Pierre HENTIC was born on April 2, 1917, at Brittany.
He had an eventless childhood; attended a lay school complemented with religious education.
At 19, he underwent military training and was sent to the 27th alpine hunter battalion. Thanks to his sportsmanship, he became the rowing and ski champion. Moreover, he received his first aid and nursing certificates. In September 1939, he was dispatched as a skier-scout to the Italian border, before being airlifted alongside his battalion to Narvik, Norway.
After the rout, Pierre HENTIC, upon disengagement, entered the Resistance in January 1941. He served as the liaison officer in the Jade-Fitzroy network. In 1942, he was captured but managed to escape and immediately resumed service. Early 1943, he went to England where he was trained as an air and maritime operations officer. He was then responsible for organizing fraudulent landings of aircrafts on French soil as well as the extraction of Allied servicemen and pilots shot. In February 1944, he was again captured by the Germans, jailed in the Fresnes prison, and deported to the Dachau concentration camp, where he was released in 1945.
After his release, and considering his statement of service, Pierre HENTIC was integrated directly into the army with the rank of active lieutenant. Then he was 28. As a certified parachutist, he left for Indochina where he was sent to the 1st Intervention Battalion. During his first stay, he served as a commando head, and later on as an intelligence officer. During his second stay, Captain Pierre HENTIC was promoted to the officer of the airlifted group of mixed commandos (GCMA), operating on the Hrès plateau.
After six years of war in Indochina, Captain HENTIC landed in Algeria where he assumed various functions especially with Bachaga Boualem, the vice speaker of the National Assembly, who asked him to handle an auxiliary force of 300 harkis. Following these functions, a bid more close to the political world for an officer of his calibre considered too realistic, Captain HENTIC was sent to the Tunisian border as the quarter head, before returning to France where he ended his military career as a battalion boss, deputy commander of the 1st RCP.
Commander of the Legion of Honour, holder of thirteen commendations, this famous volunteer serviceman received the Resistance medal, the Second World War cross, the Overseas Operations war crosses, the military valour cross and several other awards. PC FNCV