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Henri Dentz | |
|---|---|
 Henri Dentz in 1940 | |
| High Commissioner of the Levant | |
| In office 1940–1941 | |
| Preceded by | Jean Chiappe |
| Succeeded by | Georges Catrouxas General Delegate of Free France in the Levant[1] |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Henri Fernand Dentz (1881-12-16)16 December 1881 |
| Died | 13 December 1945(1945-12-13) (aged 63) |
| Awards | Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 Croix de Guerre (Vichy) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | France Vichy France |
| Branch/service | French Army Vichy French Army |
| Years of service | 1898–1943 |
| Rank | Général d'armée |
| Commands | Army of the Levant 12th Army Corps 15th Army Corps 54th Infantry Regiment |
| Battles/wars | First World War Second World War |
Henri Fernand Dentz (French pronunciation:[ɑ̃ʁifɛʁnɑ̃dɛnts]; 16 December 1881 – 13 December 1945) was a general in theFrench Army (Armée de Terre) who served with theVichy French Army afterFrance surrendered during theSecond World War. He was tried as acollaborator after the war.
On 16 December 1881, Henri Dentz was born inRoanne,Loire,France.
In April 1941, the Vichy government appointed Dentz as theHigh Commissioner of the Levant.[2]
AsCommander in Chief of theArmy of the Levant (Armée du Levant) and as High Commissioner of the Levant, Dentz was in charge of the defence of theFrench Mandate of Syria and theFrench Mandate of Lebanon in theMiddle East. Dentz commanded an army of approximately 45,000 men.
Vichy authorities allowed aircraft from theGerman Air Force and theItalian Royal Air Force to refuel in Syria and Lebanon before and during theAnglo-Iraqi War. After this, theAllies planned an invasion of the French mandates.
On 8 June 1941, a force of approximately 20,000Australian,Indian,Free French, andBritish troops, under the command ofSir Henry M. Wilson,invaded Syria and Lebanon from theBritish Mandate of Palestine and fromIraq. Fierce fighting ensued and the Vichy forces under Dentz progressively lost ground over a 13-day period.Damascus, the capital of Syria, was abandoned on 21 June 1941.
Fighting continued in Lebanon but the Vichy forces continued to lose ground. By July, the Australians werenearing Beirut. The fall ofBeirut, the capital of Lebanon, meant the end was near. On 10 July 1941, as the Australian 21st Brigade was on the verge of entering Beirut, Dentz sought an armistice. At one minute past midnight on 12 July 1941, a ceasefire went into effect. During the ceasefire, Dentz ordered his troops the retreat toTripoli, Lebanon and then ships and aircraft went toTurkey where they were interned.
For all intents and purposes, the ceasefire on 10 July 1941 ended the campaign. An armistice, known as theArmistice of Saint Jean d'Acre, was signed on 14 July 1941. There were 37,736 Vichy French prisoners of war who survived the conflict after fighting for Dentz. Most chose to be repatriated toMetropolitan France rather than join theFree French.
In January 1945, Dentz was sentenced to death for aiding theAxis powers. ButCharles de Gaulle, thePresident of theProvisional Government of the French Republic (gouvernement provisoire de la République française, or GPRF), commuted his sentence tolife imprisonment. However, Dentz was not to serve much of this sentence. On 13 December 1945, he died of unknown causes inFresnes,Val-de-Marne, France.
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