Paul Leblois

Paul Adolphe Leblois (July 17, 1857 - August 28, 1930) was a divisional general of the French Army who commanded the French 2nd Colonial Infantry Division and later the Armée française d'Orient during World War I.

Paul Leblois
Born(1857-07-17)July 17, 1857
Strasbourg
Died(1930-08-28)August 28, 1930
Paris
AllegianceFrance
Service/branchFrench Army
Years of service~1890s-1917
RankDivisional general
Commands held2e division d'infanterie coloniale
57th Infantry Division
Armée française d'Orient
Battles/warsFranco-Siamese War
World War I
AwardsLegion of Honor
Médaille militaire

Early life

Paul Leblois was born in Bas-Rhin, Strasbourg on July 17, 1857. His father Georges-Louis Leblois was a pastor who advocated a form of protestant liberalism. He had a brother, Louis Leblois, who was a lawyer for Alfred Dreyfus during the Dreyfus Affair, and a sister named Louise-Amélie Leblois who studied natural sciences.[1]

Military career

By the early 1890's, Leblois was serving in the French Army and had reached the rank of Captain by 1893, during the Franco-Siamese War. He was awarded the rank of Chevalier of the Legion of Honor in Hanoi in April 1894, for being a captain in the managing staff of France's Indo-Chinese troops.[2] In 1903, Leblois was awarded the rank of Officier of the Legion of Honor, and was by this point a lieutenant colonel in the management over France's colonial infantry.[3]

Leblois later served as a divisional general over the 2nd Colonial Infantry Division in 1914, at the beginning of the First World War. Leblois led his 2nd Division during the Battle of Rossignol in August 1914, providing support for the 3rd Colonial Infantry Division (France).[4] From October 1916 to February 1917, Leblois was a commander of the Armée française d'Orient, leading engagements on the Macedonian Front. His command of the "AFO" was replaced by Paul François Grossetti. For his leadership, Leblois was awarded the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor in 1926.[5]

References
  1. Manceron, Gilles; Naquet, Emmanuel (2009). Être Dreyfusard Hier et Aujourd’hui. p. 135. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  2. "Archives nationales: LH/1516/51". Base Léonore. pp. 18, 20. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
  3. Base Léonore, p.12
  4. Beasley, Major Rex W. (2007) [1933]. "Critical Analysis of the Operations of the French Colonial Corps in the Battle of the Ardennes, with Particular Attention to the Operations of the 3d Colonial Division at Rossignol". Command and General Staff School Student Papers, 1930–1936. Individual Research Papers (IR)/Command and General Staff School. Fort Leavenworth, KS: The Command and General Staff School: 33–34. OCLC 462132918. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
  5. Base Léonore, p.1
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