1. Jean-Baptiste Piron rose through the ranks during the interwar period and held the rank of major at the time of the German invasion of Belgium in World WarII.
17 Facts About Jean-Baptiste Piron
1. 2.
Jean-Baptiste Piron subsequently escaped from German-occupied Belgium and reached the United Kingdom, where he led a re-organisation of the Free Belgian military.
3.
Jean-Baptiste Piron ended his career as lieutenant general and retired in 1957.
4.
Jean-Baptiste Piron was born in Couvin in Belgium's Province of Namur on 10April 1896.
5.
Jean-Baptiste Piron entered the Royal Military Academy in Brussels at the age of 17 in 1913.
6.
Jean-Baptiste Piron served with the Belgian army on the Yser Front and was promoted to the rank of lieutenant in 1916.
7.
Jean-Baptiste Piron remained in the Belgian Army, serving in the headquarters of the 2ndArmy Corps and later in the 1st Grenadier Regiment.
8.
Jean-Baptiste Piron refused to accept the Belgian surrender and succeeded in escaping from occupied Belgium via Vichy France and Spain to British Gibraltar.
9.
Jean-Baptiste Piron, designated as Lecomte's successor, took command in December 1942 and became commander of the resulting unit, the 1st Belgian Infantry Brigade, on its formation in January 1943.
10.
Jean-Baptiste Piron was promoted to the rank of colonel in 1944.
11.
The Brigade Jean-Baptiste Piron was deployed to France in August 1944 following the Normandy Landings.
12.
Jean-Baptiste Piron was promoted to the rank of major general in December 1945.
13.
Jean-Baptiste Piron was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general in December 1947.
14.
Jean-Baptiste Piron enjoyed the role but was dismissed in 1951 after falling out with the Belgian Minister of Defence Eugene De Greef.
15.
Jean-Baptiste Piron was transferred to head the Belgian Army's general staff, but Piron resented the move.
16.
Jean-Baptiste Piron became aide to the prince regent's successor, King Baudouin, in 1951.
17.
Jean-Baptiste Piron died of a heart attack in his home in Uccle, a suburb of Brussels, on the morning of 4September 1974 after participating in the commemoration of the 30th anniversary of Brussels' Liberation.