Roger Faulques

Early career Faulques was a maquis resistance fighter in 1944 and took part in the last battles of World War II in the French First Army. As a Corporal, he received the Croix de Guerre at the age of 20. Noted for his fighting spirit and sense of command, he was admitted to the Military School of Saint-Cyr, which had changed its terms of recruitment to overcome the lack of officers in the French army at the end of World War II. In 1946 he was promoted to 2nd Lieutenant and was assigned, at his own request, to the Foreign Legion, within the 3rd Régiment Etranger d'Infanterie (3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment). for exceptional services and was again repatriated to France. His injuries required him to spend several years in the Val-de-Grâce military hospital.

Algerian War

Ending the war in Indochina with six wounds and eight citations, Faulques then served in French Algeria as an intelligence officer of the 1er REP during the Battle of Algiers. Especially notable among the French mercenaries were professional career soldiers who had fought in the Algerian War, which of course included Faulques.

In December 1961, UN troops launched Operation Unokat in order to regain control of the situation, against which the defence strategy was designed by Faulques. In 1963 UN troops defeated the Katangese forces and the crisis ended.

Other mercenary work Faulques continued his mercenary career, alongside his friend Bob Denard, first being deployed in North Yemen from August 1963 to the end of 1964, in support of MI6 (British intelligence), According to David Smiley in Arabian Assignment (page 156), the French and Belgian mercenaries alternated in the early 1960s between the Yemeni and Congo theatres since in the Congo they had women and alcohol at will but were rarely paid, while in Yemen they were paid but were deprived of women and alcohol.

In popular culture Faulques served as a model for certain characters in the novels of Jean Lartéguy, Les Centurions, Les Prétoriens (The Praetorians) and Les Chimères Noires (The Hounds of Hell) and in Declan Power's 2005 book “The Siege of Jadotville”.

Faulques is portrayed by the French actor Guillaume Canet in the 2016 film The Siege of Jadotville.

In 2010, Faulques was honoured at the Foreign Legion's Camerone ceremony.

Ribbons

Decorations Grand officier de la Légion d'honneur (Decree of 16 April 2004. Commandeur, 19 July 1960) Croix de Guerre 1939-1945 with 1 citation (bronze star) Croix de guerre des théâtres d'opérations extérieures (Croix de guerre for Theatres of External Operations) with 8 citations (5 bronze palm, two silver stars, bronze star) (Indochina) Croix de la Valeur militaire with 3 citations (2 vermeil stars and silver star) (Algeria) Croix du combattant Insigne des blessés militaires (Medal for wounded military) with 6 red stars Médaille coloniale with "EXTREME-ORIENT" campaign clasp (Indochina) Médaille commémorative (Commemorative Medal) 1939-1945 Médaille commémorative de la guerre d'Indochine (Commemorative Medal of the Indochina War) Médaille commémorative des opérations de Suez (Commemorative Medal, Suez Operation) Médaille commémorative des opérations de sécurité et de maintien de l'ordre en AFN (Commemorative Medal for security operations in North Africa (Algeria)

Foreign decorations Officer of the Lao Order of the Million Elephants and the White Parasol Officer of the Taï Order of Civil Merit Taï Military Merit decoration Indochina Cross of Valour with 1 citation (bronze star)