Koenig file photo [4276]

Pierre KÅ“nig

SurnameKÅ“nig
Given NamePierre
Born10 Oct 1898
Died2 Sep 1970
CountryFrance
CategoryMilitary-Ground
GenderMale

Contributor:

ww2dbaseMarie-Pierre-Joseph-François Kœnig (sometimes Anglicized as "Koenig") was born in Caen, France. He studied at the Collège Sainte Maire. He fought as a junior officer in the infantry in the French Army during WW1 and served with distinction. After WW1, he served with French forces in Morocco. His WW2 tenure began with the fall of France, in which he escaped to Britain via Dunkirk. In London, he joined Charles de Gaulle's Free French organization and was promoted to the rank of colonel and was later assigned to be the chief of staff in the first divisions of Free French forces. In Jun to Jul 1941, he served with the two Free French brigades in the Syria-Lebanon Campaign. In May 1943, he was promoted to the rank of major general and took command of the Free French 1st Brigade in Egypt, participating in the Battle of Bir Hakeim on 19 Jun 1942. Later, Kœnig served as Free French delegate to Dwight D. Eisenhower's Supreme Allied Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Forces. In early 1944, he led Free French forces during the Norway invasion, and in Jun 1944 given the title of the commander-in-chief of all Free French forces, including de Gaulle-aligned French Resistance cells collectively called the French Forces of the Interior. On 21 Aug 1944, he was named the military governor of Paris by de Gaulle with a promotion to the rank of lieutenant general. After WW2, Kœnig was promoted to the rank of full general and sent to Germany as the head of the French occupation forces until 1949 when he was sent to North Africa as the inspector general. In 1950, he was named the vice president of the Supreme War Council. In 1951, he retired from the military and became a Gaullist representative to French National Assembly and served as a minister of defense under Pierre Mendès-France and Edgar Faure between 1954 and 1955. He died in Neuilly-sur-Seine commune in Paris in 1970 and buried at Montmartre in Paris. On 6 Jun 1984, President François Mitterrand posthumously declared Kœnig a Marshal of France.

ww2dbaseSource: Wikipedia.

Last Major Revision: Jul 2007

Photographs

US General Dwight Eisenhower, French General Pierre KÅ“nig, and US Lieutenant General Omar Bradley at the Arc de Triomphe, Paris, France, 27 Aug 1944Omar Bradley, Dwight Eisenhower, Pierre KÅ“nig, and Arthur Tedder in Paris, France, 1944

Pierre KÅ“nig Timeline

10 Oct 1898 Pierre KÅ“nig was born.
25 Jun 1944 General KÅ“nig was made the head of Free French Forces.
2 Sep 1970 Pierre KÅ“nig passed away.




Did you enjoy this article or find this article helpful? If so, please consider supporting us on Patreon. Even $1 per month will go a long way! Thank you.

Share this article with your friends:

 Facebook
 Reddit
 Twitter

Stay updated with WW2DB:

 RSS Feeds




Visitor Submitted Comments

1. Commenter identity confirmed Alan Chanter says:
30 Nov 2014 06:04:24 AM

Ironically, in the run up to Overlord and D-Day, Churchill and Roosevelt were loathe to discuss their plans with the Head of the French Forces of the Interior (FFI) as information relayed to Koenig in Algiers would end up in Paris and because the resistance was heavily infiltrated by the Germans would inevitably reach Hitler. Nonetheless, when the time came, de Gaulle would be able to absorb the resistance into his military command structure thereby strengthening his political ascendancy in post-war France.

All visitor submitted comments are opinions of those making the submissions and do not reflect views of WW2DB.

Posting Your Comments on this Topic

Your Name
Your Email
 Your email will not be published
Comment Type
Your Comments
 

Notes:

1. We hope that visitor conversations at WW2DB will be constructive and thought-provoking. Please refrain from using strong language. HTML tags are not allowed. Your IP address will be tracked even if you remain anonymous. WW2DB site administrators reserve the right to moderate, censor, and/or remove any comment. All comment submissions will become the property of WW2DB.

2. For inquiries about military records for members of the World War II armed forces, please see our FAQ.

Search WW2DB
More on Pierre KÅ“nig
Event(s) Participated:
» Invasion of France and the Low Countries
» Battle of Gabon
» Campaigns in the Middle East
» Battle of Gazala
» Liberation of Paris

Pierre KÅ“nig Photo Gallery
US General Dwight Eisenhower, French General Pierre KÅ“nig, and US Lieutenant General Omar Bradley at the Arc de Triomphe, Paris, France, 27 Aug 1944
See all 2 photographs of Pierre KÅ“nig


Famous WW2 Quote
"No bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. You win the war by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country!"

George Patton, 31 May 1944


Support Us

Please consider supporting us on Patreon. Even $1 a month will go a long way. Thank you!

Or, please support us by purchasing some WW2DB merchandise at TeeSpring, Thank you!