ronn47
Where's the Scotch?
2A Bourbon Hound 2024
2A Bourbon Hound OG
Charter Member
Benefactor
Life Member
Multi-Factor Enabled
Meet Albert Roche.
When World War I broke out, Albert was 19 years old and tried to enlist in the army. However, he was rejected because he was considered too weak to serve. However, this did not stop him and he quickly ran away from home and showed up at a training camp. There, he was assigned to the Chasseurs Alpins (Alpine hunters, French mountain infantry) and their training began. He quickly defected because he was poorly evaluated and disrespected. Arrested for desertion, he defended himself by saying that he simply wanted to go where the soldiers were fighting.
His wish was granted when on July 3, 1915 he was assigned to the 27e Bataillon de Chasseurs Alpins (27th Alpine Hunters Battalion) nicknamed "Les Diables Bleus" (The Blue Devils).
He offered to attack a German blockhouse. He crawled up to the German position, saw a stove and threw grenades into the stove's chimney, killing and wounding the German soldiers gathered there. Believing to be attacked by an entire battalion, the German surrendered and Albert returned to his camp with 8 prisoners.
At Sudel in the trenches, he found himself at one point the sole survivor of his unit. He placed the fallen comrades' rifles on him and fired them alternately, the Germans, believing they were facing the entire unit, fell back.
While on reconnaissance, he was captured with his lieutenant who was wounded in the process. Held in a German bunker for questioning, he managed to steal the captor's pistol from him and kill him. He did not stop there and freed several French prisoners. He returned to his camp with 42 French prisoners while carrying his wounded lieutenant on his back.
Finally, after an assault, their captain was wounded and left to die in no man's land between the trenches. Refusing to abandon him, Albert crawled for six hours under fire to reach him. He then returned to his camp with his captain for four hours before turning him over to doctors. Exhausted, he fell asleep in a hole while on guard duty. A patrol mistook him for sleeping on duty and arrested him for abandoning his post. He was going to be shot in 24 hours. He denied being a deserter but no one believed him. As Albert was about to face the firing squad, a messenger arrived with news that Albert's captain had awoken from his coma and with it brought favorable testimony from him as well.
At the end of the war, Albert was 23 years old. He had been wounded 9 times and had taken 1,180 prisoners. However, he was still a second class soldier.
In Strasbourg, General Foch introduced him to a large crowd saying: “Alsatians, I present to you your liberator Albert Roche. He is the first soldier of France! "
Foch then discovered his service record and exclaimed "He's done all this and he's out of rank!".
Albert was awarded the Legion of Honor (France's highest order of merit), the Médaille Militaire, the Croix du Combattant Volontaire, and the Croix de Guerre.
With seven other soldiers he was selected to carry the coffin of the Unknown Soldier. He was also a member of the French delegation to attend Field Marshal Lord French's funeral in England. On this occasion he dined with King George V.
He died in a car accident in April 1939.
When World War I broke out, Albert was 19 years old and tried to enlist in the army. However, he was rejected because he was considered too weak to serve. However, this did not stop him and he quickly ran away from home and showed up at a training camp. There, he was assigned to the Chasseurs Alpins (Alpine hunters, French mountain infantry) and their training began. He quickly defected because he was poorly evaluated and disrespected. Arrested for desertion, he defended himself by saying that he simply wanted to go where the soldiers were fighting.
His wish was granted when on July 3, 1915 he was assigned to the 27e Bataillon de Chasseurs Alpins (27th Alpine Hunters Battalion) nicknamed "Les Diables Bleus" (The Blue Devils).
He offered to attack a German blockhouse. He crawled up to the German position, saw a stove and threw grenades into the stove's chimney, killing and wounding the German soldiers gathered there. Believing to be attacked by an entire battalion, the German surrendered and Albert returned to his camp with 8 prisoners.
At Sudel in the trenches, he found himself at one point the sole survivor of his unit. He placed the fallen comrades' rifles on him and fired them alternately, the Germans, believing they were facing the entire unit, fell back.
While on reconnaissance, he was captured with his lieutenant who was wounded in the process. Held in a German bunker for questioning, he managed to steal the captor's pistol from him and kill him. He did not stop there and freed several French prisoners. He returned to his camp with 42 French prisoners while carrying his wounded lieutenant on his back.
Finally, after an assault, their captain was wounded and left to die in no man's land between the trenches. Refusing to abandon him, Albert crawled for six hours under fire to reach him. He then returned to his camp with his captain for four hours before turning him over to doctors. Exhausted, he fell asleep in a hole while on guard duty. A patrol mistook him for sleeping on duty and arrested him for abandoning his post. He was going to be shot in 24 hours. He denied being a deserter but no one believed him. As Albert was about to face the firing squad, a messenger arrived with news that Albert's captain had awoken from his coma and with it brought favorable testimony from him as well.
At the end of the war, Albert was 23 years old. He had been wounded 9 times and had taken 1,180 prisoners. However, he was still a second class soldier.
In Strasbourg, General Foch introduced him to a large crowd saying: “Alsatians, I present to you your liberator Albert Roche. He is the first soldier of France! "
Foch then discovered his service record and exclaimed "He's done all this and he's out of rank!".
Albert was awarded the Legion of Honor (France's highest order of merit), the Médaille Militaire, the Croix du Combattant Volontaire, and the Croix de Guerre.
With seven other soldiers he was selected to carry the coffin of the Unknown Soldier. He was also a member of the French delegation to attend Field Marshal Lord French's funeral in England. On this occasion he dined with King George V.
He died in a car accident in April 1939.
