A Serious Fight - The French Army in 1940

After the surrender of France on 21 June 1940, Hitler wrote an assessment of the Allied armies engaged in the fighting during ‘Fall Gelb’ (Case Yellow), the Blitzkrieg launched westward on 10 May. In it, he considered Britain, Holland, Belgium and the French army, which he identified as being markedly different from the others. He wrote how: “..bad units rub elbows with excellent units. In the overview, the difference in quality between the active and reserve divisions is extraordinary. Many active units have fought desperately; most of the reserve divisions, however, are far less able to endure the shock which battle inflicts on the morale of troops.” He did make other observations, but, in essence, that was the nub of his opinion of the French army.

The fighting
During the six weeks of fighting, the French army lost 90,000 troops killed and 200,000 wounded, with the remainder, almost two million men, being taken prisoner. During Operation Dynamo, some 100,000 French soldiers were evacuated from Dunkirk and ferried west where they were landed in Normandy and Brittany and continued to fight. Around 3,000 elected to join General Charles de Gaulle and his Free French in Britain, from where they would continue to fight. France’s quick surrender led to the army being unfairly criticised at the time for its lack of fighting spirit. Since then, though, modern research has revealed more, and we come to understand how much was involved.
In September 1939, the French army was considered to be one of the most powerful forces in Europe, mobilising five million men, and with over 3,000 tanks of all types, it was numerically superior to Germany. Despite this, it was not sufficient to stop the fast-moving Blitzkrieg tactics. Also, German commanders such as Heinz Guderian and Erwin Rommel took risks, which paid dividends and caught the French off guard. There is now a lot of interest in the first 9 months of the war, with military enthusiasts studying how events of that time affected Western Europe.
Collectors and re-enactors have also become part of this interest, especially the role of the French army and its function during the so-called ‘Phoney War’. Medals, documents, photographs and militaria, from helmets to rifles and pistols, are now being collected more widely. As for re-enactors, they depict French infantry of the period because it offers a break from the usual British and German offerings. In fact, there is more scope for a 1940 depiction that might be thought of at first, such as the Norwegian campaign between April and June of that year. Other examples include garrisons of forts on the Maginot Line and the battles of Sedan and Arras, both fought in May, before Dunkirk. These are some of the events open for re-enactors to depict. The French army continued to fight until the final surrender, something which is not often understood.

Equipment
In 1935, the French army began to re-equip soldiers of all branches, beginning by issuing khaki uniforms to replace the ‘L’horizon bleu’ which had been standard in the First World War. New equipment, such as the ANP 1931 respirator, was introduced, although the traditional manganese steel ‘Adrian’ casque (helmet) was retained as standard. The 1938 single-breasted greatcoat, with button-back flaps, was worn by the infantry along with riding-style breeches and puttees wound up to the knees. Specialist mountain troops, the ‘Chasseurs Alpins’, known as the ‘Diables Bleu’ (Blue Devils), units of which fought in Norway, were issued with sheepskin jackets, waterproof jackets, knee-length gaiters, and skis. Not all units were so fortunate to have modern kit and some colonial troops were still wearing coloured trousers. The ‘Spahis’ wore a red sash and chechias or turbans of various colours. There was also the famous Foreign Legion and Zouaves, with their equally colourful uniforms.
Webbing equipment was made from leather, virtually unchanged from the First World War, including ammunition pouches and a water bottle. Troops also carried additional haversacks made from canvas and a range of other non-service issue items. There was no one standard-issue service rifle and some types in service dated back to WWI. For example, the M92/16 8mm calibre ‘mousqeton’ was used by some infantry units as well as the French Navy. Others could be issued with either the Lebel M1886/93 or Fusil Berthier M1907/15, both 8mm calibre, while Chasseurs Alpin might carry the MAS36 carbine of 7.5mm calibre.
Things did not improve with other weapons, such as the MAS 38 sub-machine gun, which was just entering service when war broke out. Such diversity in the range of calibres could potentially have led to problems in the logistical supply chain. For example, the Hotchkiss Mle 1914 was 8mm calibre while the FM24/29 light machine gun was 7.5mm calibre. Some artillery, which had been modified, dated back to WWI, and the calibre of modern anti-tank guns ranged from 25mm to 47mm. In 1940, a typical infantry division of around 17,000 men was a self-contained and self-supporting unit with artillery, machine guns, mortars, engineer units, and a medical branch. It was the way in which the German army fought and the speed with which it attacked that caught the French off balance.

Re-enactment
Such a range of weaponry, equipment, and uniforms presents collectors with a vast range to choose from. In addition to this, the service history is unusual because the equipment was later used by the Germans who gave these items their own Wehrmacht designation. A static display of this equipment makes for a great exhibition, especially when a vehicle is added to the line-up. Some visiting French re-enactors occasionally make surprise appearances at shows and enjoy mixing with their British counterparts. Such an encounter always produces a standard of the highest order. 
Sourcing French army equipment and uniforms can be difficult but not impossible. It is becoming rarer as collectors and re-enactors alike are discovering. By nature of their subject, collectors only want original items, but re-enactors can fall back on reproductions. Some of these are of such high quality that museums often use them for displays. The Welsh-based companies Soldier of Fortune (www.sofmilitary.co.uk) and Epic Militaria (www.epicmilitaria.com) offer a small range of French army equipment circa 1940, but a search on the internet will show up other results.
The depiction of the fighting forces of the lesser-known belligerent nations of WWII, such as the Dutch, Finnish and Norwegian, is slowly gaining pace, and the French army is included in that. When attending an event where there are various re-enactment groups, it is worth keeping an eye out for them. Their enthusiasm is to be admired, and they do look very good.