Free France

The Free France is the name given to the organization of founded Résistance external with London by the general de Gaulle following her call the June 18th 1940. The armed forces rejoined in Free France were called Free French Forces (FFL). Starting from July 13rd, 1942, “free France” was famous “France fighting” by the French National committee to mark the accession of Free France and " groupings which inside the country took an active part in the résistance".

Free France and its army officially cease existing on August 1st, 1943, but their continuous action with CFLN and the armed with the Release.

Free French history

Training of French volunteers

Free France is resulting from the rallying to the de Gaulle general of the French who want to continue the fight against Germany at the sides of the British allies. As of on June 18th, and in the tread of its call to continue the fight, the rallyings are initially individual. Officers, soldiers, or ordinary citizens rejoin thus London and de Gaulle. As of the June 28th 1940, Winston Churchill, British Prime Minister recognizes the Général de Gaulle as the “ chief of the French who continue the war ”.

Many French soldiers are in the United Kingdom at the beginning of the summer 1940, evacuated of Dunkirk or members of the task force of Norway, but only one weak part of these forces will rejoin Free France, the others rentant in France or North Africa.

Thereafter, by the agreement of Chequers (August 7th, 1940) between the United Kingdom and the de Gaulle general, the United Kingdom committed itself to safeguard the integrity of all the French possessions and completely restoring the independence and the size of France. The British government was committed moreover financing all the expenditure of free France, but de Gaulle insisted that these sums are refundable advances and not gifts which would have thrown a shade, also thin is it, on the independence of its organization. The sums known as were actually refunded, and well before the end of the war. On these questions of principle, de Gaulle was intractable.

Rallyings of territories

In July 1940, Free France can count on some 7 000 men. Its manpower grow notably, in August - September 1940, following the rallying of several African colonies, océaniennes, and Asian: Chad, Oubangui-Chari, Congo and Cameroun, Counters of India, Oceania and New Caledonia, like Wallis and Futuna. These rallyings confer, moreover, in free France a territorial base, and thus one official dimension and either only military.

Gabon is conquered by the force of the only FFL then Syria and Lebanon with the British. The latter, after their conquest of Madagascar will reassign it in Free France.

The islands of Saint Pierre and Miquelon as well as the island of the Meeting will be rejoined by the FNFL.

Engagements

The forces of Free France are from now on present on several theaters of operations at the sides of its British allies: they take part in the battles air of England, launch a forwarding to Koufra, contribute to the conquest of the Italian Érythrée, while porpoises of the Battalion of Marines intervene in Libya like their first parachutists, on the backs of the forces of the Axis. Finally the free French sailors lend the hand to Royal Navy.

It is the 1 {{Re}} Brigade of the Free French Army of the general Kœnig, who, by delaying 14 Rommel days with Bir Hakeim, gave to the eighth British army time to fold up themselves and to reform themselves on the strengthened line of El Alamein, where Afrika Korps was stopped on the road of Suez.

Establishment of an governmental authority

The de Gaulle general is the chief of Free France and its authority is seldom blamed. However it quickly sets up institutions showing that free France is not solely directed by a personal capacity. With Rene Cassin, it established legal bases which are concretized by the publication of a official Bulletin of the Free French Army which appears on August 15th, 1940. It is then in a Official journal of Free France that each month as from January 1941, is published the laws and decrees organizing free France.

After the forwarding lacked Dakar, de Gaulle goes, with part of her troops, in French equatorial Africa.

By ordinance of October 27th, 1940 is created a Conseil of defense of the Empire whose first members are the Général Catroux, the Vice-Amiral Muselier, the Général of Larminat, the Gouverneur Swept, the Sautot Governor, the General Doctor Cisé, the Professor Cassin, the Révérent father of Argenlieu and the Colonel Leclerc.

This council will be consulted regularly in spite of the difficulties of with the distance, in particular before the Franco-French confrontations in Syria.

October 30th (day when the Maréchal Pétain calls openly with collaboration, with the radio of Vichy), de Gaulle institutes by ordinance the “Council of Defense of the Empire”, composed of the various chiefs of territories rejoined in free France.

The Gabon is then occupied by the Free French Army, from November 9th to 11th 1941, so that the AEF-Cameroun block is reunified within Free France.

November 16th, de Gaulle publishes in the Official journal of Free France, with Brazzaville (which became the official capital about it), a “organic Declaration” official, disputing the constitutionality and the legitimacy of the Régime of Vichy, followed several ordinances and decrees invalidating the laws of exclusion of Pétain. By doing this, it irritated Churchill, which, not losing completely the hope to get along with Pétain, lives of an evil eye to set up a new French capacity largely exceeding the framework of the initial Legion of volunteers.

