Invasion of Italy
80-586: Winter Line Gothic Line 1945 Spring Offensive The Trasimene Line (so-named for Lake Trasimene , the site of a major battle of the Second Punic War in 217 BC) was a German defensive line during the Italian Campaign of World War II . It was sometimes known as the Albert Line . The German Commander-in-Chief (C-in-C), Generalfeldmarschall Albert Kesselring , used
160-696: A breakthrough over the mountain trails, but felt that the 4th Moroccan Mountain Division and Moroccan Goumiers could do it. According to Clark: Meantime, the French forces had crossed the Garigliano (River) and moved forward into the mountainous terrain lying south of the Liri River . It was not easy. As always, the German veterans reacted strongly and there was bitter fighting. The French surprised
240-611: A French mission to Germany that met with Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring to discuss what would happen if the German-Italian Panzerarmee Afrika was driven out of Libya by Operation Crusader . This did not occur, but a dispute over what should be done led to Juin relieving de Lattre of command of the forces in Tunisia, permanently damaging their friendship. Operation Torch , the invasion of Algeria and Morocco by British and American forces, came as
320-867: A U.S. armored attack near Massa Marittima was defeated by a German tank platoon under Oberfähnrich Oskar Röhrig from Heavy Tank Battalion 504. The German Tiger I 's knocked out 11 Sherman tanks , while the terrified American tank crews abandoned another 12. The Germans suffered no losses. Röhrig was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross for this action. Four Shermans were knocked out by two Tigers from 508th Heavy Panzer Battalion on 12 July near Collesalvetti . Heinrich von Vietinghoff 's 10th Army had Traugott Herr 's LXXVI Panzer Corps facing XIII and X Corps and Valentin Feurstein 's LI Mountain Corps facing
400-563: A battalion before they could be promoted made Juin spend six months in command of a battalion of the 1st Zouaves Regiment. He was promoted to lieutenant-colonel in March 1932, returning to his previous post in time for active operations that year. They were successful, and he was posted to the École Supérieure de guerre as an instructor in 1933. Once again he chafed under the prevailing linear defence doctrine, and he returned to North Africa in 1935 to become second in command and then commander of
480-485: A battalion of the 19th Algerian Tirailleurs Regiment. He married Marie Gabrielle Cécile Bonnefoy, the daughter of an Army veterinary surgeon who had moved to Constantine and become a businessman, in 1928. They had two sons: Pierre and Michel. The following year he became military secretary to Noguès, who was now the director of political affairs in Morocco. An army requirement for officers to complete six months in command of
560-608: A complete surprise to Juin, who had not been brought into secret discussions concerning the operation. He was informed of the landings by Robert Daniel Murphy , the American consul-general in Algiers, on the morning of 8 November 1942 as the first waves were heading toward the beaches. Juin had previously told Murphy that his orders were to resist an invasion of North Africa, but he agreed to immediately consult with Darlan, who arrived at Juin's villa within minutes. Darlan, in turn, sent
640-864: A fine and courteous gentleman as well." Juin's CEF relieved Lucas's VI Corps in the line when the CEF's second division, the 3rd Algerian Infantry Division (3e DIA) arrived in December. For the CEF, the First Battle of Monte Cassino began on 12 January 1944, with the CEF advancing four miles to the upper Rapido River and the main defences of the German Gustav Line . After the Allied landings at Anzio on 22 January 1944, he began an attack on Monte Belvedere, about 5 miles (8.0 km) north of Monte Cassino . On 29 January, he reported to Clark that "At
720-830: A half of launching the assault but German operations persisted in the area for months. Some authorities define the Bernhardt Line as crossing Italy from coast to coast following not just the western defensive positions described above but incorporating also the eastern defences of the Gustav Line. Other authorities use the Winter Line name interchangeably with the Gustav Line . Alphonse Juin First World War Rif War Second World War Alphonse Pierre Juin (16 December 1888 – 27 January 1967)
