The Armistice Army () was the

armed forces A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a ...

Vichy France Vichy France (; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was a French rump state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II, established as a result of the French capitulation after the Battle of France, ...

permitted under the terms of the

Armistice of 22 June 1940 The Armistice of 22 June 1940, sometimes referred to as the Second Armistice at Compiègne, was an agreement signed at 18:36 on 22 June 1940 near Compiègne, France by officials of Nazi Germany and the French Third Republic. It became effective a ...

. It was officially disbanded in 1942 after the German invasion of the " Free Zone" (''Zone libre'') which was directly ruled by the Vichy regime. At the beginning of 1942, the numbers of the Armistice Army reached 550,000 men, including 21,000 officers.

History

Article IV of the

allowed for a small French army — the Army of the Armistice (''Armée de l'Armistice'') — stationed in the

Zone libre The ''zone libre'' (, ''free zone'') was a partition of the French metropolitan territory during World War II, established at the Second Armistice at Compiègne on 22 June 1940. It lay to the south of the demarcation line and was administered b ...

(Unoccupied France), and the

French colonial empire The French colonial empire () comprised the overseas Colony, colonies, protectorates, and League of Nations mandate, mandate territories that came under French rule from the 16th century onward. A distinction is generally made between the "Firs ...

overseas.. It was headed by Marshal

Philippe Pétain Henri Philippe Bénoni Omer Joseph Pétain (; 24 April 1856 – 23 July 1951), better known as Marshal Pétain (, ), was a French marshal who commanded the French Army in World War I and later became the head of the Collaboration with Nazi Ger ...

, hero of World War I. The function of these forces was to keep internal order and to defend French territories from Allied assault. The French forces were to remain under the overall direction of the German armed forces. The Armistice Army was a limited force, created in July 1940, following the occupation of metropolitan France by Germany. The northern part of the metropolitan territory was occupied from June 1940 to November 1942 as a consequence of the Armistice, then, full metropolitan territory as a consequence of the Allied invasion of French North Africa (

Operation Torch Operation Torch (8–16 November 1942) was an Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of French North Africa during the Second World War. Torch was a compromise operation that met the British objective of securing victory in North Africa whil ...

) and the Allied allegiance of the colonial French Army of Africa. Besides its limited regular army, the French State created irregular forces to fight the

French Resistance The French Resistance ( ) was a collection of groups that fought the German military administration in occupied France during World War II, Nazi occupation and the Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy#France, collaborationist Vic ...

and the communists; both considered enemies by Vichy and the German authorities. The exact strength of the Vichy French Metropolitan Army was set at 3,768 officers, 15,072 non-commissioned officers, and 75,360 men. All members had to be volunteers. In addition to the army, the size of the ''

Gendarmerie A gendarmerie () is a paramilitary or military force with law enforcement duties among the civilian population. The term ''gendarme'' () is derived from the medieval French expression ', which translates to " men-at-arms" (). In France and so ...

'' was fixed at 60,000 men plus an anti-aircraft force of 10,000 men. Despite the influx of trained soldiers from the colonial forces (reduced in size under the Armistice), there was a shortage of volunteers. As a result, 30,000 men of the class of 1939 were retained to fill the quota. At the beginning of 1942, these conscripts were released, but there were still not enough men. This shortage remained until the dissolution, despite Vichy appeals to the Germans for a regular form of conscription. The Vichy French Metropolitan Army was deprived of tanks and other armoured vehicles and was desperately short of motorised transport, a particular problem for cavalry units. Surviving recruiting posters stress the opportunities for athletic activities, including horsemanship, reflecting both the general emphasis placed by the Vichy government on rural virtues and outdoor activities and the realities of service in a small and technologically backward military force. Traditional features characteristic of the pre-1940 French Army, such as

kepi The kepi ( ) is a cap with a flat circular top and a peak, or visor. In English, the term is a loanword from , itself a re-spelled version of the , a diminutive form of , meaning . In Europe, the kepi is most commonly associated with French ...

