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French Freedom PapersMain MenuLettersSummaries of the translated letters of the French Freedom Papers collectionRelevant FiguresProvides context about the people sending, receiving, and mentioned in these lettersRelevant Events & PlacesProvides context about the historical events and places being discussed in the lettersReferencesSources used to give context to the historical events and figures found in the letters.External ResourcesLinks to external sites about Charles de Gaulle, World War II, Free French, and this collectionTranslation MethodsKSU French 7208b42ed21d3c5345086d6fd65589ad65f6b323f0c
Jacques-Philippe Leclerc
12016-12-03T13:03:01-08:00Leah Devers42408f2f7751c1c649b624bacebb2a415aa0bbd9986310plain2016-12-07T09:08:47-08:00Leah Devers42408f2f7751c1c649b624bacebb2a415aa0bbd9General Jacques-Phillippe Leclerc (1902-1947), a French general during WWII commonly known for his contribution to the Liberation of Paris. Leclerc, as one of the Frenchmen who heard General de Gaulle’s call, joined the French army. Upon a promotion to Colonel, Leclerc quickly worked for French victories in the French Equatorial Africa, including the capture of Kufra, which had been a symbol of Italian power in Africa since 1911.
Most notably in Africa, after another promotion to Brigadier General, Leclerc famously marched his troops from “Chad to Tripoli, Libya to join forces with the British 8th Army (Encyclopedia Britannica)”. During the trek, his command captured a sizable number of Italian command posts. His involvement in the region of Fezzan and North Africa earned him another promotion of Brigade General in 1943.
His involvement with the American army generals as “Commander of Free French 2nd Armoured Divison (Encryclopedia Britannica)” during D-Day lead to his famous involvement with the Liberation of Paris. After freeing Strausbourg and leading his army into Germany, he was again promoted.
In 1946, General Leclerc resigned his position after a controversial visit to Indochina. Soon after, he was named the “Inspector General of French Forces in North Africa. (Encyclopedia Britannica)” In 1947, he was killed in a plane crash.
Bimberg, Edward L. “Combat--Mourzouk and Kouffra.” Tricolor over the Sahara: the Desert Battles of the Free French, 1940-1942, Greenwood Press, Westport, CT, 2002, pp. 32–38.
“General Leclerc a Tripoli.” Fondation-Lecerc.com. Fondation-Leclerc.com. Web. 2016.
