Free France: the story on HearLore

Free France

On the 18th of June 1940, a single voice cut through the static of a London radio broadcast, declaring that France was not alone. Charles de Gaulle, a brigadier general with no army and no official mandate, stood before the world to challenge the legitimacy of a government that had just surrendered to Nazi Germany. He was not a hero to the French public at that moment, nor was he a leader with a following. He was a man who had been dismissed from his post as Under Secretary of State for Defence by Prime Minister Paul Reynaud, and who had fled to Britain after realizing that Marshal Philippe Pétain had agreed to an armistice with the Axis powers. De Gaulle's message was simple yet radical: the French government had fallen under the bondage of the enemy, and it was the clear duty of all French servicemen to fight on. This broadcast, known as the Appeal of the 18th of June, would become the foundational myth of Free France, even though very few people heard it that day. The British Cabinet had reservations about the speech, fearing it might provoke the Pétain government into handing the French fleet over to the Nazis, yet Prime Minister Winston Churchill agreed to the broadcast. In France, the appeal was not widely heard, but it would later be remembered as the voice of national honour and freedom, a beacon for those who refused to accept defeat.

The Struggle for Colonial Loyalty

The early months of the war saw a bitter struggle for control over France's vast overseas empire, as most colonies initially remained loyal to the Vichy regime. By the end of July 1940, only about 7,000 soldiers had joined the Free French Army in Britain, and three-quarters of French servicemen in Britain requested repatriation. The French Navy, which had been the backbone of the nation's defense, largely stayed loyal to Vichy, with only about 3,600 sailors operating 50 ships around the world joining with the Royal Navy. The British attack on the French fleet at Mers-el-Kébir on the 3rd of July 1940, which sank or crippled three battleships and killed over 1,000 French sailors, caused great bitterness in France and helped to reinforce the ancient stereotype of perfide Albion. Despite this, some French warships and sailors did remain on the Allied side or join the Free French Naval Forces later, such as the mine-laying submarine, whose crew voted almost unanimously to fight alongside Britain. The struggle for control of the French colonies was a complex affair, involving diplomatic maneuvering, military force, and the personal convictions of colonial governors. In August 1940, only the French domains of Saint Helena and the Franco-British ruled New Hebrides condominium in the Pacific answered de Gaulle's call to arms. It was not until late August that Free France would gain significant support in French Equatorial Africa, where Governor Félix Éboué of Chad pledged his colony's allegiance to Free France. By the end of August, all of French Equatorial Africa, including the League of Nations mandate French Cameroun, had joined Free France, with the exception of French Gabon. The failure at Dakar in September 1940, an unsuccessful attempt to capture the strategic port of Dakar in French West Africa, led to a humiliating withdrawal by the Allied ships and caused de Gaulle to consider suicide. However, the victory at the Battle of Gabon, also known as the Battle of Libreville, under the skilled leadership of General Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque, marked a turning point. By the end of November 1940, French Equatorial Africa was wholly under the control of Free France, but the failures at Dakar had led French West Africa to declare allegiance to Vichy, to which they would remain loyal until the fall of the regime in November 1942.

Who started the Free France movement on the 18th of June 1940?

Charles de Gaulle started the Free France movement on the 18th of June 1940. He was a brigadier general who broadcast the Appeal of the 18th of June from London to challenge the legitimacy of the French government that had surrendered to Nazi Germany.

When did Free France gain control of French Equatorial Africa?

Free France gained control of French Equatorial Africa by the end of November 1940. Governor Félix Éboué of Chad pledged his colony's allegiance to Free France in late August 1940, and the region was wholly under Free French control after the victory at the Battle of Gabon.

Which Free French unit fought on the Eastern Front with the Soviet Union?

The Normandie-Niemen Regiment fought on the Eastern Front with the Soviet Union. This fighter regiment of the Free French Air Force served from the 22nd of March 1943 to the 9th of May 1945 and destroyed 273 enemy aircraft.

