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General of the Army Magrin-Vernerey, 1st Commander of the 13th DBLE
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Raoul Magrin-Vernerey was born in Budapest, Hungary, on February 7, 1892. He studied at Victor Hugo College in Besancon and a small Seminar of Ornans in Doubs. At 16, he tried to enlist in the French Foreign Legion, but was rejected due to age. He returned to his studies, and in 1912 was accepted at the French Saint-Cyr Military Academy. He graduates from the academy with the rank of "sous-lieutenant", 2nd lieutenant, just as the First World War is breaking out. He served with the 60th and then 260th infantry regiments, with valor, and finishes the war with the rank of captain. For his service, he receives the Legion of Honor, with 11 citations for bravery and 17 wounds.
After the war, he is posted to a variety of posts in the French colonies. In March of 1924, he is posted with the Foreign Legion. He serves with the 1st REI and then with the 3rd REI, in Morocco. Promoted to major in 1928, he is posted out of the legion to the Middle East, but returns to the legion in 1931, serving with the 2nd REI in Morocco, and then in Tonkin, Indochina, with the 5th REI. In January 1938, he is made commander of the battalion of instruction at Saida, before being promoted to lieutenant colonel in June of the same year, and is posted to Morocco again with the 4th REI, where he remains until the outbreak of war.
In February 1940, he is named as the commander of the newly formed 13th DBLE. He leads the unit with commendation in Norway, and leads the unit to England after the fall of France. Magrin-Vernerey joins De Gaulle and the Free French Forces in June. He changes his name to "Raoul Monclar" to protect possible Axis retaliation to his relatives still living in Hungary. The "Monclar" originated from the name of the village where is family was originally from. He then promoted to full colonel. He served with the 13th in the African and Middle Eastern campaigns of the following year, though left command of the unit on September 16, 1940. He served with distinction at Dakar, Freetown, and Cameroon. He was particular commended for valor at the Battle of Eritrea, in 1941, where he led a force of scouts and motorcyclists, drawn from the 13th DBLE, through the opposing Italian forces to enter the city, capturing the Italian commander and chief of East Africa, the commanding general of Eritrea and two other Italian general officers with a number of other Italian troops also being made captive due to his efforts.
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However, at the Battles of Gabon and later in Syria, he refused to bear arms against the Vichy French. From October of 1941, he was posted to command the territory of the Alaouites, and was later promoted to brigadier general in December of 1941. He was posted to England from December of 1942 to November of 1943 to command the amassing Free French forces in England. He then is made Assistant General of Army Enlistment, a post he keeps until the end of the war. In 1946, the now General of the Army Raoul Magrin-Vernerey is made the commander of French troops in Algiers, and in June, 1948, is made inspector general of the French Foreign Legion, where he is sent to Indochina to command Foreign Legion troops in the growing conflict.
Promoted again in February of 1950, Magrin-Vernerey decides the following year to throw off his rank, and be reduced to the rank of lietenant-colonel in order to serve in combat in one last campaign. As a lieutenant colonel, he was now eligible to be placed as battalion commander at the disposal of the United Nations in Korea, where he serves again with valor. He retires from the army, and in 1962 is named as Governor of the Military Invalids. He passes away on June 3, 1964, and is buried in the French national crypt of the invalids.
In his military career, Magrin-Vernerey received the following awards/decorations:
*Grand Croix de la Legion d'Honneur *Compagnon de la Liberation - decret du 1 er juin 1943 *Medaille Militaire *Croix de Guerre 14/18 (11 citations) *Croix de Guerre 39/45 (3 citations) *Croix de Guerre des TOE (6 citations) *Medaille de la Resistance avec rosette *Medaille des Evades *Medaille des Blesses (7 etoiles) *Croix du Combattant Volontaire 14/18 *Medaille Coloniale avec agrafes "Maroc 25-26", "Erythree" *Medaille Commemorative du Levant *Medaille Commemorative de Syrie-Cilicie *Medaille Commemorative de la Grande Guerre *Medaille Commemorative de la Victoire (Interalliee) *Medaille Commemorative 39/45 *Medaille des Services Volontaires dans la France Libre *Grand Officier du Dragon d'annam *Military Cross (GB) *Commandeur de l'ordre de l'empire Britannique *Silver Star (USA) *Legion of Merit (USA) *Commandeur de l'ordre de la Couronne (Belgique) *Croix de Guerre 14/18 (Belgique) *Grand Croix de l'ordre de Saint Olaf (Norvege) *Croix de Guerre avec glaive (Norvege) *Medaille Commemorative Norvegienne *Virtuti Militari (Pologne) *Medaille Commemorative de Coree (ONU) *Merite Syrien *Merite Libanais *Croix de Guerre Hellenique *Officier de l'toile de Roumanie avec glaives *Military Merit Targuk avec etoile d'rgent (Corre) *Grand Croix de l'ordre Royal du Cambodge *Grand Officier du Ouissam Alaouite (Maroc) *Grand Croix de l'toile d'njouan (Comores)