French Army increase 1944

How much did the Free French Army increase after France was liberated in 1944? Did alot of former soldiers and other French citizens join up? Also were any former Vichy troops allowed to join from mainland France? How were they assimilated Into the Free French Army? Were any Resistance taken in too?
The reason I was wondering was after watching "Is Paris burning" last night I noticed that assisiting the Free French in Paris were alot of French civilians. I knew about the Resistance fighters but was wondering if others joined up. I would think that any military personnel from the former Vichy forces in France if they tried to join up would be a little suspect by the Free French . Was there any formal training for The non Free French? If so, how long before they were sent to French units? Who trained them? Ect. I had never thought about integrating troops and reinforcements after D-day for the French. I would think alot of people would have flocked to fight the Germans.
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I was hoping that maybe Skipper may have had some info on this LOL.

 

Well once when alot of French territory had liberated and with the Allies on the Continent I would think that the increase should have been quite a bit. You really don't hear alot about how much and what the Units were.

 

Well so far I really can't find alot about it or any real information about numbers and units.

 

Many joined up the regular army. I have a local example and I know a fine Veteran wo fought the Germans from 1942 to 1945. This man helped the Lysander pilots and took part to parachutings , sabotage etc.. In 1944 he particpated in liberating the Blois area . He was equipped with a Stengun which he got from a parachuting. Then the very day his hometown was liberated , he went to a party with his group . He met a local prefet who acted as a recruiter. He said who wants to become a regular and kick the Germans all the way to Berlin? They all signed only to find themselves sent to the atlantic pocket front instead. There they made several offensives near Lorient, they halted the Germans many times (the Germans wanted to gain small territories just to get food and petrol so they attacked all the time and retreated with some potential loot . They spent the 1944/45 winter in trenches. The pocket surrendered on May 9th 1945.

 

According to a 21st Army Group Report I was looking at in the NA in London today, there were 412,958 personnel in the French armed forces as of 1 May 1945.

 

Thanks Sommecourt, once more I am learning on this forum!

 

This may be the french personnel in Germany because i know they were about 1,300,000 (or 1,250,000) french soldiers on V-E day. Indeed many had have very poor training, because they were not only ancient FFI but also volunteers. The equipment was still mainly US except the Adrian helmet and some light weapons and wasn't as good as the equipment of the 1st French Army or the 2nd armored division.

By December 1944, they were already about 1,000,000 soldiers. But again, many weren't able to be send to the front immediately.

 

I have a few pictures of some of these fellows. Some have civilian shoes, others have german and mostly U.S. guns. They must have been freezing in the trenches during the 1944-45 winter.

 

"With the rallying of French North Africa and the subsequent allegiance of French West Africa and most of the remainder of the French colonial empire, a large pool of manpower became available for rebuilding the French army. However, the army could be rebuilt only at the pace of the Allied American rearmament program. French demands were consistently greater than Allied abilities. The program eventually produced eight Allied divisions: 1st Free French and 2nd Armored (both with Gaullist lineage), 1st and 5th Armored, 2nd Moroccan, 3rd Algerian, 4th Moroccan Mountain, and 9th Colonial.
1st, 10th, 14th, 19th, 23rd, and 25th Infantry, and 1st and 27th Alpine:
Divisions serving in France and/or Germany, usually in a static, security, or garrison role: 1st, 10th, 14th, 19th, 23rd, and 25th Infantry, and 1st and 27th Alpine. Other divisions were being formed as the war ended. All these for the most part comprised former FFI ("French Forces of the Interior"; i.e., partisan) bands which sprouted like weeds in the path of the liberation.
Non-divisional formations:
Many non-divisional formations also served with French forces from 1943 to 1945, including 1st Spahi Brigade, 9th Zouaves, the "Choc" battalion, "France" and "Africa" commando battalions, and, especially, the four "Groupes Tabors Marocains."
1ere Armee Francaise
General Leclerq
Cavalry Recce Squadron, MP Batallion, Eng Batallion ,Signal Bn,
AA Batallion AA: 50
TD Battalion: TD 50 M10
AT Battalion AT:50,
Field ART BN ART: 50
Field ART BN ART: 50
Piper

I. Fe Corps General Bethouart
Corps HQ
Staff: 69/7/109, Signal Bn,
Cavalry Group
Corps units: TD Battalion: AAC: TD 50 M10
FA Grp: ART: 350
ENG Bn

