Cadaver

The showdown came at 7 in the morning. German General von Neubronn ordered his SS men to break down the door to old Marshal Petain's bedroom. To the half-dressed Chief of the Vichy State, he issued an ultimatum.

At 8 o'clock, six automobiles whisked through the city of Vichy, sped northeastward, convoyed by German Army motorcycles. Among the passengers: Petain, his wife, his personal physician.

By 9 o'clock, friends of Petain were passing out circulars, with the Marshal's farewell message:

"Frenchmen! At the moment you read this message, I am no longer free. Although I could not be your sword, I tried at least to be your shield. My words and my acts have surprised you occasionally. But you may now know that they hurt me more than they hurt you."

Three days later, Petain turned up in the small French town of Morvillars, six miles from the Swiss border. Near by were Chief of Government Pierre Laval and the head of the Vichy Militia, Joseph Darnand. At last report, Petain and Laval were in Germany. The whereabouts of labor chief Marcel Deat and fascist leader Jacques Doriot were not reported. But Fernand Bouisson, president of the Vichy Chamber of Deputies, had been caught by the Maquis four miles from St. Raphael, was being held for Allied justice.

As the Vichyites disappeared, the names of democratic French leaders came back into the news. Former Chamber of Deputies President Edouard Herriot and Premier Leon Blum, who had been reported dead, were now reported to be in Germany. Reported "living quietly" was: General Maxime Weygand (in the Tyrol). Reported assassinated by Darnand's militia in Paris: ex-Cabinet Minister Georges Mandel.

Justice of another kind quickly overtook the Vichy regime. Switzerland withdrew recognition of the Vichy Government, prepared to recognize the Government of General Charles de Gaulle. The Vatican ceased to recognize Vichy. Sweden and Turkey bowed out. Spain and Portugal raced for the privilege of dropping the hot cake, ended in a dead heat of disclaimers against Vichy's further right to diplomatic recognition.

Thus, unwept, unhonored and unsung, died Vichy France.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.