When was the Free French forces unified with the Army of Africa?

The Free French forces were unified with the Army of Africa during the Tunisia Campaign in 1943. The French Committee of National Liberation, or CFLN, officially founded on the 3rd of June 1943, unified the territories controlled by Henri Giraud and Charles de Gaulle.

When did the Provisional Government of the French Republic end Free France?

The Provisional Government of the French Republic ended Free France on the 3rd of June 1944. This government succeeded the CFLN and marked the re-establishment of France as a republic before de Gaulle arrived in Paris.

How many troops did the Free French forces have by the end of the war?

The Free French forces had over 1.3 million troops by the end of the war. They grew from a small group of volunteers to become the fourth-largest Allied army in Europe by May 1945.

The Blood of the Desert and the Sea

The Free French forces distinguished themselves in the harsh conditions of the North African desert, proving their worth to the Allies through sheer tenacity and sacrifice. At the Battle of Bir Hakeim in June 1942, General Marie Pierre Koenig and his unit, the 1st Free French Infantry Brigade, resisted the Afrika Korps led by Generaloberst Erwin Rommel. Koenig defended Bir Hakeim from the 26th of May to the 11th of June against superior German and Italian forces, eventually being obliged to withdraw as Allied forces retreated to El Alamein. British General Claude Auchinleck said on the 12th of June 1942, of the battle: The United Nations need to be filled with admiration and gratitude, in respect of these French troops and their brave General Koenig. Even Hitler was impressed, announcing to the journalist Lutz Koch: You hear, Gentlemen? It is a new evidence that I have always been right! The French are, after us, the best soldiers! The Free French Navy also played a crucial role, operating as an auxiliary force to the Royal Navy and, in the North Atlantic, to the Royal Canadian Navy. The Free French Naval Forces, commanded first by Admiral Emile Muselier and then by Philippe Auboyneau and Georges Thierry d'Argenlieu, played a role in the liberation of French colonies throughout the world, including Operation Torch in French north Africa, escorting convoys during the Battle of the Atlantic, and supporting the French Resistance in non-Free French territories. The French merchant marine siding with the Allies counted over 170 ships. The FNFL, which included half a dozen battalions of naval infantry and commandos, as well as naval aviation squadrons, one aboard and one squadron of anti-submarine Catalinas, contributed significantly to the Allied war effort. The first loss of the FNFL occurred on the 7th of November 1940, when the patrol boat Poulmic struck a mine in the English Channel. Despite the initial setbacks and the bitterness caused by the attack at Mers-el-Kébir, the Free French forces proved their resilience and commitment to the Allied cause.

The Eastern Front and the Pacific

The Free French forces extended their reach to the Eastern Front and the Pacific, demonstrating their global commitment to the Allied war effort. The Normandie-Niemen Regiment, founded at the suggestion of Charles de Gaulle, was a fighter regiment of the Free French Air Force that served on the Eastern Front of the European Theatre of World War II with the 1st Air Army. The regiment is notable for being the only air combat unit from an Allied western country to participate on the Eastern Front during World War II, and the only one to fight together with the Soviets until the end of the war in Europe. The unit was the GC3, or 3rd Fighter Group, in the Free French Air Force, first commanded by Jean Tulasne. The unit originated in mid-1943 during World War II, and initially comprised a group of French fighter pilots sent to aid Soviet forces at the suggestion of Charles de Gaulle, who felt it important that French servicemen serve on all fronts in the war. The regiment fought in three campaigns on behalf of the Soviet Union between the 22nd of March 1943, and the 9th of May 1945, during which time it destroyed 273 enemy aircraft and received numerous orders, citations and decorations from both France and the Soviet Union, including the French and the Soviet Order of the Red Banner. Joseph Stalin awarded the unit the name Niemen for its participation in the Battle of the Niemen River. In the Pacific, French possessions in Asia and the Pacific, such as French India and the French South Pacific colonies of New Caledonia, French Polynesia and the New Hebrides, joined Free France in the summer 1940, drawing official American interest. These South Pacific colonies would later provide vital Allied bases in the Pacific Ocean during the war with Japan. French Indochina was invaded by Japan in September 1940, although for most of the war the colony remained under nominal Vichy control. On the 9th of March 1945, the Japanese launched a coup and took full control of Indochina by the beginning of May. Japanese rule in Indochina lasted until the successful August Revolution which was led by communist-dominated Viet Minh, and the entry of British and Chinese forces. From June 1940 until February 1943, the concession of Guangzhouwan, in South China, remained under the administration of Free France. The Republic of China, after the fall of Paris in 1940, recognised the London-exiled Free French government as Guangzhouwan's legitimate authority and established diplomatic relations with them, something facilitated by the fact that the colony was surrounded by the Republic of China's territory and was not in physical contact with French Indochina. In February 1943 the Imperial Japanese Army invaded and occupied the leased territory.