s and heavy capotes (buttoned-back greatcoats) were replaced by

beret A beret ( , ; ; ; ) is a soft, round, flat-crowned cap made of hand-knitted wool, crocheted cotton, wool felt, or acrylic fibre. Mass production of berets began in the 19th century in Southern France and the north of History of Spain (1808 ...

s and simplified uniforms. The Vichy authorities did not deploy the Army of the Armistice against resistance groups active in the south of France, reserving this role to the Vichy ''

Milice The (French Militia), generally called (; ), was a political paramilitary organization created on 30 January 1943 by the Vichy France, Vichy régime (with Nazi Germany, German aid) to help fight against the French Resistance during World War ...

'' (militia), a paramilitary force created on 30 January 1943 by the Vichy government to combat the Resistance; thus, members of the regular army could defect to the Maquis after the German occupation of southern France and the disbandment of the Army of the Armistice in November 1942. By contrast, the Milice continued to collaborate and its members were subject to reprisals after the Liberation. Vichy French colonial forces were reduced following the terms of the Armistice. Yet Clayton writes that German aims in Africa were in 1940 best served by continued French administration rather than intrusions by Spain or Italy. Thus the French secured an agreement for the continuation of the Army of Africa at a strength of 100,000, plus 20,000 military workers for North Africa. The permitted totals were increased in February and April 1941, after which the force reached 127,000 plus 16,000 goumiers. In

French West Africa French West Africa (, ) was a federation of eight French colonial empires#Second French colonial empire, French colonial territories in West Africa: Colonial Mauritania, Mauritania, French Senegal, Senegal, French Sudan (now Mali), French Guin ...

the initial total was 33,000, made up of

Tirailleur A tirailleur (), in the Napoleonic era, was a type of light infantry trained to skirmish ahead of the main columns. Later, the term "''tirailleur''" was used by the French Army as a designation for indigenous infantry recruited in the French c ...

s, an artillery group, a cavalry regiment, and logistics units. Forces elsewhere included almost 40,000 in the

Army of the Levant The Army of the Levant () identifies the armed forces of France and then Vichy France which occupied, and were in part recruited from, the Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon, French Mandated territories in the Levant during the interwar period and ...

(''Armée du Levant''), in

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

and

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

. Colonial forces were allowed to keep some armoured vehicles, though these were mostly obsolescent World War I

Renault FT The Renault FT (frequently referred to in post-World War I literature as the FT-17, FT17, or similar) is a French light tank that was among the most revolutionary and influential tank designs in history. The FT was the first production tank to h ...

tanks.

Dissolution of forces in Metropolitan France

After the Allied invasion of French North Africa (

) began,

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

ordered the dissolution of the Armistice Army in mainland France on 26 November 1942. Some staff officers clung to the possibility suggested by Hitler to form an army of a new form. On December 23, Hitler finally put an end to this hope by declaring that "the creation of a new French Army ..is out of the question." The discovery of illegal arms stores had greatly undermined the confidence of the Germans in the French authorities. A deadline of 23 January 1943 was imposed on the French Government: after this date, the commanders of the military regions involved were to be held personally liable. Throughout 1943, a continual stream of active officers passed through Spain to North Africa; Some 12,000 civil or military personnel headed for North Africa. Despite the German Army's loss of confidence, resulting from the discovery of the camouflaged weapons depots, General Eugène Bridoux, who retained the title of Secretary of State for War, continued his efforts to reconstitute dependent armed units. But Marshal

Gerd von Rundstedt Karl Rudolf Gerd von Rundstedt (12 December 1875 – 24 February 1953) was a German ''Generalfeldmarschall'' (Field Marshal) in the ''German Army (1935–1945), Heer'' (Army) of Nazi Germany and OB West, ''Oberbefehlshaber West'' (Commande ...

refused, and the

African Phalange From 1939 to 1940, the French Third Republic was at war with Nazi Germany. In 1940, the German forces defeated the French in the Battle of France. The Germans occupied the north and west of French territory and a collaborationist régime under Ph ...

was never to have any connections with a French military organization.

