France 100 Francs Silver coin 1994 Marshal Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque
Commemorative issue: 50th Anniversary of the Liberation of Paris
Obverse: Bust of Leclerc with the Cathedral of Strasbourg in the background and the original badge of the 2nd Armored Division commanded by General Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque at right. The divisional badge features the Cross of Lorraine.
Lettering: PHILIPPE LECLERC DE HAUTECLOCQUE 2e DB REPUBLIQUE FRANÇAISE
Engraver: Émile Rousseau
Reverse: Flag of Free France, Fortress of Kufra (Cyrenaica in Libya) and Oath of Kufra.
Oath of Kufra, 2 March 1941
After the fall of Kufra, Leclerc and his troops swore an oath to fight until "our flag flies over the Cathedral of Strasbourg" «Jurez de ne déposer les armes que lorsque nos couleurs, nos belles couleurs, flotteront sur la cathédrale de Strasbourg.» (Swear not to lay down arms until our colors, our beautiful colors, float on the Strasbourg Cathedral.)
The oath was fulfilled on 23 November 1944, when Leclerc and the 2nd French Armored Division liberated Strasbourg.
Composition: Silver (.900).
Weight: 22.2 g.
Diameter: 37 mm.
Thickness: 2.2 mm.
Commemorative coins of France: 50th Anniversary of the Liberation of Paris
100 Francs Silver coin 1994 Marshal Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque
Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque, Marshal of France
Philippe François Marie Leclerc de Hauteclocque, (22 November 1902 – 28 November 1947), was a French general during the Second World War. He became Marshal of France posthumously in 1952, and is known in France simply as le maréchal Leclerc or just Leclerc.
The son of an aristocratic family, de Hauteclocque graduated from the École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr, the French military academy, in 1924. After service with the French Occupation of the Ruhr and in Morocco, he returned to Saint-Cyr as an instructor. He was awarded the croix de guerre des théâtres d'opérations extérieures for leading goumiers in an attack on caves and ravines on Bou Amdoun on 11 August 1933. During the Second World War he fought in the Battle of France. He then became one of the first to make his way to Britain to fight with the Free French under General Charles de Gaulle, adopting the nom de guerre of Leclerc so that his wife and children would not be put at risk if his name appeared in the papers. He was sent to French Equatorial Africa, where he rallied local leaders to the Free French cause, and led a force against Gabon, whose leaders supported Vichy France. From Chad he led raids into Italian-controlled Libya. After his forces captured Kufra, he had his men swear an oath known today as the Serment de Koufra, in which they pledged to fight on until their flag flew over the Strasbourg Cathedral.
The forces under his command, known as L Force, campaigned in Libya in 1943, covered the Eighth Army's inland flank during its advance into Tunisia, and participated in the attack on the Mareth Line. L Force was then transformed into the 2e Division Blindée, although it was often referred to as La Division Leclerc. It fought under Leclerc's command in the Battle of Normandy, and participated in the liberation of Paris and Strasbourg. After the end of World War II in Europe in May 1945, he was given command of the French Far East Expeditionary Corps (Corps expéditionnaire français en Extrême-Orient, CEFEO). He represented France at the surrender of the Japanese Empire in Tokyo Bay on 2 September 1945. He quickly perceived the necessity for a political solution to the nascent conflict in Indochina, but once again was ahead of his countrymen, and was recalled to France in 1946. He was killed in an air crash in Algeria in 1947.
Capture of Kufra
The Capture of Kufra / Prise de Koufra (Koufra, Cufra) was part of the World War II Allies Western Desert Campaign in the colony of Italian Libya, in the Libyan Desert of present-day south-eastern Libya. The battle resulted in the 1941 capture of the important but isolated oasis of Kufra by Free French Forces and the British Long Range Desert Group from the Italian garrison.
After the defeat of France in 1940, the colony of French Equatorial Africa (FEA) declared its allegiance to the Free France, the exile government headed by Charles de Gaulle. Chad, the northern part of FEA, borders Libya. De Gaulle ordered the Free French in Chad to attack Italian positions in Libya. Kufra was the obvious target. The Free French commander in Chad was Lieutenant-Colonel Jean Colonna d'Ornano. The troops available were 5,000 tirailleurs (riflemen) of the Senegalese Light Infantry Regiment of Chad (Régiment de Tirailleurs Sénégalais du Tchad; RTST) in 20 companies in different garrisons; also three detachments of méharistes (camel cavalry), in Borkou, Tibesti and Ennedi.
