Marie-Pierre Kœnig

French general (1898–1970)

Marshal

Marie-Pierre Kœnig (Koenig)

General Kœnig in 1944.

Minister of the Armed Forces
In office
23 February 1955 – 6 October 1955
Prime Minister| Edgar Faure
Preceded by| Maurice Bourgès-Maunoury
Succeeded by| Pierre Billotte
In office
19 June 1954 – 14 August 1954
Prime Minister| Pierre Mendès France
Preceded by| René Pleven
Succeeded by| Emmanuel Temple
Member of the National Assembly
In office
5 July 1951 – 5 December 1958
Constituency| Bas-Rhin
Personal details
Born| (1898-10-10)10 October 1898
Caen, French Republic
Died| 2 September 1970(1970-09-02) (aged 71)
Neuilly-sur-Seine, French Republic
Resting place| Montmartre Cemetery
Nationality| French
Political party| RPF (1951–1955)
RS (1956–1958)
Spouse|

Marie Klein

(m. 1931)​

Parents|

* Henri Joseph Kœnig (father)
* Ernestine Mutin (mother)

Alma mater| Lycée Malherbe
Nickname| Mutin
Military service
Allegiance|  Third Republic
Free France
Fourth Republic
Branch/service| French Army

* Infantry
* Foreign Legion

Years of service| 1917–1951
Rank| Army general[a]
Unit|

List of units

* 36th Infantry Regiment[1]
* 15th Chasseurs Battalion[2]
* 38th Infantry Division
* 51st Infantry Regiment
* 4th Foreign Infantry Regiment[3]
* 2nd Tirailleurs Regiment
* 13th Demi-Brigade of Foreign Legion

Commands|

List of commands

* 1st Free French Brigade
* French Forces of the Interior

Battles/wars|

See list

*     * World War I
* German spring offensive
* Hundred Days Offensive
* World War II
* Battle of France
* Battle of Dakar
* Syria–Lebanon Campaign
* Battle of Bir Hakeim
* Second Battle of El Alamein

Marie Joseph Pierre François Kœnig[b] or Koenig[4] (10 October 1898 – 2 September 1970) was a French general during World War II during which he commanded a Free French Brigade at the Battle of Bir Hakeim in North Africa in 1942. He started a political career after the war and was posthumously elevated to the dignity of Marshal of France in 1984.

## Early life

[edit]

Marie-Pierre Kœnig was born on 10 October 1898, in Caen, Calvados, France. His parents were from the Alsace region.

## Military career

[edit]

### World War I

[edit]

Kœnig fought in the French Army during World War I and served with distinction. He obtained his baccalaureate and enlisted in 1917. He served in the 36th Infantry Regiment. He was designated as an aspirant in February 1918 and joined his unit at the front. Decorated with the Médaille militaire, he was promoted to sous-lieutenant on 3 September 1918.

### Interwar career

[edit]

After the war, he served with French forces in Morocco and Cameroon. He served in Silesia as an assistant (French: adjoint) of Captain Adrien Henry [fr] in the Alps, in Germany, and in Morocco at the general staff headquarters of the division of Marrakesh.

### World War II

[edit]

Kœnig was a captain and assistant to Lieutenant-Colonel Raoul Magrin-Vernerey in the 13th Demi-Brigade of Foreign Legion of the French Foreign Legion.

When World War II broke out, Kœnig returned to France. In 1940, he was assigned as a captain with the French troops in Norway for which he was later awarded Norway's Krigskorset med Sverd, or the War Cross with Sword, in 1942. After the fall of France, he escaped to England from Brittany.

Liberation of Paris, France, August 25, 1944. General Dwight D. Eisenhower leaving Hotel de Ville, behind him is French General Marie-Pierre Koenig. In the background are tanks of the Division Leclerc.

In London, Kœnig joined General Charles de Gaulle and was promoted to colonel. He became chief of staff in the first divisions of the Free French Forces. In 1941, he served in the campaigns in Syria and Lebanon. He was later promoted to general and took command of the First French Brigade in Egypt. His unit of 3700 men held ground against five Axis divisions (c. 37,000 men) for 16 days at the Battle of Bir Hakeim until they were ordered to evacuate on 11 June 1942. De Gaulle said to Kœnig, "Know and tell your troops that all of France is watching you and that you are its pride."[5]

Later, Kœnig served as the Free French delegate to the Allied headquarters under General Dwight D. Eisenhower. In 1944, he was given command of the Free French who participated in the Invasion of Normandy. Kœnig also served as a military advisor to de Gaulle. In June 1944, he was given command of the French Forces of the Interior (FFI) to unify the various French Resistance groups under de Gaulle's control. Under his command, the FFI abandoned ranged battle in the maquis and preferred sabotage that was waged in support of the invading army. Important during D-Day, the FFI had a role that became decisive in the battle for Normandy and in the landing in Provence of the US Seventh Army and French Army B.