The Unification of Forces

The Free French forces underwent a significant transformation as they unified with the Army of Africa and other resistance groups to form a cohesive fighting force. The Vichy forces in North Africa had been under Darlan's command and had surrendered on his orders. The Allies recognised his self-nomination as High Commissioner of France for North and West Africa. He ordered them to cease resisting and co-operate with the Allies, which they did. By the time the Tunisia Campaign was fought, the ex-Vichy French forces in North Africa had been merged with the Free French Forces. After Admiral Darlan's assassination, Henri Giraud became his de facto successor in French Africa with Allied support. This occurred through a series of consultations between Giraud and de Gaulle. The latter wanted to pursue a political position in France and agreed to have Giraud as commander in chief, as the more qualified military person of the two. The Allies discussed their general strategy for the war, and recognised joint leadership of North Africa by Giraud and de Gaulle. Henri Giraud and Charles de Gaulle then became co-presidents of the French Committee of National Liberation, or CFLN, which unified the territories controlled by them and was officially founded on the 3rd of June 1943. The CFLN set up a temporary French government in Algiers, raised more troops and re-organised, re-trained and re-equipped the Free French military, in co-operation with Allied forces in preparation of future operations against Italy and the German Atlantic wall. The Free French forces participated in the Tunisian Campaign, advancing from the south while the formerly Vichy-loyal Army of Africa advanced from the west together with the Americans. The fighting in Tunisia ended with the Axis forces surrendering to the Allies in July 1943. During the campaign in Italy during 1943, 1944, a total of between 70,000 and 130,000 Free French soldiers fought on the Allied side. The French Expeditionary Corps consisted of 60% colonial soldiers, mostly Moroccans and 40% Europeans, mostly Pied-Noirs. They took part in the fighting on the Winter Line and Gustav Line, distinguishing themselves at Monte Cassino in Operation Diadem. In what came to be known as the Marocchinate in one of the worst mass atrocities committed by Allied troops during the war, the Moroccan Goumiers, raped and killed Italian civilians on a massive scale during those operations, often under the indifferent eye of their French officers, if not their encouragement. Acts of violence by French troops against civilians continued even after the liberation of Rome. French Marshal Jean de Lattre de Tassigny, claimed that such cases were isolated events exploited by German propaganda to smear allies, particularly French troops.