800-510: A line running from Pisa to Rimini (i.e. the Gothic Line ) as quickly as possible to prevent the establishment of any sort of coherent enemy defense in central Italy. On Lieutenant General Mark W. Clark 's U.S. Fifth Army front, the U.S. VI Corps , under Major General Lucian Truscott , was pushed up the coast along highway 1 and U.S. II Corps , under Major General Geoffrey Keyes , along highway 2 towards Viterbo . To their right
880-696: A message to Pétain in Vichy . Murphy was placed under house arrest in Juin's villa, the pro- Allied troops who had surrounded the villa were driven away, and Général de division Charles Mast , who had collaborated with the Allies, was relieved by Général de division Louis Koeltz . Juin did not want Algeria occupied by the Americans any more than he wished France to be occupied by the Germans, but he recognized
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#1732771999467960-455: A soldier who became a gendarme after 15 years of military service, mostly in Algeria, and his wife Précieuse Salini, the daughter of another soldier who had also become a gendarme. He was named after his paternal grandfather. When he was six, his family moved to Constantine , where he went to primary school, and learnt Arabic from the local boys. In 1902 he was awarded a bursary to study at
1040-488: A special bond between members of the class, and de Gaulle would always address Juin using the personal pronoun tu . Juin, de Gaulle and Béthouart would give their names to the Saint-Cyr classes of 1966–68, 1970–72 and 2000–03 respectively. After graduating on 1 October 1912, Juin was commissioned as a sous-lieutenant in an Algerian regiment, the 1st Algerian Tirailleurs Regiment. He soon saw service in Morocco in
1120-717: A specialist in North African affairs. He was promoted to Général de corps d'armée on 16 July, and became commander of the troops in Morocco. Admiral François Darlan offered him the post of Minister for War following the death of Général d'armée Charles Huntziger in November 1941, but Juin turned down the offer, saying that he only wished to serve in North Africa. On 20 November, he was promoted to Général de corps d'armée , replacing Maxime Weygand as commander of French land forces in North Africa. In December he led
1200-524: A staff appointment in Paris to serve under Poeymirau in Morocco, but Poeymirau died suddenly in 1924. Lyautey then divided Morocco into two commands. When Juin arrived at the new headquarters in Fès, he found Capitaine Jean de Lattre de Tassigny occupying the position of G-3 (Operations) that Juin had expected. Since Juin was staff trained and de Lattre was not, Juin became G-4 (Logistics) and had as principal task
1280-655: The Centre des hautes études militaires . On graduation, he returned to Algiers, where he was promoted to the rank of général de brigade on 26 December 1938. After the Second World War broke out in September 1939, Juin helped arrange the despatch of units from the Armée d'Afrique to help defend metropolitan France. On 4 December, he was given command of the 15e Division d'Infantrie Motorisée (15e DIM). After
1360-552: The Conseil supérieur de la guerre , and as such was entitled to a small staff of three officers. He asked Juin to be its head, and Juin accepted even though it was a desk job in Paris for an officer with little influence. He refused even to attend the infrequent conseil meetings because of the presence of Marshal Philippe Pétain . Juin was best man at de Lattre's wedding to Simonne Calary de Lamazière in March 1927. Juin returned to North Africa in September 1927 to assume command of
1440-487: The Corps Expéditionnaire Français (CEF), and took a reduction in rank to Général de corps d'armée . When the first division of the CEF, the 2nd Moroccan Infantry Division (2e DIM), arrived in November 1943, it was initially placed under the command of American Major General John P. Lucas 's U.S. VI Corps . In his diary Lucas noted that Juin "turned out to be not only a splendid soldier but
1520-979: The Garigliano River flows into the Tyrrhenian Sea in the west, through the Apennine Mountains to the mouth of the Sangro River on the Adriatic coast in the east. The two subsidiary lines, the Bernhardt Line and the Hitler Line , ran much shorter distances from the Tyrrehnian Sea to just northeast of Cassino where they would merge into the Gustav Line. Relative to the Gustav Line, the Hitler Line stood to
