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The beginning of the war The surrender of France and the Vichy regime "Free France" Resistance Movement French National Liberation Committee
CHAPTER III.
FRANCE DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR The beginning of the war on September 1, 1939, Fascist Germany attacked Poland.
France and Great Britain declared war on Germany.
The Second World War began.
Poland has not received any real military assistance from its" guarantors", France and England.
As a result, the Polish army was defeated by Germany in two weeks.
On the Western Front, the Germans did not take any decisive action.
Great Britain and France did not take the military initiative, hoping that Germany would deliver the main blow in the East.
Since there were no military operations on the Western Front from September 1939 to May 1940, this time was called the "strange war"in France.
In the autumn of 1939, the cabinet of Edouard Daladier was still in power.
In March 1940, he was replaced by a government headed by the famous right wing politician Paul Reynaud (March June 1940).
The cabinets of Daladier and Reynaud, citing wartime conditions, gradually eliminated democratic freedoms.
In September 1939, martial law was imposed on the territory of France.
Rallies, meetings, demonstrations and strikes were prohibited.
The press and radio were subjected to strict censorship.
The 40 hour working week and holidays were canceled.
Wages were "frozen" at the pre war level.
The conclusion of the Soviet German non aggression pact served as an occasion for the unfolding of an anti communist campaign in France.
The Communists were declared "agents of Moscow and Berlin".
At the end of September 1939, the FKP was banned and began to operate underground.
The capitulation of France and the Vichy regime In May 1940, Germany launched a rapid offensive on the Western Front.
The Germans struck the first blow on French territory through neutral countries Belgium and Holland.
Then the main forces of the Hitlerite army attacked in the Sedan area, where the fortifications of the "Maginot line" ended.
The front was broken, the Germans went to the rear of the Anglo French troops and surrounded them near Dunkirk.
The Anglo French fleet with great difficulty managed to evacuate the British expeditionary force without heavy weapons.
The main forces of the French army, having lost the support of the British, hastily retreated.
On June 10, Italy declared war on France, and German troops were already near Paris.
The Reynaud government left the capital and moved south, first to Tours and then to Bordeaux.
On June 16, the Reynaud cabinet resigned.
The new government was formed by 84 year old Marshal Philippe Petain, a supporter of ending the war and concluding an armistice with Germany.
He immediately appealed to the Germans to stop the hostilities and inform them of the terms of peace.
The Franco German Armistice was signed on June 22, 1940 in Compiegne, the Franco Italian armistice was signed on June 25 in Rome.
According to the terms of the armistice, the French army and navy were disarmed and demobilized.
France had to pay huge occupation payments in the amount of 400 million francs (since November 1942 — 500 million francs) daily.
Two thirds of the country, including Paris, were occupied by Germany.
The southern part of France (the so called free zone) and the colonies were not occupied and were controlled by the Petain government.
It settled in a small resort town of Vichy.
Formally, the Petain government retained the entire military fleet of the country.
Great Britain, which continued the war, fearing that the French fleet could be captured by Germany, decided to disable it.
On July 3, 1940, the British fleet attacked a French squadron stationed in the harbor of Mers el Kebir (Algeria).
Most of the ships were sunk or damaged.
At the same time, the British seized French ships that were in British ports, and blocked the French squadron in the port of Alexandria (Egypt).
On the territory of France, both in the occupied and unoccupied zones, all political parties and the main trade union associations were dissolved.
Meetings, demonstrations and strikes were strictly prohibited.
In July 1940, in the unoccupied zone, Marshal Petain published "constitutional acts" that actually abolished the Constitution of the Third Republic.
The posts of the President of the Republic and the Chairman of the Council of Ministers were abolished.
The sessions of the Parliament were suspended.
The fullness of executive and legislative power was transferred to Petain, who was declared the "head of state".
Pierre Laval became the second person in the Vichy government.
The Catholic Church has gained great influence in the country.
Religious congregations were restored the right to teach in private schools, which was abolished by the 1905 law on the separation of church and state.
State funding for private schools was also restored.
Vichy propaganda quickly created Marshal Petain an aura of "the savior of France", who saved the French from continuing the war and returned peace and tranquility to the country.
Almost the entire French economy was put at the service of Germany.
By the beginning of 1944, 80% of French enterprises fulfilled German military orders, which were paid for by occupation payments.
Germany exported up to three quarters of French raw materials and from 50 to 100% of the finished products of the main branches of French industry.
Since 1942, the export of French workers to Germany for forced labor has become widespread.
The invaders deported about 1 million French people to Germany.
