Marie Cyrille Victor Debeney (26 April 1891 – 1 March 1956) was a French Army general. He was the head of the secretariat of

Philippe Pétain Henri Philippe Bénoni Omer Joseph Pétain (; 24 April 1856 – 23 July 1951), better known as Marshal Pétain (, ), was a French marshal who commanded the French Army in World War I and later became the head of the Collaboration with Nazi Ger ...

from August 1944 to April 1945.

Biography

Born in

Bourg-en-Bresse Bourg-en-Bresse (; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Ain department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in Eastern France. Located northeast of Lyon, it is the capital of the ancient Provinces of France, province of Bresse (). I ...

(

Ain Ain (, ; ) is a French department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, Eastern France. Named after the Ain river, it is bordered by the Saône and Rhône rivers. Ain is located on the country's eastern edge, on the Swiss border, where it ...

), Victor Debeney was the son of General Marie-Eugène Debeney (1856–1943). Voluntarily enlisting in 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 ...

in 1910, he was made a

corporal Corporal is a military rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The rank is usually the lowest ranking non-commissioned officer. In some militaries, the rank of corporal nominally corr ...

the following year, then was admitted to Saint-Cyr, graduating as sub-lieutenant in July 1913 and assigned to the ''25e bataillon de chasseurs''. He was seriously wounded during 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 ...

on 23 September 1914, when he lost an arm. At the beginning 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 was, with the rank of

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

, commander of the ''129e régiment d'infanterie.'' Promoted to ''général de brigade'', he took command on 1 June 1940 of the la ''238e division d'infanterie légère'' which had been constituted within the ''6e armée de réserve'' and stationed near

Arc-en-Barrois Arc-en-Barrois is a commune in the Haute-Marne department in the Grand Est region in northeastern France. The 18th-century French metallurgist and Encyclopédiste Étienne Jean Bouchu (1714–1773) died in Arc-en-Barrois. Geography The Aujon ...

. The unit was dissolved at the end of June 1940. He was director of the S''ervices de l'

armistice An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from t ...

'', from 16 April 1943 to 18 August 1944,. within the

Vichy government 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 defeat against ...

, then head of the general secretariat of

, succeeding Commander Tracou. He accompanied Pétain a few days later to

Sigmaringen Sigmaringen ( Swabian: ''Semmerenga'') is a town in southern Germany, in the state of Baden-Württemberg. Situated on the upper Danube, it is the capital of the Sigmaringen district. Sigmaringen is renowned for its castle, Schloss Sigmaringen, ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, then returned to France with him on 26 April 1945, and was imprisoned in Fresnes Prison. He was one of the 18 superior officers to testify in defence of Pétain at his trial in August 1945. Indicted for crimes against the State security in front of the

High Court of Justice The High Court of Justice in London, known properly as His Majesty's High Court of Justice in England, together with the Court of Appeal (England and Wales), Court of Appeal and the Crown Court, are the Courts of England and Wales, Senior Cour ...

, the case was dismissed because of his Résistance activities.. He was stricken from the Army lists on 8 March 1946. He passed away at his home on Avenue du Docteur-Brouardel in the 7e arrondissement of Paris in March 1956, aged 64.

Honours

* ''Commandeur'' of the ''Légion d'honneur'' (31 December 1939). * ''Croix de guerre 1914–1918''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Debeney, Victor 1891 births 1956 deaths Commanders of the Legion of Honour École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr alumni Recipients of the Croix de Guerre (France) People of Vichy France French Army generals of World War II French military personnel of World War I French collaborators with Nazi Germany People from Ain