Henri Dentz

Henri Fernand Dentz (16 December 1881 – 13 December 1945) was a soldier and general in the French Army (Armée de Terre) and, after France surrendered during World War II, he served with the Vichy French Army.

On 16 December 1881, Henri Dentz was born in Roanne, Loire, France.

As Commander in Chief of the Army of the Levant (Armée du Levant) and as High Commissioner of the Levant, Dentz was in charge of the defence of the French Mandate of Syria and the French Mandate of Lebanon in the Middle East. Dentz commanded an army of approximately 45,000 men.

Vichy authorities allowed aircraft from the German Air Force (Luftwaffe) and the Italian Royal Air Force (Regia Aeronautica) to refuel in Syria and Lebanon before and during the Anglo-Iraqi War. After this, the Allies planned an invasion of the French mandates.

On 8 June 1941, a force of approximately 20,000 Australian, Indian, Free French, and British troops, under the command of Sir Henry M. Wilson, invaded Syria and Lebanon from the British Mandate of Palestine and from Iraq. Fierce fighting ensued and Dentz and the Vichy forces were methodically lost ground over a 13-day period. Damascus, the capital of Syria, was abandoned on 21 June 1941.

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