Attitude of the French Toward the Allies

Certainly, it was believed, Germany would occupy Vichy France immediately upon receiving the news of the invasion, in order to forestall an Allied breaching of the southern coast of France, to establish submarine and air bases, and to control the French fleet then based at Toulon. Intelligence determined that Frenchmen in Northwest Africa probably would be neutral and that the natives would be apathetic. Civil servants, interested in their salaries and pensions, would be content to jog along under the Vichy regime. The Navy, with a long and proud tradition and composed largely of Bretons, was violently anti-British. this attitude had been strengthened by British attacks on French naval units at Oran and Dakar in 1940, and by suspicions of British designs on Bizerte. It was anticipated that the fact that the United States had now joined the British would make little difference; indeed, the French Navy considered that Anglo-Saxon sea power was a threat to the continued existence of the French colonial empire. the loyalty of the French Navy, it was evident, was not so much to Vichy as to the Service, and this loyalty among enlisted personnel was heightened by their interest in ratings and pensions, to obtain which absolute conformity to the naval hierarchy was necessary.

The French Army, on the other had, better reflected the attitude of most metropolitan Frenchmen. Marshal Petain was personally popular, and his dealings with Germany were condoned as unavoidable. The officer corps was, to say the least, anti-foreign, but junior officers and the rank and file were inclined to favor the United States. For this reason it was decided to emphasize the American character of the invasion. The difference between the Navy and the Army was demonstrated by the resistance which each was to offer.

There were additional factors which might urge French to cooperate. The American continuance of relations with Vichy had convinced many Frenchmen of our good will, and the United States had not been involved in British actions against French colonies. the Axis had not occupied French Africa, but its armistice commissions had stripped the country of food and had reduced the population to a hand to mouth existence. The French Army was being slowly deprived of its weapons and the Navy was short of fuel. These experiences were gradually convincing the French that they could no do business with Hitler and were arousing them from their apathy. There was a chance that an Allied invasion, if predominantly American, might meet with some degree of welcome.