On 21 August 1944, de Gaulle appointed Kœnig military governor of Paris to restore law and order. In 1945, he was sent to arrest Marshal Philippe Pétain, who had taken refuge in Germany but gave himself up at the frontier with Switzerland.[6]

### Cold War

[edit]

After the war, Kœnig was the military governor of the French occupation zone in Germany from 1945 to 1949.[7] In 1949, he became inspector general in North Africa, and in 1950, he became the vice-president of the Supreme War Council.

## Political career

[edit]

Kœnig during a visit in Israel, 1969

In 1951, after his retirement from the army, Kœnig was elected as Gaullist representative to the French National Assembly and briefly served as Minister of Defense under Pierre Mendès-France (1954) and Edgar Faure (1955).[8]

He gave his strong support to the new State of Israel as president of the Franco-Israeli Committee (Comité franco-israélien), at around the same time when he was France's Defense Minister, as shown from his informing his Israeli counterpart Shimon Peres that France was willing to sell Israel any weapons it wished to purchase, from small arms to tanks (such as the AMX-13 light tank).[8] Kœnig had witnessed the heroism of a battalion of Palestinian Jewish mine layers during the Battle of Bir Hakeim and afterwards allowed them to fly their own Star-of-David flag, against British regulations.[9]

## Death

[edit]

Kœnig died on 2 September 1970, in Neuilly-sur-Seine, and was buried at Montmartre Cemetery, in Paris.[8]

## Legacy

[edit]

There are streets named after Kœnig in Jerusalem,[10] Netanya[11] and Haifa.[12]

## Military ranks

[edit]

Aspirant  | Second lieutenant  | Lieutenant  | Captain  | Battalion chief  | Lieutenant colonel

|
|
|
|
|

|  |  |  |  |
February 1918[8] | 3 September 1918[1] | 3 September 1920[2] | 25 June 1932[3] | 1 July 1940[8] | December 1940[8]
Colonel  | Brigade general  | Division general  | Corps general  | Army general  | Marshal of France
|  |  |  |  |
January 1941[8] | July 1941[8] | 1943[8] | 28 June 1944[8] | 20 May 1946[13] | 6 June 1984[14]
Posthumous

## Honours and decorations

[edit]

### National honours

[edit]

Ribbon bar | Honour[8]

|

| Grand Cross of the National Order of the Legion of Honour
| Companion of the National Order of Liberation

### Ministerial honours

[edit]

Ribbon bar | Honour[8]

|

| Commander of the Order of Agricultural Merit

### Decorations and medals

[edit]

Ribbon bar | Honour[8]

|

| Military medal
| War Cross 1914–1918 (2 citations)
| War Cross 1939–1945 (4 citations)
| War Cross for foreign operational theatres (3 citations)
| Resistance Medal with rosette
| Colonial Medal with clasps "Maroc", "Sahara", "Libye", "Bir-Hakeim", "Tunisie 43-43"
| Combatant's Cross
| Aeronautical Medal
| Escapees' Medal
| 1914–1918 Inter-Allied Victory medal
| 1914–1918 Commemorative war medal
| 1939–1945 Commemorative war medal
| Commemorative medal for voluntary service in Free France
| Medal of French Gratitude

### Foreign honours

[edit]

Ribbon bar | Honour[8] | Country

|
|

| Companion of the Order of the Bath | United Kingdom
| Distinguished Service Order | United Kingdom
| Commander of the Legion of Merit | United States
| Congressional Gold Medal | United States
| Order of Suvorov, 1st Class  | Soviet Union
| Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown with palm  | Belgium
| Grand Officer of the Order of Leopold | Belgium
| War Cross with Palm  | Belgium
| Grand Cross of the Order of Orange-Nassau | Netherlands
| War Cross | Luxembourg
| Grand Cross of the Order of the Oak Crown | Luxembourg
| Grand Cross of the Order of the Dannebrog | Denmark
| Grand Cross of the Order of St. Olav | Norway
| War Cross with Sword | Norway
| Commander's Cross of the Order of Virtuti Militari[15] | 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 Saint Charles | Monaco
| Grand Cross of the Knights of Malta | Malta
| Sherifian Order of Military Merit | Morocco
| Grand Cordon of the Order of Ouissam Alaouite | Morocco
| Grand Cordon of the Nichan Iftikar | Tunisia
| Grand Officer of the Order of the Star of Anjouan | Comoros
| Grand Cross of the Order of the White Elephant | Thailand

## See also

[edit]

