Weygand the intransigent

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What has not been written about Maxime Weygand (1867-1965)? Having played a major role in both world wars, he is one of the most famous French generals. A supporter of the armistice in 1940 and refusing to join de Gaulle, he was accused of high treason in 1945. Max Schiavon today paints a vivid portrait of this military and political figure who was as admired as he was controversial. Born in Brussels to unknown parents, Weygand's origins are shrouded in mystery: he may have actually been the illegitimate child of the King of the Belgians, Leopold II, or of the Emperor of Mexico Maximilian, or even of Charlotte, his wife. A brilliant cavalry officer, he became Foch's right-hand man during the First World War, then stopped the Red Army from invading Poland in 1920. Head of the army from 1931 to 1935, he accelerated motorization and created the first armored division in the world. In May 1940, in the darkest hours, Paul Reynaud appointed him commander-in-chief of the army to replace Gamelin who had been dismissed. Unable to rectify the situation, he advocated an armistice. Minister of National Defense, then General Delegate of the government in Africa, he secretly prepared for the resumption of combat. Arrested by the Gestapo in November 1942 and deported, he was placed in detention at the Liberation but was granted a dismissal in 1948. A member of the Académie française, Weygand died almost a hundred years old. A huge crowd came to pay tribute to him at his funeral. Thanks to new archives, Max Schiavon now provides us with the most accomplished biography of one of the myths of French military history in the 20th century.