2e D.B. (Division Blindee)
Following Axis surrender in Tunisia, General Leclerc's "L" Force began conversion into the 2nd Free French Division. The French 2nd Armored Division had already commenced formation from May 1943 but, when it was decided to convert General Leclerc's command to tanks, the original 2nd Armored was redesignated 5th Armored Division. Leclerc's unit assumed the 2nd Armored designation on 24 May 1943 by right of seniority.
The division stands apart from other French forces in that it was transferred from French North Africa to the UK, missing the campaigns of the CEF and French Armee "B" in the Med. Earmarked for the task based on political considerations, the division landed in Normandy in August 1944 and liberated Paris. The 2nd "Division Blindee" spent little of the war under French command, most often being assigned to American armies. In 1945, however, it was transferred to the Atlantic coast to assist in reducing the German-held fortress at Royan at the mouth of the Gironde.
3e DIA .Algerian Division, General Monsabert
French 3rd Algerian Infantry Division was created in Algeria on 1 May 1943 from elements of the Constantine Division of the garrison of French North Africa. It moved to Italy in December 1943 and campaigned as far north as Siena as part of the French Expeditionary Corps, then withdrew to prepare for the landing in southern France.
As part of French Army "B" and 1st Army, 3rd Algerian participated in the campaigns of Provence, Alsace-Lorraine, and the Rhine to the Danube. The 49th Infantry Regiment, raised from former FFI forces, joined the division in February 1945, and the 7th Algerian Regiment departed in the following month.

1e DFL Free French
1st Free French Infantry Division
The original 1st "Division Francaise Libre" was actually an undersized unit of two weak brigades formed in Palestine in May 1941 and disbanded in August of the same year.
Those two brigades were reconstituted in December 1941 and March 1942, and they were officially formed into the new 1st Free French Division on 1 February 1942 outside Tobruk. French 4th Brigade, forming in Egypt in February, became the division's third brigade but did not join the division until after the campaign in Tunisia. Meanwhile, elements of the division (originally detached for the pursuit from Alamein), continued to operate with the advancing 8th Army as the "French Flying Column."
The division participated in the last few days of the Tunisian campaign, then reorganized in French North Africa before moving to Italy in April 1944 where it campaigned with the CEF until June. It was transported to southern France in August 1944 and took part in operations in Provence and Alsace. En route to the Atlantic coast in December to help assault German-held ports, the division was rushed back to the Rhine in response to the German counter-offensive and threat to Strassburg. The 1st Free French Division ended the war with the French Army Detachment of the Alps.
As with the other French divisions with roots in Africa, the 1st underwent "whitening." Five organic battalions from Cameroon, French Equatorial Africa, and Djibouti were replaced with FFI battalions in September and October 1944.

II. Fe Corps General de Monsabert
Corps HQ USA
Staff: 69/7/109, Signal Bn,
Cavalry Group
Corps units:
TD Battalion: AAC: TD 50 M10
FA Grp: ART: 350
ENG Bn
2e DIM . Moroccan div.
French 2nd Moroccan Division formed in Morocco in May 1943 from elements of the Meknes Division of the garrison of French North Africa. It moved to Italy in November 1943, campaigned as far north as Florence with the French Expeditionary Corps, moved to southern France shortly after the Operation Anvil-Dragoon landings, and fought with French 1st Army from Provence to the Rhine and the Danube.
As with other French divisions formed with native African troops, an FFI-raised regiment replaced one of the original regiments during the campaign in France.
Moroccan troops were highly regarded in the French Army, although the colorful aphorism probably originated among the Moroccan soldiers themselves: "The Tunisians are women, the Algerians are men, and the Moroccans are heroes."

Attached: 1. franzoesische Para Reg 1975 (3975)


1e D.B. (Division Blindee)
French 1st "Division Blindee" was raised in May 1943, based on Colonel Vigier's "Brigade Legere Mecanique" which had served in the Vichy French garrison of North Africa and fought against the Axis in the Tunisian campaign. As part of French Army "B" (later redesignated French 1st Army), the division sailed to southern France and landed in the follow-up of Operation Anvil-Dragoon. It then took part in the campaigns in France and Germany with French 1st Army, often dispersed and supporting French infantry divisions.

5e D.B. (Division Blindee)
35 M10's will be subordinated with 5 DB.
French 2nd Armored Division, formed 1 May 1943, was redesignated 5th Armored Division on 16 July 1943 (thus allowing 2nd Free French Division to convert to 2nd Armored) in North Africa. Originally comprising a tank brigade and a support brigade, the 5th Armored was re-equipped and reorganized to American standards with three combat commands which were commonly detached to support French infantry divisions.
The division arrived in France in September 1944 and took part in the battles for Belfort and reduction of the Colmar pocket, then spent time in reserve before supporting the French crossing of the Rhine in March and participating in the final campaign in Germany.
Alps:
Corps de Montagne.
4th Moroccan Mountain Division
French 4th "Division Marocaine de Montagne" was created at Casablanca in June 1943 from the redesignated 3rd Moroccan Infantry Division. Originally formed with three regiments of Moroccans, 2nd RTM was replaced by 1st RTA on 15 August 1944. The 27th Infantry Regiment joined the division in March 1945 and 1st RTA was detached in April of that year.
4th DMM served with the French Expeditionary Corps in Italy in 1944, with two of its regiments temporarily assigned to the French "Corps de Montagne." Following its arrival in southern France in September 1944, the division was separated into several tactical groups. Divisional HQ, 1st RTM, and other divisional assets moved to stabilize the situation in the Alps on the Franco-Italian border. 6th RTM was detached to the Belfort-Vosges sector. Meanwhile, some elements of 1st RTA garrisoned Marseille while other elements of the regiment remained in Italy. The division was not reunited until December, after which time it continued to campaign in France and Germany.