1600-679: The German attack began on 10 May 1940, the 15e DIM was ordered into Belgium to hold the area around Gembloux . This was held against German attacks on 14 and 15 May, before the defenders were compelled to retreat to Valenciennes . The 15e DIM came under heavy German attack on 24 May, and retreated into the Lille pocket , where it covered the British and French forces fighting in the Battle of Dunkirk . Some units of his division managed to escape to Dunkirk;
1680-704: The Gustav Line , which had held up the Allied advance for six months. Following this assignment, he was Chief of the Staff of the French forces and represented France at the San Francisco Conference . In 1947 he returned to Africa as the Resident-General of France in Morocco , where he opposed Moroccan attempts to gain independence. Next came a senior NATO position as he assumed command of CENTAG until 1956. During his NATO command, he
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#17327719994671760-566: The Lycée d'Aumale in Constantine. In 1909 he passed the entrance examination for the École spéciale militaire . At that time cadets were required to spend a year in the Army before commencing the course, so he enlisted in an Algerian regiment, the 1st Zouaves Regiment, quickly rising to corporal and then sergeant . He entered Saint-Cyr in 1910. Classes are named, and his class, the 94th,
1840-724: The Resident-General in Morocco , to become his aide-de-camp for six months. Juin returned to France towards the end of 1916 in command of a company of the 1er Régiment de Tirailleurs Marocains [ fr ] , participating in the Nivelle Offensive in April 1917. He was selected for staff training in February 1918. When he returned in October 1918, he was initially posted to the staff of his division, but then joined
1920-526: The Val-de-Grâce , where he was visited by de Gaulle. Delirious, Juin spoke of "Constantine, Algeria, my country", to which de Gaulle embraced him and replied "Yes, I know, your country is there". In the event, Juin did not die, but remained frail for the rest of his life. He suffered a heart attack November 1966, and was again taken to the Val-de-Grâce, where he died on 22 January 1967. A funeral
2000-710: The XIII Corps , under Lieutenant General Sidney Kirkman , part of the British Eighth Army under Lieutenant General Sir Oliver Leese , headed up highway 3 towards Terni and Perugia whilst V Corps , under Lieutenant General Charles Walter Allfrey , advanced up the Adriatic coast. Between 4 June and 16 June, whilst maintaining contact with the advancing Allies, Kesselring executed a remarkable and unorthodox maneuver with his depleted divisions, resulting in his two armies aligning and uniting their wings on
2080-757: The Zaian War , participating in the fighting around Taza . Upon the outbreak of the First World War in August 1914, a brigade of five battalions known as the Brigade des Chasseurs Indigènes was formed from Moroccan troops and sent to the Western Front in France. Juin joined Chef de Bataillon Joseph-François Poeymirau 's 2e Régiment des Chasseurs Indigènes as a lieutenant . On 5 September,
2160-512: The Zionist organization called Cadima was established to facilitate the migration of Moroccan Jews to the recently established state of Israel. During his tenure Juin instituted many administrative reforms, and greatly expanded opportunities for Moroccans, but it was overshadowed by the growing drift to independence. General Guillaume replaced him in August 1951. Although Juin visited Indochina in April 1946, and met with Ho Chi Minh , he
2240-406: The chief of staff to Kesselring , later described as a major surprise both in timing and in aggressiveness. For this performance, which was to be a key to the success of the entire drive on Rome, I shall always be a grateful admirer of General Juin and his magnificent FEC. Clark made a triumphal entry into Rome, with Juin sitting next to him. For Juin, the experience was bittersweet. He felt that
2320-544: The liberation of Paris , and he entered the city with de Gaulle on 25 August 1944. He restored order to the liberated areas, suppressing elements of the French Forces of the Interior (FFI) that refused to disband with Spahis that he brought in from North Africa. He arranged with Eisenhower for FFI personnel to be absorbed into four new divisions that guarded the German forces that remained in bypassed garrisons along
