Pierre Jeanpierre
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| Pierre Jeanpierre | |
|---|---|
| 14 March 1912 – 29 May 1958 | |
| Nickname | Jardin (resistance alias) |
| Place of birth | Belfort, France |
| Place of death | Guelma, French Algeria |
| Allegiance | France |
| Service/branch | French Army |
| Years of service | 1930-1958 |
| Rank | Lieutenant Colonel |
| Commands held | 1st Foreign Parachute Regiment |
| Battles/wars | World War II First Indochina War Algerian War |
Pierre Paul Jeanpierre (14 March 1912 - 29 May 1958) was a French soldier; he fought during World War II, First Indochina War and Algerian War, where he was killed in action. He served exclusively with French Foreign Legion units, apart from a short time in the French resistance, after becoming an officer, most notable as commander of the 1st Foreign Parachute Regiment.
[edit] Biography
He joined the 131st Infantry Regiment as private in 1930 and worked his way up, graduating from officer school in 1936. He was made Second Lieutenant in 1937 in the 1st Foreign Regiment of the French Foreign Legion. After World War II started in 1939, he served in the 6th Foreign Regiment, deployed in Levant.
He refused to join the Free French Forces, instead chose to return to the Legion in Marseilles. There he joined the French Resistance after the invasion of the free zone. He was taken prisoner in 1944 and interred in the Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp.
After the war ended, he rejoined the legion and volunteered to serve in the foreign legion parachute units. He sailed to Indochina as second-in-command of the 1st Foreign Parachute Battalion (1er BEP) in 1948. During the evacuation of RC 4, he and the battalion jumped over That Khe. He took over much of the leadership of the battalion after the commander was crippled. It was Jeanpierre who led the 29 survivors of the battalion who managed to escape to French lines.
Evacuated to Algeria to recover, he returned to Indochina to command the reformed 1st Foreign Parachute Battalion after its second annihilation at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu.
After the battalion became a regiment he was passed over for command, instead serving again as second-in-command, this time to Colonel Brothier. He took command of the regiment in March, 1957. He was killed in action on 29 May 1958.
