René Olry

René-Henri Olry (28 June 1880 – 3 January 1944) was a French general and commander of the Army of the Alps during the Battle of France of World War II.

Biography Early life Olry was born on 28 June 1880 in Lille in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France. The son of Albert Olry, himself a polytechnicien, Olry was admitted to the École Polytechnique in 1900. Upon graduating, he joined the 21st Artillery Regiment and was appointed the rank of lieutenant on 10 October 1904. He later became commander of the 15th Army Corps in the southern Alps.

On 5 December 1939 Olry assumed command of the Army of the Alps. When Italy invaded France in June 1940, he commanded 190,000 men on the Alpine Line. Faced with an Italian force of 450,000, Olry's troops successfully stopped the Italian advance and then proved a tough opponent for the German troops which joined the battle. The performance of the French army in this theatre was far more successful than on the rest of the front and preserved some areas of France from occupation.

Final years and death During the interim period following the French surrender Olry served as an inspector general. He was then appointed to command the 1st Divisional Group of the French Armistice Army: comprising four divisions in the non-occupied south. In June 1942 he reached retirement age and took up residence on his family estate in the Charente region of Mansle. Olry died on 3 January 1944 in Angoulême.

Decorations Olry was awarded the Légion d'honneur, the highest military decoration in France, at Officier rank (see Légion d'honneur#Classes and insignia) in 1920 and became a Commandeur of the Légion d'honneur in 1936.