User:Dumelow/List of Saint-Cyr classes





fr:Liste des promotions de Saint-Cyr

The naming ceremony takes place at the end of the first year. The third battalion (1st year students) take their name before progressing into the 2nd battalion. Name are typically hostircal events or historical military personailities. The class name is often used to denote the time the cadet studied at the school. https://www.f-sc.org/Les-activites-des-eleves-officiers

2016-19 class was so named on 22 July 2017. The "debaptism" of the class was without precident since WWII. Announcement was made 17 November 2018 by General Jean-Pierre Bosser, Chief of Staff of the Army. Loustanau-Lacau had become a celebrated figure of the far right in France. He had been removed from the army in 1938 for anti-communist activities. Tried at the end of the war and found innocent he was rehabilitated and promoted to General the day before his death. Each class choses its name in a process involving the cadets and the commander of the school. LOpinion stated that it showed the right wing tendancies of the traditional french officer class.The Defense Historical Service (SHD) in Vincennes is consulted on the choice of name, but only the symbology section not the historians - a cursory check of L-L's military record showed a stellar career. Concenrs were raised at a June 2018 symposium on military resistance organised by SHD and SciencesPo. The class offered to pay a tribute to Loustanau-Lacau at the symposium but historians raised the chequered past. The SHD conducted reseatch and sent a note to the political and military authorities raising concerns over the name. Tehy secured a copy of a letter from L-L to the German ambassador in August 1940 offering hi services, via the German Army histoircal service. The class was debaptised ahead of potential embarrassment at the annual 14 July parade on the Champs Elysees. No sanctions were made but the process has been reformed so that the SHD now carries out a full historical research into the namesake of any future class. https://www.lopinion.fr/blog/secret-defense/saint-cyr-coetquidan-promotion-loustaunau-lacau-figure-d-extreme-169088

The class of 1940-42 later raised concerns over their name - the collaborationist Marshal Petain but was advised by General de Gaulle that the naming of a class of St Syr is a historic moment and must be kept no matter whay happens. French General and commander of the school Bruno Dary laid the blame at the door of the defence historical service who he said had vetted the name. Dary stated that L-L was a hero of both world wars who had, at one time, made questionable decisions and writings, when viewed from the modern viewpoint. https://www.saint-cyr.org/article/la-saint-cyrienne-et-la-general-loustaunau-lacau/19/11/2018/950?fbclid=IwAR1HEWvQpo9eJdvqEYuO3Du8Jhoz77YWbAzss1BoDBHsoExUaVZZAYqBOVc

The 2018 class was originally named for General Georges Loustaunau-Lacau, a French army officer who was staunchly anti-communist. He served Vichy France before joining the French resistance for which he was imprisoned in Mauthausen concentration camp. However he was known to have made anti-semitic marks in the inter-war period https://www.bvoltaire.fr/on-debaptise-une-promotion-de-saint-cyr-alors-debaptisons-aussi-la-derniere-promotion-de-lena/

The first named class was the 13th (1830-32) which was known as the Firmament. The origin is unknown but refers to the highest of the four celestial spheres in Greek mythology. Home to the stars and the gods. May derived from the symbolic baton of a Marshal of France which is blue with stars, with which every cadet would be familiar and aspire to. https://www.saint-cyr.org/medias/editor/files/1830-1832-13e-promotion-sans-nom.pdf

p151: There was a trend from the late 1870s for classes to take colonial names. Inspired by the increasing prestige of France marines and colonial forces. Between then at the WWI fully half of all names had colonial roots - including "Zulu", "Khroumire" and "Sudan". This co-incided with a time where it was fashionable for cadets to chose to serve in the marines. Prior to this the marine infantry were often left with the lowest ranked cadets in their class. https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=SiCRnNwl3EYC&pg=PA151&dq=st+cyr+class+names&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi3s-uhu_rhAhWHWxUIHWJuAmIQ6AEILjAB#v=onepage&q=st%20cyr%20class%20names&f=false

p35. Class of 1940 was subject to an accelerated 6 mopnth course instead of the usual 2 years and graduated 16 March. Chose the name "Franco-British Friendship". https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=uz8EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA35&dq=st+cyr+class+names&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi3s-uhu_rhAhWHWxUIHWJuAmIQ6AEIKjAA#v=onepage&q=st%20cyr%20class%20names&f=false

"Especially important was the choice of a class name, usually based on a famous hero or current historical event." p16 https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=NxYiAQAAIAAJ

"What in America we term classes, in Saint-Cyr are termed promotions or promos. For decades each promo bears a name chosen by the cadets themselves, the name generally of some person, historical incident or locality. " 0177 https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=4VtmAAAAMAAJ

"After coordinating with the national military history and heraldry sections, one name is approved. ... Rather than “Class of '99," graduates simply identify themselves as “Promotion General La Lande." p71 https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=pOTMIzry0SgC

List
https://www.saint-cyr.org/page/espace-histoire