Charles Nogues

Charles Nogues was born at Montleon-Magnoac, France in 1876. After attending the Ecole Polytechnique (1897-99) he was commissioned in the artillery. Over the next few years he served in Morocco and Tunisia before joining the personal staff of General Hubert Lyautey.

Nogues served on the Western Front during the First World War as commanding officer of an artillery regiment. He also held staff positions in Paris before returning to Morocco. In 1936 Leon Blum appointed Nogues as inspector general of French troops in North Africa.

When France entered the Second World War on 3rd September 1939, Nogues was appointed commander in chief in North Africa. After the successful German Western Offensive and the surrender of France in June 1940, Nogues refused to continue the war with Germany. He also arrested French resisters such as George Mandel and had them deported to Nazi Germany.

In June 1941 Henri-Philippe Petain appointed Nogues as high commissioner of Morocco. In this post he continued to maintain a stance of neutrality and therefore honouring the terms of the armistice. When General Antoine Bethouart attempted to persuade him to support the proposed Allied invasion of North Africa, Nogues had him arrested for treason.

After the successful invasion of Algeria and Morocco by the Allies in November 1942, Georges was appointed deputy high commissioner for French North Africa. When Charles De Gaulle began arresting those involved in the Vichy government in June 1943, Nogues fled to Portugal.

In November 1947, Nogues was sentenced to 20 years hard labour for refusing to help the Allied invasion of Algeria and Morocco. Nogues returned to France in June 1954 but he was not arrested and forced to serve his sentence. Charles Nogues died in Paris on 20th April 1971.