Free France

Free France was the French political movement and government-in-exile led by Charles de Gaulle that continued the fight against the Axis powers from 1940 to 1944.

Fall of France: The German invasion and defeat of France in 1940, followed by the collapse of the Third Republic. The defeat created the political crisis in which de Gaulle called for continued resistance.
Free French Forces: The armed forces that fought under Free French authority during the Second World War. They turned de Gaulle’s appeal into an organized military contribution to the Allied war effort.
Henri Giraud: A French general who led forces in North Africa and shared power with de Gaulle in 1943. His competing claim to leadership forced negotiations over the movement’s political and military command.
Battle of Bir Hakeim: A 1942 battle in Libya in which Free French forces resisted Axis troops during the Battle of Gazala. The stand brought international attention to Free France’s military role.
French Fourth Republic: The French republican regime established after the Second World War and lasting from 1946 to 1958. Its institutions followed the provisional government that Free France established during liberation.
Armistice of 22 June 1940: The agreement that ended major hostilities between France and Germany in June 1940. Its terms divided France and prompted de Gaulle to reject the Vichy government’s surrender.
French Resistance: The clandestine networks and individuals who opposed German occupation and Vichy rule in France. Free France sought to unite internal resistance with French forces fighting abroad.
René Cassin: A French jurist and diplomat who served as a leading legal and diplomatic figure for Free France. He helped formulate the movement’s legal claim to represent the French Republic.
Operation Torch: The Allied landings in French North Africa in November 1942. The landings brought French North Africa into the Allied conflict and intensified rival French claims to authority.
French Empire: The overseas territories ruled by France across several centuries, including colonies that supported Free France during the war. Their wartime allegiance supplied territory, troops, and diplomatic weight to de Gaulle’s movement.

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