Henri Ecochard, military officer
Henri Ecochard ‑ a French military officer who served in the Free French Forces during World War II – died on 3 April 2020 in Levallois-Perret at the age of 96 due to COVID-19. He is known for compiling a list of fighters for Free France.
Ecochard was born on 24 April 1923 in Cholet. His father was a doctor based in Airvault, who was heavily pacifist due to the memory of World War I. He was interested in international relations from a young age. Ecochard attended the Lycée Descartes in Tours. An anti-fascist, he was opposed to the anti-parliamentary ideals of François de La Rocque. He was also opposed to the Munich Agreement, which allowed Adolf Hitler to annex the Sudetenland from Czechoslovakia. When war was finally declared in France, Ecochard raised the Fla...