2400-470: The École Supérieure de Guerre . He chose to serve in North Africa again. After the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939, he assumed command of the 15th Motorized Infantry Division . The division was encircled in the Lille pocket during the Battle of France and Juin was captured. He was a prisoner of war until he was released at the behest of the Vichy Government in 1941, and
2480-486: The 14th along the Tyrrhenian front and the 10th through central Italy and the Adriatic coast. The 10th escaped because General Mark W. Clark ordered Lucian Truscott to choose Operation Turtle towards Rome rather than Operation Buffalo as ordered by Sir Harold R. L. G. Alexander , which would have cut Route 6 at Valmonte. There was a huge gap between the armies and with the Allies advancing some 10 km per day,
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2560-667: The 2nd Company of the German 508th Heavy Panzer Battalion knocked out four British Shermans near Tavarnelle Val di Pesa southwest of Florence. The U.S. IV Corps also found progress slow but by 1 July had crossed the river Cecina and were within 20 miles (32 km) of Livorno . Meanwhile, the French Corps had been held up on the river Orcia west of Lake Trasimene until the parachutist defenders withdrew on 27 June allowing them to enter Siena on 3 July. Winter Line Invasion of Italy Winter Line Gothic Line 1945 Spring Offensive The Winter Line
2640-459: The 3rd Zouaves Regiment. He was promoted to colonel in June 1935. Noguès became resident-general in Morocco in 1937, with the expectation that he would become commander in chief in North Africa in the event of hostilities with Nazi Germany . If that happened, Noguès wanted Juin for his chief of staff, but since Juin was only a colonel, it was arranged for him to attend a senior officers course at
2720-457: The 8th Army to capture Orsogna however put an end to the Allied plans of a strong drive up the eastern coast. Rain, flooded rivers, and high casualties, as well as the departure of General Montgomery, all put a halt to Allied plans until the spring of 1944. The Gustav Line thus fulfilled the wishes of Field Marshal Kesselring , the commander of German forces in Italy, of keeping the Allies south of
2800-457: The Allies continued elsewhere in North Africa until Darlan issued a ceasefire on 10 November, and directed Juin to order French forces in Tunisia to resist the Germans and the Italians. Juin's orders were not always obeyed by his subordinates in Tunisia, many of whom believed that Darlan and Juin were being held prisoner by the Americans, but he was able to personally persuade Noguès to work with
2880-617: The Allies. In the reorganisation of French forces in North Africa on 13 November, Juin became commander of the Eastern Sector. His command, known as the Détachement d'armée Français , held two distinct sectors on the Tunisian front, one in the north under Général de brigade Fernand Barré, and one in the south under Koeltz. His forces were poorly equipped, and when the Germans and Italians counter-attacked, he had to call on
2960-590: The Atlantic coast, and the frontier with Italy. During the German Operation Northwind in January 1945, he clashed with Eisenhower's chief of staff, Lieutenant General Walter B. Smith , over a proposed Allied withdrawal from Alsace and Lorraine. In the event, Eisenhower gave way to political pressure from the British and the French, and the withdrawal was not carried out. Juin also opposed
3040-458: The British and Americans for assistance. In January 1943, Juin agreed to a more regular command arrangement, with French forces being concentrated in Koeltz's XIX Corps , which was placed under Lieutenant General Kenneth Anderson 's British First Army . Juin was promoted to Général d'armée . He was given a tumultuous welcome from the populace when he entered Tunis after the Allies captured
3120-536: The French Mission to the United States Army, where he served when the fighting ended in November 1918. After the war, Juin returned to the 1st Moroccan Tirailleurs Regiment, but was seconded to Lyautey's staff, and then sent to École Supérieure de Guerre for more staff training. After graduating in 1921, he was posted to the headquarters of the division in Tunisia. He turned down an offer of