"Free France" Simultaneously with the defeat of France, the history of its resistance to the invaders began.
It is connected, first of all, with the name of the outstanding French military, political and statesman of the XX century, General Charles de Gaulle.
De Gaulle was born on November 22, 1890 in an aristocratic family and was brought up in the spirit of patriotism and Catholicism.
After graduating from the higher military school of Saint Cyr, he fought on the fields of the First World War and finished it with the rank of captain.
During the interwar period, de Gaulle continued his military career.
However, since the mid 20s, his activities went far beyond the army service.
He wrote a lot and made reports.
De Gaulle's four books — "Discord in the enemy's Camp" (1924), "At the Point of the Sword" (1932), "For a Professional Army" (1934) and "France and its Army" (1938) — reflected the author's own military doctrine and his life credo.
He was essentially the first in France to predict the decisive role of tank troops in the future war and presented himself as an adherent of French nationalism and a supporter of a strong executive power.
De Gaulle was a staunch opponent of the defensive tactics developed in the General Staff of the French Army, which was based on the idea of the inaccessibility of the "Maginot Line".
He warned about the ruinous nature of such views and called for strengthening the country's defense capability.
De Gaulle considered it necessary, first of all, to form additional tank corps in France, equipped with the latest type of vehicles.
He was looking for supporters in military and political circles.
In 1934, he even managed to get acquainted with Paul Raynaud, but de Gaulle did not achieve effective support for his ideas.
At the beginning of the Second World War, de Gaulle, who served with the rank of colonel, was appointed commander of tank troops in Alsace.
When Germany launched a rapid offensive on the Western Front in 1940, he was ordered to lead an urgently formed armored division.
Throughout May, she fought selflessly, suffering heavy losses.
The enemy had a huge advantage in tanks, artillery and aviation.
For his military services, de Gaulle was promoted to the rank of brigadier general.
In Paris, Paul Reynaud, when reorganizing his cabinet, appointed de Gaulle Deputy Minister of War.
The general immediately arrived in the capital.
He stubbornly insisted on continuing the war and tried to convince Raynaud of this.
De Gaulle suggested that the government move to the North African possessions of France and fight, relying on the huge colonial empire of the country.
However, the chairman of the Council of Ministers preferred to transfer power to Marshal Petain.
Then de Gaulle committed an unprecedented act.
He resolutely refused to submit to the new French authorities, who took a course for surrender, and on June 17, 1940, he flew to London on a military plane.
In the English capital, the rebel general immediately met with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and assured him of his firm intention to continue the fight.
On June 18, de Gaulle made a famous speech to his compatriots on London radio.
In it, he argued that the situation of France is far from hopeless, because the war that has begun has a global character and its outcome will not be decided only by the battle for France.
The speech ended with the following words: "I, General de Gaulle, who is currently in London, invite French officers and soldiers who are on British territory or may be there to establish contact with me.
Whatever happens, the flame of the French Resistance must not be extinguished and will not be extinguished."
So already in June 1940, the flag of the French resistance to the enemy was raised.
In London, de Gaulle founded the organization "Free France", designed to fight against fascist Germany on the side of Great Britain.
The Vichy government sentenced de Gaulle to death in absentia for "desertion" and "treason".
Nevertheless, both military and civilians of various political views and beliefs began to join the "Free France".
At the end of 1940, there were only 7 thousand people, less than two years later this number increased tenfold.
On August 7, 1940, de Gaulle and Churchill signed an agreement on the organization and use of French volunteer forces in England.
De Gaulle undertook to form these forces and exercise their supreme command in accordance with the general directives of the British government.
Great Britain did not recognize de Gaulle's rights to exercise state power and considered the "free French" only as volunteers in their service.
However, it provided de Gaulle with regular financial support and gave him the opportunity to create a civilian body in addition to the military.
The BBC English radio station was also made available to de Gaulle.
Through it, "Free France" carried out propaganda broadcasting to France.
First of all, de Gaulle directed his efforts to seize the French colonies, mainly African ones.
With the help of his supporters, he began active propaganda there in favor of continuing the war and joining the "Free France".
The North African Administration categorically rejected such proposals and remained loyal to the Vichy government.
The colonies of French Equatorial Africa behaved differently.
Already in August 1940, Chad joined de Gaulle.
After some time, the Congo, Ubangi Shari, Gabon, and Cameroon joined the general's side.
Several small possessions of France in the Pacific Ocean declared its recognition.
It was the first big success.
However, in September 1940, the Gaullists suffered a serious defeat.
