JOSEPH DARNAND - From Glory to Disgrace

The biography of a Great War hero who became a cardinal figure of the Collaboration.

As the commemorations of the years 1944-1945 approach, how can we forget that certain "heroes" of the Great War and the fighting of May-June 1940 sank into the worst compromises? Among all the works devoted to the Second World War, the Resistance and the Occupation, there was a gap: a reference book on Joseph Darnand, an ambivalent figure whose life remains associated with a fundamental question: How could a patriot who deeply loved his country betray it by associating himself with the crimes committed under the aegis of the Vichy regime?

A sergeant at 21, this young adventurer made his mark during the First World War when he broke through German lines in broad daylight and then enabled France to win a battle that led to decisive victory. In 1940, he even made the front page of Match, having spied on an enemy post and brought back the lifeless body of his best friend under fire.

Ambitious and seeking to give meaning to his life — which he believed to be that of a hero unjustly turned away from the army's officer schools — he frequented all factions of the far right during the interwar period. An absolute admirer of Pétain, he followed him into a deadly spiral, moving without hesitation into the camp of limitless collaboration with the enemy. Thus, during the war, Darnand was first appointed head of the Milice before becoming an SS officer and Secretary of State for the Interior.

He was tried, sentenced to death and shot on 10 October 1945.

Drawing on hitherto unexplored sources, Eric Alary delivers an unflinching biography of one of the most reviled figures of the Collaboration.