Henri Dentz
Encyclopedia
Henri Fernand Dentz was an officer in the French Army
(Armée de Terre) and, after France surrendered
during World War II
, he served with the Vichy French Army
.
(Armée du Levant
) and as High Commissioner of the Levant
, Dentz was in charge of the defence of the French Mandate of Syria
and the French Mandate of Lebanon
in the Middle East
. Dentz commanded an army of approximately 45,000 men.
Vichy authorities allowed aircraft from the German Air Force (Luftwaffe
) and the Italian Royal Air Force (Regia Aeronautica
) to refuel in Syria and Lebanon before and during the Anglo-Iraqi War
. After this, the Allies
planned an invasion of the French mandates.
On 8 June 1941, a force of approximately 20,000 Australia
n, Indian, Free French, and British
troops, under the command of Sir Henry M. Wilson
, invaded Syria and Lebanon
from the British Mandate of Palestine and from Iraq
. Fierce fighting ensued and Dentz and the Vichy forces were methodically 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 were nearing Beirut
. The fall of Beirut
, 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 ships and aircraft under his command to go to Turkey
where they were interned.
For all intents and purposes, the ceasefire on 10 July 1941 ended the campaign. An armistice, known as the Armistice 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 to Metropolitan France
rather than join the Free French.
, the President
of the Provisional Government of the French Republic
(gouvernement provisoire de la République française, or GPRF), commuted his sentence to life imprisonment
. However, Dentz was not to serve much of this sentence. On 13 December 1945, he died in Fresnes
, Val-de-Marne
, France.
French Army
The French Army, officially the Armée de Terre , is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces.As of 2010, the army employs 123,100 regulars, 18,350 part-time reservists and 7,700 Legionnaires. All soldiers are professionals, following the suspension of conscription, voted in...
(Armée de Terre) and, after France surrendered
Battle of France
In the Second World War, the Battle of France was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, beginning on 10 May 1940, which ended the Phoney War. The battle consisted of two main operations. In the first, Fall Gelb , German armoured units pushed through the Ardennes, to cut off and...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, he served with the Vichy French Army
Vichy France
Vichy France, Vichy Regime, or Vichy Government, are common terms used to describe the government of France that collaborated with the Axis powers from July 1940 to August 1944. This government succeeded the Third Republic and preceded the Provisional Government of the French Republic...
.
Syria-Lebanon campaign
As Commander in Chief of the Army of the LevantArmy of the Levant
The Army of the Levant identifies the armed forces of France and then Vichy France which occupied, and were in part recruited from, a portion of the "Levant" during the interwar period and early World War II.-Origins:...
(Armée du Levant
Army of the Levant
The Army of the Levant identifies the armed forces of France and then Vichy France which occupied, and were in part recruited from, a portion of the "Levant" during the interwar period and early World War II.-Origins:...
) and as High Commissioner of the Levant
High Commissioners of French-mandated Syria and Lebanon
High Commissioners of Syria and Lebanon were the highest ranking authority representing France in the french mandated countries of Syria and Lebanon. They were based in Beirut, Lebanon...
, Dentz was in charge of the defence of the French Mandate of Syria
French Mandate of Syria
Officially the French Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon was a League of Nations mandate founded after the First World War and the partitioning of the Ottoman Empire...
and the French Mandate of Lebanon
French Mandate of Lebanon
The state of Greater Lebanon, the predecessor of modern Lebanon, was created in 1920 as part of the French scheme of dividing the French Mandate of Syria into six states....
in the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
. Dentz commanded an army of approximately 45,000 men.
Vichy authorities allowed aircraft from the German Air Force (Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
) and the Italian Royal Air Force (Regia Aeronautica
Regia Aeronautica
The Italian Royal Air Force was the name of the air force of the Kingdom of Italy. It was established as a service independent of the Royal Italian Army from 1923 until 1946...
) to refuel in Syria and Lebanon before and during the Anglo-Iraqi War
Anglo-Iraqi War
The Anglo-Iraqi War was the name of the British campaign against the rebel government of Rashid Ali in the Kingdom of Iraq during the Second World War. The war lasted from 2 May to 31 May 1941. The campaign resulted in the re-occupation of Iraq by British armed forces and the return to power of the...
. After this, the Allies
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
planned an invasion of the French mandates.
