French Army of the Release

The French Army with the Libération is the French Army reunified which, after having taken part in the Campagne of Italy, unloads with the Alliés to reconquer the France in 1944 and which enters in 1945 in Germany to obtain its capitulation and to occupy it.

Disunion

From the call to cease the combat of Pétain on June 17th, 1940 and call to the resistance of De Gaulle the following day, the French Army with 1940 gradually will be divided into two sometimes antagonistic forces. Of with dimensions, great majority of this army which continues to obey the government located in France, with Vichy, but depend on the German occupant and other the free French Forces which obey the de Gaulle general and continue the war with the British ally, in conformity with preceding engagements of France.

Two French Armies thus will follow very different ways and will clash several times, more or less seriously, on the battle fields. In Dakar initially where the members of Parliament of the free France are grapeshots, with the Gabon then or the FFL do not hesitate any more to employ the force against other French to impose the rallying of this territory, and especially in Syria where more than one month of bloody combat will leave in the spirit of the survivors of tough resentments.

The day before the Anglo-American unloading in North Africa cleavage is thus deep between the Armée with Vichy and that of free France.

Reunification

In autumn 1942, the FFL are in Libya with the British army and fight the troops of Rommel. The two French brigades free have just taken part in the battles of El Alamein and the column Leclerc conquers the Fezzan.

November 8th, 1942 the Army of Africa, obeying the orders of Vichy, initially starts to resist the unloading of the Allies. But rather quickly the engagements cease and an agreement is found. On the other hand in Tunisia, this same army leaves entered the forces of the axis without resisting and is folded up.

The Army of Africa gradually takes again however the combat with dimensions Allies and it will carry out difficult a countryside in Tunisia, with often miserable means. It there côtoie sometimes FFL of Leclerc and of Larminat.

But once the acquired victory, the dissension burst. In Algiers, the fight to be able it between de Gaulle and Giraud has as a true stake the continuation of Vichy or not. The French Free S, conscious of their numerical weakness, as much as possible facilitate the rallyings with their cause and the chiefs of the army of Africa exasperate desertions which dig their rows. Finally Giraud obtains American command which it orders with the free French units their return in Tripolitaine.

However organization of interior Resistance supports it and the reversal of Jean Monnet, make it possible de Gaulle to take the ascending one on Giraud and an agreement is found which leads to the fusion of the French Forces on August 1st, 1943

Although on this date the FFL officially cease existing, the expression free French Forces is often used, but wrongly, to indicate the French Army of the Release. This confusion is not found in the documents of time coming from interested them same and on the contrary the new command endeavors to make disappear the words " France libre" names of the units which of it result. The 1 {{free Re}} French division will become officially the 1st motorized division of infantry then the 1st division of walk of infantry, without to accept it and the 2nd free French division will become the 2 {{E}} armor-plated division by incorporating twice more soldiers of the army of Africa than of French Free S.

The expression fighting French Forces is also used in this direction but that Ci indicates actually the networks of interior Résistance created by free France, re-elected fighting France in 1942.

Military campaigns

Italy

France

Germany

Composition

Army

Armor-plated divisions

''' 1 {{era}} Armor-plated Division '''
''' 2 {{E}} Armor-plated Division
''' 5 {{E}} Armor-plated Division

Divisions of infantry

''' 1 {{Free era}} French Division ''' called officially 1 Division of Walk of Infantry

2 {{E}} Division of Moroccan Infantry

3 {{E}} Division of Algerian Infantry

4 {{E}} Moroccan Division of Mountain

9 {{E}} Division of Colonial Infantry

1 {{era}} Colonial Division of the Far East

2 {{E}} Colonial Division of the Far East

1 {{era}} Division of Infantry

10 {{E}} Division of Infantry

14 {{E}} Division of Infantry

19 {{E}} Division of Infantry

23 {{E}} Division of Infantry

25 {{E}} Division of Infantry

36 {{E}} Division of Infantry

1 {{era}} Alpine Division

27 {{E}} Alpine Division

Aviation

Navy

References

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