Hélie de Saint Marc
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| Hélie de Saint Marc | |
|---|---|
| Born 11 February 1922 | |
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| Place of birth | Bordeaux, France |
| Allegiance | France |
| Service/branch | French Army |
| Years of service | 1948-1961 |
| Rank | Major |
| Commands held | 1st Foreign Parachute Regiment |
| Battles/wars | World War II First Indochina War Algerian War |
Hélie Denoix de Saint Marc (born in Bordeaux, 11 February 1922) is a French former member of the Resistance, then a military officer, and was courtmartialed for participating in the Generals' Putsch against Charles de Gaulle.
Hélie de Saint Marc joined the Resistance at the age of 19. Caught in July 1943, he was sent to Buchenwald concentration camp.
After the World War II, he joined the French Foreign Legion and was sent to the First Indochina War. From 1948 to 1950 he led partisan groups on the Vietnam-Chinese border to defend themselves against the Chinese insurgents. After 4-5 months' leave in Algeria and France, in 1951 he was given command of a company (2nd CIPLE) in the 2nd BEP (Battalion of Legion Parachutists) which consisted of Vietnamese volunteers. He was made captain on 1 October 1950. In May 1953 he again returned to France on leave.
Whilst in France he was redirected to spend time with the 11th Choc who were the action arm of SDECE. He returned to Vietnam in May 1954 to join the 1st Foreign Parachute Battalion.
In Algeria, during the Algerian War, while heading the 1st Foreign Parachute Regiment, he agreed to support the April 1961 "Generals' Putsch" against President Charles de Gaulle. The putschists saw de Gaulle's acceptance of Algerian independence as a betrayal of France and a betrayal of the local population both indigenous and french colonial. The officers in revolt had seen exactly this behaviour in Indochina and felt that it had to stop. As the putsch failed for lack of political support, he was arrested and, after concerns about a possible death sentence, sentenced to 10 years in prison. He was freed at Christmas 1966.
[edit] External References
- Helie de Saint Marc, Laurent Beccaria, Perrin,1988
