Vichy France

I saw in here: Philippe Pétain - Wikipedia

That during French army WW1 mutinies Petain "Pétain restored morale by talking to the men, promising no more suicidal attacks, providing rest for exhausted units, home furloughs, and moderate discipline. He held 3400 court martials; 554 mutineers were sentenced to death but over 90% had their sentences commuted.[5] The mutinies were kept secret from the Germans and their full extent and intensity were not revealed until decades later."

And also, after his own trial after WW2:

"At the end of Pétain's trial, he was convicted on all charges. The jury sentenced him to death by a one-vote majority. Due to his advanced age, the Court asked that the sentence not be carried out. De Gaulle, who was President of the Provisional Government of the French Republic at the end of the war, commuted the sentence to life imprisonment due to Pétain's age and his military contributions in World War I. After his conviction, the Court stripped Pétain of all military ranks and honours save for the one distinction of Marshal of France.

Fearing riots at the announcement of the sentence, De Gaulle ordered that Pétain be immediately transported on the former's private aircraft to Fort du Portalet in the Pyrenees,[58] where he remained from 15 August to 16 November 1945. The government later transferred him to the Fort de Pierre-Levée citadel on the Île d'Yeu, a small island off the French Atlantic coast."

I was also quite surprised by some of the info in the section on his "Imprisonment and death" - such as for example: "As early as June 1946 U.S. President Harry Truman interceded in vain for his release, even offering to provide political asylum in the U.S"

The Nazi's were not noted for being forgiving to their enemies, or for releasing many of their opponents, e.g. due to their infirmity or age: Aktion T4 - Wikipedia

"Aktion 14f13 (1941–44), a Nazi extermination operation that killed prisoners who were sick, elderly, or deemed no longer fit for work"

Although some civilian's could be "released" due to their age: P. G. Wodehouse - Wikipedia
"thus released from internment a few months before his sixtieth birthday—the age at which civilian internees were released by the Nazis"

I wonder if an "honourable option" was ever considered as a "option" for Petain, i.e. such as occurred in Japanese society: Seppuku - Wikipedia

Or Rommel: Erwin Rommel - Wikipedia

"However, Hitler knew that having Rommel branded and executed as a traitor would severely damage morale on the home front. He thus decided to offer Rommel the chance to take his own life"

 

One thing of note,Petain when he died, was to be interred as "of no profession" inscribed on his tombstone.There was a change of policy and the inscription was replaced with "Marshal of France"

 

Don't Forget and Don't Forgive

 

Archive on 4 - Pétain on Trial: From Hero to Traitor - BBC Sounds

"26 Jul 2025 - Available for over a year
Allan Little explores the troubling legacy of Philippe Pétain’s infamous trial, 80 years on, which shook and divided France to its core.
Poring over archive, we hear how France attempted to reckon with its collaboration with the Nazi regime, the trial acting as a mirror for the nation to face up to its dark past. Eight decades of disagreement over Pétain’s crimes reflect not only national trauma, but a country that remains deeply divided over its past, even today.
Little speaks with those who find modern parallels with a resurgent far right, finding contemporary relevance in a country in which Pétainism remains alive and well.
He hears from Julian Jackson, historian and author of France on Trial, who argues that it was the nation itself that was put on trial in 1945. They discuss the key moments and why the event took such a toll on the nation's psyche.
Sophie Pedder, Paris bureau chief for The Economist, sees Pétain as a reference point for a country preoccupied with its past, and a reminder of dark and painful times.
Nabila Ramdani, author of Fixing France, believes the trial remains as relevant as ever, with far right figures rehabilitating Pétain’s image and apologising for his actions.
Historian Daniel Lee counts the cost of collaboration on France’s Jewish population. He reflects on why the Holocaust was almost completely absent from the trial, despite the Vichy regime having sent thousands of Jews to their deaths.
Presented by Allan Little
Produced by Robbie Armstrong
Executive producer: Mark Rickards
A Whistledown Scotland production for BBC Radio"

 

A very quality information source.

Along time ago I watched on BBC Timewatch, Shoah, a two part documentary by Claude Lanzmann. Another good insight to the events that France endured during WW2

I recorded it on VHS cassette which unfortunately it is difficult to view now since the demise of the VHS video recorder.

Other publications of note on the subject are:
Verdict on Vichy...... Power and Prejudice in the Vichy France Regime by Michael Curtis.
Petain's Crime...... The full story of French collaboration in the Holocaust by Paul Webster.