Erwan Bergot (27 January 1930 – 1 May 1993) was a French Army officer and author; he served in the French Army during the First Indochina War and Algerian War.

Biography

Born to a Breton family in Bordeaux, Erwan Bergot volunteered to serve in Indochina after completing his mandatory military service in 1951. He served in the 6th Colonial Parachute Battalion under Major Marcel Bigeard, after that he commanded the heavy mortar company of the 1st Foreign Parachute Battalion at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu. He was taken prisoner and experienced the hell of the Viet Minh internment camps; he was among the few that survived. In 1955, Bergot was recalled to serve in Algeria in the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment and 11e Choc. He was seriously wounded in his right eye during a clash at Constantine in 1961, leaving the frontline to write and report.

He became the first editor of the magazine of the French Army in 1962, writing his first book in 1964, Deuxième classe à Dien-Bien-Phu, which achieved immediate success. He then dedicated himself completely to writing, which resulted in around fifty books and additional notoriety. He received numerous literary awards including the prize of the Académie française and the Claude Farrère prize. The French Army annually awards an Erwan Bergot prize.