Major General Mireau is the general officer commanding the division of which Colonel Dax's regiment is a part. He is portrayed as a career soldier and old-school martinet, as well as a fighting general. His bona fides as a fighting general are proven by the scar on his cheek and the number of medals he sports on his tunic (more than anyone else in the film).When charged by Lt. General Broulard with taking the German-occupied Ant Hill, Mireau initially protests, claiming that the German position is impenetrable, and that his Division has already been cut to pieces by recent actions. Broulard then sweetens the order by promising Mireau a promotion if he succeeds. Mireau then passes the task of taking the Ant Hill on to his best and most trusted regimental commander Colonel Dax, who makes the same arguments about the Ant Hill being too difficult an objective, and his Regiment being badly under strength.Three companies from Dax's regiment are charged with the first wave of the assault against the Ant Hill. When the attack begins, one of the companies refuses to leave their trenches in the face of stronger than expected German resistance. As incentive to get them to leave their trenches, Mireau gives the artillery commander a controversial order to shell their own positions. The order is refused by the artillery commander, and the entire attack eventually fails.Mireau is outraged by the failure, and demands that all three of the companies in the first wave of the assault be shot for cowardice. After some negotiations between Mireau, Broulard and Dax, they agree that only three men, one from each company, will be put on trial for cowardice, and that Dax (a reserve officer and lawyer in civilian life) will act as their defense attorney. The trial is merely a show-trial, however, with the execution of the three men being a foregone conclusion. In a last ditch effort to save the their lives, Dax threatens to blackmail Broulard by going public with the information about Mireau's artillery order if Broulard doesn't commute the death sentence on the three men. In the end, Broulard allows the three men to be executed anyway, and then uses the information about Mireau's order to bring down Mireau as well. Mireau protests to Broulard by saying so, you're making me the goat, the only truly innocent man in this whole affair. I have only one last thing to say to you, George. The man you stabbed in the back is a soldier. Mireau is portrayed less as a villain than as a man who makes inhumane decisions as a result of the inflexibility of his character. Show less «