George Albert Bazaine-Hayter

George Albert Bazaine-Hayter (4 December 1843 – 30 January 1914), known as Albert, was a French general.

Early life

Bazaine-Hayter was the son of Pierre-Dominique (Adolphe) Bazaine and nephew of François Achille Bazaine, on whose General Staff he served in the French intervention in Mexico and during the Franco-Prussian War.

Military service

Bazaine-Hayter engaged as a volunteer on 19 July 1862 in the 34th infantry regiment. When war was declared in 1870, he was appointed orderly officer of the Marshal commanding the 3rd corps of the Army of the Rhine. He attended all the battles fought under Metz.

He was taken prisoner on 29 October 1870, but eventually returned to France on 15 March 1871. After a short period of redundancy on 23 July 1871, he started back into military service on 11 November 1871. -

Assignment Posting Location 19 July 1862 34th infantry regiment 18 August 1862 95th infantry regiment Toulon, to go to Mexico 1 April 1863 3rd regiment of Zouaves 4 May 1867 18th battalion of foot hunters Vincennes (Paris), France 11 November 1871 9th battalion chasseurs à pied 13 July 1872 17th battalion chasseurs à pied March 1891 102nd infantry regiment Mayenne 23 October 5th Infantry regiment 7 October 1899 1st infantry brigade Tunis, Tunisia 16 May 1901 57th Infantry Brigade Nice, France 29 January 1904 10th infantry division Paris, France 24 June 1906 13th Army Corps Clermont-Ferrand, France 11 March 1907 4th Army Corps Le Mans, France 4 December 1908 Reserve Section N/A

He was also an early critic of the lack of effective French military preparation to counter the increasing threat posed to France by the German Empire. He was one of the early pioneers of military aviation and a keen supporter of the Wright brothers when they visited Camp d'Auvours, Le Mans in 1908.

Placed in the reserve section on 4 December 1908, at the end of a successful career.

Works

He co-wrote a number of works on infantry tactics and the use of attacking tactics in infantry doctrine:-

Author Title Translation Date George Albert Bazaine-Hayter La Nation Armée: Leçons Professées a L'École des Hautes Études Sociales The Nation Armed: Lessons Professed at the School of Higher Social Studies 1909 Adrien Balédent (Preface: George Albert Bazaine-Hayter) L'Infanterie à la Guerre Infantry in War 1911

Quotes "Firepower does not weaken the offensive. Never forget that defensive battle will seldom bring victory. However powerful weapons become, the victory will go to the offensive which stimulates moral forces, disconcerts the enemy and deprives him of his freedom of action"

Death

Bazaine-Hayter died on 30 January 1914 in Morcote (Switzerland).