^ abGovernment of the French Republic (18 June 1932). "Décret du 18 Juin 1932 portant promotion dans l'armée active". gallica.bnf.fr. Retrieved 3 August 2019.
^« Sachez et dites à vos troupes que toute la France vous regarde et que vous êtes son orgueil. »[citation needed]
^. TIME.com. 7 May 1945. Archived from the original on 21 June 2009. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
^"Bonn Constitution - Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany. May 1949".
^ abcdefghijklmnNational Order of Liberation. "Pierre KOENIG". ordredelaliberation.fr. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
^Jerry Klinger (President of the Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation). "General Marie-Pierre Koenig and the Jewish Brigade: The First Salute". The Jewish Magazine, October–November 2009
^"iTravelJerusalem – Hadar Mall". iTravelJerusalem. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
^"Pierre Koenig st. – Haifa". Retrieved 29 March 2016.
^Government of the French Republic (6 June 1946). "Décret du 6 Juin 1946 conférant le rang et les prérogatives de général d'armée". gallica.bnf.fr. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
^Government of the French Republic (6 June 1984). "Décret du 6 juin 1984 LA DIGNITE DE MARECHAL DE FRANCE EST CONFEREE A TITRE POSTHUME AU GENERAL D'ARMEE KOENIG MARIE,JOSEPH,PIERRE,FRANCOIS". legifrance.gouv.fr. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
marie, pierre, kœnig, marie, joseph, pierre, françois, kœnig, koenig, october, 1898, september, 1970, french, general, during, world, during, which, commanded, free, french, brigade, battle, hakeim, north, africa, 1942, started, political, career, after, posth. Marie Joseph Pierre Francois Kœnig b or Koenig 4 10 October 1898 2 September 1970 was a French general during World War II during which he commanded a Free French Brigade at the Battle of Bir Hakeim in North Africa in 1942 He started a political career after the war and was posthumously elevated to the dignity of Marshal of France in 1984 MarshalMarie Pierre Kœnig Koenig General Kœnig in 1944 Minister of the Armed ForcesIn office 19 June 1954 14 August 1954Prime MinisterPierre Mendes FrancePreceded byRene PlevenSucceeded byEmmanuel TempleIn office 23 February 1955 6 October 1955Prime MinisterEdgar FaurePreceded byMaurice Bourges MaunourySucceeded byPierre BillotteMember of the National Assembly for Bas Rhin s constituencyIn office 5 July 1951 5 December 1958Personal detailsBorn 1898 10 10 10 October 1898Caen French RepublicDied2 September 1970 1970 09 02 aged 71 Neuilly sur Seine French RepublicResting placeMontmartre CemeteryNationalityFrenchPolitical partyRPF 1951 1955 RS 1956 1958 SpouseMarie Klein m 1931 wbr ParentsHenri Joseph Kœnig father Ernestine Mutin mother Alma materLycee MalherbeNicknameMutinMilitary serviceAllegianceThird Republic Free France Fourth RepublicBranch serviceFrench Army Infantry Foreign LegionYears of service1917 1951RankArmy general a UnitList of units 36th Infantry Regiment 1 15th Chasseurs Battalion 2 38th Infantry Division51st Infantry Regiment4th Foreign Infantry Regiment 3 2nd Tirailleurs Regiment13th Demi Brigade of Foreign LegionCommandsList of commands 1st Free French BrigadeFrench Forces of the InteriorBattles warsWorld War I List of battles German spring offensiveHundred Days Offensive World War II List of battles Battle of FranceBattle of DakarSyria Lebanon CampaignBattle of Bir HakeimSecond Battle of El Alamein Contents 1 Early life 2 Military career 2 1 World War I 2 2 Interwar career 2 3 World War II 2 4 Cold War 3 Political career 4 Death 5 Legacy 6 Military ranks 7 Honours and decorations 7 1 National honours 7 2 Ministerial honours 7 3 Decorations and medals 7 4 Foreign honours 8 See also 9 References 9 1 Notes 10 External linksEarly life editMarie Pierre Kœnig was born on 10 October 1898 in Caen Calvados France His parents were from the Alsace region Military career editWorld War I edit Kœnig fought in the French Army during World War I and served with distinction He obtained his baccalaureate and enlisted in 1917 He served in the 36th Infantry Regiment He was designated as an aspirant in February 1918 and joined his unit at the front Decorated with the Medaille militaire he was promoted to sous lieutenant on 3 September 1918 Interwar career edit After the war he served with French forces in Morocco and Cameroon