Pierre Garbay

Pierre Garbay (4 October 1903 – 17 July 1980) was a French Army General.^[1]

Biography

Of modest origins, after completing high school, Garbay was admitted to Saint-Cyr military academy and graduated as a sub-lieutenant in 1924. He then followed a distinguished military career which led from Morocco to China.

He refused to accept the Armistice in 1940 and played an active role in August 1940 in rallying Chad to France libre. Involved in the Free French Forces, he commanded the Free French 4th and 2nd Brigades. In April 1945, on the orders of General Charles de Gaulle, General Garbay took the 1st Free French Division to the Alpes-Maritimes, where, after 3 days of fierce fighting, they cleared the fortified massif of the Authion, the key to the enemy's defensive system in the Southern Alps.

After the end of the war, Garbay's military career continued in Madagascar, Indochina, Tunisia and Senegal, and he achieved the rank of lieutenant general. In 1955 he became Assistant Chief of Staff of the French Army and, in 1958, he was promoted to the rank of Army General and was appointed military governor of Paris. In 1959, he was appointed as Inspector of Overseas Forces.

On 1 April 1961, at his request, he relinquished control of the active army and he was placed in reserve. Pierre Garbay died on 17 July 1980 in Montluçon (Allier) and he was buried in Velesmes-Échevanne in Haute-Saône.

Decorations

• Grand Cross of the Légion d'honneur
• Companion of the Liberation (25 June 1941)
• Croix de guerre 1939-1945 (7 citations)
• Croix de guerre des Théatres d'Opérations Exterieures (2 citations)
• Croix du combattant
• Croix du combattant volontaire 1939–1945
• Médaille de la Résistance with rosette.
• Médaille coloniale with "Maroc 1925", "AFL", "Erythrée", "Libye" and "Tunisie" bars
• Médaille commémorative des services volontaires dans la France libre
• Distinguished Service Cross(US)^[2]
• Distinguished Service Order (UK)
• Commander of the Order of the British Empire (UK)

References