The expedition of the Anglo — French squadron, which aimed to capture the most important port of French West Africa Dakar, ended in failure.
The garrison of the city remained on the side of Vichy.
And yet the "Free France" has now received its own territorial base on the African continent.
This allowed de Gaulle to start creating his own "state apparatus" and resolutely dissociate himself from the Vichy government.
On October 27, 1940, de Gaulle issued a Manifesto regarding the leadership of the French during the war.
In it, he condemned the activities of the Petain cabinet, spoke about the illegality of its existence and called the collaborators "accidental leaders" who submitted to the enemy.
De Gaulle said that on behalf of France, he would exercise power with the sole purpose of protecting the country from the enemy.
At the very end of 1940, the Department of Political Affairs of the "Free France"was created.
His work was supervised by de Gaulle himself.
He also defined the tasks of the Department: "To create and use information services that collect materials about the political situation in France and in the Empire.
To organize and support the Free France movement in France and in the Empire and try to extend its activities to old and new political, social, religious, economic, professional and intellectual organizations and convince them of the need to subordinate all personal interests to one national interest at the moment."
The Department consisted of the General Staff and the information Service.
Three bureaus were subordinate to them.
The first defined specific tasks.
The second was to implement them on the territory of France and the colonial empire.
Subsequently, it grew into the well known Central Bureau of Awareness and Action (BSRA).
The third was engaged in establishing contacts with foreign countries.
Its representatives were sent by de Gaulle to various regions of the world in order to achieve recognition of" Free France " by foreign governments.
In September 1941, de Gaulle issued an ordinance on "Free France".
He established a National Committee that temporarily performed the functions of State power.
It was intended to exist until "until a representation of the French people is created, capable of expressing the will of the nation independently of the enemy."
The National Committee consists of commissars appointed by its chairman General de Gaulle: Rene Pleven (for coordinating the activities of the committee), Maurice Dejean (for foreign affairs), Rene Cassin (justice and public education), General Lejantiom (for military affairs), Admiral Muselier (military and merchant fleet), General Valen (for aviation), Andre Dietelme (for internal affairs).
The Commissars headed the national commissariats.
So, within the framework of" Free France", some semblance of a government was created.
The cooperation of " Free France "(since July 1942 - "Fighting France") with the allies in the anti Hitler coalition was not easy at first.
First of all, this concerned the development of de Gaulle's relations with the British government, before which he defended French national interests.
The head of the" Free France " sought to prevent the spread of British influence in the French colonial possessions.
In the summer of 1941, as a result of a joint military operation of the British with the "free French", the Vichy regime was overthrown in the French colonies in the Middle East — Syria and Lebanon.
In the spring of 1942, Great Britain seized the island of Madagascar and eliminated the Vichy administration there.
The British wanted to establish their power in these French possessions.
De Gaulle categorically prevented this and, at the cost of huge efforts and difficult diplomatic negotiations, joined Syria, Lebanon and Madagascar to the Free France movement.
Immediately after the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, de Gaulle, on behalf of "Free France", initiated cooperation with the USSR, which had previously maintained diplomatic relations with Vichy.
The events of June 22, 1941 found the general in Africa.
On June 30, the Vichy government announced the severance of diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union.
The plenipotentiary representative of the USSR to Vichy, A. E. Bogomolov, was immediately recalled from France.
But already on July 1, the Soviet Union's ambassador to Great Britain, I. M. Maysky, telegraphed from London to Moscow that even before the break with Vichy, he was privately visited by de Gaulle's representative Cassin, "who, on behalf of the general, conveyed the sympathies and best wishes of the USSR" and at the same time"raised the question of establishing certain relations between the Soviet government and de Gaulle's forces."
In August, Cassin and Dejan put the same question to I. M. Maysky for the second time.
And on September 26, 1941, the Soviet Ambassador to Great Britain sent an official written response to de Gaulle: "On behalf of my government, I have the honor to inform you that it recognizes you as the leader of all free Frenchmen, wherever they are, who have rallied around you, supporting the cause of the allies."
Both sides decided to exchange official representatives.
In early November 1941, A. E. Bogomolov was sent to the UK with the rank of Ambassador Extraordinary Plenipotentiary of the USSR to the allied governments in London.
The Soviet government entrusted him with the functions of maintaining communication with "Free France".
Roger Garraud, Raymond Schmittlen, and General Ernest Petit, the military representative appointed by de Gaulle, also left for Moscow.
The United States maintained diplomatic relations with Vichy before entering World War II.
However, the Americans were interested in using the French island colonies in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, controlled by "Free France", as their military sea and air bases.
