Raoul Salan

{{Infobox military person

| name = Raoul Salan

| image = Generaal Salan, Bestanddeelnr 909-5643.jpg

| caption =

| birth_name = Raoul Albin Louis Salan

| birth_date = {{birth date|1899|6|10|df=yes}}

| death_date = {{death date and age|1984|7|3|1899|6|10|df=yes}}

| birth_place = Roquecourbe, France

| death_place = Paris, France

| nickname =

| allegiance = {{flag|France}}
{{flag|Vichy France}}
{{flag|Free France}}
{{flagicon image|OAS Flag.svg}} Organisation armée secrète

| branch = French Army

| serviceyears = 1917–1959

| rank = Général d'Armée

| unit =

| commands = 6th Senegalese Tirailleur Regiment
14th Infantry Division
French Far East Expeditionary Corps
French forces in Algeria

| battles = {{tree list}}

| awards = Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor

| laterwork = Leader of the OAS

| signature = Raoul Salan - signature.png

}}

Raoul Albin Louis Salan ({{IPA|fr|ʁaul salɑ̃}}; 10 June 1899 – 3 July 1984) was a French Army general and the founder of the Organisation armée secrète, a clandestine terrorist organisation that sought to maintain French Algeria by preventing Algerian independence. He served as the fourth French commanding general during the First Indochina War. He was one of four retired generals who organized the 1961 Algiers putsch operation. He was the most decorated soldier in the French Army at the end of his military career.{{Cite news |last=Krebs |first=Albin |date=1984-07-04 |title=RAOUL SALAN DIES; LED ALGERIA PLOT |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/07/04/obituaries/raoul-salan-dies-led-algeria-plot.html |access-date=2023-12-23 |issn=0362-4331}}

World War I

File:Jacquot elie 1945 14DI défilé paris 18 juin 1945.jpg at the head of the 14th Infantry Division, 18 June 1945. (fr)]]

Salan was born on 10 June 1899 in Roquecourbe, Tarn.{{cite news|last1=Krebs|first1=Albin|title=RAOUL SALAN DIES; LED ALGERIA PLOT|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/07/04/obituaries/raoul-salan-dies-led-algeria-plot.html|access-date=June 5, 2016|work=The New York Times|date=July 4, 1984}} Enlisted in the French Army for the duration of the war on 2 August 1917, he was accepted in the École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr on 21 August 1917, being assigned to the cadet student platoon of the 16th Infantry Regiment stationed at Montbrison, as part of the promotion "de Saint-Odile et de La Fayette" (1917-1918).{{Cite web|date=8 December 2011|title=Saint-Cyr – Promotion « de Saint-Odile et de La Fayette » (1917~1918) - Forum PAGES 14-18|url=https://forum.pages14-18.com/viewtopic.php?t=17972|access-date=25 August 2021|website=forum.pages14-18.com}}{{Cite journal|last=Boÿ|first=Jean |date=25 October 2010|title=Historique des 101e et 102e promotions (1917-18), promotions de Sainte-Odile et de La Fayette|url=https://www.saint-cyr.org/medias/editor/files/1917-1918-101e-et-102e-promotions.pdf|journal=La Saint-Cyrienne|pages=11|via=Saint-Cyr.org}} Salan graduated as an aspirant on 25 July 1918, and was assigned to the 5th Colonial Infantry Regiment (5e RIC) in Lyon on 14 August 1918.

As a platoon leader in the 5e RIC's 11e Compagnie, he took part in the fighting in the Verdun region (Saint-Mihiel, Les Éparges, Fort de Bois-Bourru, Côte de Oie, Cumières-le-Mort-Homme). He was mentioned in the Order of the Brigade by Order dated 29 December 1918.

World War II

Until France's surrender in World War II, Colonel Salan commanded a battalion of Senegalese troops. He initially sided with the Vichy Government, but defected to the Allies in December 1942, following the occupation of Vichy France in Case Anton.{{cite news | url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1984/07/04/043850.html?pageNumber=58 | title=Raoul Salan Dies; Led Algeria Plot | work=The New York Times }} Between the World Wars he was attached in various capacities to the Ministry of Colonies, and in 1941–43 he served with the Free French forces in French West Africa. After participating in the Allied invasion of France in 1944, he went to Indochina in 1945 and was commander in chief there during 1952–53.{{cite web | url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Raoul-Albin-Louis-Salan | title=Raoul Salan | French general | Britannica | date=29 June 2023 }}

Indochina and Algeria

Salan served as the commander of French forces in Vietnam from 1945 to 1947.{{cite news|title=Gen. Raoul Salan. France's most decorated soldier dies|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/62642860/?terms=%22Raoul%2BSalan%22|access-date=June 5, 2016|work=Santa Cruz Sentinel|location=Santa Cruz, California|date=July 4, 1984|page=10|via=Newspapers.com|url-access=registration }} By 1948, he was commander of all French land forces in East Asia, and after the death of Jean de Lattre de Tassigny in 1952, Salan became the commander-in-chief in Indochina.

File:FrenchLaos1953.png inspecting an honor guard of the Laotian Royal Guard outside the Royal Palace in Luang Prabang, 4 May 1953.]]

Salan served as commander-in-chief of French forces in French Algeria in 1956. In 1958, he established special military internment centers for PAM rebels. The Minister of Interior declared a state of emergency, while the army engaged in a "struggle against the terrorism" of the FLN. Special powers were devolved to the military and were returned to civilian powers only in September 1959, when Charles de Gaulle made his speech on self-determination. General Salan refused to apply the Geneva Conventions ratified by France in 1951 because the detainees were not POWs. The civil authorities had different attitudes concerning the use of torture by the military.

