28 January 1965(1965-01-28) (aged 98) Paris, France
Nationality
Belgian
French
Alma mater
École Spéciale Militaire
Signature
Military service
Allegiance
Third Republic Vichy France
Branch/service
French Army
Cavalry
Years of service
1887–1942
Rank
Army general
Battles/wars
List
First World War
Polish–Soviet War
Second World War
Battle of France
Maxime Weygand (French pronunciation:[vɛɡɑ̃]; 21 January 1867 – 28 January 1965) was a French military commander in World War I and World War II, as well as a high ranking member of the Vichy regime.
Born in Belgium, Weygand was raised in France and educated at the Saint-Cyr military academy in Paris. After graduating in 1887, he went on to become an instructor at the Cavalry School at Saumur. During World War I, Weygand served as a staff officer to General (later Marshal) Ferdinand Foch. He then served as an advisor to Poland in the Polish–Soviet War and later High Commissioner of the Levant. In 1931, Weygand was appointed Chief of Staff of the French Army, a position he served until his retirement in 1935 at the age of 68.
In May 1940, Weygand was recalled for active duty and assumed command of the French Army during the German invasion. Following a series of military setbacks, Weygand advised armistice and France subsequently capitulated. He joined Philippe Pétain's Vichy regime as Minister for Defence and served until September 1940, when he was appointed Delegate-General in French North Africa. He was noted for exceptionally harsh implementation of German Anti-Semitic policies while in this position. Despite this, Weygand favoured only limited collaboration with Germany and was dismissed from his post in November 1941 on Adolf Hitler's demand. Following the Allied invasion of North Africa in November 1942, Weygand was arrested by the Germans and imprisoned at Itter Castle in Austria until May 1945. After returning to France, he was held as a collaborator at the Val-de-Grâce but was released in 1946 and cleared of charges in 1948. He died in January 1965 in Paris at the age of 98.
^Sources de l'histoire du Proche-Orient et de l'Afrique du Nord dans les archives et bibliothèques françaises (in French). 1996. p. 1225.
MaximeWeygand (French pronunciation: [vɛɡɑ̃]; 21 January 1867 – 28 January 1965) was a French military commander in World War I and World War II, as well...
Weygand is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: Conrad Weygand (1890–1945), German chemist MaximeWeygand (1867–1965), French military commander...
MaximeWeygand, who claimed his first mission as Commander-in-Chief would be to get a good night's sleep. Gamelin's orders were cancelled and Weygand...
mission members included French diplomat, Jean Jules Jusserand, general MaximeWeygand, chief of staff to Marshal Ferdinand Foch (the Supreme Commander of...
the newly formed Ninth Army during the First Battle of the Marne with MaximeWeygand as his chief of staff. Only a week after taking command, with the whole...
modernization plan in 1915. Upon its completion, the street was renamed after MaximeWeygand, the High Commissioner of French-mandated Syria and Lebanon who served...
Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs MaximeWeygand, French military commander from World War I and World War II Olympe Maxime, French and is the headmistress...
the Secretary-General for Foreign Affairs, and with the support of MaximeWeygand and Lebrun, Pétain stood firm, which led Laval to withdraw, followed...
Minister in March. The 67-year-old Gamelin was replaced by the 73-year-old MaximeWeygand, who crucially delayed planned counter-attacks before eventually launching...
particularly Vice-Premier Philippe Pétain and Commander-in-Chief General MaximeWeygand, insisted that the responsibility of the government was to remain in...
in government. They included French diplomat, Jean Jules Jusserand, MaximeWeygand, chief of staff to Marshal Ferdinand Foch (the Supreme Commander of...
ministers Édouard Daladier and Paul Reynaud, former commanders-in-chief MaximeWeygand and Maurice Gamelin, Charles de Gaulle's elder sister Marie-Agnès Cailliau...
September 1939, there was almost no fighting, and no bombs were dropped. MaximeWeygand, commander-in-chief; little military activity between the defeat of...
British representative Other members of the delegation included: General MaximeWeygand, Foch's chief of staff (later French commander-in-chief in 1940) Rear-Admiral...
May Reynaud removed commander-in-chief Maurice Gamelin in favour of MaximeWeygand. On 26 May, around lunchtime, Reynaud attended a meeting in London with...
territory. In June 1923 the French administration, headed by General MaximeWeygand, allowed individual states to elect their own representative councils...
July 1867). This son would become the future French general MaximeWeygand. As an adult, Weygand did indeed share a certain physical resemblance to Alfred...
Decree 2980, which was issued on 5 December, 1924, by High Commissioner MaximeWeygand and took effect on 1 January, 1925. The decree merged the states of...
Bordeaux, mainly with the newly nominated defence minister, General MaximeWeygand. Adolf Hitler had a number of reasons for agreeing to an armistice....
Anthony Ulrich of Brunswick Imperial Russian Army Russia 1740–1741 MaximeWeygand French Army France 1940 His rank was général d'armée, but his title...
larger units and forming a defence in depth, was proposed by General MaximeWeygand in 1940 during the Battle of France. However, Allied forces were unable...
hold out, and the Italian advance had been contained. Nevertheless, MaximeWeygand signed the surrender instrument and the army was ordered out of their...
were forced to retreat to the coastline of France. 20 May: General MaximeWeygand replaces General Maurice-Gustave Gamelin as supreme Allied commander...
weapons. French troops were sent into the area, as Général d'armée MaximeWeygand attempted to build up a defence in depth on the south bank of the Somme...
from Dunkirk, which cost the Allies 61 divisions. French commander MaximeWeygand was faced with the prospect of defending a 965 km (600 mi) front from...
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