Émile Lemonnier
Émile René Lemonnier | |
|---|---|
First World War
Second World War
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| Awards | Legion of Honour |
Émile René Lemonnier (November 27, 1893 – March 12, 1945) was a French Army general who served during World War I and World War II. Stationed in French Indochina in 1945, he was beheaded by the Japanese during their March coup d'état.[1]
Early life
Lemonnier was born to Émile Jean Lemonnier, a saddler by trade, and Marie Ernestine Fournier on November 27, 1893, in
École Polytechnique in 1912.[3]
Military service
In 1914 Lemonnier was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the 25th Artillery Regiment and received several citations. In 1918, he transferred to the
French Colonial Forces, subsequently serving with various regiments of the artillerie coloniale. In 1920 Lemonnier was made a Knight of the Legion of Honour. From 1925–1936 he served in French West Africa
. He left France for the last time in 1937.
World War II and death
On March 9, 1945, General Lemonnier while commander of the
Resident-superior (Résident-général) (Tonkin)[4] Camille Auphelle.[1] Again Lemonnier was ordered to sign the surrender documents and again refused. The Japanese then beheaded him.[1] Captain Kayakawa who had ordered Lemonnier's execution was sentenced to death by the French Permanent Military Tribunal in Saigon and executed after the war.[5][6]
Legacy
- Lemonnier was re-interred in France on March 3, 1950, at Château-Gontier.
- Camp Lemonnier, adjacent to Djibouti–Ambouli International Airport (now headquarters of the American Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa) is named after him.
- On March 25, 1957, the former Rue des Tuileries (1st district of Paris) was renamed Avenue du Général-Lemonnier in his honor.
References
- ^ ISBN 0-8415-0247-1.
- ^ Histoire de l'Indochine - Page 270 Philippe Héduy - 1983 "Émile, René Lemonnier est né à Château-Gontier (Mayenne), le 26 novembre 1893 de Émile, Jean Lemonnier, 36 ans, bourrelier, et de Marie, Ernestine Fournier, son épouse, sans profession, âgée de 33 ans."
- ^ Michel Desrues, Magali Even Mémorial de la Mayenne, 1940-1945 - Page 76 2001 "Émile LEMONNIER 51 ans, né à Château-Gontier. Célibataire, Général de brigade des troupes coloniales Rue Thiers - Château-Gontier Élève au collège universitaire de Château-Gontier (aujourd'hui lycée Victor Hugo), Émile Lemonnier
- ^ World Statesman.org – Vietnam
- ^ Gunn, Geoffrey (2015). "The French Permanent Military Tribunal in Saigon (1945–50)". End of Empire. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
- ISBN 978-82-93081-13-5.