He was one of the commanders in the Battle of Dien Bien Phu and assisted in negotiating the Évian Accords, granting Algerian independence.
In 1943, he escaped from Vichy France via Spain and joined the Free French Forces fr:5e régiment de chasseurs d'Afrique in Algiers.
He was appointed commander of the regiment's 2nd Tank Squadron and led the unit from the landing in Provence to the fighting on the German border.
[2] At the beginning of 1954, he served as chief of staff to Colonel Pierre Langlais, commander of Groupement Aéroporté 2 (GAP 2), (Airborne Group 2).
[4] On 23 April he became chief of staff to Colonel Christian de Castries, the nominal commander at Dien Bien Phu.
[1] After recovering from captivity he was assigned to the NATO college and then to the office of the secretary of state for Tunisian and Moroccan Affairs, before attending the École supérieure de guerre from 1955 to 1958.
[2] His awards and decorations include: Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour, Croix de Guerre 1939–1945, Cross for Military Valour and Silver Star.