Pierre Laval Pierre Jean Marie Laval (; 28 June 1883 – 15 October 1945) was a French politician. He served as Prime Minister of France three times: 1931–1932 and 1935–1936 during the Third Republic (France), Third Republic, and 1942–1944 during Vich ...

did obtain from Hitler in Berchtesgaden, on April 30, 1943, the permission to create a small military force. The law was promulgated on 15 July 1943 and, on 23 July, Bridoux still managed to form the composed of three battalions of infantry and cavalry on horseback and bicycle. Designed to maintain traditions, the First Regiment took part in engagements against the Resistance; it eventually became part of the

French Forces of the Interior The French Forces of the Interior (FFI; ) were French resistance fighters in the later stages of World War II. Charles de Gaulle used it as a formal name for the resistance fighters. The change in designation of these groups to FFI occurred as F ...

Structure

The Vichy French Army was made up of 1 GMD, 2 GMD, North African and Indochina forces, and separately administered direct-controlled units:

1st Group of Military Divisions

The 1st Group of Military Divisions was formed in September 1940. Its headquarters was at

Avignon Avignon (, , ; or , ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of southeastern France. Located on the left bank of the river Rhône, the Communes of France, commune had a ...

. The corps was disbanded in 1942 when

Operation Anton Case Anton () was the military occupation of Vichy France carried out by Germany and Italy in November 1942. It marked the end of the Vichy regime as a nominally independent state and the disbanding of its army (the severely-limited '' Armisti ...

was launched and

was diminished. The 1st Military Corps had overall control of the divisions that were in South France and

Southeast France Provence is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which stretches from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the Italian border to the east; it is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the south. I ...

. It notably participated in

Operation Dragoon Operation Dragoon (initially Operation Anvil), known as Débarquement de Provence in French ("Provence Landing"), was the code name for the landing operation of the Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of Provence (Southern France) on 15Augu ...

(alongside the

German Army The German Army (, 'army') is the land component of the armed forces of Federal Republic of Germany, Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German together with the German Navy, ''Marine'' (G ...

). Although the corps itself never saw full combat units part of it saw action in both

in North Africa and The Syria–Lebanon Campaign. The organization of the corps in 1941 included:

7th Military Division

The division controlled units in East France, notably on the Swiss border. The 7th Military Division was organized in September 1940 under Major General Pierre Robert de Saint-Vincent. In November 1942 the division was de-mobilised. In addition to the division controlling military units, it also supervised the areas of the 1st Military District and 2nd Military District in addition to a security squadron and training grounds. The structure of the division in 1941 included (names in English and French): * Deputy Commander, 7th Military Division ** Infantry Commander, 7th Military Division ''(Commandement d'Infanterie)'' *** 4th

Chasseurs ''Chasseur'' ( , ), a French term for "hunter", is the designation given to certain regiments of French and Belgian light infantry () or light cavalry () to denote troops trained for rapid action. History This branch of the French Army o ...

Demi-Brigade ''(4e Demi-brigade de Chasseurs)'' **** 1er Bataillon de Chasseurs - **** 2e Bataillon de Chasseurs - **** 10e Bataillon de Chasseurs - *** 65e Régiment d'Infanterie - ''(65th Infantry Regiment)'' *** 151e Régiment d'Infanterie - ''(151st Infantry Regiment)'' ** 61e Régiment d'Artillerie - ''(61st Artillery Regiment)'' ** 5e Régiment de Dragons - ''(5th Dragoon Regiment)'' ** 10e Bataillon de

Genie GEnie (General Electric Network for Information Exchange) was an online service provider, online service created by a General Electric business, GEIS (now GXS Inc., GXS), that ran from 1985 through the end of 1999. In 1994, GEnie claimed around ...