3200-478: The French front were decisive. The knife-wielding Goumiers swarmed over the hills, particularly at night, and General Juin's entire force showed an aggressiveness hour after hour that the Germans could not withstand. Cerasola, San Giogrio, Mt. D'Oro, Ausonia and Esperia were seized in one of the most brilliant and daring advances of the war in Italy, and by May 16 the French Expeditionary Corps had thrust forward some ten miles on their left flank to Mount Revole, with
3280-432: The Gustav Line crossed the main route north to Rome at strategically crucial Highway 6. It followed the Liri valley and was anchored around the mountains behind the town of Cassino . Above it stood the ancient Benedictine sanctuary of Monte Cassino , which dominated the valley entrance, and Monte Cassino, which gave the defenders clear observation of potential attackers advancing towards the valley mouth. The U.S. 5th Army
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3360-404: The Italian Peninsula and barred the way to Rome for the two Allied armies in Italy: the U.S. Fifth Army in the west and the British Eighth Army in the east. The Allies' grand strategy in the autumn of 1943 was for the Eighth Army to advance through the Sangro River defences, then hook south at Avezzano and enter Rome from the rear while the Fifth Army approached from the south. The center of
3440-423: The Polish II Corps on the Adriatic. The toughest defenses were around the lake itself with XIII Corps' British 78th Infantry Division experiencing fierce fighting on 17 June at Città della Pieve and 21 June at San Fatucchio . By 24 June they had worked their way round to the north shore and linked with X Corps' 4th and 10th Indian Infantry Divisions as the German defenders withdrew towards Arezzo . On 8 July,
3520-403: The Resident-General in Morocco. He opposed Moroccan attempts to gain independence and worked uneasily with Mohammed V , the Sultan of Morocco, whom Juin correctly suspected of harbouring nationalist sympathies. Juin forbade religious schools and certain gatherings, which he felt were being taken over by nationalists. Through his 7 March 1949 agreement with Jacques Gershoni of the Jewish Agency ,
3600-401: The attack on Royan in April 1945, but it was carried out anyway over his objections. At the time of the end of the war in Europe , Juin was in the United States, where he represented France at the San Francisco Conference . In the immediate post-war period he continued with his task of rebuilding France's armed forces. This was made difficult by the ending of American Lend-Lease aid, and
3680-408: The brigade joined the fighting in the First Battle of the Marne . Juin was wounded in his left hand the following day, but refused evacuation to hospital, remaining at the front with his arm in a sling. He was awarded the Cross of the Legion of Honour . The brigade was withdrawn from the line in January 1915, but committed to battle again in March in the First Battle of Champagne . In this battle Juin
3760-441: The city in May. De Gaulle appointed Mast as Resident-General in Tunisia, but Mast was injured in an air crash, and Juin was asked to fill in for him. In this role, Juin joined General Dwight D. Eisenhower , Général d'armée Henri Giraud , Admiral Sir Andrew Cunningham , Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Tedder and Lieutenant General Kenneth Anderson on the review stand for the victory parade on 20 May. A less savoury part of
3840-517: The cost of unbelievable efforts and great losses," the 3rd Algerian Infantry Division had "accomplished the mission which you gave them." After three unsuccessful attempts to break the Gustav Line, British General Sir Harold Alexander , Commander-in-Chief (C-in-C) of the Allied Armies in Italy (AAI, later designated 15th Army Group ), decided to make a coordinated attack with both the U.S. Fifth Army and Lieutenant General Sir Oliver Leese 's British Eighth Army , codenamed Operation Diadem . As
3920-404: The defence. It took the Allies from mid-November 1943 to June 1944 to fight through all the various elements of the Winter Line, including the well-known battles at Monte Cassino and Anzio . The offensive on the Bernhardt Line was launched on December 1, 1943, as part of Operation Raincoat . British and American troops took the terrain around Monte Camino and the Mignano Gap within a week and
4000-431: The defensive positions on the Trasimene Line. Remarkable though this was, he was probably helped by the confusion caused in the Allied advance by the relieving of the U.S. II and VI Corps (substituted by Major General Willis D. Crittenberger 's U.S. IV Corps and Lieutenant General Alphonse Juin 's French Expeditionary Corps ). The British X Corps , under Lieutenant General Richard McCreery , had also been brought into