In 1958, Salan called for the return to power of Charles De Gaulle, believing that the latter would protect French Algeria. He retired shortly after, first moving to Spain, then to mainland France. He was banned from entering Algeria in 1960.

Nevertheless, Salan returned to Algeria to organize the putsch on 21 April 1961 with André Zeller, Edmond Jouhaud and Maurice Challe. After the failure of the putsch, he became the chief of Organisation armée secrète (OAS), which attempted to disrupt the April 1962 Peace Evian Accords. Salan, who was sentenced to death in absentia, was arrested in April 1962. He was tried for treason and sentenced to life in prison.[https://web.archive.org/web/20090528123601/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,896229,00.html Silence in the Dock] TIME Magazine Friday, 25 May 1962{{Cite news |date=1962-05-23 |title=1962: Ex-general escapes death sentence |language=en-GB |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/may/23/newsid_4340000/4340769.stm |access-date=2023-07-17}}{{Cite news |title=OBITUARIES Gen. Raoul Salan, French Leader In Algeria, Dies From News Services |language=en-US |newspaper=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1984/07/04/obituaries-gen-raoul-salan-french-leader-in-algeria-dies-from-news-services/f3ae9889-2145-404a-bb9f-7b24d3d8db63/ |access-date=2023-07-17 |issn=0190-8286}} Salan was pardoned and released from prison in June 1968.[https://web.archive.org/web/20090527081354/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,896095,00.html To the guillotine] TIME Magazine Friday, 27 Apr 1962 He was amnestied by the French parliament and re-instated to the rank of general in 1982.

Death

File:Tombe du général Salan, pierre tombale, cimetière de Vichy.jpg

Salan died on 3 July 1984. Every year, former members of the OAS bring flowers to his tomb on his death anniversary.{{cite news|last1=Cros|first1=Philippe|title=Les " fidèles " du chef de l'OAS commémorent|url=http://www.lamontagne.fr/auvergne/actualite/departement/allier/vichy/2014/06/11/les-fideles-du-chef-de-loas-commemorent_11036490.html|access-date=June 5, 2016|work=La Montagne|date=June 11, 2014}}

Decorations

Salan was the most decorated soldier in the French Army.{{Cite news|last=Krebs|first=Albin|date=1984-07-04|title=RAOUL SALAN DIES; LED ALGERIA PLOT|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/07/04/obituaries/raoul-salan-dies-led-algeria-plot.html|access-date=2022-02-01|issn=0362-4331}}

File:Salanb10.jpg

French and Colonial Decorations

Legion of Honour
60px Knight (5 April 1922)
60px Officer (21 August 1940)
60px Commander (10 February 1945)
60px Grand Officer (27 October 1948)
60px Grand Cross (28 August 1952)
60px Médaille militaire (12 July 1958)
60px Croix de guerre 1914–1918 (1 citation)
60px Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 (8 citations)
60px Croix de guerre des théâtres d'opérations extérieures (7 citations)
60px Cross for Military Valour (1 citation)
60px Volunteer Combatant's Cross 1914–1918
60px Combatant's Cross
60px Colonial Medal (Far East clasp)
60px Grand Cross of the Order of the Black Star
60px 60px (with GC rosette) Grand Cordon of the Order of the Dragon of Annam with Military and Civil title
60px Officer and (later) 60px Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Cambodia
60px Grand Cross of the Order of the Million Elephants and the White Parasol
60px Grand Cross of the Tai Order of Civil Merit (Sip Song Chau Tai)
60px Grand Cross of the Order of Glory
60px Grand Cordon of the Order of Ouissam Alaouite
60px Grand Cross of the Order of the Star of Anjouan
Grand Cross of the Étoile des Comores
60px Royal Order of Monisaraphon
60px Gallantry Cross, with palm
60px National Defense Medal (Cambodia)
60px Syria-Cilicia commemorative medal
60px Order of Civil Merit of the Syrian Arab Republic
60px 1914–1918 Inter-Allied Victory medal
60px 1914–1918 Commemorative war medal
60px 1939–1945 Commemorative war medal with "Africa", "Italy", "France", and "Germany" clasps
60px Aeronautical Medal
60px Medal for the War Wounded
Annam Order of Military Merit
Order of the Reign of King Savang Vatthana
60px 1943–1944 Italian campaign medal
60px Indochina Campaign Commemorative Medal
60px North Africa Security and Order Operations Commemorative Medal with "Algeria" clasp

Foreign Decorations

60px Distinguished Service Cross (US)
60px Commander of the Order of the British Empire ({{post-nominals|country=GBR|CBE}}) (UK)
Vietnam Campaign Medal (Thailand)
60px Sena Jayaseddh Medal (Cambodia)

Bibliography

Mémoires Fin d’un empire (4 volumes), Editions Presses de la Cité, 1970–74
Le sens d’un engagement, 1970
Le Viêt-minh mon adversaire, 1971
Algérie française, 1972
L’Algérie, de Gaulle et moi, 1974

References

External links

{{in lang|fr}} [http://www.salan.asso.fr/ Association of Friends of Raoul Salan] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081111154724/http://www.salan.asso.fr/ |date=2008-11-11 }}
{{in lang|fr}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20050428231829/http://www.ldh-toulon.net/article.php3?id_article=219 Raoul Salan, a colonial General] by Madeleine Rebérioux
[http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/may/23/newsid_4340000/4340769.stm BBC article on Salan's 1962 sentencing]

Category:1899 births

Category:1984 deaths

Category:People from Tarn (department)

Category:French generals

Category:French military personnel of World War I

Category:French Army personnel of World War II

Category:French military personnel of the First Indochina War

Category:French military personnel of the Algerian War

Category:French prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment

Category:French torturers

Category:French war criminals

Category:École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr alumni