Henri Giraud

General Henri Honoré Giraud, born January 18, 1879 in Paris on the 13th and died on 11 march 1949 in Dijon (Côte-d'or), is a military man and politician, French general of brigade from 1930, and then general of the army from 1936. Henri Giraud served in the First world War, the war of the Rif and the Second world War ; in the context of this last conflict, it is considered as one of the key figures in the process that led to the Release. In favour of the resumption of the struggle against nazi Germany and without a link to the free France, he received the support of the Americans and fit figure to rival du général de Gaulle for the leadership of the forcesalliées French. After the allied landings of November 1942 and following the death of admiral Darlan, Giraud was, during several months in power in French Africa from the North to the head first of the High commissioner of France for Africa, and then of the commander-in-chief of French civil and military ; he had under his orders the Army of Africa, engaged with Allies in operations against the Allemandset the Italians. A portion of the interior Resistance is required also of his patronage and inspiration : this was particularly the case with organizations that are resistant initially supporters of Vichy, or who rejected the authority of general de Gaulle, as the Alliance network, or the Organization of resistance of army (ORA). Giraud maintained in a first time in North Africa to the laws of Vichy, but was then convinced by Jean Monnet to make a definitive break with Pétain. The Allies pushed Giraud and de Gaulle to agree, to unite the French forces : from June to November 1943, the two generals were co-chairmen of the French Committee of national Liberation(CFLN). Giraud, however, was ousted by de Gaulle, who deprived him gradually of all responsibility, political and military, within the allied forces.