born June 10, 1899, Roquecourbe, France
died July 3, 1984, Paris
French military officer who sought to prevent Algerian independence.
During a military career in which he became the French army's most decorated soldier, he served in France during World War I (1914–18), French West Africa (1941–44), French Indochina (1945–53), and Algeria (1956–62). Rebelling against Charles de Gaulle 's decision to free Algeria, in 1961 he formed a right-wing extremist group, the Secret Army Organization, which terrorized France and Algeria. He was captured in 1962 and tried for treason.