François Sevez (22 October 1891 – 29 February 1948) was a French general during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Sevez was present at the German surrender in

Reims Reims ( , , ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French department of Marne, and the 12th most populous city in France. The city lies northeast of Paris on the Vesle river, a tributary of the Aisne. Founded by ...

, and signed the

German Instrument of Surrender The German Instrument of Surrender (german: Bedingungslose Kapitulation der Wehrmacht, lit=Unconditional Capitulation of the "Wehrmacht"; russian: Акт о капитуляции Германии, Akt o kapitulyatsii Germanii, lit=Act of capit ...

as the official witness.

Military career

At the end of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

Sevez had attained the rank of captain, and received the

Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

in 1918 after being wounded seven times. During the early part of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, he fought in

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

. Captured and held prisoner, he was repatriated in 1941 and was named the Chief of Staff to General Juin. He fought in the Tunisian campaign as a brigadier general in 1942, and took command of the

4th Moroccan Mountain Division The 4th Moroccan Mountain Division (french: 4e Division marocaine de montagne, 4e DMM) was an infantry division of the Army of Africa (french: Armée d'Afrique) which participated in World War II. Created in Morocco following the liberation of ...

in September 1943, participating in the Italian campaign as well as the liberation of Alsace in 1944. In October 1944, he joined General de Monsabert as a commander of the French Army reserve destined to occupy Germany. In

, on 7 May 1945, acting in his capacity as deputy to General Alphonse Juin, he signed the

as the official witness, in the presence of General Alfred Jodl and General Walter B. Smith, the chief of staff of U.S. General

Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...

Death

Sevez died following a hunting accident near

Offenburg Offenburg ("open borough" - coat of arms showing open gates; Low Alemannic German, Low Alemmanic: ''Offäburg'') is a city located in the state of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. With nearly 60,000 inhabitants (2019), it is the largest city and the ad ...

, hit by another hunter's bullet that had ricocheted off the thick skin of a wild boar. He was buried temporarily in a chapel in Baden-Baden.

References

1891 births 1948 deaths French military personnel of World War I French military personnel of World War II Accidental deaths in Germany Deaths by firearm in Germany Hunting accident deaths Military personnel from Chambéry Firearm accident victims {{hunting-stub