Marshal Pétain was a first world war hero, but later disgraced as head of Vichy FranceThe French president has said it is “legitimate” to pay tribute to Marshal Philippe Pétain, who led the French army to victory in the first world war but decades later collaborated with Nazi Germany. Facebook Twitter Pinterest French war graves at the Douaumont Ossuary near Verdun. Pétain emerged as a national hero, and many streets in towns and cities across France were named after him. Two decades later, with the country poised to fall to German forces in the second world war, Pétain was appointed prime minister of France. After the war, Pétain was sentenced to death for treason, though President Charles de Gaulle, a longtime admirer of Pétain, reduced the punishment to life in prison.

Source: The Guardian November 07, 2018 14:34 UTC