No Frenchman of his generation — in fact, few soldiers anywhere — had fought as much as Salan. … From now on his character was shaped by the twin influences of the colonial army and clandestine intelligence work, the intrigues of which he found far from unappealing. … Then, in 1954, it was Salan who had to preside over the humiliating end of the présence française in Indo-China.

XREF: Connects to the broader theme of generals shaped by colonial warfare (Dien Bien Phu, Algeria) who later turned against their own state.

Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Alge…, loc. 535