Henri Giraud
| Henri Giraud | |
|---|---|
Henri Giraud in Casablanca, 19 January 1943
|
|
| Birth name | Henri Honoré Giraud |
| Born |
18 January 1879 Paris, France |
| Died | 11 March 1949 (aged 70) Dijon, France |
| Allegiance |
 French Third Republic
|
| Service/branch | French Army |
| Years of service | 1900–1946 |
| Rank | Général d'Armée |
| Commands held | Seventh Army |
| Battles/wars |
World War I Rif War World War II |
| Awards | Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor |
Henri Honoré Giraud (18 January 1879 – 11 March 1949) was a French general who was captured in both World Wars, but escaped both times.
After his second escape in 1942, some of the Vichy ministers tried to send him back to Germany and probable execution. However, Eisenhower secretly asked him to take command of French troops in North Africa during Operation Torch and direct them to join the Allies. Only after François Darlan's assassination was he able to attain this post, and he took part in the Casablanca Conference with De Gaulle, Churchill and Roosevelt. He decided to take retirement in 1944 after continual disagreements with De Gaulle.
Henri Giraud was born in Paris, of Alsatian descent.
He graduated from the Saint-Cyr Military Academy in 1900 and joined the French Army, commanding Zouave troops in North Africa until he was transferred back to France in 1914 when World War I broke out.
Giraud was seriously wounded while, as a captain, he led a Zouave bayonet charge during the Battle of St. Quentin on 30 August 1914, and was left for dead on the field. He was captured by the Germans and placed in a prison camp in Belgium. He managed to escape two months later by pretending to be a roustabout with a traveling circus. He then asked Edith Cavell for help, and eventually he was able to return to France via the Netherlands.
Afterwards, Giraud served with French troops in Constantinople under General Franchet d'Esperey. In 1933, he was transferred to Morocco to fight against Rif (kabyle) rebels. He was awarded the Légion d'Honneur after the capture of Abd-el-Krim and later became the military commander of Metz. He also taught military strategy at the École de Guerre, where one of his students was Captain Charles de Gaulle.
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