Josef Darnan French collaborator. Country: France

1. Biography of Joseph Darnand
2. Collaboration with Vichy Government
3. Role in Vichy Government
4. Post-War Capture and Execution

Biography of Joseph Darnand

Joseph Aimé Darnand (1897, Coligny - October 10, 1945, Fort Châtillon, near Paris) was a French collaborator. He served as a journalist and participated in World War I. Darnand joined the extremist group "Action Française" in 1925 and the French Popular Party of J. Doriot in 1936. In 1939, he was mobilized into the army and was captured in June 1940. After his release, he moved to Nice.

Collaboration with Vichy Government

Darnand actively supported the Vichy government and held pro-German positions. He became the leader of the French Legion of Veterans in the Alps department. In February 1942, he founded the auxiliary militarized Legionnaire service called "Service d'Ordre Legionnaire," which was transformed into the French Milice in January 1943. The Milice Francaise, which was under the control of the Vichy government, had around 30,000 members. Darnand, as the head of the Milice, participated in the fight against the French Resistance, the deportation of Jews, and the arrest of communists and other opponents of the regime. He also became a member of the French SS formations, obtaining the rank of SS-Sturmbannführer.

Role in Vichy Government

On December 29, 1943, Darnand became the chief of the French police, and on January 10, 1944, he became the Secretary-General of the Vichy government. He also took control of the prisons under the Ministry of Justice. From June 13 to August 14, 1944, he served as the Minister of the Interior in the Vichy government. From January 30, 1945, until the end of the war, he held the position of General Secretary (Commander) of the French Milice, which was created "to fight against moral decline."

Post-War Capture and Execution

After the liberation of France in 1944, Darnand fled to Germany, where he became part of the puppet French government created by the Nazis in Sigmaringen. From June 13 to August 17, 1944, he served as the Minister of the Interior in this government. In September 1944, he joined the Committee for the Preservation of National Interests in Sigmaringen. Darnand was arrested by the Americans on May 12, 1945, but was later released and fled to Italy. On June 28, 1945, he was captured by the British secret service and handed over to the French authorities on July 3. He was accused of collaborating with the Nazis and sentenced to death by the French Supreme Court in Paris on October 3, 1945. Darnand was executed by firing squad.