Date of birth:

January 17th, 1912 (Lépanges-sur-Vologne, France)

Date of death:

May 4th, 2004 (Cannes, France)

Nationality:

French

Camille Cunin completed in 1933 his military service in the infantry, then works as a factor agent to the commercial company from Western African, Port Harcourt, Nigeria. This is where he hears the appeal of June 18, decides to abandon his situation and undertakes in the French forces free as sergeant on September 30, 1940 in Lagos.

Sent to Camp Colonna d'Ornano in Brazzaville in October 1940 as an aspiring elevator, it is assigned in March 1941 to the Senegalese Thad (RTST) Tiotesti regiment.

With the force "L" General Leclerc, he participates brilliantly at the Fezzan, Tripolitan and Tunisian campaigns where he wounded on May 5, 1943 in Jebel Garci by a shine of shells.

He passes with his tirailleurs at the 1st free French division (1st DFL), at the March 24 (BM 24) battalion in July 1943 and takes part in the Italian countryside.

Camille Cunin stands out on May 17, 1944 in the Pontecorvo area, during a particularly delicate decline under the violent fire of automatic weapons, bringing together the machine guns of several companies, thus effectively protecting the elements placed forward.

He arrives in Provence, at Cavalaire, August 16, 1944 and is noticed by his brilliant behavior from the offensive operations held in front of Toulon from 19 to 24 August 1944, including the 22, during the attack of the village of La Garde. .

It is still illustrated on November 22, 1944 during the Campaign de Belfort, in Rougegoutte, where, under the fire of automatic weapons, it causes itself a piece of machine gun and the order personally, allowing its company to its company to move under its protection.

In January 1945, BM 24 encircled in Obenheim (Alsace) and attacked by a shielded unit, is almost annihilated and survivors are taken prisoner after using all of their ammunition. Injured during these operations on January 10, taken missing and taken into captivity, Camille Cunin escapes March 27, 1945 from the Hammelburg camp (OFLAG 13 b) and, after five days of walking through the German positions, joined On April 2, an American unit and is conducted on the 1st DFL, in operation north of Nice.

It is demobilized in October 1945 with the rank of lieutenant reserve (promoted captain of reserve a year later).

Camille Cunin is after the Director War of France Overseas, first as Deputy to the Chief of the Subdivision of Maradi, Niger (1946-1947) and then as a Lead of Subdivision of Magaria, still in Niger (1947- 1949).

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• - Camille CUNIN | L'Ordre de la Libération et son Musée