Following the Charter of the Atlantic, adopted on August 14th, 1941 by Churchill and Roosevelt and proclaiming the principle of self-determination of the people, de Gaulle took them with the word and finally created in London a true government of Free France, under the name of French National committee on September 24th, 1941.

The military organization of free France

The armed forces rejoined with the Free France or created by it, had been called free French Forces (FFL). Their emblem was the Cross of Lorraine. One distinguished inside the FFL, the free French Air forces (FAFL) and the free French Naval forces (FNFL). Moreover, one can announce the existence, since 1940, of an authentic service of espionage and sabotage, the central Bureau of information and action (BCRA), which, under the orders of the colonel Passy (Dewawrin), had established very early clandestine networks in France.

The stagnation of the Vichy government in “collaboration”

The Vichy government launched out openly in “collaboration” as of October 1940, under the aegis of the marshal Philippe Pétain (and not of Pierre Laval, as it is generally believed). The “collaboration” recommended by Pétain exhorted with a going beyond by the French of their obligations rising from Conventions of Armistice (of which the inevitable execution went from oneself), to reach a statute of alliance with Germany.

However, as peace had not been concluded beforehand, with like corollary the release of the prisoners, Germany remained the enemy. Consequently collaboration with the enemy proclaimed by Pétain constituted a Trahison, within the meaning of article 75 of the penal code of the time.

Here some dates marking the beginnings of collaboration, as well in the principle, as in the acts:

October 24th, 1940: Conclusion of the Protocol Pétain-Hitler with Montoire, and announces “Collaboration” to accelerate the British defeat .
October 30th, 1940: Speech of Pétain calling with collaboration.
May 6th, 1941: Orders of the admiral François Darlan and Pétain to the general Henri Dentz to accommodate in Syria the German planes and to deliver stocks of French weapons to the Iraq iens combatant the British
May 9th, 1941: Landing with Damas of the first German apparatuses.
May 13rd, 1941: 1st delivery of 300 tons weapons by the Armed with Raising to the Iraqis combatant the British army.
May 28th, 1941: Signature of the Protocols of Paris, by Darlan granting to Germany bases in Syria (Alep), in Tunisia (Bizerte) and with the Senegal (Dakar). The agreement on Alep had come into effect by anticipation, with, for consequence, the German bombardments to Iraq, the response anglo-gaullist and disastrous the countryside of Syria, where the Vichyist army fought literally “for the king of Prussia”.

“Collaboration” was not going from there less to worsen thereafter.

Reinforcement of the French Committee of London

In addition to the soldiers and other volunteers, intellectuals, like Maurice Schumann, Rene Cassin and Jacques Soustelle, had also joined London. Let us quote here for the example the humorist Pierre Dac who practiced his art on the antennas of BBC. This rallying of an appreciable number of civilians, had contributed to encourage de Gaulle to constitute with the head of free France a true political organization with for objective being made recognize like a government in exile. It had however been necessary to await the September 24th 1941 to see emerging the French National committee, which made really function of government of free France.

July 13rd, 1942, the term of “fighting France” was adopted in the place of “free France”, for marking the fact well that free France is also recipient in the interior Résistance in particular with the networks of the BCRA which takes the name of fighting French Forces . On the other hand the FFL do not change a name.

The allied intervention in its continuation and North Africa,

At the time of the unloading combined in North Africa carried out without the contest of the de Gaulle general, put at the variation by Roosevelt and Churchill, 400 civil volunteers stopped June and Darlan and neutralized during 15 hours the XIXe Vichyist army corps, by their Putsch of November 8th, 1942. So that the Allies could unload and encircle Algiers without opposition, after which they obtained the evening even the capitulation of this city with its intact port. As for June and Darlan, from now on between the hands of the allies, they finished, under the pressure and the threats of the Clark general, by ordering the cease-fire with Oran and in Morocco, on November 10th, after three days of bloody combat.

Darlan formed then in Algiers, under the name of “Office of the High Commission of France in Africa”, a new government Vichyist, rival of the National committee of London, which maintains in force in AFN and AOF the Vichyist laws of inspiration hitlérienne, and the political prisoners of Vichy in their concentration camps of the south.

But, a few weeks afterwards, Darlan was cut down by resistant the Bonnier of the Vault (shot two days later). Giraud succeeded to him then, and maintained in its turn all the Vichyist laws and measurements into force.

