Free French Forces

The Free French Forces (Forces Françaises Libres in French) were French fighters in World War II, who decided to go on fighting against Axis forces after the surrender of France and German occupation, following the call of General De Gaulle

History

Prelude

General Charles De Gaulle was a member of the French cabinet during the Battle of France, in 1940. As French defence forces were increasingly overwhelmed, de Gaulle found himself part of a small group of politicians who argued against a negotiated surrender to Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. These views being shared by the President of the Council, Paul Reynaud, De Gaulle was sent as an emissary to the United Kingdom, where he was when the French government collapsed.

Related Topics:
Charles De Gaulle - Cabinet - Battle of France - 1940 - Nazi Germany - Fascist Italy - Paul Reynaud - United Kingdom

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On the 16 June, the new French President of the Council, Philippe Pétain, began negotiations with Axis officials. On the 18 June, de Gaulle spoke to the French people via BBC radio. He asked French soldiers, sailors and airmen to join in the fight against the Nazis. In France, De Gaulle's "Appeal of June the 18th" (Appel du 18 juin) was not widely heard, but subsequent discourse by De Gaulle could be heard nationwide. The British Cabinet had attempted to block the speech, but was over-ruled by Winston Churchill. To this day, the Appeal of 18 June remains one of the most famous speeches in French history. Nevertheless, on the 22 June, Pétain signed the surrender and became leader of the puppet regime known as Vichy France.

Related Topics:
16 June - Philippe Pétain - Axis - 18 June - BBC - Nazis - Appeal of June the 18th - Winston Churchill - 22 June - Vichy France

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De Gaulle was tried in absentia in Vichy France and sentenced to death for treason; he, on the other hand, regarded himself as the last remaining member of the legitimate Reynaud government able to exercise power, seeing the rise to power of Pétain as an unconstitutional coup.

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Cross of Lorraine

The capitaine de corvette Thierry d'Argenlieu suggested the adoption of the Cross of Lorraine as symbol of the Free French, both to recall the perseverance of Joan of Arc, whose symbol it had been, and as an answer to the nazi cross.

Related Topics:
Capitaine de corvette - Thierry d'Argenlieu - Cross of Lorraine - Joan of Arc - Nazi cross

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In his general order n° 2 of the 3 July 1940, vice-admiral Émile Muselier, since two days chief of the naval and air forces of the Free French, created the bow flag displaying the French colours with a red cross of Lorraine, and a cocarde also featuring the cross of Lorraine.

Related Topics:
3 July - Émile Muselier - Cocarde

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Despite repeated broadcasts, by the end of July that year, only 7,000 people had volunteered to join the Free French forces. The Free French Navy had fifty ships and some 3,600 men operating as an auxiliary force to the British Royal Navy.

Related Topics:
Free French Navy - Royal Navy

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Mers El Kébir and the war in Africa

To stop the Vichy Government-controlled ships from falling into German hands, the Royal Navy attacked the French Navy at Mers El Kébir and Dakar (see http://www.combinedops.com/mers%20el%20kabir.htm) on 3 July 1940, causing bitterness in France, which was a contributing factor in discouraging French soldiers from joining the Free French forces in Britain. Also their attempt to make Vichy French forces join De Gaulle in Dakar failed. (See West African campaign.)

Related Topics:
Royal Navy - Mers El Kébir - Dakar - 3 July - 1940 - Vichy French - West African campaign

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In autumn of 1940, the French colonies of Cameroon and French Equatorial Africa joined the Free French side. French colonies in New Caledonia, French Polynesia, Saint-Pierre and Miquelon and the New Hebrides joined later. French Indochina and the colonies of Guadeloupe and Martinique in the West Indies remained under Vichy government control.

Related Topics:
Cameroon - French Equatorial Africa - New Caledonia - French Polynesia - Saint-Pierre and Miquelon - New Hebrides - French Indochina - Guadeloupe - Martinique - West Indies

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In September 1941, De Gaulle created the Comité National Français (CNF; French National Committee), the Free French government-in-exile. On November 24 that year, the United States granted Lend-Lease support to the CNF.

Related Topics:
1941 - French National Committee - November 24 - United States - Lend-Lease

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Free French soldiers participated in the Allied North African campaign, in Libya and Egypt. General Marie Pierre Koenig and his unit fought well against the Afrika Korps at the Bir Hakeim in June 1942. Free French forces also fought Italian troops in Ethiopia and Eritrea and faced French troops loyal to Vichy France in Syria and Lebanon. (See Syria-Lebanon campaign.)

Related Topics:
Allied - North African campaign - Libya - Egypt - Marie Pierre Koenig - Afrika Korps - Bir Hakeim - 1942 - Ethiopia - Eritrea - Syria - Lebanon - Syria-Lebanon campaign

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The Forces Françaises Combattantes and National Council of the Resistance

The French Resistance gradually grew in strength. Charles De Gaulle set a plan to bring together the different groups under his leadership. He changed the name of his movement to Forces Françaises Combattantes (Fighting French Forces) and sent Jean Moulin back to France to unite the eight major French Resistance groups into one organisation. Moulin got their agreement to form the Conseil National de la Résistance (National Council of the Resistance). He was eventually captured, tortured, and executed by the Nazis.

Related Topics:
French Resistance - Jean Moulin - National Council of the Resistance

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During Operation Torch, the Allied invasion of Vichy-controlled French North Africa, many Vichy troops surrendered and joined the Free French cause. After Vichy General Henri Giraud rejoined the Allies, De Gaulle outmanoeuvred him to keep his leadership of the Free French.

Related Topics:
Operation Torch - French North Africa - Henri Giraud

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Liberation of France

During the Italian campaign of 1943, 100,000 Free French soldiers fought on the Allied side. By the time of the Normandy Invasion, the Free French forces numbered more than 400,000 people. The Free French 2nd Armoured Division, under General Philippe Leclerc, landed at Normandy and eventually led the drive towards Paris. The Free French 1st Army, under General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny, joined the Allied invasion of southern France, and took Alsace.

Related Topics:
Italian campaign - Normandy Invasion - Philippe Leclerc - Normandy - Paris - Jean de Lattre de Tassigny - Allied invasion of southern France - Alsace

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Fearing the Germans would destroy Paris if attacked by a frontal assault, General Eisenhower ordered his forces to cease their advance and reconnoitre the situation. At this time, Parisians rose up in full-scale revolt. As the Allied forces waited near Paris, General Eisenhower acceded to pressure from De Gaulle and his Free French Forces, who, furious about the delay and unwilling to allow the revolters to be slaughtered, as happened in Polish capital of Warsaw during the Warsaw Uprising, had threatened to attack single-handedly. General Eisenhower thus granted them the honour of spearheading the allied assault, liberating the capital city.

Related Topics:
General Eisenhower - Warsaw Uprising - Liberating the capital city

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End of the war

By September 1944, the Free French forces stood at 560,000, which rose to 1 million by the end of 1944, and were fighting in Alsace, the Alps and Brittany. By the end of the war in Europe (May 1945), the Free French forces comprised 1,250,000, including 7 infantry and 3 armoured divisions fighting in Germany.

Related Topics:
1944 - Alsace - Alps - Brittany - 1945

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