François-Henry Laperrine

François-Henry Laperrine (born Marie Joseph François Henry Laperrine d'Hautpoul, September 29, 1860 – March 5, 1920) was a French general who served during World War I.

François-Henry Laperrine
Born	Marie Joseph François Henry Laperrine d'Hautpoul September 29, 1860 (1860-09-29) Castelnaudary, France
Died	March 5, 1920 (1920-03-06) (aged 59) Sahara, French Algeria
Nationality	French

Biography

Laperrine entered the École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr in October 1878 and became a captain in the 2nd Dragoons in November 1891. Laperrine organized the Compagnie Méharistes Sahariennes in 1897.^[1][2] He was a friend of Charles de Foucauld who was killed in 1916 in Tamanrasset.^[3][4] The two were honored on a stamp of Algeria in 1950.

Laperrine died after a plane crash (a Breguet) in the Sahara in 1920. His companions, Lieutenant Bernard and mechanic Marcel Vasselin survived and recorded Laperrine's last words, "People think they know the desert...People think I know it. Nobody really knows it. I have crossed the Sahara ten times and I will stay here."^[1] Bernard and Vasselin buried Laperrine near the plane, but when a rescue party arrived he was disinterred and buried in Tamanrasset next to Foucauld. The fort was named for Laperrine.

Honors

• Grand officier de la Légion d'honneur
• Croix de guerre 1914–1918
• Médaille coloniale avec agrafes Algérie, Soudan, Sénégal, Sahara, AOF
• Croix de guerre belge 1914–1918 avec palme