United States Army in World War II
Special StudiesRearming the French
by
Marcel Vigneras
REALIZATION OF FRENCH HOPES. General Giraud watches as the first convoy bearing war matériel
for his forces approaches North Africa.
This volume is "under development" and will be completed as time allows...
Foreword
Every thoughtful American interested in the history of our present mutual assistance program should find this a profitable and illuminating book. In rearming the French, the War Department and the U.S. Army became agents of an Allied policy which not enabled this country to further a friendship for France that dated from the Revolution, but in addition served the military interests of both nations. It equipped Frenchmen with the means to fight and by so doing increased at minimum cost the forces available to the United Nations. The Army can take pride in the success with which it administered a policy involving both political and military matters. The policy of mutual aid has since been extended throughout the world with the Army again designated as the agency principally responsible for its administration. The present thorough and objective study of an early large-scale American experiment with mutual aid should therefore be highly instructive to all concerned.
JOHN H. STOKES
Maj. Gen., U.S.A.
Chief of Military HistoryWashington, D.C.
30 August 1956
Introductory Note
The original intent of the European Theater of Operations series was to portray the history of ground combat as carried on by U.S. forces in western and central Europe during World War II. Very early in the planning devoted to this series it became apparent that two subjects were of such grand import and interest as to require separate treatment. For this reason volumes were prepared and published on the history of the supreme command and the logistical support of the U.S. armies that fought in the European Theater of Operations. Research for these two volumes unraveled one continuing but tangled thread which did not quite fit into the fabric of the series as a whole. This was the problem posed by the French national forces serving under U.S. command and by the rearmament of these forces to permit their effective employment in the fight for the liberation of their homeland. The problems of command and decision involved in French rearmament and in the logistic support furnished to the French forces reached outside of the European Theater of Operations. It was decided, therefore, to devote a special study to the history of French rearmament. This decision was supported by the fact that the United States had once again embarked on the business of supplying weapons and other material assistance to potential Allies, and that such military assistance appeared to have become a continuing feature of U.S. policy.
An author was available who had exceptional qualifications for a task recognized form the first as complex and delicate. A scholar who had studied history at the Lycée of Limoges, France, and received his Ph.D. at Western Reserve University, Marcel Vigneras had served in the French Army in both World Wars, although in World War II seconded to duty as an American citizen with the Office of Strategic Services in 1943. He was a member of the faculty at Smith College before World War II. At the close of the war he joined the Historical Division, European Theater of Operations, then in France. At present Dr. Vigneras is continuing research on military problems as a member of the Operations Research Office, from which he was granted leave to complete the present volume.
HUGH M. COLE
Chief, European Section, 1947-1952
Preface
This volume tells how the French forces were rearmed from the time they re-entered World War II after their temporary eclipse from the battlefields of Europe. The text inescapably focuses attention on the part played by America in the undertaking if for no other reason than that the undertaking itself, while shared between the United States and the United Kingdom, was largely American.
The purpose of this volume is twofold. It is a historical account of a sizable and laborious enterprise that enabled a friendly military establishment in dire need of assistance to take its place among the forces aligned against the Axis. It is intended also to serve as a guide for the solution of problems likely to arise out of similar future enterprises. While this volume is not primarily concerned with operational matters, it contains sufficient operational material to establish the extent of the contribution made by the rearmed French forces toward the final victory of the United Nations. The reader is warned that only such French political developments that had a definite influence on the course of rearmament are discussed, and the discussion is limited to that sufficient to place the evolution of French rearmament in its proper perspective.
Rearming the French is the product of cooperative effort and it is a pleasure to acknowledge indebtedness to the many individuals, too numerous to be listed here, who offered advice and help. While I express my deep appreciation to them, I wish to emphasize that they are in no way responsible for the handling of the material used, or for errors of fact or presentation.
I am especially grateful to those French and U.S. officers who granted me interviews which enabled me to clarify a number of points. Some provided me with information from their private files. Others were kind enough to read part or all of the manuscript. Their names have been listed in the Bibliographical Note.
Several members of the Office of the Chief of Military History were particularly helpful in suggesting improvements. I should like to thank Dr. Gordon A Harrison for generous and skillful assistance in achieving better organization and clarity of text; Col. Leo J. Meyer for valuable comments on the substance of the preliminary draft; Dr. George F. Howe for guidance in interpreting controversial points; finally Dr. Kent Roberts Greenfield for his critical review of the revised draft.
For assistance in exploring the tons of files held by the War Department, I am indebted to Mr. Royce Thompson, of the European Section, OCMH,
Mrs. Blanche Moore and Mr. Albert Whitt, of the Departmental Records Branch, AGO, Mrs. Mary Greathouse, of the Historical Section, G-3, Mr. Israel Wice and members of his Reference Branch staff in OCMH.
The task of extracting pertinent data was greatly facilitated by the diligent help of Miss Katharine C. Jenkins. I am indebted to her for assembling and analyzing the material now appearing in the section on French assistance to the American Expeditionary Forces in World War I, and in the chapter on the Joint Rearmament Committee.
Miss Ruth Stout edited the entire manuscript and her suggestions greatly contributed to improving the narrative. The excellent map is the work of Mr. Wsevolod Aglaimoff, Deputy Chief Historian for Cartography. Miss Margaret E. Tackley selected and prepared the illustrative material. The copy editors were Mrs. Marion P. Grimes and Mr. Arthur C. Henne.
Rearming the French was prepared at the suggestion and under the general direction of Dr. Hugh M. Cole, Chief of the European Theater Section. It was my good fortune to have his wise and learned counsel through the period of research and writing.
MARCEL VIGNERAS
30 August 1956
Washington, D.C.
Contents
The illustrations are from the files of the Department of Defense, except for those from the following sources:
Service Cinématographique des Armées, Frontispiece.
National Archives, page 7.
Acme Photograph, page 216.
