Jean-Louis Nicot

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Jean-Louis Nicot (February 14, 1911 - August 29, 2004) was the commander of the French Air transport fleet during the First Indochina War. He was later sent to prison for his complicity in the Algiers putsch.

Contents 1 Background 2 Conviction 3 After release from prison 4 Decorations

[edit] Background

Nicot graduated from the École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr and entered the French Air Force. He moved up through the ranks until he reached lieutenant-general, serving as second in command of the Air Force.

[edit] Conviction

During his period as second in command of the airforce, Algiers putsch occurred on April 23, 1961. Nicot was implicated for complicity for having delayed the transmission of certain orders at the time of the French counter-offensive, as well as for having aided the secret transfer of the generals Maurice Challe and André Zeller to Algeria.

General Nicot was tried in front of the High military tribunal and convicted on June 19, 1961, for the crime of collusion "with the leaders of an insurrectionary movement". He was sentenced to twelve years in prison (the prosecution had requested a sentence of twenty years).

[edit] After release from prison

Nicot was released from prison in 1965. Later, he was reinstated to the airforce reserves in November 1982, following the adoption of a bill by the French legislature "relating to the settlement of certain consequences of the events of North Africa" (whose goal was to reinstate 800 officers, 800 police and 400 civil administrators returned to public office between 1961 and 1963, except for the eight putschist generals expelled from the reserves).

General Nicot accumulated 4500 hours of flight time during his career.

[edit] Decorations

• Grand Officer of the Légion d'honneur ("Legion of Honour")
• Ten citations, with nine on order of the army
• Distinguished Flying Cross (UK)