French colonial empire during the Second world war

the French colonial Empire during the Second world war treats history of the colonial Empire French for the period 1940-1945.

Prolog: French Empire in June 1940

May 29th, 1940, the president duconseil Paul Reynaud wrote to the general-in-chief Maxime Weygand:

I kindly request to you to study the setting in a state of defense of a national tiny room around a wearing of war allowing us to use the freedom of the seas and in particular to communicate with our Allies. This national tiny room will have to be arranged and supplied in particular in explosives like a true fortress. Thus the government would remain fixed in the metropolis and would continue the war by using our naval forces and our aviation which would be sent in North Africa. I add that my intention is to raise two classes and to send them in North Africa to make them contribute to its defense with ds weapons bought abroad

In fact, Paul Reynaud does not give following his intention and it presents its resignation on June 16th, 1940. Its successor Philippe Pétain, according to the councils of Weygand, asks for an armistice the shortly after his nomination. the Armistice of June 22nd, 1940 provides that a zone in the south of France is not occupied by the German army and that the colonial Empire French which remains under the authority of the French government is not either occupied by the Germans.

The choice of Hitler to leave in overcome France its empire can appear today completely surprising. At the time, in a letter with the Duce, Hitler justified this choice (like that to maintain a zone nonoccupied), by the concern of not pushing France and its powerful fleet to continue the war starting from its colonies.

In its Call of June 18th, Charles de Gaulle renews the wish of Paul Reynaud to continue the war starting from the empire: France is not alone It has a vast empire. It can continue to make block with the British Empire who holds the sea and continues the fight

Consequently, the French empire will be the principal ground of confrontation between the Vichy government and the Free France of De Gaulle, but certain colonies, very far away from the metropolis will live a section of history at another rate/rhythm that France of Vichy. Thus the French Indo-China will be directly confronted with Japan.

The confrontation between Vichy and Free France

Between 1940 and 1944, the Vichy government and the authority of London are brought to direct confrontations to dispute the pieces of the French Empire.

Dakar, September 1940

In Dakar, in September 1940, the forces faithful to Pétain push back the free free intervention - British, and in Syria, the troops of free France face at the sides of the British the troops faithful to Vichy in fatal combat.

The business Syria-Lebanon (June-July 1941)

The Syria and the Lebanon were territories placed under French supervision by a mandate of SDN, that the French thus regarded as belonging to their empire. At the beginning of 1941, the general Dentz ordered an army there of: 40000 men. While escaping from it a few front months to join the Free French Army in Palestine, the general of Larminat had succeeded in involving only 300 men.

April 1st, 1941, it occurred in Iraq (country under British influence) a coup d'etat anti-British supported by the German services. The oil stake is obviously of first importance. While negotiating the protocols of Paris from which one is relating to the Raising (name then given to the Middle East), Darlan, with the personal agreement of the Pétain marshal, looks further into collaboration with the enemy while granting to him in Syria a technical support, like, with the planes of the Luftwaffe , the base of Alep from where they are authorized to use the aerodromes of Syria to go to bombard the British lasting the Guerre anglo-Iraqi. Darlan meets Hitler on May 14th, 1941, then Abetz with which it signs the agreements of Paris which envisage, inter alia, explicitly, the use of the French bases in Syrie.
This new situation does nothing but worsen the concern of the British and the Americans. When the British finished some with the rebellion of Rachid Ali, they tackle the French forces of Syria and Lebanon on June 8th, 1941. : 30000 British soldiers supported by a division of free French face them: 40000 men of the Dentz general. Far from limiting itself to a “last-ditch struggle”, the French of the Dentz general resist. The engagements last until July 14th and show: 1066 killed and: 5400 wounded for the French from the general Dentz, 650 killed and wounded for the free French and: 4060 killed and wounded for the British. The large one of the troops regains France, but, in spite of the hardness of the combat which have just opposed them: 5500 men join in free France. However the British perhaps who did not wish the maintenance of an important French force in the Middle East, had made difficult the contact between free officers French and the prisoners Vichyist.

French Indo-China

See too

Bonds media

  • War of Indo-China 1941-1943: Indo-China de Pétain (video of the INA)
  • War of Indo-China 1945: The fight anti-Japanese woman (video of the INA)
  • Retrospective of the war of INDO-CHINA 1/2 (video of the INA)

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