The Liberation of Paris

The liberation of continental France began on D-Day, the 6th of June 1944, with the invasion of Normandy, the amphibious assault aimed at establishing a bridgehead for the forces of Operation Overlord. At first hampered by very stiff German resistance and the bocage terrain of Normandy, the Allies broke out of Normandy at Avranches on the 25th to the 31st of July 1944. Combined with the landings in Provence of Operation Dragoon on the 14th of August 1944, the threat of being caught in a pincer movement led to a very rapid German retreat, and by September 1944 most of France had been liberated. The Free French forces numbered around 500,000 strong by the time of the Normandy Invasion. 900 Free French paratroopers landed as part of the British Special Air Service's SAS Brigade; the 2e Division Blindée, or 2nd Armoured Division, under General Leclerc, landed at Utah Beach in Normandy on the 1st of August 1944 together with other follow-on Free French forces, and eventually led the drive toward Paris. The Allied High Command requested the Free French force in question to be all-white, if possible, but this was very difficult because of the large numbers of black West Africans in their ranks. General Leclerc sent a small advance party to enter Paris, with the message that the 2e DB, composed of 10,500 French, 3,600 Maghrebis and about 350 Spaniards in the 9th company of the 3rd Battalion of the made up mainly of Spanish Republican exiles, would be there the following day. This party was commanded by Captain Raymond Dronne, and was given the honour to be the first Allied unit to enter Paris ahead of the Americans. The 1er Bataillon de Fusiliers Marins Commandos formed from the Free French Navy Fusiliers-Marins that had landed on Sword Beach were also amongst the first of the Free French forces to enter Paris. The military governor of the city, Dietrich von Choltitz, surrendered on the 25th of August, ignoring Hitler's orders to destroy the city and fight to the last man. Jubilant crowds greeted the Liberation of Paris. French forces and conducted a now iconic parade through the city. The Provisional Government of the French Republic, or GPRF, was officially created by the CNFL and succeeded it on the 3rd of June 1944, the day before de Gaulle arrived in London from Algiers on Churchill's invitation, and three days before D-Day. Its creation marked the re-establishment of France as a republic, and the official end of Free France. Among its most immediate concerns were to ensure that France did not come under allied military administration, preserving the sovereignty of France and freeing Allied troops for fighting on the front.

The Final Advance and Legacy

By September 1944, the Free French forces stood at 560,000, including 176,500 White French from North Africa, 63,000 metropolitan French, 233,000 Maghrebis and 80,000 from Black Africa. The GPRF set about raising new troops to participate in the advance to the Rhine and the invasion of Germany, using the FFI as military cadres and manpower pools of experienced fighters to allow a very large and rapid expansion of the French Liberation Army. It was well equipped and well supplied despite the economic disruption brought by the occupation thanks to Lend-Lease, and their number rose to 1 million by the end of the year. French forces were fighting in Alsace-Lorraine, the Alps, and besieging the heavily fortified French Atlantic coast submarine bases that remained Hitler-mandated stay-behind fortresses in ports along the Atlantic coast like La Rochelle and Saint-Nazaire until the German capitulation in May 1945. Also in September 1944, the Allies having outrun their logistic tail, the front stabilised along Belgium's northern and eastern borders and in Lorraine. From then on it moved at a slower pace, first to the Siegfried Line and then in the early months of 1945 to the Rhine in increments. For instance, the Ist Corps seized the Belfort Gap in a coup de main offensive in November 1944, their German opponents believing they had entrenched for the winter. The provisional government ruled France until the establishment of the Fourth Republic in October 1946, having preempted the country's occupation by Allied forces and secured its status as a major power. The Free French forces, which had started as a small group of volunteers, had grown to become the fourth-largest Allied army in Europe, with over 1.3 million troops by the end of the war. The legacy of Free France was not just in the military victories, but in the political and social reforms that followed. The GPRF made several important reforms and political decisions, such as granting women the right to vote, founding the social security system, and laying the grounds of the Fourth Republic. The Vichy regime's exile ended when Free French forces reached the town and captured its members on the 22nd of April 1945, the same day that the 3rd Algerian Infantry Division took Stuttgart. Laval, Vichy's prime minister in 1942, 1944, was executed for treason. Pétain, Chief of the French State and hero of Verdun, was also condemned to death but his sentence was commuted to life imprisonment. The Free French forces had proven that France could fight on, even in the face of overwhelming odds, and had secured a place for France as a major power in the post-war world.