World War II Issues 

Free France (or France Libre) was the movement led by Charles de Gaulle during World War II, formed in opposition to the Vichy regime that had collaborated with Nazi Germany after France’s defeat in 1940. Following the fall of France, de Gaulle, a general at the time, fled to London, where he delivered his famous Appeal of 18 June 1940 on the BBC, urging the French people to resist the German occupation and continue the fight. This broadcast marked the beginning of Free France, a movement that sought to rally French colonies, military forces, and citizens to resist the Axis powers and reject the legitimacy of the Vichy government under Marshal Philippe Pétain. Free France established itself as the legitimate French government in exile and worked closely with the Allies, particularly Britain and later the United States, to support the liberation of France.