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Les Forces Françaises Libres À Bir Hakeim, Mai-Juin 1942, Et

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Les Forces Françaises Libres À Bir Hakeim, Mai-Juin 1942, Et LES FORCES FRANÇAISES LIBRES À BIR HAKEIM, MAI-JUIN 1942, ET LA MÉMOIRE DE LA FRANCE COMBATTANTE Linda Hazel Département d'histoire Université McGill Montréal novembre 2001 Un mémoire soumis à la Faculté des études avancées et de la recherche comme exigence partielle de la maîtrise. © Linda Hazel National Library Bibliothèque nationale 1+1 of Canada du Canada Acquisitions and Acquisitions et Bibliographie Services services bibliographiques 395 Wellington Street 395. rue Wellington Ottawa ON K1A ON4 Ottawa ON K1A ON4 canada canada Your file Votre ré__ Our file Notre rététtlnœ The author has granted a non­ L'auteur a accordé une licence non exclusive licence allowing the exclusive permettant à la National Library ofCanada to Bibliothèque nationale du Canada de reproduce, loan, distribute or sell reproduire, prêter, distribuer ou copies ofthis thesis in microform, vendre des copies de cette thèse sous paper or electronic formats. la forme de microfiche/film, de reproduction sur papier ou sur format électronique. The author retains ownership ofthe L'auteur conserve la propriété du copyright inthis thesis. Neither the droit d'auteur qui protège cette thèse. thesis nor substantial extracts frOID it Ni la thèse ni des extraits substantiels may be printed or otherwise de celle-ci ne doivent être imprimés reproduced without the author's ou autrement reproduits sans son pemnsslOn. autorisation. 0-612-79010-X Canada TABLE DES MATIÈRES Page TABLE DES MATIÈRES .. Remerciements....................................................................................................................... ii Sommaires (français et anglais)...................................................................................................... iv Chronologie sommaire.................................................................................................................... vii INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................................... 2 CHAPITRE I. MAINTENIR LA FRANCE EN GUERRE A. Les derniers jours du général de Gaulle auprès de Paul Reynaud . 7 B. Les objectifs du général de Gaulle .. 11 C. Le défi politique de la France libre .. 18 CHAPITRE II. L'ÉPOPÉE DES FORCES FRANÇAISES LIBRES À BIR HAKEIM A. Les difficultés du ralliement........................................................................................... 38 B. La course à la légitimité de la France combattante....................................................... 44 C. La bataille de Bir Hakeim............................................................................................... 56 CHAPITRE III. LA CONSÉCRATION DE LA FRANCE COMBATTANTE ET LA MÉMOIRE DES FRANÇAIS LIBRES A. De l'action politique à ses conséquences mythiques..................................................... 73 B. Entre la mémoire individuelle et la mémoire officielle................................................. 84 CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................. 104 BIBLIOGRAPHIE............................................................................................................................ 108 CARTES ET ILLUSTRATION A. Les possessions coloniales en Afrique à la fin de 1940.................................................. 30 B. Le front allié de Libye et la position de Bir Hakeim à la fin de mai 1942..................... 59 C. Le camp retranché de Bir Hakeim.................................................. 60 D. « Le véritable esprit de la France ». Dessin d'Illingworth,............................................. 81 « Daily Mail », 11-6-42 ANNEXE Ordre de bataille de la Première Brigade Française libre...................................................... 116 REMERCIEMENTS Je tiens à remercier le professeur John Hellman pour ses précieux conseils, son assistance et la confiance qu'il m'a témoignée. Je remercie monsieur Pierre Goigoux de m'avoir donné accès à sa bibliothèque personnelle. Je lui sais gré de ses cours que j'ai suivis au baccalauréat. SOMMAIRES (français et anglais) IV SOMMAIRE Si le fait d'armes des Forces françaises libres à Bir Hakeim en fut un parmi tant d'autres durant la Seconde Guerre mondiale, il investit la mémoire de la France combattante parce qu'il eut lieu durant une période où les Alliés remportaient peu de succès sur les théâtres d'opérations. Récupéré par la propagande alliée, il stimula l'adhésion de résistants français à la cause de la France combattante, dont le Comité national français obtint la reconnaissance des gouvernements britannique et américain. Le général de Gaulle releva le défi de maintenir la France en guerre afin que la France puisse participer à