4080-414: The enemy and quickly seized key terrain including Mounts Faito Cerasola and high ground near Castelforte . The 1st Motorized Division helped the 2nd Moroccan division take key Mount Girofano and then advanced rapidly north to S. Apollinare and S. Ambrogio. In spite of the stiffening enemy resistance, the 2nd Moroccan Division penetrated the Gustav Line in less than two days' fighting. The next 48 hours on
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#17327719994674160-412: The flanks of both armies were exposed and encirclement was threatened. Two days after Rome fell, General Alexander, Commander-in-Chief (C-in-C) of the Allied Armies in Italy (AAI), received orders from his superior, General Sir Henry Maitland Wilson , the Allied Supreme Commander in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations (MTO), to push the retreating German Army 170 miles (270 km) north to
4240-413: The fruits of his victory had been lost through British caution and the American obsession with Rome's capture. The French command rejected his support for continuing the campaign in Italy now that the Allies were winning. On 4 July, the CEF captured Siena , where it celebrated Bastille Day , and then was withdrawn to participate in Operation Dragoon , codename for the Allied invasion of Southern France. In
4320-408: The job was informing Muhammad VII al-Munsif , the Bey of Tunisia, that he was being deposed. When Juin was informed that Pétain had stripped him of his French nationality and membership in the legion of honour, he merely noted that he was grateful he had not been sentenced to death. In July 1943, Eisenhower, now the Supreme Allied Commander in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations (MTO), raised
4400-451: The line on XIII Corps' right whilst V Corps had been relieved by the Polish II Corps , under Lieutenant General Władysław Anders . By the last week of June the Allies were facing the Trasimene positions. Joachim Lemelsen 's 14th Army had Frido von Senger und Etterlin 's XIV Panzer Corps facing the U.S. IV Corps on the west coast and Alfred von Schlemm 's 1st Parachute Corps facing the French Expeditionary Corps beside them. On 22 June,
4480-402: The line to delay the Allied northward advance in Italy in mid June 1944 to buy time to withdraw troops to the Gothic Line and finalise the preparation of its defenses. After the Allied capture of the Italian capital of Rome on 4 June 1944 following the successful breakthrough at Monte Cassino and Anzio during Operation Diadem in May 1944, the German 14th and 10th Armies fell back:
4560-452: The military commitments to the Allied occupation of Germany , and in North Africa, Syria and Italy, where the 1947 Paris Peace Treaties made some adjustments to the border. The major looming crisis, though, was the Indochina War . Juin lost his direct access to the President when de Gaulle left office in 1946, and his plans for an Army large enough to handle France's commitments had to be scaled back. In May 1947, Juin returned to Africa as
4640-405: The northwest and the Bernhardt Line to the southeast of the primary defenses. Before being ultimately broken, the Gustav Line effectively slowed the Allied advance for months between December 1943 and June 1944. Major battles in the assault on the Winter Line at Monte Cassino and Anzio alone resulted in 98,000 Allied casualties and 60,000 Axis casualties. The Gustav Line stretched across
4720-403: The operations of the 1st Army, as a leader and an outstanding maneuver. In Gembloux, from the moment of contact, pushed back a particularly aggressive enemy by inflicting the heaviest losses. During the retreat ordered by the High Command, placed at the extreme protruding of the device, cleared by three times in particularly difficult circumstances. During the final leap that he was to make, hung by
4800-436: The possibility of French troops being used in the upcoming Italian campaign with Juin, who accepted on behalf of Giraud, who was in Washington, D.C. Juin was placed in charge of a force known as Détachement d'armée A , which was intended to eventually grow into an army headquarters. Since it would form part of the U.S. Fifth Army , under the lower-ranking American Lieutenant General Mark W. Clark , Juin styled his command
