- French:
- Françaises Libres
- Date:
- June 1940 - 1945
Free French
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Who were the Free French?
The Free French were members of a World War II movement that fought to continue warfare against Germany after France's military collapse in 1940. Led by Charles de Gaulle, the Free French aimed to unify French resistance forces against Germany.
De Gaulle, a French army officer, appealed via radio from London in June 1940 for the French to continue fighting. The British recognized him as the leader of Free France, and he began to build up the Free French Forces.
Initially, the forces consisted of French troops in England, volunteers, and some navy units. By autumn 1940, French colonial territories in sub-Saharan Africa and smaller colonies in India and the Pacific joined de Gaulle's Free France. Over time, the Free French grew, and by June 1944, they had over 300,000 regular troops.
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Why was the Free French movement created during World War II?
The Free French movement emerged during World War II because Charles de Gaulle called on the French to continue fighting Germany after France's military collapse in 1940. De Gaulle, a French army officer, broadcast from London, urging compatriots to resist German occupation.
De Gaulle's Free French aimed to unify French resistance against Germany. Recognized by the British as the movement's leader, de Gaulle began building the Free French Forces from London. The movement gained support from French colonial territories and resistance groups within France, eventually becoming a significant force in the Allied war effort.
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Who led the Free French Forces?
The Free French Forces, a movement for the continuation of warfare against Germany after France's military collapse in 1940, were led by General Charles de Gaulle. De Gaulle, an army officer, appealed via radio from London on June 18, 1940, for the French to continue fighting. Recognized by the British as the leader of Free France on June 28, he began building the Free French Forces from his London base.
Initially, the forces consisted of French troops in England, volunteers, and some navy units. By autumn 1940, French colonial territories in sub-Saharan Africa and smaller colonies in India and the Pacific joined de Gaulle's Free France. Despite remaining a small force until 1942, the Free French Forces played a role in British-controlled operations against Italian forces and joined the British in defeating Vichy forces in Syria and Lebanon.
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How did the Free French oppose German occupation of France?
The Free French, under General Charles de Gaulle, strived to continue the fight against Germany following France's military collapse in 1940. De Gaulle, from London, initiated the Free French Forces, gaining support from French colonial territories.
In 1941, they participated in British operations against Italian forces and joined in defeating Vichy forces in Syria and Lebanon. De Gaulle also created the French National Committee, a government-in-exile recognized by the Allies. By 1942, an underground anti-Nazi Resistance movement had emerged in France. De Gaulle changed the name of his movement to Fighting French Forces and sent Jean Moulin to unite the Resistance groups under his leadership. More than 100,000 Free French troops fought in the Allied campaign in Italy in 1943.
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What were some important actions or battles involving the Free French?
The Free French, under General Charles de Gaulle, played a crucial role in World War II after France's collapse in 1940. De Gaulle, from London, called for continued resistance against Germany and established the Free French Forces.
Key actions involving the Free French:
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Failed Capture of Dakar: In September 1940, an attempt to seize the naval base of Dakar in French West Africa failed.
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North African Campaign: In 1941, they participated in British-led operations against Italian forces in Libya and Egypt and joined the British in defeating Vichy forces in Syria and Lebanon.
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Italian Campaign: Over 100,000 Free French troops fought in Italy in 1943.
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Liberation of Paris: The Free French 2nd Armored Division, under General Jacques-Philippe Leclerc, entered Paris and secured its liberation in August 1944. De Gaulle then made a triumphal parade down the Champs-ĂlysĂ©es.
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Invasion of Southern France: In August 1944, the Free French 1st Army took part in the Alliesâ invasion of southern France, advancing into Alsace before joining the final push into Germany.
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How did the Free French contribute to France's liberation and the end of World War II?
The Free French, under General Charles de Gaulle, were crucial in France's liberation during World War II. After France's military collapse in 1940, de Gaulle called on the French to continue fighting, forming the Free French Forces.
