Marcel "Bruno" Bigeard (14 February 1916 – 18 June 2010) was a French military officer who fought in World War II, Indochina and Algeria. He was one of the commanders in the Battle of Dien Bien Phu and is thought by many to have been a dominating influence on French 'unconventional' warfare thinking from that time onwards. He was one of the most decorated soldiers in France, and is particularly noteworthy because he rose from enlisted as Second Class, the lowest possible rank, in 1936 and ultimately finished his career in 1976 with the rank of Lieutenant General (Général de corps d'armée). He was particularly controversial for his defense of the use of torture in counter-insurgency operations in the Algerian War.
He was awarded the Grand Croix De La Legionne D'Honneur from France and the Medal of the Resistance and the DSO (Distinguished Service Order) from the United Kingdom.
2
He retired in 1974 as a four star general before being appointed deputy defense minister under President Valery Giscard D'Estaing and later a legislator in France's lower house of Parliament.
3
He started his career as a bank clerk before joining the French Army in 1939. He was captured by the Germans in June 1940 but escaped a year later to join the colonial infantry in Senegal. In 1944, he parachuted into France to lead an underground Resistance group.
4
He was wounded in battle five times and escaped from a prisoner of war camp three times.
5
He led the French Resistance in World War II and fought in wars in Algeria and Indochina.
6
He is survived by his wife, Gabrielle Grandemange, and daughter Marie-France.
7
French army general known for his military guidance in France's colonial wars in Indochina and Algeria.
Self
Title
Year
Status
Character
Escadrons de la mort: L'école française
2003
TV Movie documentary
Himself
Vincent à l'heure
1994-1995
TV Series
Himself
Apostrophes
1975
TV Series
Himself
Known for movies
Escadrons de la mort: L'école française (2003) as Himself