Having attended the
Ecole Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr, he became a lieutenant in 1911 and was attached to a cavalry regiment when the
First World War broke out in August 1914. He was an officer of the 1st Infantry Brigade of the
1st Moroccan Infantry Division in 1915, and gained his pilot's licence in 1916. In the course of the war he won the
Croix de Guerre and seven citations. During the inter-war years, he took several administrative positions, including postings in Finland and Italy. He was involved in the war in
Morocco between 1927 and 1929. By 1936, he was the youngest general in France, commanding the 23rd aerial brigade. When war broke out in 1939, he was appointed inspector-general of military schools. In December he was sent to Algiers to coordinate French military operations in Europe and northwestern Africa, and advised
General Vuillemin and
Admiral Darlan to transfer the French Air Force to North Africa; his advice was not taken. In July 1940, d'Astier refused to obey Darlan's order to attack British warships at Gibraltar, and a month later he was relieved of his command. Returning to France, he joined "La Dernière Colonne", a Resistance group, and in 1942, his brother Emmanuel delivered a letter from De Gaulle, inviting d'Astier to join him. He was sent to Algeria to prepare for de Gaulle's arrival in North Africa, and was subsequently named commander of the French forces in the UK. At the beginning of 1944, he was supporting
General Eisenhower in preparations for the invasion of France. After carrying out further missions in Algeria and Spain, he rejoined de Gaulle after the liberation of Paris. In November 1944, d'Astier was made a
Compagnon de la Libération and became France's ambassador in Rio de Janeiro. ==Works==