Henri Frenay

French Soldier

Born: November 11, 1905 at Lyon
Died: August 6, 1988 at Porto Vecchio, Corsica

     Frenay followed his father into a military career. The elder Frenay retired as a colonel. Henri studied at Saint Cyr and l'Ecole superieure de guerre (War College) before beginning a slow rise to the rank of captain in 1934.

     He was taken prisoner in 1940 but escaped and began organizing resistance in Occupied France. He founded le Mouvement de liberation nationale in 1940 and the Combat group in 1941.

     Frenay was Minister to Prisoners and Deportees from the French National Committee and the Provisional Government from 1943 to 1945. He left government after the war to pursue a career in private business and wrote several books about the Resistance.