Paul Beynet


Étienne Paul-Émile-Marie Beynet was a French Army officer who served as an infantry captain during the World War I and later joined the Free French forces in the World War II.

Biography

Beynet was educated at the École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr and gained distinction during the World War I while serving as an infantry captain. During the conflict, he was wounded on three occasions. In March 1915, he became the first commander of the newly created 114th Battalion of Alpine Chasseurs.
After the war, his military career progressed steadily. He was promoted to major in 1919, lieutenant-colonel in 1927, colonel in 1932, and brigadier general on 25 June 1935. He served in Syria in 1927 during the French Mandate and later held the post of Chief of Staff of the Levant troops from 5 May 1930. Following training at the Centre des Hautes Études Militaires, he was appointed military governor of Briançon from April 1936 to January 1938.
During this period, Beynet also took part in the interim command of the Algiers Division until August 1939 and was promoted to major general on 23 September 1938. At the outbreak of the World War II, he commanded the 81st Infantry Division from September to the end of November 1939, then led the 14th Army Corps until 6 July 1940. In this role, he succeeded in halting the Italian offensive in the fortified Alpine sectors of Savoie and Dauphiné.
In July 1940, Beynet was transferred back to Algeria, where he commanded the 19th Army Corps until September 1941. He was promoted to lieutenant general on 20 February 1941. On 17 September 1941, he was appointed head of the French delegation to the Armistice Commission in Wiesbaden. Alongside the German general, he participated in the reorganization of the French police. He also contributed to a program designed to strengthen French West African forces, including securing the creation of the 8th Regiment of Chasseurs d'Afrique, intended to counter Free French influence from French Equatorial Africa.
Although he was treated relatively favorably by the German authorities, Beynet remained under constant surveillance by the Gestapo in Wiesbaden. His movements were restricted to a radius of approximately 20 miles and required accompaniment by a German liaison officer.
Placed in reserve status in October 1942, Beynet severed ties with the Vichy regime and made contact with Colonel Passy, head of the BCRA. He traveled to London, where he was received by Charles de Gaulle, and formally joined the Free French forces on 26 March 1943. De Gaulle subsequently entrusted him with diplomatic responsibilities, including leadership of the French Military Mission in Washington, D.C. from November 1943 to 25 February 1944. On 23 October 1944, he was granted the rank of General of the Reserve Army.
From 23 January 1944 to 1 September 1946, Beynet served as General Delegate of Free France in the Levant, replacing Yves Chataigneau. His tenure coincided with a rapid decline in French influence in the region, as British strategic interests intensified and independence movements in Syria and Lebanon gained momentum. In December 1943, a Franco-Lebanese-Syrian agreement granted broad autonomy to local authorities while maintaining French control of the special troops of the Army of the Levant. After the liberation of Paris, France’s continued military presence in the Levant became increasingly difficult to justify.
Operating from the Pine Residence in Beirut, Beynet was instructed by de Gaulle to preserve France’s privileged position in the region, including plans to establish an air base in Syria and a naval base in Lebanon in April 1945. He encountered opposition from British representative Edward Spears as well as from emerging local leaders.
Anti-French demonstrations erupted in January 1945, followed by the creation of the Arab League in March by Syria, Lebanon, and four other states. Disputes over the command of the special troops led to violent unrest in Beirut and Damascus in late May 1945. During these events, French delegate General Fernand Olive ordered artillery and aerial bombardments of Damascus, actions to which Beynet did not object. The Levant Crisis ended only after intervention by Winston Churchill, which imposed a ceasefire.
In December 1945, an agreement with the United Kingdom finalized the withdrawal of French troops, which Beynet announced publicly in Beirut. Under his authority, the evacuation was completed in Syria in April 1946 and later that year in Lebanon.
He died on 9 April 1969 in Annecy at the age of 85.

Awards