to 1943, Colonel Alessandri was the commanding officer of the 5th Foreign Infantry Regiment until he was promoted to brigadier general on May 20, 1943. Following his promotion to brigadier general, Alessandri assumed command of the Western Red River Group (Groupement Ouest du fleuve Rouge). After the Japanese coup of March 9, 1945, General Alessandri led his remaining forces on a fighting retreat towards Chinese territory. First Indochina War On August 17, 1948, General Alessandri was appointed to the Command of the Ground Forces in the Far East (commandement des forces terrestres en Extrême-Orient). Later he would take command of the Operational Area of Tonkin. General Alessandri was removed from this position following the disastrous Battle of Route Coloniale 4 and he returned to France on November 20, 1950. Later life and legacy On July 23, 1955, after reaching mandatory retirement age, Major General Marcel Alessandri retired and returned to France. By the end of his military career, Marcel Alessandri had received twelve separate Croix de Guerre citations, had been awarded the Grand Officer of Légion d'honneur, and numerous other foreign decorations. Alessandri died on December 26, 1968, in Paris, France. Promotions Second Lieutenant December 5, 1914 Lieutenant March 9, 1916 Captain July 5, 1917 Chef de Battalion 1930 Lieutenant-colonel March 17, 1936 Colonel March 25, 1941 Brigadier General May 20, 1943 Major General 1945 Awards and commendations France Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour (1950); Chevalier (1916), Officer (1930), Commander (1945) Medal of the Resistance (Official Gazette of 20 March 1948) Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 Croix de guerre des théâtres d'opérations extérieures Colonial Medal with "Morocco" and "Indochine" clasps Memorial Medal of the 1914–1918 War Memorial Medal of the 1939–1945 war Médaille Interalliée 1914–1918 Memorial medal of the Indochina campaign Foreign Commander of the Order of Ouissam Alaouite Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Cambodia Military Medal of Cambodia Medal of resistance in Laos British Order of the Bath (Honorary) References 1895 births 1968 deaths People from Boulogne-sur-Mer French generals Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Cambodia Officers of the French Foreign Legion Grand Officiers of the Légion d'honneur Recipients of the Resistance Medal Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France) Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 (France) Recipients of the Croix de guerre des théâtres d'opérations extérieures Honorary Companions of the Order of the Bath