la victoire, en contrepartie à la collaboration du gouvernement de Vichy. La part de mythe et de réalité dans la consécration de la France combattante agrémente la légende entourant l'épopée des EEL. à Bir Hakeim. Si la mémoire officielle de la France libre revendique le rassemblement des Français sous l'emblème de la Croix de Lorraine, les soldats de Bir Hakeim n'oublient pas les affrontements franco-français. ************ v ABSTRACf If the battle of Bir Hakeim was but one of many feats of arms during the Second World War, it particularly marks the memory of "Fighting France", because the exploit of the Free French Forces occurred during a period in which the Allies were having few successes on the Pacifie and Mediterranean fronts. Allied propaganda therefore celebrated this battle, thus attracting adherents to the cause of "Fighting France", and aiding general de Gaulle's French National Committee in obtaining recognition from the British and American governments. General de Gaulle's challenge was to keep France at war so that France would participate in the Allied victory, offsetting the Vichy's government's collaboration. The legendary epic of the Free French Forces at Bir Hakeim is an important part of the myth, and the reality, of "Fighting France". White the official memory of "Free France" still celebrates the unity of Frenchmen under the banner of "the Cross of Lorraine", the soldiers at Bir Hakeim could not forget the franco-french tensions they experienced. ************ CHRONOLOGIE SOMMAIRE vii Chronologie sommairel 1940 10 mai 13 mai Offensive allemande à l'ouest. Les Allemands percent le front français à Sedan. 18 mai 27 mai - 4 juin Remaniement du cabinet Reynaud. Le maréchal Bataille de Dunkerque. Embarquement de 330 000 Pétain devient vice-président du Conseil. soldats anglais et français. 5 juin 7 juin Charles de Gaulle, général de brigade à titre La Wehrmacht perce le front de la Somme. temporaire, est nommé sous-secrétaire d'État à la Défense. 10 juin 14 juin L'Italie déclare la guerre à la France et à la Grande- Paris est occupé par les Allemands. Le Bretagne. gouvernement s'installe à Bordeaux. 16 juin 17 juin Reynaud démissionne. Pétain forme le nouveau Le général de Gaulle s'envole pour Londres. gouvernement. Demande des conditions d'un armistice. 18 juin 21 juin Premier appel radiodiffusé du général de Gaulle. Vingt-sept parlementaires partent pour l'Afrique du Nord sur le Massilia. 22 juin 24juin Signature de l'armistice franco-allemand à Signature de l'armistice franco-italien. Rethondes. Arrivée du Massilia à Casablanca. Les passagers sont consignés à bord ou astreints à résidence. 1er juillet 3 juillet Le gouvernement Pétain s'installe à Vichy. Les Britanniques attaquent la flotte française à Mers el-Kébir. 22 juillet 7 août Les Nouvelles-Hébrides se rallient au général de Accords Churchill-de Gaulle. Reconnaissance de la Gaulle. Force française libre. 10 août 26-30 août Début de la bataille d'Angleterre. Ralliement au général de Gaulle du Cameroun et de l'Afrique équatoriale française, sauf le Gabon. 2 septembre 23 septembre Ralliement de la Polynésie. Ralliement de la Nouvelle-Calédonie. 23-25 septembre 22 octobre Échec des Britanniques et du général de Gaulle Rencontre de Laval et de Hitler à Montoire. devant Dakar. 24 octobre 30 octobre Rencontre de Pétain et de Hitler à Montoire. Pétain annonce la politique de collaboration avec À Brazzaville, de Gaulle crée le Conseil de défense l'Allemagne. de l'Empire. 1 Source: Jean-Louis Crémieux-Brilhac, La France libre, Paris, Gallimard, 1996. viii 12 novembre 16 novembre (à Brazzaville) Conquête du Gabon par les Francais libres. Déclaration organique de la France libre. 1941 19 janvier 23 janvier Britanniques et Français libres prennent l'offensive Les Britanniques prennent Tobrouk, base italienne contre les Italiens en Érythrée. la mieux fortifiée de Libye orientale. 3 février 1er mars Les Allemands, commandés par Rommel, Prise de Koufra (Sahara italien) par les Français interviennent en Libye. libres de Leclerc. 31 mars 9 mai Première offensive de Rommel contre les Présence d'avions allemands en Syrie. Britanniques en Libye. 8 juin 22 juin Début de la campagne de Syrie. Catroux proclame Les forces allemandes et roumaines envahissent l'indépendance de la Syrie et du Liban. l'U.R.S.S. 14 juillet 24 septembre Armistice de Saint-Jean-d'Acre: fin de la Création à Londres du Comité national français. campagne de Syrie. 2-5 décembre 7 décembre Les Allemands à vingt-cinq kilomètres de Moscou. Les Japonais attaquent la flotte américaine de Pearl L'Armée Rouge contre-attaque. Harbor. Entrée en guerre des États-Unis. 22 décembre 24 décembre Les Japonais prennent pied aux Philippines. Les EEL. débarquent à Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon. 25 décembre Hong Kong tombe aux
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