27. Division der Chasseur allins
French 27th Alpine Division was activated in November 1944, largely from former FFI elements of the newly disbanded 1st Alpine Division, and it continued to be supported by various FFI bands throughout the campaign on the Franco-Italian border. As with most former FFI units, appellations of those in the division evolved constantly during the process of "regularization." While German (and Fascist Italian) forces retained control of the mountain passes, 27th Alpine passed a quiet winter patrolling and preparing for a spring offensive.

Atlantikkueste:
FFI Korps
10th Infantry Division
French 10th Infantry Division (not to be confused with 10th Colonial Division) was forming outside Paris when it was rushed eastward as part of the Allied response to the German Ardennes offensive. It was then transferred to the Vosges to relieve elements of French 1st Army. The division was incompletely formed, trained, and equipped when it deployed, with 46th RI detached and no artillery on hand, but various miscellaneous assets attached. In February the 10th moved to the Atlantic coast where it spent the remainder of the war in reserve with elements supporting sieges of the various German-held ports.
19th Infantry Division
French 19th Infantry Division was a weak, incomplete division formed from FFI battalions to contain the German-held pocket at Lorient/Quiberon. Its battalions were gradually reorganized into regiments. Unlike Royan and La Rochelle, no major assault was made against the pocket, and the German garrison did not surrender until 10 May 1945.
23rd Infantry Division
The French 23rd Infantry Division (also known as "Division de marche Oleron") was another weak unit activated to control existing FFI battalions masking German-held Atlantic ports. Elements were deployed at Royan (at the mouth of the Gironde) and at La Rochelle. 50th and 158th Regiments attacked and captured Royan in April in conjunction with French 2nd Armored Division and then, with 6th Regiment and a variety of other forces, attacked the Ile d'Oleron and the La Rochelle/La Pallice perimeter. German forces in the pocket finally surrendered 9 May 1945.
25th Infantry Division
French 25th Infantry Division was another incomplete division formed late in the war to control FFI units already in place besieging German-held ports, in this case St Nazaire (which did not surrender until 11 May 1945).

Reinforcement Decembre:

1000 MAN
9th Colonial Infantry Division
Officially activated 16 July 1943 in Algeria, 9th Colonial Division's components had already suffered casualties: approximately 500 troops of 4th RTS were lost on 20 April 1943 when, en route to French North Africa, their transport was torpedoed by U-565; and 35 troops of 13th RTS were killed in a Luftwaffe air raid on Algiers on the night of 4-5 June 1943.
The division assembled in October at Mostaganem, with lead elements departing from Oran for Corsica in April 1944 to assist in liberating the island. By May the entire division garrisoned the island. In June, 4th and 13th RTS made the assault landing on Elba and then returned to Corsica; in their wake, 6th RTS moved to Elba for garrison duty. By mid-July the division was reassembled on Corsica. 9th Colonial also served with French Armee "B"/1st Army in France and Germany.
After the African troops of the three Senegalese regiments were replaced with white troops from the FFI (such replacements "imposed by the climatic conditions" in France) in November 1944, the units were re-titled "Colonial Infantry Regiments."
Reinforcement:
14th Infantry Division
The original 14th "Colmar and Mulhouse" Infantry Division was commanded by General de Lattre de Tassigny in France in 1940. The reconstituted 14th, raised from former FFI elements with incomplete equipment from various sources, served in 1945 in the General's French 1st Army. The division was used in the garrison, security, and occupation role.

Italia:
1st DCEO Infantry Division
1st "Division Coloniale d'Extreme-Orient" was formed for service in the Far East at the end of 1944 and was comprised of former FFI units as well as African troops relieved from other divisions. Elements participated in the 1945 operations against northern Italy under control of Army Detachment of the Alps.

