Marshal Pétain: Hero or Traitor?

Marshal Pétain emerged from the First World War as a French national hero. His defence of Verdun had set him on course to become one of France's most venerated commanders. But by 1945 the Marshal was on trial for treason, having collaborated with Nazi Germany as the head of the Vichy regime.

Dan is joined by Julian Jackson, author of the Pol Roger Duff Cooper Prize-winning book 'France on Trial: The Case of Marshal Pétain'. Julian explains how Marshal Pétain went from the hero of Verdun to the traitor of Vichy, and why his trial remains divisive eight decades later.

Produced by James Hickmann and edited by Dougal Patmore.

Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Get a subscription for £1 per month for 3 months with code DANSNOW - sign up at https://historyhit.com/subscription/.

We'd love to hear from you - what do you want to hear an episode on? You can email the podcast at ds.hh@historyhit.com.

You can take part in our listener survey here.