Juin, General Alphonse

Juin, General Alphonse (1888–1967),French Army officer who served the Vichy regime after the fall of France before commanding the French Expeditionary Corps (FEC) which fought with the Allies during the Italian campaign.

Juin, Algerian-born, was a classmate of de Gaulle's at the French military academy at St Cyr, but he did not join the Free French until mid-1943. As a brigadier-general he commanded the 15th Motorized Infantry Division which took part in the stubborn defence of Lille during the fighting which preceded the fall of France in June 1940, and which enabled so many to escape from Dunkirk. In June 1941 the Germans were persuaded to release him to join General Weygand in North Africa where he was promoted maj-general and put in command of all French troops in French Morocco. When Weygand was recalled to France in November 1941, Juin was promoted lt-general and became Commander, Land Forces North Africa.

After the landings which started the Allied North African campaign in November 1942, Juin joined the Allies and commanded the French land forces (five divisions, mostly Tirailleurs and Spahis, and a light mechanized brigade) which fought in Tunisia. In February 1943, when his forces became the 19th French Corps, he was promoted general and withdrawn to form the FEC. However, he still retained the right to intervene in French operations when he thought necessary, and did so very positively during the German advance through the Kasserine Pass. Before moving with the FEC to Italy in November 1943, he acted as resident-general of Tunisia and in that capacity he was obliged to remove the Bey of Tunis, a political move with which he strongly disagreed, but his opposition to the Nationalist leader, Habib Bourguiba—Juin did not believe the North African territories were capable of self government—led to Bourguiba fleeing the country. During his nine months as commander of the FEC he reverted, at his own request, to the rank of lt-general. In July 1944 he became chief of staff of French National Defence and after the war served as C-in-C Land Forces Central Europe for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. He was promoted a Marshal of France in May 1952.

Bibliography

Clayton, A. , Three Marshals of France (London, 1992).