However, like, unlike Darlan, Giraud, although Vichyist, had not collaborated, the union between the authorities of London and Algiers became possible and of the difficult negotiations were started, for this purpose, under the pressure of Roosevelt and Churchill, after the Conférence of Casablanca of January 1943, also named “Conference of Anfa”.

Fusion

Finally, on June 3rd, 1943, the French National committee of London and the civil and military Commandement of Algiers amalgamated, under the co-presidency of the generals de Gaulle and Giraud, in the French Comité of the national Release (CFLN), installed with Algiers.

The fence is engagements within the Free French Army (FFL) thus took place on July 31st, 1943 since those Ci did not exist any more. The term Free French Forces however is often used wrongly to indicate the French Army of the Release.

The the 2nd Division Armor-plated of Leclerc and the 1st Army were two of the florets resulting from the fusion of the army of Free France with that of Africa, after the release of and countryside North Africa of Tunisia. So certain Americans were condescending on the military operations carried out by the French forces, between 1940 and 1945, the British were much more respectful, especially after the exploits of the French Free S in Bir Hakeim.

If the British respected without difficulty, except with Raising, their word to restore the size of France, the Allies of the second hour like the Soviets and the Americans, did not have the same concern, nor the same perception of “free France” of the de Gaulle general. Even if the Russians had a benevolent memory for the French Free S of the flotilla Normandy-Niémen, which was distinguished on the Russian face between 1943 and 1945. In addition, the relations between Stalin and de Gaulle were, seemingly, less surging than those which opposed Roosevelt to the chief of free France.

After war

After war, the French Free S gathered in the Association of the Free French having a vocation among assistance and publishing the Revue Free France . June 18th, 2000, association is dissolved. Since, it is relayed by the Foundation of Free France, currently chaired by Yves Guéna and opened with all.

Chronology of Free France

Some preliminary dates

1940

May 25th: Nomination of Charles de Gaulle as brigadier general temporarily
June 5th: Entry of Charles de Gaulle to the government as under Secretary of State to national defense
June 16th:

Mission of Charles de Gaulle to London to ask a material aid it the transfer of the French troops in AFN.
Resignation of Paul Reynaud, replaced by the marshal Philippe Pétain
Return of Charles de Gaulle in Bordeaux

June 17th: Departure of Charles de Gaulle for the United Kingdom

Chronology of Free France in the war

1940

June 18th: First call of the de Gaulle General with the continuation of the war
June 22nd: Signature of the Armistice
June 28th: Recognition of the de Gaulle General, by the British government, as chief of the French who continue the war
July 1st: The captain Andre Dewavrin, known as Passy, is named chief of the secret services (2nd and 3rd offices) of free France
July 3rd: French fleet of Mers el Kébir by the British fleet
July 10th attacks: Unconstitutional vote allotting the full powerss constituent, legislative, executive and legal, with the Marshal Pétain
July 14th: De Gaulle reviews to London a detachment of the Free French Army
July 17th: Jacques Mansion, first envoy of free France in occupied France
July 20th: the governor Henri Sautot rejoins in free France the French administration of the New Hebrides
July 23rd: Law of exception on the forfeiture of French nationality, for those which went abroad without regular order of mission
August 2nd: Death sentence and with the confiscation of the goods of Charles de Gaulle
August 7th: Signature of Convention enters the de Gaulle General and the United Kingdom
27 - August 28th: Rallying of the AEF-Cameroun block, except for Gabon
September 2nd: Rallying of Tahiti
September 9th: Rallying of the Counters of India
September 19th: Rallying of New Caledonia by the governor Sautot
September 23rd: Failure in Dakar, of the attempt at rallying of Senegal
October 18th: Rallying of the Catroux general in free France
October 24th: Conclusion of the Pétain-Hitler protocol in Montoire and announces “Collaboration” to accelerate the British defeat
October 27th: Creation of the the Council of Defense of the Empire, by Ordinance of Brazzaville and beginning of the countryside of Gabon under the command of Leclerc
October 30th: Speech of Pétain calling with collaboration
November 12th: End of the Countryside of Gabon which is rejoined by the force.
December 8th: Withdrawal of the French nationality of the General de Gaulle
December 24th: British recognition of the Council of Defense of the Empire consisted the general de Gaulle