On 8 June 1941, a force of approximately 20,000 Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n, Indian, Free French, and British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
troops, under the command of Sir Henry M. Wilson
Henry Maitland Wilson, 1st Baron Wilson
Field Marshal Henry Maitland Wilson, 1st Baron Wilson, GCB, GBE, DSO , also known as "Jumbo" Wilson, saw active service in the Second Boer War and First World War, and became a senior British general in the Middle East and Mediterranean during the Second World War...
, invaded Syria and Lebanon
Syria-Lebanon campaign
The Syria–Lebanon campaign, also known as Operation Exporter, was the Allied invasion of Vichy French-controlled Syria and Lebanon, in June–July 1941, during World War II. Time Magazine referred to the fighting as a "mixed show" while it was taking place and the campaign remains little known, even...
from the British Mandate of Palestine and from Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
. Fierce fighting ensued and Dentz and the Vichy forces were methodically lost ground over a 13-day period. Damascus
Damascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
, 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 were nearing Beirut
Battle of Beirut
The Battle of Beirut marked the end of hostilities in the Syria-Lebanon campaign of World War II.On 8 July, even before the fall of Damour, the Vichy French commander—General Henri Dentz—had sought an armistice: the advance on Beirut together with the Allied capture of Damascus in late June and...
. The fall of Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
, 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 ships and aircraft under his command to go to Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
where they were interned.
For all intents and purposes, the ceasefire on 10 July 1941 ended the campaign. An armistice, known as the Armistice of Saint Jean d'Acre
Armistice of Saint Jean d'Acre
The Armistice of Saint Jean d'Acre concluded the Syria-Lebanon Campaign of World War II. It was an armistice signed between Allied forces in the Middle East under the command of British General Henry Maitland Wilson, and Vichy France forces in Syria and Lebanon, under the command of General Henri...
, 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 to Metropolitan France
Metropolitan France
Metropolitan France is the part of France located in Europe. It can also be described as mainland France or as the French mainland and the island of Corsica...
rather than join the Free French.
Aftermath and death
In January 1945, Dentz was sentenced to death for aiding the Axis powers. But Charles de GaulleCharles de Gaulle
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II. He later founded the French Fifth Republic in 1958 and served as its first President from 1959 to 1969....
, the President
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
of the Provisional Government of the French Republic
Provisional Government of the French Republic
The Provisional Government of the French Republic was an interim government which governed France from 1944 to 1946, following the fall of Vichy France and prior to the Fourth French Republic....
(gouvernement provisoire de la République française, or GPRF), commuted his sentence to life imprisonment
Life imprisonment
Life imprisonment is a sentence of imprisonment for a serious crime under which the convicted person is to remain in jail for the rest of his or her life...
. However, Dentz was not to serve much of this sentence. On 13 December 1945, he died in Fresnes
Fresnes, Val-de-Marne
Fresnes is a commune in the Val-de-Marne department in the southern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris.The Fresnes Prison is located there.-Name:...
, Val-de-Marne
Val-de-Marne
Val-de-Marne is a French department, named after the Marne River, located in the Île-de-France region. The department is situated to the southeast of the city of Paris.- Geography :...
, France.
Command history
- 1934 to 1937 Commanding Officer, 54th Brigade
- 1937 to 1939 Deputy Chief, General Staff Army
- 1939 Assistant Chief General Staff, Army
- 1939 General Officer Commanding, XV Corps
- 1939 to 1940 General Officer Commanding, XII Corps
- 1940 General Officer Commanding, Paris Military region
- 1940 General Officer Commanding, 15th Military Region
- 1940 General Officer Commanding, 15th Military Division
- 1940 to 1941 General Officer Commander in Chief, Levant
- 1941 High Commissioner of Levant
- 1941 to 1942 High Commissioner of Levant supervising repatriation of the Forces of Levant
- 1942 to 1943 President of the Commission of Conferment of Awards of 1939-1940
- 1945 Arrested
- 1945 Condemned to death as collaborationist
- 1945 Sentence changed to life imprisonment
- 1945 Died in prison
See also
- Syria-Lebanon campaignSyria-Lebanon campaignThe Syria–Lebanon campaign, also known as Operation Exporter, was the Allied invasion of Vichy French-controlled Syria and Lebanon, in June–July 1941, during World War II. Time Magazine referred to the fighting as a "mixed show" while it was taking place and the campaign remains little known, even...