Initially small, the Free French gained support from French colonial territories and participated in operations against Axis forces. De Gaulle unified various resistance groups under his leadership, strengthening the Free French. By 1944, their forces had grown, participating in the Allied invasion of Normandy and southern France. The Free French 2nd Armoured Division played a key role in liberating Paris in August 1944, marking a turning point in the war and solidifying de Gaulle's leadership.
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Free French, in World War II (1939â45), members of a movement for the continuation of warfare against Germany after the military collapse of Metropolitan France in the summer of 1940. Led by General Charles de Gaulle, the Free French were eventually able to unify most French resistance forces in their struggle against Germany.
On June 16, 1940, the government of France was constitutionally transmitted to Marshal Philippe Pétain, who had already decided that France must conclude an armistice with Germany. Two days later, a French army officer, General Charles de Gaulle, appealed by radio from London (whence he had fled on June 17) for a French continuation of the war against Germany. On June 28 de Gaulle was recognized by the British as the leader of Free France (as the nascent resistance movement was named), and from his base in London de Gaulle began to build up the Forces Françaises Libres, or Free French Forces. At first these consisted merely of French troops in England, volunteers from the French community resident in England since prewar times, and a few units of the French navy.
In the autumn of 1940 the French colonial territories of Chad, Cameroun, Moyen-Congo, French Equatorial Africa, and Oubangi-Chari (all in sub-Saharan Africa) rallied to de Gaulleâs Free France, and the smaller French colonies in India and in the Pacific soon followed suit. A Free French military expedition in September 1940 to capture the important naval base of Dakar in French West Africa failed, however, and the base remained in the hands of French forces loyal to the national government that PĂ©tain had set up in Vichy.
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In 1941 Free French forces participated in British-controlled operations against Italian forces in Libya and Egypt, and that same year they joined the British in defeating the Vichy forces in Syria and Lebanon. In September de Gaulle created the Comité National Français (French National Committee), a Free French government-in-exile that was recognized by the Allied governments.
Despite these gains, the Free French remained a small force until 1942, by which time an underground anti-Nazi RĂ©sistance movement had sprung up in France. In his efforts to obtain the support of the RĂ©sistance, de Gaulle changed the name of his movement to Forces Françaises Combattantes (Fighting French Forces) and sent his emissary Jean Moulin to France to try to unify all the various RĂ©sistance groups in France under de Gaulleâs leadership. Moulin came close to accomplishing this in May 1943 with his establishment of the Conseil Nationale de la RĂ©sistance (National Council of the Resistance).
The successful Anglo-American invasion of northwestern Africa in November 1942 resulted in the defection of most of the Vichy troops stationed there to the side of the Free French. De Gaulle then entered a power struggle with the Allied-backed commander in chief of the French forces in North Africa, General Henri Giraud. In June 1943 a ComitĂ© Français de LibĂ©ration Nationale (French Committee of National Liberation) was constituted in Algiers, with Giraud and de Gaulle as its joint presidents. But de Gaulle soon outmaneuvered Giraud, whose resignation in the spring of 1944 left de Gaulle in supreme control of the entire French war effort outside of Metropolitan France. More and more RĂ©sistance groups were meanwhile acknowledging de Gaulleâs leadership.
More than 100,000 Free French troops fought in the Anglo-American campaign in Italy in 1943, and, by the time of the Allied invasion of Normandy in June 1944, the Free French forces had swelled to more than 300,000 regular troops. They were almost wholly American-equipped and supplied. In August 1944 the Free French 1st Army, under General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny, took part in the Alliesâ invasion of southern France, driving thence northeastward into Alsace before joining in the Western Alliesâ final thrust into Germany. In August 1944 the RĂ©sistance groups, now organized as Forces Françaises de lâIntĂ©rieur (French Forces of the Interior), mounted an anti-German insurrection in Paris, and the Free French 2nd Armoured Division under General Jacques-Philippe Leclerc drove into Paris to consummate the liberation. On Aug. 26, 1944, de Gaulle entered Paris in triumph.
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