1941

February 23rd Entrée in operation of the “Brigade of the East” of the FFL in Erythrée
March 1st the Leclerc Column removes the oasis of Koufra. Leclerc lends the oath to it not to deposit the weapons before to have released Strasbourg
March 14th - August 31st: stay of Charles de Gaulle in Africa and in the Middle East
May 2nd: Coup d'etat anti-British in Iraq
May 6th: Orders of Darlan and Pétain to the general Dentz to accommodate in Syria the German planes and to deliver stocks of French weapons to Iraqi combatant the British
May 9th: Landing with Damas of the first German apparatuses
May 13rd: 1st delivery of 300 tons weapons of the army of Raising to the Iraqis fighting against the British army
May 28th: Signature of the Protocols of Paris, by Darlan
June 7th: Beginning of the intervention of the FFL and the British in Syria
June 22nd: Beginning of the invasion of the USSR by Germany and entry in war of the USSR.
July 14th: Armistice of Saint-Jean-in Acre, granted by the British to the conditions required by Dentz, in the presence of the French Free S
August 14th: Charter of the Atlantic
August 29th: Execution of Honore d' Estienne d' Orves, officer of free France, on mission in France
September 24th: Institution of the French National committee of London (CNF)
September 26th: Recognition of the CNF by the USSR
October 23rd: Ch.de Gaulle with the BBC invites resistance to stop, in the immediate future, the attacks anti-Germans
December 7th: Attacks Japan ease against the fleet of Pearl Harbor and entered in war of the the United States
December 24th:

Rallying of Saint Pierre and Miquelon by the FNFL of the admiral Muselier, without the agreement of the United States and Canada
Nomination of Jean Moulin, from France, as delegated National committee for the nonoccupied zone

1942

February 27th: 1st collecting by plane of an agent of the BCRA (Remy) in occupied France
March 3rd: The Admiral Muselier leaves the National committee
At the end of March: Air collecting in France of Christian Pineau, trade unionist and Northern leader of Release
April 18th: Return to the capacity of Pierre Laval
April 28th: Declaration Expresses of De Gaulle to the resistance movements
May: air collecting in France of Emmanuel d' Astier, chief of Release-South and Philippe Castlings
May 5th: British unloading in Madagascar
9 - May 10th: Destruction of the large antenna of Radio-Allouis by 2 parachutists F.F.L.
May 26th - June 11th: Battle of Bir-Hakeim, where the free French brigade of the General Kœnig gives time to the 8th British army in rout to be cut off in El-Alamein, by destroying many enemy armoured tanks, and by delaying 12 days Rommel.
June 30th: End of the Rommel offensive, in El-Alamein
July 9th: American recognition of the National committee “like symbol of French resistance”
July 14th: Free France becomes “fighting France At the end of July”
:

air Ramassage in France of Andre Philip
André Philip replaces Diethelm, as Commissaire inside

August 19th: allied Raid missed against Dieppe in which the FNFL
September 3rd take part: Extension of the Lease-lend to fighting France
September 28th: Soviet recognition of the National committee “like having only quality to organize the participation of the citizens and the French territories in the effort of war”
October 23rd - November 4th: Battle of El-Alamein in which take part 1st and 2nd Free French Brigades
November 8th:

Unloading combined in North Africa (Operation Torch)
Putsch of November 8th, 1942, in Algiers, with arrest of June and François Darlan and neutralization of the XIXe Vichyist army corps by 400 resistant
Rendering of Algiers, at 5 p.m., by François Darlan and Juin encircled by the allied forces

8 - November 11th:

bloody Resistance of the army of Africa to the combined unloading, Morocco and Oran
Delivery without combat, consequently armed with Africa, all Tunisia to German-Italian the

November 11th: Delivery without combat by the army of armistice of all the nonoccupied zone to German-Italian the
November 13rd:

Constitution by François Darlan in Algiers of a second Vichyist government, recognized by the United States, for North Africa and the AOF, under the heading of “Office of the High Commission in Africa”. Constitution of the composed “imperial Council”, with Darlan and Bergeret, of the Vichyist proconsuls of North Africa and AOF (Noguès, Chatel and Boisson)
maintenance of the laws of exception and the concentration camps of Vichy, in North Africa under American control, apart from any German pressure (See Mode of Vichy in released Africa (1942-1943))

November 22nd: Agreements Clark- Darlan
November 27th: Scuttling of the fleet of Toulon
November 28th: Rallying forced in fighting France of the French Coast of Somalis
November 30th: Rallying in fighting France of the island of the Meeting
December 14th: Transfer of Madagascar to France Fighting by the British
December 24th: Murder of the admiral François Darlan by the patriot Fernand Bonnier of the Vault
December 25th:

Election of Giraud by the “Imperial Council”, like “Commander-in-chief Civil and Military” and integral maintenance of the mode of Vichy
De Gaulle proposes without success a meeting with Giraud

