Marcel Louis Joseph Têtu (30 October 1888 – 15 December 1983) was a general of the

French Air Force The French Air and Space Force (, , ) is the air force, air and space force of the French Armed Forces. Formed in 1909 as the ("Aeronautical Service"), a service arm of the French Army, it became an independent military branch in 1934 as the Fr ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Early life

Marcel Têtu was born in

Chalon-sur-Saône Chalon-sur-Saône (, literally ''Chalon on Saône'') is a city in the Saône-et-Loire Departments of France, department in the Regions of France, region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in eastern France. It is a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefectu ...

, France on 30 October 1888, and he entered the

French Army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (, , ), is the principal Army, land warfare force of France, and the largest component of the French Armed Forces; it is responsible to the Government of France, alongside the French Navy, Fren ...

artillery Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...

and the air corps after graduating from the

École Polytechnique (, ; also known as Polytechnique or l'X ) is a ''grande école'' located in Palaiseau, France. It specializes in science and engineering and is a founding member of the Polytechnic Institute of Paris. The school was founded in 1794 by mat ...

in 1908. Promoted to the rank of ''général de corps aérien'' (lieutenant general), he was appointed second in command to the Air Force Chief of Staff, General Joseph Vuillemin, by the left-wing minister

Guy La Chambre Guy La Chambre (5 June 1898 – 24 May 1975) was a French politician. He served as Minister of Merchant Marine in 1934 and Minister of Air from 1938 until 1940. Life Guy La Chambre was born on 5 June 1898, into a prosperous family with r ...

World War II

Têtu commanded the Cooperative Air Force during the

Battle of France The Battle of France (; 10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign (), the French Campaign (, ) and the Fall of France, during the Second World War was the Nazi Germany, German invasion of the Low Countries (Belgium, Luxembour ...

in 1940, leading both

British Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of the Royal Flying Corps (R ...

, including the British Air Forces in France, and

planes against the German Luftwaffe. He was responsible for liaison between land and air forces for the Théâtre d'Opérations du Nord-Est (North-eastern Theatre of Operations) under General

Alphonse Georges Alphonse Joseph Georges (; 15 August 1875 – 24 April 1951) was a French army officer. He was commander in chief of the North-Eastern Front in 1939 and 1940. Opposing the plan by supreme commander Maurice Gamelin to move the best Allied forces ...

. The Theatre of Operations consisted of three army groups; one of four armies (Army Group 1), one of three armies (Army Group 2) and one of one army and reserves ( 3rd Army Group (France)). On 22 June 1940, he pledged his loyalty to

Vichy France Vichy France (; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was a French rump state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II, established as a result of the French capitulation after the Battle of France, ...

, and he became a colonial administrator in

Gabon Gabon ( ; ), officially the Gabonese Republic (), is a country on the Atlantic coast of Central Africa, on the equator, bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north, the Republic of the Congo to the east and south, and ...

as Deputy Governor General of

French Equatorial Africa French Equatorial Africa (, or AEF) was a federation of French colonial territories in Equatorial Africa which consisted of Gabon, French Congo, Ubangi-Shari, and Chad. It existed from 1910 to 1958 and its administration was based in Brazzav ...

. In October 1940, Gaullist Free French forces invaded Gabon, and Têtu was forced to surrender at

Libreville Libreville (; ) is the capital and largest city of Gabon, located on the Gabon Estuary. Libreville occupies of the northwestern province of Estuaire Province, Estuaire. Libreville is also a port on the Gabon Estuary, near the Gulf of Guinea. A ...

on 9 November. Têtu refused to join the

Free French Free France () was a resistance government claiming to be the legitimate government of France following the dissolution of the Third French Republic, Third Republic during World War II. Led by General , Free France was established as a gover ...

, and he was interned in a

prisoner-of-war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...

camp for two years. He died in

Nice Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one million1888 births 1983 deaths French Air Force generals French Air Force personnel of World War II People from Chalon-sur-Saône École Polytechnique alumni People of French Equatorial Africa French collaborators with Nazi Germany {{France-mil-bio-stub