Raymond Delange (21 January 1898 – 14 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.

Raymond Delange
Born(1898-01-21)21 January 1898
Jouars-Pontchartrain, Yvelines, France
Died14 May 1976(1976-05-14) (aged 78)
Paris, France
Allegiance France
 Free France
Service / branchArmy
Years of service1917–1958
RankGeneral
AwardsLegion of Honour
Order of the Liberation
Croix de Guerre
Cross for Military Valour
Colonial Medal
Resistance Medal
Distinguished Service Cross

Early life

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Raymond Delange was born on 21 January 1898.[1] His father was an investor while his mother was a midwife.[1]

Career

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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

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

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "RAYMOND DELANGE". Order of Liberation. Retrieved 11 February 2017.
  2. ^ Jennings, Eric T. (2015). French Africa in World War II: The African Resistance. New York: Cambridge University Press. p. 133. ISBN 9781107048485. OCLC 905419549.
  3. ^ "Raymond Delange". Military Times. Retrieved 11 February 2017.