1943

January: Unification of the 3 main movements of resistance of southern zone, within M.U.R .
January 13rd: Arrival of the Leclerc column in Tunisia, after the conquest of Fezzan and the catch with reverse of the Mareth line by the Free French Army (FFL).
from January 14th to 24th: Conference of Casablanca (1943), known as also “conference of Anfa”. De Gaulle meets there Giraud
January 31st: creation of the Organization of resistance of the army (ORA), ordered by the general Aubert Brother
: reformation of the 1 {{free Re}} French division under the command of the general of Larminat, starting from the 1st brigade of the general Koenig and the 2nd brigade of the colonel Brosset. Formation in AEF of 5 new free French battalions
February 2nd: German capitulation with Stalingrad
February 21st: Nomination of Jean Moulin as acting general of the National committee for all occupied France
March 5th: The battalion of Pacific and marines and the flying column gain the victory of Medenine (Tunisia)
March 14th: Speech of Giraud renonçant with the legislation of Vichy… except to the legislation anti-semite
March 26th: Creation of the Coordination committee of the 5 main movements of Northern resistance of zone, by Pierre Brossolette
March 28th: the Force L (Leclerc) seizes Gabès
March 31st: Ferhat Abbas lance the Proclamation of the Algerian People
April 1st: Arrival with Algiers of the Mission Catroux
May 7th: Catch of Bizerte and Tunis
May 27th:

Constitution in France of the National council of Resistance (CNR), gathering the main movements of resistance, political tendencies and trade unions
Contribution by the CNR of its support with de Gaulle

May 30th: Arrival of the de Gaulle General in Algiers
June 2nd: mass demonstration in favor of Charles de Gaulle, in Algiers
June 3rd: Constitution of the French Committee of the national Release (CFLN), with Co-presidency of Giraud and de Gaulle
June 21st: Rallying forced in the camp of combined fleet of Alexandria, on the threat of Churchill not to pay more the balances of its crews
June 30th: Re-entry in war of the Antilles, following violent popular demonstrations against the Vichyist admiral Robert (and after sabotage on its orders of part of the fleet and totality of the planes)
2 - July 23rd: Visit of Giraud in the United States
July 10th: Unloading combined in Sicily
July 25th: Fall of Mussolini
July 31st: Political presidency of the CFLN by the de Gaulle general (remaining Giraud chair military)
: Fusion with the Army of Africa, of the Free French Army which thus ceases officially existing.

Basic sources and bibliography

Charles de Gaulle: Memories of war:

Volume I - the Call, 1940-1942, Paris, 1954,
Volume II - the Unit, 1942-1944, Paris, 1956,
Volume III - Safety, 1944-1946, Paris, 1959.

the Official journal of Free France , republished by the Management of the official journals in 1995
the Memory of the Free French - Men and combat , compilation in 7 volumes of the historical articles published since 1945 in the Re-examined Free France , Foundation of Free France 2002
Jacques Soustelle, Towards and against all , Volumes I and II, Robert Laffont, Paris, 1950.
Henri Michel, free French history , PUF, 1963 (coll Which I know?).
Jean-François Muracciole, free French history , PUF, 1996 (coll Which I know?).
Jean-Louis Crémieux-Brilhac, free France, Gallimard, Paris, 1996.
Yves Maxime Danan, Political life in Algiers, of 1940 to 1944 , general Bookstore of right and jurisprudence, Paris, 1963.
William Langer, American Play in Vichy , Plon, Paris 1948.
Christine Levisse-Touzet, North Africa, during the Second world war , Albin Michel, Paris 1998.
François Kersaudy, De Gaulle and Roosevelt: the duel at the top , Perrin, Paris, 2004 (ISBN 2262020280).
Bernard Marec, the free French and their emblems , Lavauzelle editions, 1994.
Georges Caïtucoli, François Stitches, Jean-François Muracciole, France with the combat , Éditions Perrin, 2007.

The official files of free France are still largely closed with the researchers but open however abroad and the subject is already copiously nourished by an important literature (basic bibliography above).

The files of the Leclerc marshal, the 2nd dB and the escaped prisoners of France by Spain are preserved at the Memorial of the marshal Leclerc de Hauteclocque and the release of Paris, those of the other units of the Free French Army to the historical Service of Defense. Documents are available in the files of the companions of the Release made up to the Museum about the Release, installed with the Invalids. The files of the de Gaulle general were versed with the Public records, the Charles de Gaulle Foundation also having funds. Several other personalities of free France have funds. Thus, papers of the admiral Georges Thierry d' Argenlieu were entrusted by its heirs to the Public records in 1991.

Notes and references of the article

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