* Susan Travers
* Works by Jean Fréour: Sculptor of Kœnig memorial

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b Government of the French Republic (12 September 1918). "Décret du 12 Septembre 1918 portant promotion dans l'armée active". gallica.bnf.fr. Retrieved 3 August 2019.
2. ^ a b Government of the French Republic (9 October 1920). "Décret du 5 Octobre 1920 portant promotion dans l'armée active". gallica.bnf.fr. Retrieved 3 August 2019.
3. ^ a b Government of the French Republic (18 June 1932). "Décret du 18 Juin 1932 portant promotion dans l'armée active". gallica.bnf.fr. Retrieved 3 August 2019.
4. ^ French National Assembly
5. ^ « Sachez et dites à vos troupes que toute la France vous regarde et que vous êtes son orgueil. »[citation needed]
6. ^ "FRANCE: Toward Twilight". Time. 7 May 1945. Archived from the original on 21 June 2009. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
7. ^ "Bonn Constitution - Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany. May 1949".
8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n National Order of Liberation. "Pierre KOENIG". ordredelaliberation.fr. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
9. ^ Jerry Klinger (President of the Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation). "General Marie-Pierre Koenig and the Jewish Brigade: The First Salute". The Jewish Magazine, October–November 2009
10. ^ "iTravelJerusalem – Hadar Mall". iTravelJerusalem. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
11. ^ "מפות Google". Retrieved 29 March 2016.
12. ^ "Pierre Koenig st. – Haifa". Retrieved 29 March 2016.
13. ^ Government of the French Republic (6 June 1946). "Décret du 6 Juin 1946 conférant le rang et les prérogatives de général d'armée". gallica.bnf.fr. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
14. ^ Government of the French Republic (6 June 1984). "Décret du 6 juin 1984 LA DIGNITE DE MARECHAL DE FRANCE EST CONFEREE A TITRE POSTHUME AU GENERAL D'ARMEE KOENIG MARIE,JOSEPH,PIERRE,FRANCOIS". legifrance.gouv.fr. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
15. ^ 16 July 1946 Monitor Polski 1947 no. 27 pos. 188

### Notes

[edit]

1. ^ Marshal of France is a dignity and not a rank
2. ^ French pronunciation: [maʁi pjɛʁ køniɡ]

## External links

[edit]

* Newsreel of when he was awarded the Legion of Merit by Eisenhower (3:01)
* Biography on the website of the Order of Liberation (French)
* Newspaper clippings about Marie-Pierre Kœnig in the 20th Century Press Archives of the ZBW
* Generals of World War II

* v
* t
* e

Marshals of France of the 20th century

3rd Republic|

* Joseph Joffre
* Ferdinand Foch
* Philippe Pétain
* Joseph Gallieni
* Hubert Lyautey
* Louis Franchet d'Espèrey
* Émile Fayolle
* Michel-Joseph Maunoury

4th Republic|

* Jean de Lattre de Tassigny
* Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque
* Alphonse Juin

5th Republic|

* Marie-Pierre Kœnig

* v
* t
* e

Military governors of Paris

Governors of Paris
under the Ancien Régime|

* Louis I d'Anjou: 1356–1357
* Jean ade Berry: 1411
* Waléran III de Luxembourg: 1411–1413
* Jean II de Luxembourg: 1418–1420
* Jean de La Baume: 1422–142.
* Jean de Villiers: 1429–14..
* Philippe de Ternant: 14..–14..
* Jacques de Villiers: 1461
* Charles d'Artois: 1465
* Charles de Melun: 1465–1467
* Charles I d'Amboise: 1467–1470
* Charles de Gaucourt: 14..–1472
* Antoine de Chabannes: 1472–147.
* Guillaume de Poitiers: 1478–14..
* Louis d'Orléans: 1483–1485
* Antoine de Chabannes: 1485–1488
* Gilbert de Montpensier: 14..–1494
* Charles II d'Amboise: 1493–1496
* Antoine de La Rochefoucauld: 15..–15..
* Paul de Thermes: 1559–1562
* Charles de Cossé: 1562–1563
* François de Montmorency: 15..–1572
* René de Villequier: 1580
* François d'O: 158.–1589
* Charles-Emmanuel de Savoie: 1589–1590
* Jean-Francois de Faudoas: 1590–1594
* Charles II de Cossé: 1594
* François d'O: 1594
* Charles du Plessis: 1616
* Hercule de Rohan: 1643–16..
* François de L'Hospital: 1648–1657
* Ambroise-François de Bournonville: 1657–1662
* Antoine d'Aumont: 1662–1669
* Gabriel de Rochechouart: 1669–1675
* Charles III de Créquy: 1676–1687
* Léon Potier: 1687–1704
* Duc de Tresmes: 1704–1739
* Bernard Potier: 1739–1757
* Charles Louis d'Albert: 1757–1771
* Jean de Cossé-Brissac: 1771–1780
* Louis de Cossé-Brissac: 1780–1791

