View source for Paul Pau

{{Short description|French general (1848–1932)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2019}}
[[File:1920 General Paul Pau.jpg|thumb|[[Autochrome Lumière|Autochrome]] by Auguste Léon, 1920]]
'''Paul Marie Cesar Gerald Pau''', (29 November 1848, [[Montélimar]] – 2 January 1932<ref>{{cite book|author1=Tucker, Spencer|author2=Matysek Wood, Laura|author3=Murphy, Justin D. |title=The European Powers in the First World War: An Encyclopedia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EHI3PCjDtsUC&pg=RA1-PA549|year=1996|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-0-8153-0399-2|page=549}}</ref>) was a French soldier and [[General officer|general]] who served in the [[Franco-Prussian War]] and in [[World War I]].
He took part in the [[Franco-Prussian War]], suffering the loss of his lower right arm. By 1903, he had reached the rank of General, but he retired from active service in 1911. He was offered the position of [[Chief of the Defence Staff (France)|Army Chief of Staff]] by War Minister [[Adolphe Messimy]], but was removed from consideration due to his anti-republican political views and his insistence on the authority to personally nominate generals for high commands. The position instead passed to [[Joseph Joffre]], who would become the French commander-in-chief during [[World War I]].<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Guns of August|last=Tuchman|first=Barbara|publisher=Random House|year=1962|isbn=0-345-47609-3|location=New York|pages=[https://archive.org/details/gunsofaugusttuch00tuch/page/42 42]|url=https://archive.org/details/gunsofaugusttuch00tuch/page/42}}</ref>
When war broke out in 1914, General Joffre recalled Pau from retirement to command the [[French Army of Alsace (WWI)|Army of Alsace]] to participate in the attacks towards Alsace called for by [[Plan XVII]]. The Army of Alsace contained VII Corps (which [[Battle of Mulhouse|had taken but failed to hold Mulhouse]] between 7 and 10 August), 44th Division, the 55th Reserve Division, the 8th Cavalry Division and the 1st Group of Reserve Divisions (58th, 63rd and 66th Reserve divisions).<ref>{{cite book|last=Greenhalgh|first=Elizabeth|title=The French Army and the First World War|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=2014|isbn=978-1-107-60568-8|page=38}}</ref>
Although initially successful, Pau was forced to withdraw after the defeat of the [[First Army (France)|First Army]] at [[Battle of Morhange-Sarrebourg|Morhange-Sarrebourg]]. When it was clear to Joffre that French hopes for a quick victory in Alsace had faded and that France now faced the real possibility of quick defeat (caused by the [[Schlieffen Plan]]), Pau's army was broken up and sent north to join [[Michel Maunoury|Maunoury]]'s [[Sixth Army (France)|Sixth Army]] in time to participate in the [[First Battle of the Marne]].
After this, Pau was not given another field command. After serving in the French Supreme War Council, he was sent in January 1916 as French representative to the [[Russia]]n high command, known as the [[Stavka]]. Pau also toured [[Australia]] and [[New Zealand]] between September 1918 and January 1919 with the French Mission on a post-war diplomatic visit. While in [[New Zealand]] a kauri, ''[[Agathis australis]]'', was named the 'General Pau' in his honor. <ref>{{cite news |url= https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/AS19190127.2.89 |title=Our French visitors. |newspaper=[[Auckland Star]] |page=6 |via=[[National Library of New Zealand#Papers Past|Papers Past]] |date=27 January 1919 |access-date=21 March 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://register.notabletrees.org.nz/tree/view/1734 |work=The New Zealand Tree Register |title=Tree Information |accessdate=22 March 2021}}</ref>
He died in Paris in 1932.
==References==
{{Commons category|Paul Pau}}
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[[Category:1848 births]]
[[Category:1932 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Montélimar]]
[[Category:French generals]]
[[Category:French Army generals of World War I]]
[[Category:French military personnel of the Franco-Prussian War]]
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