Charles Mast

Charles Emmanuel Mast , wire of Michel-Edmond and Jeanne Gouat, was born on January 7th 1889 in Paris and died in 1977 in Paris, at the 88 years age.

Pre-war period

His/her father, Michel-Edmond, are officer. His/her grandmother is originating in Brumath in Alsace. It counts among its ancestors of the Protestant pastors of the Palatinat or the Bade-Wurtemberg come to take refuge in France at the XVIIe century, of which Andreas Cellarius (theologist).

Before the war colonel Mast is the French military attach3e with Tōkyō starting from 1937. The 3/25/37, Charles Mast is colonel, but it is already 48 years old.

He married, on May 14th, 1915, with Marie-madeleine Leroy, of which Georges Mast (1915-1978), polytechnician promotion 1935.

Second world war at the beginning of

He is chief of staff of the 10th army corps, on June 1st, 1940, brigadier general temporarily, then brigadier general. Captive fact by the Nazis the same month, it is imprisoned with the Forteresse of Königstein from where it escapes, quite front Henri Giraud (general). Charles Mast is then named chief of the Division of Walk of Algiers, then chief of the 3 {{E}} North-African Division, in 1940. It is suspected of being one résitant and is imprisoned in 1941. His/her friend, the colonel Numata , military attach3e Japanese near the Mode of Vichy, request his release and obtains it. Charles Mast is at his coming out of prison chief of staff of the 19th body, in 1942 in North Africa.

The unloading combined in North Africa

The general Charles Mast, with the staff of the Area of Algiers, one of the first and the most important collaborators of the American services to prepare the unloading. It meets at a clandestine meeting held with Cherchell, on October 23rd, 1942, on the coast, not far from Algiers, in the villa Teyssier, the general Mark Wayne Clark, associated Eisenhower secretly come out of submarine to meet various military and civil representatives of the resistance, of which the colonel Jousse, Charles Mast, and Bernard Karsenty, associated Jose Aboulker.

The general Mark Wayne Clark, arm-right of Eisenhower consisére Charles Mast like the pal-word of Henri Giraud (general) and the chief of the French Armies in North Africa.

The agreements of Cherchell, in addition to the military part of these agreements, include provisions very favorable to France, which will have to be treated into allied after the unloading. This first conference between the allied and French staffs, puts in anger Charles de Gaulle which suspects the Americans of not trusting him.

Suspected of being the resistant ones, colonels Jousse, Barrel and Magnan, as well as the generals of Montsabert, Béthouard and Mast, are raised of their commands and quarantined by Darlan.

Henri Giraud (general), contacted by an American envoy and Jacques Lemaigre-Dubreuil, agrees to take part in the operation, but it requires initially that it take place in France simultaneously, and that he exerts the command as a chief personally of it. While waiting, it indicates, it to represent near entreated, the general Charles Mast, chief of staff of the army corps of Algiers. Charles Mast is used as intermediary between Henri Giraud (general) and Charles de Gaulle in particular for the military questions. He is posed in adversary Darlan and of Alphonse Juin.

Charles Mast takes the command of the division of walk of Casablanca, in 1942, then he is the chief of the military Missions in Syria and Egypt, in 1943.

Resident general of France in Tunisia

Immediately close the catch of Tunis and Bizerte, Henri Giraud (general) on May 7th 1943 names Charles Mast like Résident general of France in Tunisia. Thereafter, the Vichyist general Prioux, is proposed by same the Henri Giraud (general), to replace it. Prioux is isolated because Charles Mast is from now on a close relation of the general de Gaulle, and it is maintained in its functions of Résident general of France in Tunisia. Charles Mast recognizes the Tunisian Communist party. On the other hand, he refuses the return of the Bey de Tunis, Moncef Bey, which had reigned of the time of the Nazis and favorable to the nationalists. He wants to control the Néo-Destour, whose chief Bourguiba was stopped for Collaboration with the release . The Mast general in Tunisia decided to maintain the authority French by an authoritative paternalism. Of course, it is reproduced on many photographs with the Tunisian political directors and soldiers and leaders, of which Lamine Bey, Bey de Tunis. Charles Mast remains Résident general of France in Tunisia, until February 22nd 1947.

Jean Mons replaces the Mast general like Résident general of France in Tunisia.

The French Indo-China

The Mast general is not initially a partisan of the decolonization. Moreover with Tunis, in August 1945, it advises with Salan to be careful in French Indo-China: If you give too many rights to Annamites, there will be repercussions in Tunisia… But, his/her friend, the general Georges Revers , is him in favor of the independence of the French Indo-China. For him it is necessary to leave the capacity to Bao Dai, constitutional monarch, with like Prime Minister the general Xuan , favorite of the French Socialists and a high French military commission chaired by Charles Mast, who has from now on, him also, the support of the Parisian Socialists. Because of China, of Ho Chi Minh, divisions of the French left and attitude of certain officers of the task force, this attempt to restore peace does not lead.

Charles Mast established contacts privileged with the French Socialists and the Kuomintang and it became one of the best specialists in the Indochinese question. It feels very able to handle Bao Dai and the general Xuan , like puppets. His/her friend, the general Georges Reverse , intrigue so that he is High commissioner of the French Indo-China in the place of Leon Pignon. However the government puts an end to their projects. They are even implied in the Affaire of the piastres.

End of its career

February 20th, 1947, he is major general having the rank of commander of army and name general. Charles Mast enters while returning to France to the Superior council of the War. He is also director of the Institut of the high studies of national defense (IHEDN). Charles Emmanuel Mast (1889-1977) becomes one of the Grands Officers of the Legion of Honor in 1947.

Because of the scandal born of the Business of the piastres, in 1950, he is from now on general of reserve. Charles Mast does not remain inactive. He makes deals.

The general Charles written Mast: History of a rebellion, November 8th, 1942 . He answers the questions of the journalists. He is until his very pessimistic death on the Western capacities of defense in the event of attack of the communist countries.

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