Alphonse Juin
 Alphonse Pierre Juin |
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|---|---|
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| Born |
16 December 1888 Bône, French Algeria |
| Died | 27 January 1967 (aged 78) Paris, France |
| Allegiance |
 France
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| Service/branch | French Army |
| Years of service | 1912–1962 |
| Rank | Général d'armée |
| Commands held | |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards |
(more, see below) |
(more, see below)
Alphonse Pierre Juin (French pronunciation: [alfɔ̃s ʒɥɛ̃]; 16 December 1888 – 27 January 1967) was a senior French Army officer who became a Marshal of France. A graduate of the Saint-Cyr 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 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 a division, the 15e Division d'Infantrie Motorisée. 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 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 the Gustav Line, which had held up the Allied advance for six months.
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