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Brunet de Sairigné, Gabriel, Baron

Date of birth:
February 9th, 1913 (Paris, France)
Date of death:
March 1st, 1948 (Dalat, Indochina)
Nationality:
French

Biography

He went to the Lycée Pasteur and the Lycée Saint-Louis in Paris before joining the famous École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr in 1933.
During World War II, he participated with the Free French Forces in:
1941 : the East African Campaign (in Eritrea and Ethiopia) and the Syria-Lebanon Campaign)
1942 : the Battle of Bir Hakeim, then the Tunisia Campaign
1943 : the Allied invasion of Sicily
1944 : the Operation Dragoon.
1944 : the campaign of Alsace.

He finished the war with the rank of lieutenant colonel, commandant in chief of the First French Free Division (in French: "Première division française libre", or "1ère DFL").

His personal notes dealing with his campaigns during World War II (exactly from 28 February 1940 to 18 June 1945) were published after his death.
He was a colonel during the First Indochina War serving with the French Foreign Legion and became the commanding officer of the 13th Foreign Legion Demi-Brigade between 21 August 1946 and his death in the line of duty on 1 March 1948.

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Period:
Second World War (1939-1945)
Rank:
Lieutenant-Colonel
Awarded on:
February 28th, 1948
Commandeur de l' Ordre National de la Legion d'Honneur
Period:
Second World War (1939-1945)
Rank:
Compagnon
Awarded on:
September 9th, 1942
l' Ordre de la Libération
Period:
Second World War (1939-1945)
7 citations
Croix de Guerre (1939-1945)
Period:
Second World War (1939-1945)
4 citations
Croix de Guerre des Théâtres d'Opérations Extérieurs
Period:
Second World War (1939-1945)
with clasps « Tunisie 1942-43 » « EO »
Médaille Coloniale
Period:
Second World War (1939-1945)
with clasps « Norvège » « Afrique » « France »
Médaille Commemorative de la Guerre 1939-1945

Sources

Photo