- 08 -142015
In Honour and by Victory, neinth episode : the 13th Foreign Legion Half-Brigade
In June 1940, the 13th Foreign Legion Half-Brigade (13e DBLE) was withdrawn to Great-Britain from Norway along with the remaining troops of the Franco-British Expeditionary force. Over one thousand legionnaires, half of the men serving […]
- 08 -112015
« In Honour and by Victory », eighth episode: the 1st Colonial Artillery Regiment
In 1940, a small artillery group composed of volunteers of the Free French Forces, was formed in Britain. This small group was reinforced with colonial artillerymen from French Cameroons, headed by Captain Laurent Champrosay who […]
- 08 -072015
« In Honour and by Victory », seventh episode : the Marching Regiment of Chad
On 26 August 1940, the French colony of Chad and the Senegalese Light Infantry Regiment of Chad (RTST) rallied by the side of Free France. Composed of African “Tirailleurs” (riflemen), the regiment quickly became one […]
- 08 -042015
« In Honour and by Victory », sixth episode : The 1st Moroccan Spahis March Regiment
On 30 June 1940, the commander of the First Squadron of the 1st Regiment of the Spahis Light Cavalry, Captain Paul Jourdier, an officer who had rallied to the Free French cause, crossed the Lebanese […]
- 07 -312015
« In Honour and by Victory », fifth episode : the 501st Tank Regiment was awarded the honour of Companion of the Liberation
The 1st Free French Light Mechanized Division was created in Great Britain in July 1940. It was sent to Africa, where it took part in the Battle of Gabon in November 1940 and in the […]
- 07 -282015
« In Honour and by Victory », fourth episode : the Companions of the Liberation from the BCRA: the French Central Bureau of Intelligence and Operations.
The Free French intelligence services were created in 1940 at the request of General de Gaulle, and placed under the command of André Dewavrin, an officer who took the alias Colonel Passy. The primary purpose […]
- 07 -242015
« In Honour and by Victory », third episode : five towns honoured with the title of Companion of the Liberation.
In France, awarding a distinction to a regional authority is an old tradition dating back to the First Empire. A town may be honoured when the evidence of the actions led by a large part […]
- 07 -182015
« In Honour and by Victory », second episode : the French Resistance Medal
On 9 February 1943, General de Gaulle instituted the French Resistance Medal to reward remarkable acts of resistance. To this day, it remains the only decoration instituted during the Second World War, along with the […]
- 07 -172015
« In Honour and by Victory », first episode : 1,038 Companions of the Liberation
The 1,038 Companions of the Liberation did not form a homogeneous group. They differed in age, rank, social background, nationality, political and religious convictions. What united them all was their early resistance against the occupying […]
- 07 -142015
« In Honour and by Victory »: the 18 military units honoured with the title of Companion of the Liberation.
General de Gaulle’s historic call to arms from the London offices of the BBC on 18 June 1940, was the starting point for la France Libre, “Free France”. This military and political organization was determined […]
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