Christian de Castries was born on 11 August 1902 in Paris, France. He was married to Denise Schwob d'Héricourt. He died on 29 July 1991 in Paris, France.
Commanded the French at the disastrous Battle of Dien Bien Phu, Spring
1954. Considered irresistible to women, he was reputed to have named
the base's three outlying artillery positions -- Gabrielle, Béatrice,
and Isabelle -- after his mistresses.