He served in Silesia as an assistant French adjoint of Captain Adrien Henry fr in the Alps in Germany and in Morocco at the general staff headquarters of the division of Marrakesh World War II edit Kœnig was a captain and assistant to Lieutenant Colonel Raoul Magrin Vernerey in the 13th Demi Brigade of Foreign Legion of the French Foreign Legion When World War II broke out Kœnig returned to France In 1940 he was assigned as a captain with the French troops in Norway for which he was later awarded Norway s Krigskorset med Sverd or the War Cross with Sword in 1942 After the fall of France he escaped to England from Brittany nbsp Liberation of Paris France August 25 1944 General Dwight D Eisenhower leaving Hotel de Ville behind him is French General Marie Pierre Koenig In the background are tanks of the Division Leclerc In London Kœnig joined General Charles de Gaulle and was promoted to colonel He became chief of staff in the first divisions of the Free French Forces In 1941 he served in the campaigns in Syria and Lebanon He was later promoted to general and took command of the First French Brigade in Egypt His unit of 3700 men held ground against five Axis divisions c 37 000 men for 16 days at the Battle of Bir Hakeim until they were ordered to evacuate on 11 June 1942 De Gaulle said to Kœnig Know and tell your troops that all of France is watching you and that you are its pride 5 Later Kœnig served as the Free French delegate to the Allied headquarters under General Dwight D Eisenhower In 1944 he was given command of the Free French who participated in the Invasion of Normandy Kœnig also served as a military advisor to de Gaulle In June 1944 he was given command of the French Forces of the Interior FFI to unify the various French Resistance groups under de Gaulle s control Under his command the FFI abandoned ranged battle in the maquis and preferred sabotage that was waged in support of the invading army Important during D Day the FFI had a role that became decisive in the battle for Normandy and in the landing in Provence of the US Seventh Army and French Army B On 21 August 1944 de Gaulle appointed Kœnig military governor of Paris to restore law and order In 1945 he was sent to arrest Marshal Philippe Petain who had taken refuge in Germany but gave himself up at the frontier with Switzerland 6 Cold War edit After the war Kœnig was the military governor of the French occupation zone in Germany from 1945 to 1949 7 In 1949 he became inspector general in North Africa and in 1950 he became the vice president of the Supreme War Council Political career edit nbsp Kœnig during a visit in Israel 1969 In 1951 after his retirement from the army Kœnig was elected as Gaullist representative to the French National Assembly and briefly served as Minister of Defense under Pierre Mendes France 1954 and Edgar Faure 1955 8 He gave his strong support to the new State of Israel as president of the Franco Israeli Committee Comite franco israelien at around the same time when he was France s Defense Minister as shown from his informing his Israeli counterpart Shimon Peres that France was willing to sell Israel any weapons it wished to purchase from small arms to tanks such as the AMX 13 light tank 8 Kœnig had witnessed the heroism of a battalion of Palestinian Jewish mine layers during the Battle of Bir Hakeim and afterwards allowed them to fly their own Star of David flag against British regulations 9 Death editKœnig died on 2 September 1970 in Neuilly sur Seine and was buried at Montmartre Cemetery in Paris 8 Legacy editThere are streets named after Kœnig in Jerusalem 10 Netanya 11 and Haifa 12 Military ranks editAspirant Second lieutenant Lieutenant Captain Battalion chief Lieutenant colonel nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp February 1918 8 3 September 1918 1 3 September 1920 2 25 June 1932 3 1 July 1940 8 December 1940 8 Colonel Brigade general Division general Corps general Army general Marshal of France nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp January 1941 8 July 1941 8 1943 8 28 June 1944 8 20 May 1946 13 6 June 1984 14 PosthumousHonours and decorations editNational honours edit Ribbon bar Honour 8 nbsp Grand Cross of the National Order of the Legion of Honour nbsp Companion of the National Order of Liberation Ministerial honours edit Ribbon bar Honour 8 nbsp Commander of the Order of Agricultural Merit Decorations and