General Maurice Gamelin, the son of a general, was born in Paris, France, on 20th September 1872. A good student, Gamelin graduated first in his class at St. Cyr in 1891 and joined the 1st Regiment of Algerian Tirailleurs. On the outbreak of the Second World War Gamelin made his headquarters in the Chateau of Vincennes. He assured Daladier that France had the greatest army in the world and was shocked when it was easily defeated by the German Army during the Western Offensive. On 17th May 1940 he was sacked and replaced by General Maxime Weygand. Gamelin was arrested by the Vichy authorities in September 1940, and was held in France before being deported to Germany in 1943. He was liberated in 1945 and published his memoirs in 1946. Maurice Gamelin died in 1958.
