born Jan. 21, 1867, Brussels, Belg.
died Jan. 28, 1965, Paris, France
Belgian-born French army officer.
He was educated in France and taught at the French cavalry school. He served as chief of staff to Gen. Ferdinand Foch (1914–23), as high commissioner in Syria (1923–24), and as inspector general of the army (1931–35) before retiring in 1935. In May 1940 he was recalled to take command of the French armies; unable to prevent a German victory, he advised capitulation in June. After the Allied invasion of North Africa (1942) he sought to fly to Algiers but was caught by the Germans and imprisoned in an Austrian castle. Released by U.S. troops in 1945, he was arrested by the French under the orders of Charles de Gaulle . He was exonerated by de Gaulle in 1948.