Yves Godard (French officer)

Infobox Military Person
name=Yves Godard


caption=
born=21 December 1911
died=3 March 1975
placeofbirth=Saint-Maixent, France
placeofdeath=Lessines, Belgium
nickname=
allegiance=France
branch=French Army
serviceyears=1932-1961
rank=Colonel
unit=
commands=11e Choc
battles=World War II
First Indochina War
*Operation Condor
Algerian War
Suez Crisis
awards=Commander of the Légion d'honneur
relations=
laterwork=OAS leader

Yves Godard (21 December 1911 – 3 March 1975) was a French Army officer who fought in World War II, First Indochina War and Algerian War. A graduate of Saint-Cyr and Chasseur Alpin, he served as a ski instructor in Poland during 1939, but after World War II begun he returned to France. He become a prisoner in 1940 and tried several times to escape, finally succeeding on his third attempt. He made his way to France and joined the French Resistance maquis in Savoy.

He was part of the occupation force in Austria, then a general staff officer of the French Army before taking command of the 11e Bataillon Parachutiste de Choc, 11th Parachute Assault Battalion, later 11th Assault Parachutist Demi-Brigade, (11e BPC), during 1946-1963 (11th Assault Parachute battalion). He led the battalion during the First Indochina War, taking part during the war in a failed attempted to relieve the French Union garrison at Dien Bien Phu from Laos. In 1955 Godard become chief of staff of the Parachute Intervention Group, soon to become the 10 Division Parachutiste (DP) (10th Parachute Division), in Algeria commanded by General Jacques Massu. He took part in the Anglo-French operation during the Suez Crisis in 1956. Godard become one of the primary figures of the Battle of Algiers, especially during the later part when he commanded the Algiers sector. He was named director general of the Sûreté in Algeria.

After the barricade week in 1960, Godard was transferred to France, but he returned to take part in the Algiers putsch of 1961. When the putsch failed he joined the OAS, but left Algeria in the summer of 1962 and stayed underground until 1967. Godard was sentenced to death for his part in the putsch and OAS. He settled in Belgium and unlike his OAS colleagues, he didn't return to France after the 1968 amnesty. Godard died in 1975 at Lessines, Belgium, only 64 years old.