Next month will bring the 250th birthday of the Army. Celebrations of that milestone will rightfully highlight the Continental Army’s role in the American Revolution and the founding of our country. Those celebrations will no doubt recognize the role the French played in helping the United States achieve its independence.

The military cooperation between France and the US has carried through to today. The recent anniversary of V-E Day reinforces that connection, commemorating the liberation of France and the defeat of Nazi Germany in WWII.

That’s why the AUSA Book Program is proud to announce the new publication of Général Louis Dio, a biography of the WWII French commander who worked with General Philippe Leclerc to assemble the Free French forces that fought both the Axis powers and their Vichy collaborators. Together, their 2nd Armored Division liberated Paris, then turned eastward until they reached Hitler’s famed Eagle’s Nest.

The book is written by former French officer General Jean-Paul Michel and Monique Brouillet Seefried, a history scholar and US WWI Centennial Commissioner who had a family connection to Dio.

We sat down with Dr. Seefried to talk about the book.

What was the genesis of your book with Général Michel?

After learning that General Michel wanted to write a book on my godfather, General Dio, I volunteered to help him. I had spent the past five years as a commissioner on the US WWI Centennial Commission and felt, as a French citizen by birth and an American by choice, that it was time for me to honor the memory of the Free French, the men and women I had known and admired growing up.

How did Col. Jason Musteen come to serve as the translator?

I had met Colonel Musteen at West Point when I was doing WWI research and he brought cadets to the groundbreaking ceremony of the National World War I Memorial in Washington. When time came to find a translator, Colonel Gail Yoshitani, head of the Department of History at West Point, suggested I contact him. I sent him the book and he wrote back that he would be very interested to translate it, noting how few books had been written in English on Leclerc and the Free French.

How would you describe the relationship between Dio and Leclerc?

Although very different in their upbringing and style, Dio and Leclerc were fully complementary. Leclerc brought his cavalry culture, while Dio brought the versatility of the desert camel troops. Very early on, they earned each other’s respect and knew how much they could achieve as a team. By the end of the war, Leclerc would state that without Dio there wouldn’t have been a French 2nd Armored Division.

Where was Dio happiest in his career?

Dio had a deep love for Africa. He had studied Arabic at St Cyr and learned several dialects while serving as a “méhariste” in the African desert. He never forgot those years.

What is one thing you’d like American readers to take away from the book?

A better understanding of the role of the Free French Forces in rallying Africa and the importance of the French colonial empire in fighting the Axis powers. Americans will also appreciate how the American military leadership respected de Gaulle. They understood how he had the power to rally diverse segments of the population. General Eisenhower fully realized that to avoid a civil war, Paris needed to be liberated by a French unit. For this reason, he allowed the French 2nd Armored Division to enter Paris at the same time as the US 4th Infantry Division.

Please visit www.ausa.org/books to order Général Louis Dio and other titles in the AUSA Book Program. Use the promo code for select member discounts when purchasing directly through the publisher links.