By MAIA DE LA BAUME
c.2010 New York Times News Service
PARIS – Gen. Marcel Bigeard, one of France’s most decorated veterans, who led troops in the French Resistance in World War II and in wars in Algeria and Indochina, died Friday in Toul, France, where he lived. He was 94. His death was confirmed by his wife, Gabrielle Grandemange.
Bigeard, who was wounded in battle five times and escaped from prisoner-of-war camps three times, achieved legendary status in France.
Nicknamed “the Heroic Bigeard” by Charles de Gaulle, he participated in battles against the Nazis and against rebels in the French colonies of Indochina and Algeria.