François Sevez was a French general during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. Sevez was present at the German surrender in Rheims, and signed the German Instrument of Surrender as the official witness.

Military career

At the end of the First World War he had attained the rank of Captain, and received the Légion d'honneur

Légion d'honneur

The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...

 in 1918 after being wounded seven times.

During early part of the Second World War, he fought in Belgium

Belgium

Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

. Captured and held prisoner, he was repatriated in 1941 and was named the Chief of Staff to General Juin. He fought in the Tunisian campaign as a brigadier General in 1942, and took command of the 4th Moroccan Mountain Division in September 1943, participating in the Italian campaign

Italian Campaign (World War II)

The Italian Campaign of World War II was the name of Allied operations in and around Italy, from 1943 to the end of the war in Europe. Joint Allied Forces Headquarters AFHQ was operationally responsible for all Allied land forces in the Mediterranean theatre, and it planned and commanded the...

 as well as the liberation of Alsace in 1944. In October 1944, he joined General de Monsabert

Joseph de Goislard de Monsabert

Joseph de Goislard de Monsabert , was a French general who served during the Second World War....

 as a commander of the French Army reserve destined to occupy Germany.

In Rheims, on 7 May 1945, acting in his capacity as General Charles de Gaulle

Charles de Gaulle

Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II. He later founded the French Fifth Republic in 1958 and served as its first President from 1959 to 1969....

's chief of staff, he signed the German Instrument of Surrender as the official witness, in the presence of General Alfred Jodl

Alfred Jodl

Alfred Josef Ferdinand Jodl was a German military commander, attaining the position of Chief of the Operations Staff of the Armed Forces High Command during World War II, acting as deputy to Wilhelm Keitel...

 and General Walter B. Smith

Walter Bedell Smith

Walter Bedell "Beetle" Smith was a senior United States Army general who served as General Dwight D. Eisenhower's chief of staff at Allied Forces Headquarters during the Tunisia Campaign and the Allied invasion of Italy...

, the chief of staff of U.S. General Dwight D. Eisenhower

Dwight D. Eisenhower

Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...

.

Death

He died following a hunting accident near Offenburg

Offenburg

Offenburg is a city located in the state of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. With about 60,000 inhabitants, it is the largest city and the capital of the Ortenaukreis.Offenburg also houses University of Applied Sciences Offenburg...

, hit by another hunter's bullet that had ricocheted off the thick skin of a wild boar. He was buried temporarily in a chapel in Baden-Baden

Baden-Baden

Baden-Baden is a spa town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is located on the western foothills of the Black Forest, on the banks of the Oos River, in the region of Karlsruhe...

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