Jean Raoux (soldier)

Life

Early life

Education

• Prepara Saint-Cyr at La Corniche
• Ecole Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr, promotion Marne et Verdun
• Breveté at the Ecole de Guerre
• Diplômé at the Ecole d'Etat-Major
• Licence in Arabic
• Licence in English
• Licence Es lettres

  Second World War

• 1939 – Sous-Lieutenant – Assigned to the Caserne de Châteauroux to train reservists before the Battle of the Ardennes
• 1940 – Lieutenant – Fought in the Ardennes during the Battle of France
• June 1940 – Captured by the Germans and escaped
• 1941 – In the Free Zone he rejoined the 152e régiment d'infanterie
• 1942 – At Clermont-Ferrand he married Marie-Paule Solelis then returned to Algiers
• 1942 – He joined the 16e régiment de tirailleurs algériens at Tlemcen and fought in the North African campaign
• 1942 – Birth of his eldest daughter Marie-Françoise
• January – May 1943: Fought against the Germans in the Tunisian campaign
• 1944 – He commanded a company of the 1st demi-brigade de Zouaves
• 15 August 1944 – Participated in Operation Dragoon, landing at Cavalaire
• 20 November 1944 – He actively participated in the liberation of Mulhouse under the command of Général de Lattre de Tassigny and joined the advance into Germany
• February 1945 – Birth of his son Bernard
• 1945 – Under the orders of Colonel de Pouilly, he joined the 1re Division Blindée at Besançon

  Indochina

• 1946: Captain: 10e Promotion de l'Ecole d'Etat-Major
• 17 December 1948: Birth of his daughter Catherine at Besançon
• 1948–1952: Put in command of 1re région militaire
• 1952–1955: Appointed to the France's High Commission to Laos; operated in Cochinchina at the head of a unit of Cambodians

Algeria

• 1955–1958: Ministère des Armées, liaison officer with the British Army
• 1958–1960: Chef de bataillon in the Aures
• Councillor to his majesty Hassan II of Morocco

  Later career

• 1964: Ecole supérieure de guerre
• 1966–1968 – Colonel: Commandement of the 75e régiment d'infanterie de ligne at Valence
• 1969–1972 – Groupe d'organisation des manoeuvres nationales to the Ecole Militaire in Paris, where his son Bernard, Sous-Lieutenant joined him in the Groupe de Recherche Opérationnelle de l'Armée de Terre
• 1972 – Made Général in the Conseil des Ministres

  Decorations

Honours

• Officer of the Légion d'Honneur
• Commander of the Ordre National du Mérite
• Croix de guerre 1939-1945
• Croix de guerre des TOE with Palm
• Croix de la Valeur Militaire with Palm
• Chevalier dans l'ordre du Mérite Agricole
• Médaillé du Corps expéditionnaire français d'Extrême-Orient
• Médaillé des opérations de sécurité et de maintien de l'ordre en Algérie
• Decorated in the Order of a Million Elephants

  Citations

Tunisian campaign (citation in the divisional orders with the Croix de guerre)

French campaign (three days after entering the campaign)