Matteus wrote:Hello all,
found a pic of "General Durand" and would like to know who he is?
http://generals.dk/general/Durand/Mauri ... rance.html
or
http://generals.dk/general/Durand/Pierr ... rance.html
pic attached
source: http://www.audiovis.nac.gov.pl/haslo/436:32/
kind regards,
Matteus
I don't have pictures of both generals but for me your general Durand is probably more the Colonel commanding the 2e DLCh and Brigadier of the 40e DI than the second Pierre who was in the 68e DI destroyed in the pocket of Dunkerque 4 june 1940
first, this man has a beret, curious for a general...but less for a former officer chief the 2e DLCh : basically a Chasseurs Alpins & à pied Light Division for Scandinavia (who only saw Scotland), and as he was just colonel commanding this division, this could explain too why he seems to still wear an alpine regimental insignia although he had a whole division (I think it is perhaps the 3e RIA, an alpine regiment not belonging to this division, probably the last command he had, I don't know where he served before the 2e DLCh)
Colonel Durand was appointed Brigadier General of the newly-created and short-lived 40th Infantry Division in june 1940 formed by the 2e DLCh and others elements of the 1ére DLCh, destroyed and mainly captured in the pocket of Saint-Valéry-en-Caux in Upper Normandy (himself prisoner of war 12 june 1940)
the picture dated 19 june 1940 was probably taken there or in the area I assume
in this thread he was named André, not Maurice
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic. ... 2&t=169290
and in an other Albert Hippolyte Charles (1867-1955)
Regards
Loïc