{{Short description|French general}} {{more citations needed|date=September 2015}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2025}} {{Infobox military person |name=Pierre Garbay |image= |caption= |birth_date=4 October 1903 |death_date= {{Death date and age|df=yes|1980|7|17|1903|10|4}} |birth_place=[[Gray, Haute-Saône|Gray]],<ref name=LM10031961/> [[France]] |death_place=[[Montluçon]], [[France]] |nickname= |allegiance=[[France]] |branch=[[French Army]] |service_years=1924–1961 |rank=[[Army General (France)|Général d'Armée]] |commands= |battles=[[World War II]] |awards=[[Légion d'honneur|Grand Cross of the Légion d'honneur]]<br>[[Ordre de la Libération|Companion of the Liberation]]<br>[[Médaille militaire]]<br>[[Croix de guerre 1939-1945 (France)|Croix de Guerre 1939-1945]] |other_work= }} '''Pierre Garbay''' (4 October 1903 – 17 July 1980) was a [[French Army]] General.<ref>{{cite web |title=Les généraux de la DFL - Le général Garbay |url=http://www.1dfl.fr/les-g%C3%A9n%C3%A9raux-de-la-dfl/g%C3%A9n%C3%A9ral-garbay/ |website=www.1dfl.fr |access-date=22 October 2014 |archive-date=22 August 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150822142154/http://www.1dfl.fr/les-g%C3%A9n%C3%A9raux-de-la-dfl/g%C3%A9n%C3%A9ral-garbay/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Biography== Of modest origins, after completing high school, Garbay was admitted to [[École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr|Saint-Cyr military academy]] in 1921<ref name=LM1980/> and graduated as a sub-lieutenant in 1924. He then followed a distinguished military career which led from [[Morocco]] (1925-1927) to China.

He was captain when occurred the [[Second Armistice at Compiègne|Armistice in 1940]].<ref name=LM10031961>{{cite journal |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/archives/article/1961/03/10/le-general-garbay-est-admis-a-faire-valoir-ses-droits-a-la-retraite_2286472_1819218.html |title=Le Général Garbay est admis à faire valoir ses droits à la retraite |journal=Le Monde |date=10 March 1961 |access-date=10 August 2021}}</ref> He refused to accept it and as commander of the 3rd bataillon de marche of French Equatorial Africa<ref name=LM10031961/> played an active role in August 1940 in rallying [[Chad]] to ''France libre''. Involved in the [[Free French Forces]], he followed Leclerc up to 1944.<ref name=LM10031961/> He fought in Africa and Italy, and then participated to the landing in Provence.<ref name=LM1980/> He was promoted général de brigade in 1944<ref name=LM1980/> and after the accidental death of general [[Diego Brosset]] on 20 November 1944, he succeeded him in the command of the [[1st Free French Division]]. In April 1945, on the orders of General [[Charles de Gaulle]], General Garbay took the [[1st Free French Division]] to the [[Alpes-Maritimes]], where, after 3 days of fierce fighting, they cleared the fortified {{ill|Authion Massif|fr|Massif de l'Authion}}, the key to the enemy's defensive system in the Southern Alps.

After the end of the war, Garbay's military career continued in [[Madagascar]]<ref name=LM10031961/> in June 1947<ref name=LM1980/> and then in [[Indochina]].

He commanded the French troops in [[Tunisia]]<ref name=LM10031961/> and reacted to the terrorists attacks by the massacre of Cap Bon in 1952 (200 dead).<ref>{{cite book |editor=Paris Match |title=Mémorial de notre temps |volume=II -1952-1953-1954|date=1971 |publisher=éditions Pierre Charron |location=Chenôve |pages=258–259 |chapter=Tunisie: La montée de Bourguiba}}</ref>

Then he commanded all the French troops from French Occidental Africa<ref name=LM10031961/> and [[Senegal]], and he achieved the rank of [[lieutenant general]]. In 1955 he became Assistant [[Chief of Staff of the French Army]] and, in 1958, he was promoted to the rank of [[Army General (France)|Army General]] and was appointed military governor of [[Paris]].<ref name=LM1980>{{cite journal |url=https://archive.org/details/LeMondeDiplomatique1980FranceFrench/Jul%2022%201980%2C%20Le%20Monde%20Diplomatique%2C%20%2311033%2C%20France%20%28fr%29/page/n7/mode/2up?q=g%C3%A9n%C3%A9ral+garbay |title=Mort du général d'armée Garbay ancien gouverneur militaire de Paris |journal=Le Monde |date=22 July 1980 |access-date=18 August 2021}}</ref> In 1959, he was appointed as Inspector of Overseas Forces.

On 1 April 1961, at his request, he relinquished control of the active army and he was placed in reserve.<ref name=LM10031961/> Pierre Garbay died on 17 July 1980 in [[Montluçon]] ([[Allier]])<ref name=LM1980/> and he was buried in [[Velesmes-Échevanne]] in [[Haute-Saône]].

==Decorations== * [[Légion d'honneur|Grand Cross of the Légion d'honneur]] * [[Ordre de la Libération|Companion of the Liberation]] (25 June 1941) * [[Croix de guerre 1939-1945 (France)|Croix de guerre 1939-1945]] (7 citations) * [[Croix de guerre des Théatres d'Opérations Exterieures]] (2 citations) * [[Croix du combattant]] * [[Croix du combattant volontaire 1939–1945]] * [[Médaille de la Résistance]] with rosette. * [[Médaille coloniale]] with "Maroc 1925", "AFL", "Erythrée", "Libye" and "Tunisie" bars * Médaille commémorative des services volontaires dans la France libre * [[Distinguished Service Cross (United States)|Distinguished Service Cross(US)]]<ref>{{cite journal |title=Pierre Garbay |url=https://valor.militarytimes.com/hero/22881 |journal=Military Times}}</ref> * [[Distinguished Service Order]] (UK) * [[Order of the British Empire|Commander of the Order of the British Empire]] (UK)

==References== {{reflist}}

{{Military governors of Paris|state=collapsed}} {{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Garbay, Pierre}} [[Category:1903 births]] [[Category:1980 deaths]] [[Category:École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr alumni]] [[Category:French generals]] [[Category:Military governors of Paris]] [[Category:Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour]] [[Category:Companions of the Liberation]] [[Category:Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 (France)]] [[Category:Recipients of the Croix de guerre des théâtres d'opérations extérieures]] [[Category:Recipients of the Resistance Medal]] [[Category:Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United States)]] [[Category:Companions of the Distinguished Service Order]] [[Category:Honorary commanders of the Order of the British Empire]] [[Category:French Army personnel of World War II]]