Other divisions:
3rd Armored Division
French 3rd Armored Division was initially assembled in Tunisia in June 1943 from elements of various formations on hand at the end of the Tunisian campaign. Not until September was it formally activated, and in October it transferred to Morocco to be nearer its source of newly arriving American equipment. The incomplete division was disbanded on 1 September 1944, with elements dispatched to France shortly afterwards as reinforcements and replacements for the 1st DB.
In May 1945 3rd Armored was reborn in the area of Limoges in the French XII Region Militaire, but it did not see action before the end of the war.
1st Infantry Division
French 1st Infantry Division, not to be confused with 1st Free French Division or 1st DCEO Division, was, despite its high-seniority designation, not formed until late in the war. Its component regiments were formed separately (43rd and 110th in the Lille-St Omer sector of 1st Military Region; 1st outside Royan) and assembled in the region of Bourges before moving to Germany. The division served only in the security, garrison, and occupation role in the waning days of the campaign.
36th Infantry Division
French 36th Infantry Division began forming late in the war, with two regiments in the Toulouse area and one originally at Bordeaux. It did not see action.
1st Alpine Division
FFI battalions in the vicinity of the Franco-Italian border activated the French 1st Alpine Division at the end of August 1944 to participate in the liberation of the Alps. It was organized into demi-brigades which were in turn comprised of miscellaneous battalions of varying strength and equipment, plus limited artillery and engineer assets. The division was disbanded in November, with elements transferring to the new 27th Alpine Division.

2nd DCEO Infantry Division
Like its sister division, French 2nd "Division Coloniale d'Extreme Orient" was formed late in 1944 from FFI units and African troops for service in the Far East as French Indo-China had still to be recovered from the Japanese (and Ho Chi Minh). "

French army WWII#

 

The figures I quoted are men at the front, not still in France, so you could be correct.

 

Well done: Just a small correction the 27 Mountian Division is Chasseurs ALPINS (like Alps ) not Allins

 

For the non-divisional units, they were also 16 artillery groups, 3 regiments of T-D, 2 armored regiments (of recon), infantry units and units of transmission, transport or other...

At first, they were three other divisions, 2 of intfantry and an armored division, but the americans did'nt like this order of battle, so the infantry and the tanks of those divisions formed non-divisional units.

The 1,3 millions of soldiers at the end of the war weren't mobilized but were volunteered. Many groups of FFI reinforced the first army, and others fought against the atlantic pockets. The 27th alpin division was created with FFI personnel of Savoie or other alpin departments. These FFI had good equipment compared to other resistants, they had experience (they may be veterans of 1940 in this unity) so they were able to form a division.

 

Excellent information guys. The 2Nd armored Divison is my favorite. Btw I don't remember if I welcomed you Clems. This is a great forum you"ll see.

 

interesting and also a welcome to Clems, good to see more than one Frenchmen amongst our band here. Curious just how much action the French Mountain division(s) saw and where ? I'm only familiar with the French contingent fighting alongside with Soviet airmen on the Ost front

 

In 1940, while the country was collapsing, two sectors resisted successfully and without being defeated:
- First, the Maginot line, the garrison surrendered in July without being beaten but to obey orders.
-Second, the alps, where the alpin divisions won easily against a big italian offensive. A paradox: the french had a much better moral than the italians.

Then, in 1944-45, the 27th Alpin division was sent to securize the Alps with other little units. During the spring, the 1st DFL (18000 men) came in the alps and the french launched an offensive on Turin, while the allies began to progress in Northern Italy (the british attacked in the east to reach Trieste before Tito). The only territorial gains of France during the war were in the alps and it was symbolic, maybe a few hundreds of meters.

The 27th division was formed with FFI personnel. They had a good equipment, superior to the equipment of other resistants, and had experience, they were veterans of the alpin troops of 1940 and so they were able to form immediately a division.

 

The small piece of lland in the Alps was symbolic.
Actually Saarland was almost annexed by the French as a war compensation. The idea was finally abandonned in 1955 and the province was returned to Germany. The fear was that the annexion would create a "reversed" Alsace Lorraine. Things were quite close though. Even the currency used was the French Franc.

 

The traditions and honors of the regiments or divisions of the 1st french army are still keep by actual units. The traditions of the "regiments de tirailleurs senegalais" (reformed in 1944 to become the "regiments d'infanterie coloniale") are now keep by some "regiments d'infanterie de marine" for exemple. The traditions of some infantry regiments of 1940 were kept by the FFI. And the actual spahi regiment of french army keeps the traditions of all the spahi regiments.
The traditions of the 7th RTA or now keep by the 1st regiment of Tirailleur. The 3rd DIA traditions are now keep by the 3rd mechanised brigade. The 9 DIC honors are keep by the 9th light armoured marine brigade, those of the 2nd armoured division by the actual 2nde armoured brigade. I forgot the foreign legion and the alpin divisions.

This is not very important but i find it interesting.