Marie-Pierre Kœnig, better known in France under the name of Pierre Kœnig, born October 10, 1898 in Caen and died September 2, 1970 in Neuilly-sur-Seine, was a French politician and soldier, Marshal of France. /P>
Coming from a family of Alsatian origin, he studied at the Sainte-Marie college and then at the Lycée Malherbe in Caen. He obtained his baccalaureate and enlisted in 1917. He served in the 36th infantry regiment. He was made midshipman in February 1918 and joined his unit on the front. He was promoted to second lieutenant in 1918.
He was a captain in the 13th Foreign Legion demi-brigade when he decided to join Free France in July 1940. that of the Levant.
General Kœnig was the winner of the battle of Bir Hakeim in 1942, he commanded the French Forces of the Interior (FFI) in 1944. He was elected RPF deputy (then URAS and republican-social) for Bas-Rhin from 1951 to 1958.
He was Minister of National Defense and the Armed Forces from June 19 to August 14, 1954 in the Pierre Mendès France government and from February 23 to October 6, 1955 in the Edgar Faure government.
Buried in the cemetery of Montmartre, he was posthumously made Marshal of France in 1984 by François Mitterrand, thus becoming the fourth French general elevated to the dignity of Marshal of France since the liberation, after Jean de Lattre de Tassigny, Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque and Alphonse June.
Decorations
* Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor
* Companion of the Liberation - decree of June 25, 1942
* Military medal
* War Cross 1914-1918 (2 quotes)
* War Cross 1939-1945 (4 citations)
* War Cross of External Theaters of Operations (3 citations)
* Resistance medal with rosette
* Colonial medal with clasps "Morocco", "Sahara", Libya", Bir-Hakeim, "Tunisie 43-43"
* Combatant's Cross
* Medal of Aeronautics
* Commander of Agricultural Merit
* Escapees Medal
* Interrallied Medal 14/18
* Commemorative Medal 14/18
* Commemorative Medal 39/45
* Medal for Voluntary Services in Free France
* Medal of French Recognition
* Distinguished Service Order (UK)
* Companion of the Order of the Bath (GB)
* Commander of the Legion of Merit (USA)
* Congressional Gold Medal (USA)
* Order of Suvorov 1st class (USSR)
* Grand Magistral Cross of the Order of Malta
* Grand Officer of the Order of Leopold (Belgium)
* 1940 Croix de Guerre with palm (Belgium)
* Grand Cross of the Crown (Belgium)
* Grand Cross of the Order of Orange Nassau (Netherlands)
* Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Denmark (Denmark)
* Grand Cross of the Order of Saint Olaf (Norway)
* War Cross (Norway)
* Virtuti Militari (Poland)
* Resistance medal with rosette (Poland)
* War Cross (Czechoslovakia)
* Order of the White Lion for Victory (Czechoslovakia)
* Grand Cross of the Order of George I (Greece)
* Grand Cross of the Order of the Oak Crown (Luxembourg)
* Croix de Guerre (Luxembourg)
* Grand Cross of the Order of Saint Charles (Monaco)
* Grand Cross of the Order of the White Elephant (Thailand)
* Chérifien Military Merit (Morocco)
* Grand Cordon of Ouissam Alaouite (Morocco)
* Grand Cordon du Nichan Iftikar (Tunisia)
* Grand Officer of the Star of the Comoros