France French Foreign Legion Commandant, Guy Halftermeyer

[Paul L Murphy]

My latest purchases. They came with a copy diploma to a Legion officer called Guy Halftermeyer. He was a 2nd Lt in 1946 but obviously progressed after that to at least Commandant. The family still have his medals and certificates.

Do any of our French members know anything about him since it is an unusual name and he may be traceable ? Given that he was wounded three times, has six citations for bravery and a Legion of Honour he must have a great story to tell. The sholderboards are from the Spencer jacket of the gala uniform.

[Veteran]

Mark,

Quite a story on that man's chest... Was emprisonned for Resistance activities, jumpted the Pyrennes, fought in the 1944-45 campaign in Frence and possibly Germany and was mentinned (croix de guerre). He may have served in the ranks and decided to stay with the Army after the war as an officer, after attending officer-candidate school. It seems clear he was with the Legion as a Major (Chef de bataillon) possibly at the end of his carreer.

But you must not forget that in the French Army you can move from one type of infantry regiment such as the Legion to a batallion of Chasseurs, or a line infantry regiment. His name sounds germanic, but so are names of a number of people in Alsace and Lorraine. He might very well have lived in those parts early in the war and been imprisonned by the Germans for evading military service with the Wehrmancht.

He obviously went on to fight in Indochina which was true of all professionnal soldiers at the time, and later in Algeria.

Try and get the story from the family if you can. With the Foreign Legion, mum's the word. You cannot get personnal records of an officer before 120 years have elapsed since his day of birth. This man should have been born in the early '20s.

An other lead would be to write to the Foreigh Legion Magasine (K?pi Blanc BP78 13673 AUBAGNE FRANCE) asking them if a paper was ever written about him.

Good luck and cheers

Veteran