Raymond Dronne

Capitaine Raymond Dronne (Mayet (France) 8 March 1908 - Paris 5 September 1991), French civil servant and, following World War II, a politician. He was the first Allied officer to enter Paris as part of the liberation forces during World War II. A volunteer who joined the Free French Forces in Africa in 1940. Later, he was assigned as commanding officer of the 9e Compagnie, du Régiment de Marche du Tchad (Ninth Company, Regiment of March of Chad), called "la nueve" for it was mainly composed of Spanish republicans, which became a unit of the French 2nd Armored Division

During the move on Paris, due to combat conditions and poor road progress, General Philippe Leclerc, commanding general of the Second Armored, ordered Dronne to form an advance party, go to Paris and let the Resistance know that the Second Armored would be in Paris in 24 hours.

His advance party, the 9th Company, consisted of armoured cars, and Sherman tanks from another regiment of the division. The armored cars were called Guadalajara, Madrid and Ebro and the added Sherman tanks were called Montmirail, Romilly and Champaubert.