French Liberation Army

The French Liberation Army (French: Armée française de la Libération or AFL) was the reunified French Army that was created in 1943 when the Army of Africa (Armée d'Afrique) led by General Giraud was combined with the Free French Forces (Forces Françaises Libres) of General de Gaulle.[1]

French Liberation Army
Armée française de la Libération
ActiveJanuary 8, 1943 (1943-01-08)–1945 (1945)
CountryFrance
Second French Colonial Empire
TypeArmy
Size1 300 000
EngagementsItalian campaign
Liberation of Corsica
Battle of Marseille
Operation Overlord
Liberation of Paris
Operation Dragoon
Campaign of France
Colmar Pocket
Commanders
Notable
commanders		Henri Giraud
Charles de Gaulle
Insignia
Identification
symbol

The AFL participated in the campaigns of Tunisia and Italy; during the Italian campaign the AFL was known as the French Expeditionary Corps in Italy (Corps Expéditionnaire Français en Italie or CEFI) making a quarter of the troops deployed. The AFL was key in the liberation of Corsica, the first French metropolitan department to be liberated.[1] The troops that landed on D-Day were the 1st Battalion Marine Commando Fusiliers (1er Bataillon de Fusiliers Marins Commandos) better known as Commando Kieffer.[2] During the Allied invasion of Provence, on 15 August 1944, the AFL made the majority of the troops landing on French shores, capturing the ports of Toulon and Marseille.[3] One of the AFL's garrison and second-line formations, which later helped man the French occupation zone of Germany, was the 10th Infantry Division.

References

Citations
  1. Gerd-Rainer Horn 2020, p. 16.
  2. Jean-Charles Stasi 2015, p. 16.
  3. Paul Gaujac 2004, p. 160.

Sources
  • Gerd-Rainer Horn (2020). The Moment of Liberation in Western Europe: Power Struggles and Rebellions, 1943-1948. OUP Oxford. ISBN 978-0-19-258286-7.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Jean de Lattre (1952). The History of the French First Army. Allen and Unwin.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Paul Gaujac (2004). Provence, August 15, 1944: Dragoon, the Other Invasion of France. Histoire & Collections. ISBN 978-2-915239-50-8.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Jean-Charles Stasi (2015). Commando Kieffer. Heimdal. ISBN 978-2-84048-387-8.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.