André Lalande (soldier)

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André Lalande
26 May 1913 – 19 October 1995
Place of birth	Rennes, France
Place of death	Brive-la-Gaillarde, France
Allegiance	France
Service/branch	French Army
Years of service	1931-1973
Rank	Général de corps d'armée
Battles/wars	World War II Battle of Narvik Battle of Bir Hakeim Second Battle of El Alamein First Indochina War Battle of Dien Bien Phu

André Lalande (26 May 1913 – 19 October 1995) was an officer in the French Foreign Legion.

He studied at the École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr from 1931 to 1933 and was posted 2nd Lieutenant at Metz.

In 1937 he requested a transfer to the 6th Bataillon de Chasseurs Alpins; with this unit he fought at the Battle of Narvik in April–June 1940, where he was wounded.

After the Battle of France, Lalande joined the Free French. In October 1941 he was posted to Beirut where he joined the 13th Half-Brigade of the Foreign Legion. With this unit he fought in the Battle of Bir Hakeim in May 1942 and the Second Battle of El Alamein, where he was again wounded.

He was promoted head of the 3rd battalion in June 1943. His unit was attached to the 1st Free French Division and took part in the assault on the Gustav Line in Italy in Spring 1944, Operation Dragoon (the Allied invasion of southern France) in August 1944, the battles on the German frontier in Alsace in the winter of 1944–1945, and in the capture of the last German holdouts in the Alps in April 1945.

Following World War II, Lalande volunteered to serve in the First Indochina War. Promoted to colonel of the 3rd Foreign Regiment of Infantry, he fought at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu in 1954, where he was in charge of the "Isabelle" strongpoint. Lalande was captured when the position fell on May 7, 1954 and spent five months in a Viet Minh prison camp.

He fought in the Algerian War and was promoted to brigadier general in 1961.