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Puaud, Edgar Joseph Alexandre

    Date of birth:
    October 29th, 1889 (Orléans/Centre, France)
    Date of death:
    March 5th, 1945 (Köslin/Pommern, Germany)
    Nationality:
    French (1870-present, Republic)

    Biography

    Edgard Puaud entered the military school for infantry of Saint Maixent and qualified for non-comissioned officer. In 1914 he joined "bataillon de chasseurs alpins", mountain infantry, with the rank of Lieutenant, but fought during the First World War with a light infantry regiment. In 1918 he was promoted to Capitain and was awarded the Croix de Guerre 1914-1918 with palms (for 7 citations) of which one was silver (Army level citation). In 1920 he left the army to become a trader. Not happy with his life, he devorced, left his job and entered the Foreign Legion. He was as Capitain stationed in Morocco and Syria and was appointed Major in Indochina. For several overseas actions he earned the Croix de Guerre des Théâtres d'Opérations Extérieures (TOE)".

    After the French/German Armistace in 1940 he entered the Vichy "Armistice Army" and commanded a camp formed with foreign volonteers in Septfond. After this he commanded the III.Bataillon, 23 Régiment d’Infanterie at Montouban. In 1941 he was promoted to Lieutenant-colonel and was transferrd to the 150 Regiment d’Infanterie at Agen. In July 1942 he volunteered to the "Légion Tricolore" and took command of the "dépôt" in Guéret. In December 1942 he was promoted to Colonel and became general inspectorpecteur of the Légion des Volontaires Français contre le bolchevisme (LVF-French Volunteer Forces against Bolsjevisme). In August 1943 he became the overal commander of this force and left for Belarus. Here he was promoted to Oberst in the Wehrmacht. In 1944 the Vichy government promoted him to "général de brigade". In April he returned to France as recruitment officer. When in 1944 the "LVF" was incorporated with the SS-Division "Charlemagne" to a new Brigade, Puaud was transferred to the Waffen-SS with the rank of Waffen-Oberführer. His Franch rank was not legalized by the German authorities. The Brigade was changed to a division on 10th February 1945. Puaud was its operational commander, but had to operate under supervision of the SS-Brigadeführer Gustav Krukenberg.
    Severely wounded during the Battle of Belgard, he stayed with a few loyal men and send his unit away under the command of Krukenberg. Nothing has been heard of him since then. Officially he has been reported missing in action on 5th March 1945.

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    Period:
    First World War (1914-1918)
    With 1 palm and 6 stars.
    Croix de Guerre (1914-1918)
    Period:
    First World War (1914-1918)
    With 4 stars (4 times WIA).
    Insigne des Blessés Militaires
    With Morocco 1926 + Syria + Indochina clasps.
    Médaille Coloniale
    Awarded on:
    1926
    With 1 palm and 2 stars.
    Chevalier de l' Ordre National de la Legion d'Honneur
    Period:
    Second World War (1939-1945)
    Awarded on:
    January 1944
    Kriegsverdienstkreuz 2.Klasse mit Schwertern
    Period:
    Second World War (1939-1945)
    Awarded on:
    February 20th, 1944
    Received on 20 February 1944 for the success during the anti-partisan operation «Morocoo » in Bielorussia.
    Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse
    Period:
    Second World War (1939-1945)
    Rank:
    Général de brigade (Brigadier)
    Awarded on:
    April 4th, 1944

    Awarded by the Vichy Government.
    Commandeur de l' Ordre National de la Legion d'Honneur
    Period:
    Second World War (1939-1945)
    Awarded on:
    June 1944
    Received at the end of June 1944 for the hard fightings led by the LVF in the vicinity of Bobr.
    Eisernes Kreuz 1. Klasse

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