4880-431: The reality of the situation. Darlan authorised Juin to negotiate a local ceasefire in Algiers, so Juin met with American Major General Charles W. Ryder , commander of the U.S. 34th Infantry Division , and the two arranged for an end to the fighting. Algiers was handed over to the Americans, French troops were confined to barracks but retained their weapons, and French police maintained law and order. French resistance to
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#17327719994674960-421: The remainder fought until their ammunition ran out. Juin surrendered on 29 May. Juin became a prisoner of war , and was held in Oflag IV-B Koenigstein , a prison camp for officers in Königstein Fortress in Saxony . While in prison he was promoted to Général de division . He was released in June 1941 at the request of Pétain, now the head of the Vichy Government , in exchange for thirty German sailors, as
5040-535: The remainder of their front slanting back somewhat to keep contact with the British Eighth Army. Only the most careful preparations and the utmost determination made this attack possible, but Juin was that kind of a fighter. Mule pack trains, skilled mountain fighters, and men with the strength to make long night marches through treacherous terrain were needed to succeed in the all-but-impregnable mountain ranges. The French displayed that ability during their sensational advance which Lieutenant General Siegfried Westphal ,
5120-417: The situation in North Africa. On 20 November 1952, Juin was elected at the Seat 4 of the Académie Française . In 1953 Juin took up a senior NATO position as he assumed command of CENTAG . Once again he served under Eisenhower. He also got along well with Eisenhower's successors, Generals Matthew Ridgway and Alfred Gruenther , whom he had known from the campaign in Italy. During his NATO command, he
5200-452: The so-called Winter Line. On the western side of the Apennines were two subsidiary lines, the Bernhardt Line in front of the main Gustav positions, and the Hitler Line some 8 kilometres (5 mi) to the rear. The Winter Line was fortified with gun pits, concrete bunkers, turreted machine-gun emplacements, barbed wire and minefields. It was the strongest of the German defensive lines south of Rome. About 15 German divisions were employed in
5280-407: The suffering he felt, at the head of his section. On 17 September, separated from his battalion by the emptiness caused by a deadly attack, remained in his position despite heavy losses suffered by his troop. Continues to give daily proof of his bravery. For his promotion to Commander of the National Order of the Legion of Honour: General commanding a motorized division, has asserted himself, during
5360-404: The supplying of the forts in the Ouergha River area. During the Rif War , he served on the staff of Colonel Charles Noguès . For his services leading troops in the field, Juin was made an officer of the Legion of Honour and promoted to Chef de bataillon . Lyautey was blamed for the French lack of preparedness for the war and relieved of his command. As a marshal, Lyautey was member of
5440-534: The wake of allegations of raping and pillaging by his North African troops in the Marocchinate , he took steps to curtail the abuses, with drastic measures, including the death penalty, that were not entirely successful owing to the animosity between the French and Italian people over the events of 1940. Following this assignment Juin was appointed chief of staff of French forces (" Chef d'État-Major de la Défense Nationale "). He helped persuade Eisenhower to allow Philippe Leclerc 's 2nd Armoured Division to carry out
5520-406: Was a senior French Army general who became Marshal of France . A graduate of the École Spéciale Militaire class of 1912, he served in Morocco in 1914 in command of native troops. Upon the outbreak of the First World War , he was sent to the Western Front in France, where he was gravely wounded in 1915. As a result of this wound, he lost the use of his right arm. After the war, he attended
5600-439: Was a series of German and Italian military fortifications in Italy , constructed during World War II by Organisation Todt and commanded by Albert Kesselring . The series of three lines was designed to defend a western section of Italy, focused around the town of Monte Cassino , through which ran the important Highway 6 which led uninterrupted to Rome . The primary Gustav Line ran across Italy from just north of where