After the United States entered the war on the side of the Allies in December 1941, de Gaulle turned to the United States with a proposal to establish diplomatic relations.
Official Washington did not give the head of "Freedom of France" a positive answer for a long time.
Only in March 1942.
The United States recognized the authority of the Degollev National Committee in the Pacific Islands.
In July 1942, the US government published a communique recognizing the organization headed by de Gaulle.
Since the second half of 1940, the first Resistance groups began to form on the territory of occupied France and in the so called free zone.
The most active role in the process of countering the invaders was played by the French Communist Party.
The Manifesto published by her on July 10, illegally distributed throughout the country, defined the main goals of the struggle in the current conditions — national and social liberation and the revival of France, the conquest of freedom and independence by the French people.
The Communists launched extensive activities to publish the newspaper "Yumanite", pamphlets and leaflets in the underground.
They organized acts of sabotage and attempted attacks on the occupiers.
In 1941, in some cities of the country (Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Clermont Ferrand, etc.), in addition to the communist ones, there were also groups of bourgeois patriotic Resistance.
They conducted anti fascist propaganda, published illegal leaflets and newspapers, collected intelligence data.
By the end of 1941, the Resistance movement in France had become an impressive effective force.
Almost all layers of French society were represented in it.
General de Gaulle set himself the task of uniting the disparate Resistance forces around the "Free France".
In this regard, he made a number of speeches, where he outlined the program of the organization headed by him.
In one of them, he stated that the original motto of "Free France ""Honor and Homeland" is now being added another " Freedom.
Equality.
"We want to remain faithful," de Gaulle stressed — " to the democratic principles that the genius of our nation gave to our ancestors and which are the stake in this war not for life, but for death."
In order to practically begin to unite the various Resistance groups under his leadership, the general began to send special "political missions"to France.
The main one was entrusted to the outstanding figure of the French Resistance, Jean Moulin.
In October 1941, Moulin, on his own initiative, came to de Gaulle in London.
He presented him with a report on the situation in France.
Moulin considered the immediate and comprehensive assistance from the British government and General de Gaulle to be the decisive condition for all further successes of the Resistance.
He asked to provide political and moral support to the Resistance organizations, to provide them with means of communication and financial assistance.
Moulin made a strong impression on the head of the "Free France".
Thanks to him, for the first time, he received reliable information about the movement that unfolded in his homeland.
De Gaulle decided to entrust this man with a responsible mission — to unite all the Resistance groups and ensure their subordination to his leadership.
In January 1942, Moulin parachuted into southern France.
Since 1942, the links of the London organization with the Resistance movement began to acquire a systematic character.
A commissariat for information was created under the London National Committee, headed by Jacques Sustel.
Its functions were mainly to supply information about the activities of the "Free France" to various radio stations around the world, as well as to underground publications published on the territory of France.
At first, not all Resistance figures advocated submission to"Free France".
However, gradually, many began to lean towards this.
The leaders of various Resistance groups sought to get to London in order to personally get acquainted with de Gaulle.
During 1942, he was visited by representatives of political parties that had gone underground, socialists Pierre Brossolet, Felix Guen, Christian Pinot, Andre Philip, radical Pierre Mendes France.
The visit of Pinot to the English capital in the spring of 1942 was of great importance.
In the draft Manifesto compiled by him, the head of the" Free France " was called a representative of the French people.
De Gaulle personally revised the Manifesto, and Pinot took it to France.
In June 1942, it was published in the underground press.
The Manifesto condemned the regime of the Third Republic, which led the country to a catastrophe, and the Vichy regime, which collaborated with the fascists.
The restoration of the integrity of the territory of France and its empire after the end of the war was declared.
"As soon as the French are freed from enemy oppression," the document emphasized, " all their internal freedoms must be returned to them.
After the expulsion of the enemy from our territory, all men and women will elect a National Assembly that will decide the fate of our country itself."
In essence, the text testified to the recognition by the head of the" Free France " of the basic democratic principles.
It promised to convene an authorized parliament after the liberation and restore democratic freedoms in the country.
The appearance of the Manifesto had a very positive impact on the relations of the "Free France" with the internal Resistance.
Non communist organizations now joined de Gaulle one after another.
The general also sought to enlist the support of the Communists, realizing that it was the FCP that was an effective resistance force.
At de Gaulle's insistence, the Communists sent their representative, Fernand Grenier, to London at the end of 1942.
The general did not share many of the views of the Communists, but he went to cooperate with them, realizing that at the moment it was absolutely necessary.
