French Forces

Striking a pose ...

Marshal of France Philippe Pétain, Head of State of the "État Francaise", Prime Minister Pierre Laval, and Vichy officials pose on the steps of the Hotel Majestic, Vichy. The choice of the old spa town of Vichy as political capital of France (the whole of it, even the Occupied Zone) may seem odd, but it did have a number of advantages. Apart from being outside the Occupied Zone, and the availability of oceans of liver-relieving mineral water, the existence of a number of large, swish hotels allowed the Vichy government to accommodate itself in a style to which it considered itself entitled, in the absence of the infrastructure of government buildings normally found in a capital city. The "Majestic" was Petain's headquarters until his "government" was forced to evacuate by the approach of Allied forces. Best regards, JR.