Dentz, General Henri, 1871-1945

Dentz was the pro-Vichy High Commissioner in Syria in June 1941. He was the Commander in Chief of Armed Forces in Syria and had 35,000 wellarmed men and 159 aircraft at his disposal. When Britain and the Free French Army invaded Syria on 8 June 1941 Dentz’s men fought bitterly and Dentz held out for as long as possible. He had insufficient air cover and the Vichy government was reluctant to ask for German assistance so on 10 July Dentz signed an armistice with the British. He was arrested a few months later when it was discovered that he had broken the terms of the armistice by sending Prisoners of War out of Syria after the armistice had been signed.