World War II Database

Henri Honoré Giraud was born in Paris, France. He graduated from the Saint-Cyr Military Academy in 1900 and served in French North Africa and then WW1 where he survived serious war injury. In the interwar years, he served with the French military in Constantinople and Morocco.

During WW2, he led the 7th and then the 9th Army Group in defending the German invasion. He was able to delay German advance slight in the Netherlands but was not able to prevent his own capture by the enemy on 19 May 1940. He was kept as a prisoner of war at the Königstein Castle near Dresden. On 17 Apr 1942, he escaped from the castle and sneaked into Vichy-France via Switzerland. For the escape he became a target of German assassins, but his initial support for Philippe Pétain might have saved his life.

On 7 Nov 1942, he traveled to Algiers to meet with British personnel, who took him to Gibraltar to meet with Dwight Eisenhower. He was approached by the western Allies to assist in the upcoming Allied landings in North Africa (Operation Torch), but Giraud would only provide support if he was named the overall command for such an operation. François Darlan, who later cooperated with the Allies, became the High Commissioner of French North and West Africa, a position Giraud wanted had he cooperated with the Allies. On 10 Nov, he finally submitted himself to the Allies as Darlan's army commander.

Less than two months later, 20-year-old Ferdinand Bonnier de La Chapelle assassinated Darlan, giving Giraud the opportunity to become the leader of the French in Africa. He received such a responsibility with Eisenhower's support. At this position, he became co-presidents of the Free French along side of Charles de Gaulle, though the more politically-minded de Gaulle continued to consolidate his own power at Giraud's expense.

On 13 Sep 1943, Giraud led the landings on the island of Corsica, wresting the control of the island from Vichy-France by aligning himself with the Communist rebels there. He drew much criticism by this action, and finally lost all political power to de Gaulle in Nov 1943. He retired from his post among the Free French as a result.

After the war, Eisenhower wrote fondly of Giraud. "Giraud was my friend", he wrote. "He was a fighting man and thoroughly honest and straightforward."

On 28 Aug 1944, he survived an assassination attempt in Algeria.

After the war he helped writing the constitution of the new French republic and wrote two books on his WW2 experiences. He passed away in Dijon, France, in 1949.

Photographs

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