LE GÉNÉRAL CAILLAUD - Soldier of the Extraordinary

Born in 1921, a graduate of Saint-Cyr in the infantry arm in 1942, Robert Caillaud belonged to that generation of fire which, after the defeat, restored the prestige of French arms and continued to serve them with distinction in the theatres of the Far East and Algeria.

"Red Devil" in de Lattre's Army, he entered the Légion étrangère world in the aftermath of the campaign against Germany, becoming one of its leading figures — first at the 2e REI, then at the 2e BEP, and finally at the 2e REP.

Breaking with the spirit of routine and anticipating future missions, he transformed this regiment, which still bears today the imprint of the exceptional commanding officer that Caillaud was. In the Légion étrangère or in the airborne troops, where he became a general officer and continued to innovate, Robert Caillaud left his personal mark — that of a soldier outside the "mold", whose horizon was the ideal to which he had devoted his life; that of a leader who spread courage around him and inspired loyalty; that of an exemplary man, loved by the humble and revered by his subordinates.

From a Resistance maquis to the presidency of the Entraide parachutiste, the life of Robert Caillaud was entirely devoted to others, as attested by the numerous testimonies and documents gathered in this work dedicated to his memory — that of a man of war and of heart whose personality and actions exerted a considerable influence on many officers.