Background
Henri d'Astier was born in Villedieu-sur-Indre, a small village in the Indre département of central France.
Henri d'Astier was born in Villedieu-sur-Indre, a small village in the Indre département of central France.
Henri d'Astier de la Vigerie was educated locally.
D’Astier formed a small resistance group in Pamiers, in the Ariege Department of SW France, headed one of the Chanticrs de la jeunesse in Algeria, and was one of the first to join the resistance formed in Aug 1940 by Andre Achiary in North Africa. As “Uncle Charlie” he worked with Robert Murphy in planning the Allied landings in North Africa (Opn Torch), attending the clandestine Cherchell Conference. D'Astier had a leading role in the uprising during the night of 7-8 Nov 1942 that helped the Allies take Algiers with little French opposition. He subsequently occupied an important post on the High Commission. Disenchanted with Giraud and strongly hostile to Darlan, he supported the Comte de Paris, pretender to the French throne, who had come to Algiers from Morocco in hopes of conciliating French political factions. D'Astier approved of DARLAN’S assassination- if he did not instigate it (Larousse). Jailed on orders from Giraud, he was held until Oct 1943. (According to the authoritative Larousse encyclopedia of WWII, he was released after de Gaulle’s arrival in Algiers on 30 May 1943. This source also says he was freed in time to form and command a body of irregulars that fought in Tunisia. The problem is that fighting in Tunisia ended 13 May 1943)