Raymond Delange Explained

Raymond Delange
Birth Date:21 January 1898
Birth Place:Jouars-Pontchartrain, Yvelines, France
Death Place:Paris, France
Rank:General
Allegiance:
Branch:Army
Serviceyears:1917–1958
Awards:Legion of Honour
Order of the Liberation
Croix de Guerre
Cross for Military Valour
Colonial Medal
Resistance Medal
Distinguished Service Cross

Raymond Delange (21 January 189814 May 1976) was a French Army general. He was a veteran of World War I, World War II and the Algerian War. He was made a Companion of the Liberation for his World War II service.

Early life

Raymond Delange was born on 21 January 1898. His father was an investor while his mother was a midwife.

Career

Delange joined the French Army during World War I in April 1917.[1] He joined the Troupes coloniales and served in Tonkin, French Indochina, Tunisia and Morocco.[1] From 1935 to 1940, he served in Sudan, Mauritania, Senegal and Chad.[1] In 1940, during World War II, he joined the Free French Forces in the French Equatorial Africa.[1] In 1943, he served as "the governor and military leader" of the Fezzan, the southwestern part of Libya.[2] He later fought in France.[1] He subsequently served in Tunisia and French Indochina.[1] He was a general in French Algeria from 1955 to 1958, during the Algerian War.[1] He retired in 1958.[1]

Delande received the Grand Croix of the Legion of Honour, the Cross for Military Valour, the Croix de Guerre, the Resistance Medal and the Colonial Medal.[1] Additionally, he was made a Companion of the Liberation for his World War II service.[1] He also received the Distinguished Service Cross from the United States Army.[3]

Death

Delange died on 14 May 1976.[1] He was buried at the Montparnasse Cemetery.[1]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: RAYMOND DELANGE. Order of Liberation. 11 February 2017.
  2. Book: Jennings. Eric T.. French Africa in World War II: The African Resistance. 2015. Cambridge University Press. New York. 9781107048485. 905419549. 133.
  3. Web site: Raymond Delange. Military Times. 11 February 2017.