General commanders
of the Armed Forces in Paris|

* Louis-Auguste-Augustin d'Affry: 1791–1792
* Jacques-François de Menou: 1792–1794
* Jean Thierry: 1794–1795
* Jacques-François de Menou: 1795
* Paul de Barras: 1795
* Napoléon Bonaparte: 1795–1796
* Jacques Maurice Hatry: 1796–1797
* Pierre Augereau: 1797
* Louis Lemoine: 1797
* Jean-François Moulin: 1797–1798
* Joseph Gilot: 1798–1799
* Barthélemy Catherine Joubert: 1799
* Jean-Antoine Marbot: 1799
* François Joseph Lefebvre: 1799–1800
* Édouard Mortier: 1800–1803
* Jean-Andoche Junot: 1803–1804

Military governors of Paris
after the French Revolution|

* Joachim Murat: 1804–1805
* Louis Bonaparte: 1805–1806
* Joachim Murat: 1806
* Jean-Andoche Junot: 1806–1807
* Pierre-Augustin Hulin: 1807–1814
* Louis de Rochechouart: 1814
* Louis Sébastien Grundler: 1814–1815
* Nicolas-Joseph Maison: 1815
* Pierre-Augustin Hulin: 1815
* André Masséna: July 1815
* Nicolas-Joseph Maison: 1815
* Hyacinthe Despinoy: 1815–1816
* Catherine-Dominique de Pérignon: 1816–1818
* Nicolas-Joseph Maison: 1819–1821
* Auguste de Marmont: 1821–1830
* Pierre-Claude Pajol: 1830–1842
* Tiburce Sébastiani: 1842–1848
* Nicolas Changarnier: 1848–1851
* Achille Baraguey d'Hilliers: 1851
* Bernard Pierre Magnan: 1851–1865
* François Certain de Canrobert: 1865–1870
* Achille Baraguey d'Hilliers: 1870
* Louis-Jules Trochu: 1870–1871
* Joseph Vinoy: 1871
* Paul de Ladmirault: 1871–1878
* Édouard Aymard: 1878–1880
* Justin Clinchant: 1880–1881
* Alphonse Lecointe: 1882–1884
* Félix-Gustave Saussier: 1884–1898
* Émile Zurlinden: 1898–1899
* Joseph Brugère: 1899–1900
* Georges-Auguste Florentin: 1900–1901
* Paul-Vincent Faure-Biguet: 1901–1903
* Jean Dessirier: 1903–1906
* Jean-Baptiste Dalstein: 1906–1910
* Michel-Joseph Maunoury: 1910–1912
* Victor-Constant Michel: 1912–1914
* Joseph Gallieni: 1914–1915
* Michel-Joseph Maunoury: 1915–1916
* Augustin Dubail: 1916–1918
* Adolphe Guillaumat: 1918
* Charles Emile Moinier: 1918–1919
* Pierre Berdoulat: 1919–1923
* Henri Gouraud: 1923–1937
* Gaston Billotte: 1937–1939
* Pierre Héring: 1939–1940
* Henri Dentz: 1940

Military governors of Paris
under the German occupation|

* Otto von Stülpnagel
* Carl-Heinrich von Stülpnagel
* Dietrich von Choltitz

Military governors of Paris
since 1944|

* Philippe Leclerc: 1944
* Marie-Pierre Kœnig: 1944–1945
* Paul Legentilhomme: 1945–1947
* René Chouteau: 1947–1953
* Henri Zeller: 1953–1957
* Louis-Constant Morlière: 1957–1958
* Pierre Garbay: 1958–1959
* Raoul Salan: 1959–1960
* Maurice Gazin: 1960
* André Demetz: 1960–1962
* Louis Dodelier: 1962–1965
* Philippe de Camas: 1965–1968
* André Meltz: 1968–1971
* Bernard Usureau: 1971–1974
* Philippe Clave: 1974–1975
* Jean Favreau: 1975–1977
* Jacques de Barry: 1977–1980
* Jeannou Lacaze: 1980–1981
* Roger Périer: 1981–1982
* Alban Barthez: 1982–1984
* Michel Fennebresque: 1984–1987
* Hervé Navereau: 1987–1991
* Daniel Valéry: 1991–1992
* Michel Guignon: 1992–1996
* Michel Billot: 1996–2000
* Pierre Costedoat: 2000–2002
* Marcel Valentin: 2002–2005
* Xavier de Zuchowicz: 2005–2007
* Bruno Dary: 2007–2012
* Hervé Charpentier: 2012–2015
* Bruno Le Ray: 2015–2020
* Christophe Abad: 2020–2024
* Loïc Mizon: 2024

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