Charles Chanson

Charles Chanson (1902–1951) was the Commander of the French-Indo-Chinese forces in southern Vietnam during the First Indochina War.

Born on 18 February 1902 in Grenoble, France, Charles Marie Ferreol Chanson was educated at Ecole Polytechnique (entrance: 1922). His father was General Henri Chanson and his great father was General Achille Chanson. All of them were artillery officers.

Charles Chanson was posted in France, Morocco, Algeria, and Germany and Indochina after World War 2. During World War 2, he served in France during the Battle of France (1939–1940), in North Africa from 1941, and later with the general staff of General Eisenhower.

Charles Chanson was affected to Indochina in 1946 where he served until his death in 1951. At the time, General Charles Chanson was Commander of the French-Indo-Chinese forces in South Viet Nam. He was killed on 31 July 1951 at Sadec (or Sa Đéc) in southern Vietnam, when a suicide bomber exploded a grenade killing General Charles Chanson, Governor Thai Lap Thanh and himself.

During his time in Indochina, he was credited for the restoration of peace and security in southern Vietnam following the capitulation of the Japanese Forces in 1945 and the void left by the Allied forces. Between 1950 and 1951, he worked closely with General Jean Marie de Lattre de Tassigny who commanded French troops in Indochina, providing troops to defend successfully the northern Vietnam against the Viet Minh.