D. Blanchet

"They weren't looking forward to visitors, were they?"

This article contains spoilers for Amnesia: The Bunker. Proceed with caution.

D. Blanchet
Biographical information
Full name	Major D. Blanchet
Died	July 15th-July 21st, 1916 (possibility)
Cause of death	Killed by the Beast (possibility)
Physical description
Species	Human
Nationality	French
Gender	Male
Career and family information
Affiliation(s)	French Army
Occupation	Soldier (NCO)
Non-familial relationships	Commandant Fournier (commanding officer) Sgt. Joubert (subordinate) Maj. Sgt. Delpy (subordinate) Sgt. Reynard (subordinate) J. Delisle (subordinate)

“

I want you to personally oversee night time security in the tunnels. The last two nights I've heard someone moving through the quarters when there was no patrol scheduled. I will not have another bout of sabotage!

”

Major Blanchet in a message to Sgt. Reynard, July 13th, 1916

Major D. Blanchet is a mentioned character in Amnesia: The Bunker. He was a French soldier stationed on the western front of the First World War.

History

Early life

Blanchet was likely born somewhere in France. He was presumably conscripted or volunteered for the war as a soldier in the French Army and sent to the front to help repel the advance of the German army. He held the rank of "Major," a title which in most European armies is a commissioned officer rank above “Captain” and below “Lieutenant Colonel,” however, in France it was a rank between commissioned officers and non-commissioned officers.

At some point in time, he and his unit were stationed at or transferred to the bunker, where he most likely became the second in command to Commandant M. Fournier. 

Events preceding Amnesia: The Bunker

A spring of discontent

On May 18th, 1916, Sergeant Reynard reported to Blanchet and Comdt. Fournier that Sdt. Noyer was spreading rumours of dark magic in the ancient Roman tunnels, causing discontent among the men. Reynard then had the indolent classicist locked up in Maj. Sgt. Delpy’s cells for two days as punishment.

The German Prisoner

On June 30th, the officer in charge of the prison, Maj. Sgt. Delpy, sent a report to Blanchet, Comdt. Fournier, and the other officers about the outcome of the previous day’s raid, in which they captured 20 German prisoners from the IV Reserve Corps of the 2nd Army. In the report, Delpy stated that their eight cells could not handle the new influx of prisoners, and recommended that most of them be shipped off to a POW camp as soon as possible; however, Delpy then wrote that one of the Germans, Prisoner #73014, had his marking of rank and insignia torn off, leaving his rank unknown. Delpy opined that he should remain in their custody and be interrogated, due to the fact that he could be an officer or a VIP of some sort. Fournier accepted his recommendations and ordered him and Sgt. Reynard to begin their interrogations.

A death in the night

On the night of July 12th, various soldiers began to hear scratching in the wall, which sounded utterly distinct from the familiar scratching of rodents, and later that night, unearthly howls were heard inside the barracks. On July 13th, Blanchet ordered Reynard to oversee nighttime security personally, as he himself had heard something moving around the halls the previous two nights. Blanchet was worried that there were plots in the works and ordered Sergeant Reynard to do whatever was necessary to prevent another bout of sabotage, even engage an emergency lockdown.

However, during the night of July 14th, Reynard was horrifically murdered by Augustin Lambert, who was suffering a transformative episode as he slowly turned into the Beast. Such was the brutality that after Dr. Josinski performed an autopsy on Reynard, he concluded that at least two men had to have done it. As a result of the sadistic murder, the already paranoid Comdt. Fournier began a relentless investigation. He terrorized the men in his interrogations, even going so far as to accuse Prisoner #73014 of Reynard’s grisly demise. Fournier wrote to Maj. Sgt. Delpy on July 15th, informing him of Reynard’s death and telling him that interrogations would begin.

Events of Amnesia: The Bunker

Blanchet’s final fate is unknown, but it is known that he was alive as of July 15th. It is possible that he was killed by the Beast in the following days, or that he escaped with the other officers on July 20th. Since there is no splattering of blood in Blanchet’s quarters, it may indicate that he was not killed by the Beast during the fall of the bunker and escaped with Joubert and Fournier.

Description

Personality

Not much is known about Blanchet, but it can be inferred that he was overly cruel and despotic. This assumption of his personality can also be supported by the enlisted men’s hatred of all the officers, bar Sgt. Stéphane Joubert.. Taking a look at the personal effects in his quarters, Blanchet appears to be a religious man, honing an effigy of a cross by his bedside. He seemed to be slightly more interested in the Roman Tunnels than the rest of his officers in arms, as he kept small artifacts lifted from the expedition in his dormitory.

Appearance

Blanchet is never seen in-game or identified in photographs, so his physical appearance is ultimately unknown. Given Blanchet's high standing in the French army, it is likely he is between 30-40 years of age. While on duty, like most French officers, Blanchet would most likely have worn his uniform.

Trivia

• Blanchet appears to have "collected" some artifacts from the Roman tunnels, such as an urn and a candelabra. It is unknown if he stole them or if he was allowed to keep them by Comdt. Fournier.
• Blanchet serves the least importance in The Bunker's story. Unlike his compatriots, he is never noted to have partaken in any significant actions leading up to, or directly preceding, the events of the game.