The French Committee of National Liberation After the defeat of the German fascist troops at Stalingrad, there was a radical change in the course of the war.
The defeat of Germany and its allies on the Eastern Front created favorable conditions for the opening of a second front in Western Europe, which Britain and the United States promised to do back in 1942.However, instead they decided to land troops in Algeria and Morocco, where Vichy troops were stationed.
The Americans believed that it was necessary to act in accordance with the Vichy authorities, and sought to find some high ranking French military who could drag the Vichy administration and the army with him.
The commander of the French fleet, Admiral Darlan, was quite suitable for such a role.
At the beginning of November, he was in Algeria.
The Americans were also worried about a backup option — another French military officer, General of the Army Giraud, was ready.
The allies expected one or the other to take the place of de Gaulle, who, in their opinion, was too intractable and ambitious.
He was not even warned about the upcoming military operation.
On November 8, 1942, large Anglo American forces landed on the territory of Algeria and Morocco.
The Vichy troops laid down their arms after a short resistance.
In response, Germany occupied the southern, "free" zone of France.
The American command proclaimed Admiral Darlan as the High Commissioner of North Africa.
However, on December 24, he was shot dead.
A few days later, General Giraud was appointed to replace Darlan, who received the title of "civil and military commander in chief".
His entourage consisted mainly of Vichy fighters who had defected to the United States.
The general himself was clearly sympathetic to the Vichy regime.
He saw his main task only in winning the war.
Giraud did not object to uniting with "Fighting France", but, commanding a large army and far surpassing Brigadier General de Gaulle in terms of in particular, he took it for granted that the relatively weak forces of "Fighting France" should pass into his subordination.
Giraud took a clearly pro American position, acted on the orders of US President Franklin Roosevelt and was supported by him in his intentions regarding the London organization.
In January 1943, Roosevelt and Churchill held a conference in Casablanca (Morocco).
The American president and the British Prime Minister decided to unite the groups led by de Gaulle and Giraud, but they faced serious difficulties.
The two generals met in Casablanca, but did not come to an agreement, since de Gaulle categorically refused to allow the National Committee headed by him to be in a subordinate position.
Thus, Giraud continued to be the only head of administration in North Africa, and de Gaulle had to return to London.
As a result, in the spring of 1943, the head of the" Fighting France " again began to fight for his recognition.
He decided that he could count on success only by enlisting the support of his most important ally in the anti — Hitler coalition — the USSR and the Resistance movement.
De Gaulle wanted to visit the Soviet Union and see I. V. Stalin.
Moscow has so far refused to accept the head of the"Fighting France".
However, the Soviet government made it clear that it preferred de Gaulle over Giraud.
de Gaulle's contacts with representatives of various groups and political trends of the Resistance were constantly expanding.
In the first half of 1943, socialists Vincent Oriol and Andre Le Trocker, radical Henri Kaye, and the leader of the Republican Federation Louis Marin visited the general in London.
A new important political mission was entrusted by de Gaulle to Moulin.
He was supposed to unite all the Resistance organizations and parties that opposed the occupiers and Vichy in a single National Council of Resistance.
He managed to do this in May 1943.
The National Council of Resistance included representatives of 16 major organizations that fought for the liberation of France.
Among them were the Communist and Socialist Parties, the General Confederation of Labor, Christian trade unions, and the main bourgeois patriotic groups.
The first chairman of the council was Jean Moulin.
After his arrest and tragic death in the dungeons of the Gestapo, this post was taken by the head of the Komba Resistance group, Georges Bidault.
Having secured the support of the internal Resistance, de Gaulle began negotiations with Giraud about the need for their meeting and unification.
The governments of the United States and England advised Giraud to agree, and he invited de Gaulle to Algeria.
Just before leaving London, the head of the "Fighting France" received a telegram from Moulin, which said that preparations for the creation of the National Council of Resistance were completed.
It also stated that " the French people will never allow the subordination of General de Gaulle to General Giraud and demand the speedy establishment of a Provisional Government in Algeria under the chairmanship of General de Gaulle."
Thus, having presented himself to public opinion as a national leader who enjoys the support of the Resistance movement, the general came to Algeria at the end of May 1943.
De Gaulle and his supporters initiated the creation of a government body headed by two chairmen.
The leaders of the United States and England, as well as General Giraud, agreed to such a proposal.
As a result, on June 3, 1943, in Algiers, de Gaulle and Giraud signed an ordinance establishing the French Committee for National Liberation (FKNO).
The committee includes de Gaulle and Giraud as chairmen, as well as 5 more che
