Raoul Jean Eugene Augereau (4 October 1889 – 18 May 1940) was a French general who served in World War I and World War II.
Raoul Augereau | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Raoul Jean Eugene Augereau |
| Born | 4 October 1889 La Crèche, France |
| Died | 18 May 1940 (aged 50) Le Catelet, France |
| Allegiance | France |
| Service/ | French Army French Air Force |
| Years of service | 1914–1940 |
| Rank | Brigadier general |
| Battles/wars | World War I World War II † |
Pre-military career
Augereau was born in October 1889 in Chavagné, a village in La Crèche.[1] A teacher like his father, he studied at the Normal School of Parthenay between 1906 and 1909.[1][2] He later served in the French Army's 114th and 125th Infantry Regiments as part of his mandatory military service. Returning to civilian life, he worked as a professor in Mazières-en-Gâtine.[1]
Military career
World War I
At the start of World War I in August 1914, Augereau was commissioned as an Army lieutenant.[1] On 1 March 1915, he was shot three times during a night patrol in no man's land. One bullet broke his right femur, causing his leg to be shortened by 5 centimetres (2.0 in) and preventing him from further infantry combat. However, he continued service as a fighter pilot, joining the Air Force as a captain.[1][2]
Interwar period
After the war, Augereau was appointed the flight chief of the Istres Aviation School. He was later appointed commander of a school in Étampes.[1] Between 1934 and 1938, he was head of military aviation in French Indochina.[1][2] At the time of World War II, he was the Chief of the General Staff of the Ministry of the Colonies.[1][2]
World War II
At the beginning of the war, Augereau was placed in command of the Air Force during the Battle of Sedan.[1] He reported to Henri Giraud. Augereau's unit was virtually annihilated in combat against German forces, losing all of its equipment and most of its troops.[2] He was shot in the forehead and killed in action on 18 May 1940 as he defended the town hall of Le Catelet.[2][3]