[3] Lartéguy was born into what he called "one of those families of poor mountain peasants whose names are found inscribed on war memorials, but not in history books" in Maisons-Alfort, Val-de-Marne.

In pursuit of a story at the start of the Korean War, Lartéguy volunteered for the French Battalion and was wounded by an enemy hand grenade during the Battle of Heartbreak Ridge.

Published in 1963 it portrays vividly the chaos of civil war in the Congo after the murder of Patrice Lumumba and the conflict between Moise Tshombe's secessionist government and the United Nations Forces.

Both have been interpreted as romans à clef glamorizing Vietnam veterans deeply engaged in Algerian politics, such as Marcel Bigeard and Jacques Massu.

Also, with his novel The Centurions, Lartéguy is credited with being the first to envision the 'ticking time bomb' scenario, which has regained relevance in recent debates on the use of torture in a counter-terrorism role.