Emile-René Lemonnier
Encyclopedia
Emile-René Lemonnier 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 at the beginning of the Second French Indochina Campaign
.
. He graduated from the College Chateau-Gontier in 1910 and entered the École Polytechnique
in 1912.
. In 1920 he 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.
area received an invitation from the Japanese forces to a banquet of the headquarters of the division of the Imperial Japanese Army
. General Lemonnier declined to attend the event, however he allowed some of his staff to attend the banquet. General Lemonnier found that the officers he allowed to attend the banquet had been taken prisoner by Japanese officers, as he was taken prisoner and ordered by a Japanese general to sign a document formally surrendering the forces under his command. Lemonnier refused to sign the documents causing the Japanese to take him outside of Lang Son
where they forced him to dig graves along with Camille Auphelle. General Lemonnier was ordered to sign the surrender documents again and again he refused causing the Japanese officers to behead General Lemonnier.
French Army
The French Army, officially the Armée de Terre , is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces.As of 2010, the army employs 123,100 regulars, 18,350 part-time reservists and 7,700 Legionnaires. All soldiers are professionals, following the suspension of conscription, voted in...
general who served during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Stationed in French Indochina
French Indochina
French Indochina was part of the French colonial empire in southeast Asia. A federation of the three Vietnamese regions, Tonkin , Annam , and Cochinchina , as well as Cambodia, was formed in 1887....
in 1945, he was beheaded by the Japanese at the beginning of the Second French Indochina Campaign
Second French Indochina Campaign
The Second French Indochina Campaign, also known as the Japanese coup of March 1945, was a Japanese military operation in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, then a French colony and known as French Indochina, during the final months of the Second World War. Vietnam was not a real colony at this time. The...
.
Early life
Emile-René Lemonnier was born to Emile Jean Lemonnier, a saddler by trade, and Marie Ernestine Fournier on November 11, 1893 in Chateau-Gontier in the MayenneMayenne
Mayenne is a department in northwest France named after the Mayenne River.-History:Mayenne is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. The northern two thirds correspond to the western part of the former province of Maine...
. He graduated from the College Chateau-Gontier in 1910 and entered the École Polytechnique
École Polytechnique
The École Polytechnique is a state-run institution of higher education and research in Palaiseau, Essonne, France, near Paris. Polytechnique is renowned for its four year undergraduate/graduate Master's program...
in 1912.
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 ForcesFrench Colonial Forces
The French Colonial Forces , commonly called La Coloniale, was a general designation for the military forces that garrisoned in the French colonial empire from the late 17th century until 1960. They were recruited from mainland France or from the French settler and indigenous populations of the...
. In 1920 he was made a Knight of the Legion of Honour. From 1925 - 1936 he served in French West Africa
French West Africa
French West Africa was a federation of eight French colonial territories in Africa: Mauritania, Senegal, French Sudan , French Guinea , Côte d'Ivoire , Upper Volta , Dahomey and Niger...
. He left France for the last time in 1937.
World War II and death
On March 9, 1945, General Lemonnier while commander of the Lang SonLang Son
Lạng Sơn , sometimes Langson, is a city in far northern Vietnam, is the capital of Lang Son province. It is accessible by road and rail from Hanoi, the Vietnamese capital, and it is the northernmost point on National Road 1A.-History:...
area received an invitation from the Japanese forces to a banquet of the headquarters of the division of the Imperial Japanese Army
Imperial Japanese Army
-Foundation:During the Meiji Restoration, the military forces loyal to the Emperor were samurai drawn primarily from the loyalist feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū...
. General Lemonnier declined to attend the event, however he allowed some of his staff to attend the banquet. General Lemonnier found that the officers he allowed to attend the banquet had been taken prisoner by Japanese officers, as he was taken prisoner and ordered by a Japanese general to sign a document formally surrendering the forces under his command. Lemonnier refused to sign the documents causing the Japanese to take him outside of Lang Son
Lang Son
Lạng Sơn , sometimes Langson, is a city in far northern Vietnam, is the capital of Lang Son province. It is accessible by road and rail from Hanoi, the Vietnamese capital, and it is the northernmost point on National Road 1A.-History:...
where they forced him to dig graves along with Camille Auphelle. General Lemonnier was ordered to sign the surrender documents again and again he refused causing the Japanese officers to behead General Lemonnier.
Legacy
- Lemonnier was re-interred in France on March 3, 1950, at Château-GontierChâteau-GontierChâteau-Gontier is a commune in the Mayenne department in north-western France.It is about south of Laval, the préfecture of the department of Mayenne. Château-Gontier is home to the Refuge de l'Arche, a refuge for abandoned or mistreated animals.-People:...
. - Camp Lemonnier, adjacent to Djibouti-Ambouli International AirportDjibouti-Ambouli International AirportDjibouti-Ambouli International Airport is a joint civilian/military-use airport situated in Djibouti City, Djibouti. In 2004, the airport served 182,641 passengers.-Military:...
(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 Général-Lemonnier in his honor.