Attacking Kufra would be very difficult for this motley force. The Free French had very little motor transport and needed to cross over 400 km (250 mi) of desert, much of which was sand dunes or the fine, powdery soil called Fech fech. The area was considered by some to be impassable to vehicles. The French received assistance from the British Long Range Desert Group (LRDG), a reconnaissance and raiding unit formed to operate reconnaissance patrols and intelligence missions behind the Italian lines; they were experts in desert navigation. Major Pat Clayton of LRDG was keen to join with the Free French to test the Italians. Clayton commanded G (Guards) and T (New Zealand) patrols of LRDG, a total of 76 men in 26 vehicles.
To prepare for the attack on Kufra, the LRDG and Free French first raided the Italian airfield at Murzuk, in the Territorio Sahara Libico–Fezzan region in south-western Libya. D'Ornano and ten Free French (three officers, two sergeants and five local soldiers) met Clayton′s LRDG patrols on 6 January 1941 at Kayouge. The combined force reached Murzuk on 11 January and in a daring daylight raid, surprised the sentries and devastated the base. Most of the force attacked the main fort; a troop from T Patrol under Lieutenant Ballantyne attacked the airfield, destroying three Caproni aircraft and capturing some prisoners; D'Ornano was killed in this raid along with one trooper of T Patrol. A French officer cauterized his leg wound with a cigarette, much to the admiration of the LRDG. A diversionary raid by French camel cavalry failed after it was betrayed by local guides. These troops were therefore relegated to reconnaissance duties only.
Battle
Colonel Philippe Leclerc assumed overall command in place of d'Ornano. After the success of the Murzuk raid, Leclerc marshalled his forces to take on Kufra itself. The attacking column included about 400 men in 60 trucks, two Laffly S15 TOE armored cars, four Laffly S15 all-terrain carriers and two 75 mm (2.95 in) mountain guns. Kufra was protected by two defensive lines around the El Tag fort: barbed wire, trenches, machine guns and light AA guns. The Regio Esercito forces in the fort were two machine gun companies (the 59th and 60th) with a total of 280 "askari" colonial infantry and an Auto-Saharan Company: the Compagnia Sahariana di Cufra. The Saharan companies were a mixed force of motorized infantry with well-armed off-road vehicles (SPA AS37), which could also call on the Italian Air Force for support. The "Compagnia Sahariana" in Kufra was around 120-men strong (45 Italians and 75 Libyans).
Leclerc asked the LRDG to deal with the Saharan company based in El Tag fort in Kufra oasis. The LRDG was detected by a radio intercept unit at Kufra and the Italians organized a mobile column of 40 men, one AS37 and four FIAT 634 lorries to intercept them. G Patrol had been kept in reserve. On 31 January, Major Clayton was at Bishara (130 km (81 mi) SSW of Kufra) with T Patrol (30 men in 11 trucks). The patrol was spotted by an Italian plane in the morning. T Patrol took cover in a small wadi at Gebel Sherif, a few kilometers north. The plane directed the Saharan patrol to attack the LRDG force.
Due to superior Italian fire power — the Italian vehicles were armed with 20 mm (0.79 in) cannons — and constant air attack, T Patrol was driven off, losing four trucks and Major Clayton, who was captured with several others. Trooper Ronald Moore led other survivors to safety after a long foot march. The remaining LRDG force withdrew to Egypt for refitting, except for one vehicle of T Patrol, equipped for desert navigation. During the fight, the Italian Officer (1st Lt Caputo) in command of the Saharan company was killed, as were two Libyan soldiers.
Leclerc pressed on with his attack, even though the enemy had a copy of his plan which they had captured with Major Clayton. After conducting further reconnaissance, Leclerc reorganized his forces on 16 February. He abandoned his two armored cars and took with him the remaining serviceable artillery piece, a crucial decision. Only about 350 men reached Kufra, due to breakdowns of trucks on the march. Aware of the advancing enemies, the Italians organized once more a strong mobile column from the Saharan company (70 men, 10 AS37 and 5 trucks). On 17 February, Leclerc's forces met the "Sahariana" north of Kufra. Despite losing many trucks to the 20 mm guns of the Italian AS37 cars, the French drove the Saharianas off, as the Kufra garrison failed to intervene.
The French surrounded El Tag and laid siege to the fort, despite another attack by the Saharianas and harassment from the air. Their single 75 mm gun was placed 3,000 m (3,300 yd) from the fort, beyond range of the defenders, and accurately delivered 20 shells per day at regular intervals (but from different places, in order to give the appearance of multiple guns). Some 81 mm (3.2 in) mortars were placed at 1,500 m (1,600 yd) from the fort and shelled the Italian positions in order to add pressure on the defenders.