- ''(10th Engineer Battalion)'' ** 8/7e Groupe de Transmissions - ''(8/7th Signals Group)'' ** 7e Compagnie du Train - ''(7th Supply Company)'' *Military Command of the Departments ''(Commandement Militaire de Department)'' ** Military Command in Department of

Saône-et-Loire Saône-et-Loire (; Arpitan: ''Sona-et-Lêre'') is a department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in France. It is named after the rivers Saône and Loire, between which it lies, in the country's central-eastern part. Saône-et-Loire is B ...

''(Commandament Militaire de Saune-et-Loire)'' ** Military Command in Department of

Ain Ain (, ; ) is a French department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, Eastern France. Named after the Ain river, it is bordered by the Saône and Rhône rivers. Ain is located on the country's eastern edge, on the Swiss border, where it ...

''(Commandament Militaire de Ain)'' ** Military Command in Department of Jura ''(Commandament Militaire de Jura)'' * Military District Command ''(Commandement de District Militaire)'' **Command of Military District in Saint-Claude ''(Commandement de District Militaire Saint-Claude)'' **Command of Military District in

Louhans Louhans () is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in eastern France.

''(Commandement de District Militaire Louhans)'' **Command of Military District in

Charolles Charolles (; Burgundian: ''Tsarolles'') is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in eastern France. Since 2004 is Charolles part of the Charolais-Brionnais Country. Geography Charolles is locate ...

''(Commandement de District Militaire Charolles)'' **Command of Military District in South

Lons-le-Saunier Lons-le-Saunier () is a commune and capital of the Jura Department, eastern France. Geography The town is in the heart of the Revermont region, at the foot of the first plateau of the Jura massif. The Jura escarpment extends to the east a ...

''(Commandement de District Militaire Sud Lons-le-Saunier)'' **Command of Military District in North

''(Commandement de District Militaire Nord Lons-le-Saunier)'' *** *

Valbonne Training Grounds Valbonne (; ) is a communes of France, commune near Nice in the Alpes-Maritimes Departments of France, department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur regions of France, region in southeastern France. Valbonne means "the good valley" in Prove ...

''(Terrain d'entraînement de Valbonne)'' (Valbonne) * 4th Squadron, 1st Legion Guard ''(4e Escadron du 1er Garde de la Légion)''

14th Military Division

The division was organized in September 1940 under

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

Alfred-Marie-Joseph-Louis Montagne. In November 1942 the division dispersed. In addition to the division controlling field units it also supervised military districts in addition to a security squadron and training grounds.

Other corps formations

* 15th Military Division * 16th Military Division * 1st General Reserve Cavalry Brigade * 12th Air-Defense Group * 13th Air-Defense Group * 14th Air-Defense Group

2nd Group of Military Divisions

** Chief of Staff, 2nd Corps *** 9th Military Division *** 12th Military Division *** 13th Military Division *** 17th Military Division ***2nd General Reserve Cavalry Brigade

Commander-in-Chief, North Africa Theater

* XIX Military Region ** Algiers Division ** Constantine Division ** Oran Division * Commander of Troops in Tunisia ** 4th Regiment of

Zouaves The Zouaves () were a class of light infantry regiments of the French Army and other units modelled on it, which served between 1830 and 1962, and served in French North Africa. The zouaves were among the most decorated units of the French Army ...

(Tunis) ** 4th Tunisian Tirailleurs (Sousse and Gabes) ** 43rd Colonial Infantry Regiment (Bizerta) ** 4th Chasseurs d'Afrique (Tunis) ** 4th Tunisian Spahis Regiment">4th Tunisian Spahis ** 62nd Artillery Regiment (France)">62nd African Artillery Regiment ** Three groups of the 8th Legion de la Garde * Commander of Troops in Morocco ** Casablanca Independent Territorial Division ** Fèz Territorial Division ** Marrakech Territorial Division ** Meknès Territorial Division

Indochina Army Corps

** Annam Division ''(later only brigade strength)'' ** Cochinshine-Cambodge Division ** Tonkin Division

Air force

Notes

References

* * (réimpression=Le Seuil/Tallandier)