5680-457: Was again wounded, this time in his upper right arm. The damage was permanent, and he was given permission to henceforth salute with his left. Juin found Poeymirau, who had also been wounded, in the hospital, and Poeymirau arranged for Juin to be sent back to Morocco in December 1915 to convalesce. Promoted to capitaine , Juin joined Moroccan troops preparing to go to France, but he accepted an offer from Général de division Hubert Lyautey ,
5760-603: Was assigned to command French forces in North Africa. After Operation Torch , the invasion of Algeria and Morocco by British and American forces in November 1942, Juin ordered French forces in Tunisia to resist the Germans and the Italians. His great skills were exhibited during the Italian campaign as commander of the French Expeditionary Corps . His expertise in mountain warfare was crucial in breaking
5840-544: Was greatly opposed to de Gaulle's decision to grant independence to Algeria , although he remained steadfastly loyal to de Gaulle. In the wake of the Algiers putsch of 1961 and the Organisation Armée Secrète terrorist campaign, he was placed under house arrest. He was "retired" and his special privileges as a marshal were taken away. In December 1963, he suffered a thrombosis and was hospitalised in
5920-656: Was held at Notre Dame de Paris , which was attended by old comrades including Alexander, Ridgway, Béthouart, Marcel Carpentier and de Gaulle, after which Juin was interred in Les Invalides with full military honours. For his promotion to Knight of the National Order of the Legion of Honour: Officer who stands out everywhere for his courage, his glance and his decision. Wounded by a shrapnel that took away his hand for weeks, he insisted on remaining, despite
6000-474: Was held up in front of these positions through the winter of 1943-44. They attempted to flank the position by the landings at Anzio but bogged down quickly there. A bloody and protracted battle was waged over the monastery, known as the Battle of Monte Cassino . The eastern end of the line was held by the coastal town of Ortona , captured by Canadian forces in the fierce Battle of Ortona in December 1943 which became known as "the little Stalingrad." Failure by
6080-552: Was known as promotion de Fès after the Moroccan city of Fès that was at the centre of the Agadir Crisis of 1911. Among the class of 223, which included eight foreigners from China, Turkey, Iran and Algeria, were future général d'armée Antoine Béthouart , three future généraux de corps d'armée , four future généraux de division and eighteen future généraux de brigade , including Charles de Gaulle . There would remain
6160-588: Was made a Marshal of France in May 1952, the only living holder of that rank. After the French defeat in Indochina in the Battle of Dien Bien Phu in 1954, Juin was again asked if he would take over command in Indochina. He was greatly moved by the disaster, in which his former aide was killed, but in the end turned the job down again. He retired on 1 October 1956, coinciding with Gruenther's retirement, as he did not wish to serve under any other American general. Juin
6240-524: Was not interested in a command there. He likewise turned down an offer in 1948 to command the Western European Union land forces. He returned to Indochina in October 1950, when he was sent to report on the state of France's efforts there. He produced a damning report, in which he criticised both the strategy and tactics being employed. But he again turned down an offer to command the French forces in Indochina, being far more concerned about
6320-555: Was promoted to Marshal of France in 1952. He was greatly opposed to Charles De Gaulle 's decision to grant independence to Algeria , and was "retired" in 1962 as a result. He was the French Army's last living Marshal of France until his death in Paris in 1967, when he was buried in Les Invalides . Alphonse Juin was born at Bône (now Annaba ) in French Algeria on 16 December 1888, the only son of Victor Pierre Juin,
6400-412: Was the British custom, General Alexander gave his subordinates considerable latitude in how they went about implementing his orders. This allowed Juin to put forward a major modification to the plan. He proposed that the CEF, now increased to four divisions, advance through the rugged Aurunci Mountains and outflank the German positions. He was aware of the difficulty of trying to advance, much less exploit
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