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

. Sevez was present at the German surrender in

Reims Reims ( ; ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French Departments of France, department of Marne (department), Marne, and the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, 12th most populous city in Fran ...

, and signed the

German Instrument of Surrender The German Instrument of Surrender was a legal document effecting the unconditional surrender of the remaining German armed forces to the Allies, ending World War II in Europe. It was signed at 22:43 CET on 8 May 1945 and took effect at 23 ...

as the official witness.

Military career

At the end of the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

Sevez had attained the rank of captain, and received the

Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

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

Second World War 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 ...

, he fought in

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

. 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 () was an infantry division of the Army of Africa () which participated in World War II. Created in Morocco following the liberation of French North Africa, the division fought in Corsica, Italy, metropolitan ...

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 the 34th president of the United States, serving from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, he was Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionar ...

Death

Sevez died following a hunting accident near

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

, 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 Baden-Baden () is a spa town in the states of Germany, state of Baden-Württemberg, south-western Germany, at the north-western border of the Black Forest mountain range on the small river Oos (river), Oos, ten kilometres (six miles) east of the ...

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