medals edit Ribbon bar Honour 8 nbsp Military medal nbsp War Cross 1914 1918 2 citations nbsp War Cross 1939 1945 4 citations nbsp War Cross for foreign operational theatres 3 citations nbsp Resistance Medal with rosette nbsp Colonial Medal with clasps Maroc Sahara Libye Bir Hakeim Tunisie 43 43 nbsp Combatant s Cross nbsp Aeronautical Medal nbsp Escapees Medal nbsp 1914 1918 Inter Allied Victory medal nbsp 1914 1918 Commemorative war medal nbsp 1939 1945 Commemorative war medal nbsp Commemorative medal for voluntary service in Free France nbsp Medal of French Gratitude Foreign honours edit Ribbon bar Honour 8 Country nbsp Companion of the Order of the Bath United Kingdom nbsp Distinguished Service Order United Kingdom nbsp Commander of the Legion of Merit United States nbsp Congressional Gold Medal United States nbsp Order of Suvorov 1st Class Soviet Union nbsp nbsp Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown with palm Belgium nbsp Grand Officer of the Order of Leopold Belgium nbsp War Cross with Palm Belgium nbsp Grand Cross of the Order of Orange Nassau Netherlands nbsp War Cross Luxembourg nbsp Grand Cross of the Order of the Oak Crown Luxembourg nbsp Grand Cross of the Order of the Dannebrog Denmark nbsp Grand Cross of the Order of St Olav Norway nbsp War Cross with Sword Norway nbsp Commander s Cross of the Order of Virtuti Militari 15 Poland nbsp Resistance Medal with rosette Poland nbsp War Cross Czechoslovakia nbsp Order of the White Lion for Victory Czechoslovakia nbsp Grand Cross of the Order of George I Greece nbsp Grand Cross of the Order of Saint Charles Monaco nbsp Grand Cross of the Knights of Malta Malta nbsp Sherifian Order of Military Merit Morocco nbsp Grand Cordon of the Order of Ouissam Alaouite Morocco nbsp Grand Cordon of the Nichan Iftikar Tunisia nbsp Grand Officer of the Order of the Star of Anjouan Comoros nbsp Grand Cross of the Order of the White Elephant ThailandSee also editSusan Travers Works by Jean Freour Sculptor of Kœnig memorialReferences edit a b Government of the French Republic 12 September 1918 Decret du 12 Septembre 1918 portant promotion dans l armee active gallica bnf fr Retrieved 3 August 2019 a b Government of the French Republic 9 October 1920 Decret du 5 Octobre 1920 portant promotion dans l armee active gallica bnf fr Retrieved 3 August 2019 a b Government of the French Republic 18 June 1932 Decret du 18 Juin 1932 portant promotion dans l armee active gallica bnf fr Retrieved 3 August 2019 French National Assembly Sachez et dites a vos troupes que toute la France vous regarde et que vous etes son orgueil citation needed FRANCE Toward Twilight TIME com 7 May 1945 Archived from the original on 21 June 2009 Retrieved 29 March 2016 Bonn Constitution Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany May 1949 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n National Order of Liberation Pierre KOENIG ordredelaliberation fr Retrieved 19 July 2019 Jerry Klinger President of the Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation General Marie Pierre Koenig and the Jewish Brigade The First Salute The Jewish Magazine October November 2009 iTravelJerusalem Hadar Mall iTravelJerusalem Retrieved 29 March 2016 מפות Google Retrieved 29 March 2016 Pierre Koenig st Haifa Retrieved 29 March 2016 Government of the French Republic 6 June 1946 Decret du 6 Juin 1946 conferant le rang et les prerogatives de general d armee gallica bnf fr Retrieved 2 August 2019 Government of the French Republic 6 June 1984 Decret du 6 juin 1984 LA DIGNITE DE MARECHAL DE FRANCE EST CONFEREE A TITRE POSTHUME AU GENERAL D ARMEE KOENIG MARIE JOSEPH PIERRE FRANCOIS legifrance gouv fr Retrieved 19 July 2019 16 July 1946 Monitor Polski 1947 no 27 pos 188 Notes edit Marshal of France is a dignity and not a rank French pronunciation maʁi pjɛʁ koniɡ External links editNewsreel of when he was awarded the Legion of Merit by Eisenhower 3 01 Biography on the website of the Order of Liberation French Newspaper clippings about Marie Pierre Kœnig in the 20th Century Press Archives of the ZBW Generals of World War II Portals nbsp Biography nbsp France Marie Pierre Kœnig at Wikipedia s sister projects nbsp Media from Commons nbsp Quotations from Wikiquote nbsp Data from Wikidata Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Marie Pierre Kœnig amp oldid 1206554134, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
