Paris liberation made 'whites only'

news.bbc ^ | Monday, 6 April 2009

[JoeProBono]

Papers unearthed by the BBC reveal that British and American commanders ensured that the liberation of Paris on 25 August 1944 was seen as a "whites only" victory. Many who fought Nazi Germany during World War II did so to defeat the vicious racism that left millions of Jews dead. Yet the BBC's Document programme has seen evidence that black colonial soldiers - who made up around two-thirds of Free French forces - were deliberately removed from the unit that led the Allied advance into the French capital. By the time France fell in June 1940, 17,000 of its black, mainly West African colonial troops, known as the Tirailleurs Senegalais, lay dead.

[PAR35]

Here’s the order of battle of the 2nd Free French Armored Division. “The Division’s 14,454 personnel included men from the 2nd Light Division, escapees from metropolitan France, about 3,600 Moroccans and Algerians, and some 3,200 Spanish Republicans.” The attached infantry appears to be largely Black:

Order of battle

Infantry
Ier Régiment de Marche du Tchad
IIeme Régiment de Marche du Tchad
IIIeme Régiment de Marche du Tchad
Reconnaissance
1er Regiment de Marche de Spahis Marocains
Armour
501ème Regiment de Chars de Combat
12ème Regiment de Chasseurs d’Afrique
12ème Regiment de Cuirassiers
Tank destroyers
Régiment Blindé de Fusiliers Marins (R.B.F.M)
Artillery
1er groupe du 3eme Regiment d’Artillerie Coloniale (1/3° R.A.C)
1er Groupe du 40eme Regiment d’Artillerie Nord Africain (1/40° R.A.N.A)
IIeme Groupe du 64e Regiment d’Artillerie
Anti-Aircraft
22eme Groupe Colonial de F.T.A
Engineers
13eme Bataillon du Genie
Signals
97/84° Compagnie Mixte de Transmissions
Motor transport and services
97° Compagnie de Quartier General
197° Compagnie de Transport
297° Compagnie de Transport
397° Compagnie de Circulation Routière
497e Compagnie de Services
Supply
15eme Groupe d’Escadrons de Reparations (15e G.E.R)
Medical
1ere Compagnie Medicale et Groupe d’Ambulancières “Rochambeau” (Rochambelles)
2eme Compagnie Medicale et Groupe d’Ambulancières de la Marine (”Marinettes”)
3eme Compagnie Medicale et groupe d’Ambulancières “Quakers” (Britanniques)

Tactical organisation
Groupement tactique “Dio” (G.T.D)
Colonel Dio
Ier Regiment de Marche du Tchad
4eme R.M.S.M
12eme Cuirassiers
3eme R.B.F.M
1/3eme R.A.C
2/13eme Bataillon du génie

Groupement tactique “Langlade” (G.T.L)
Colonel de Langlade
IIeme Regiment de Marche du Tchad
2eme R.M.S.M
12eme Regiment de Chasseurs d’Afrique
4eme R.B.F.M
1/40eme R.A.N.A
2/13eme Bataillon du génie

Groupement tactique Warabiot (G.T.V)
Colonel Warabiot, puis
Colonel Billotte, puis
Colonel de Guillebon
IIIeme Regiment de Marche du Tchad
3eme R.M.S.M
501eme Regiment de Chars de Combat
2eme R.B.F.M
11/64eme R.A
2/13eme Bataillon du génie

[yarddog]

Algeria, Morocco, Spain and France are not Black, none of them are.

[WetWillie]

My guess they were worried about the political consequences of creating more Marocchinate.

[PAR35]

Algeria, Morocco, Spain and France are not Black, none of them are.

But Chad certainly is. Since the Free French forces were organized on an American model, that's probably about 4000 or so of the 14000 (3 regiments). There are a couple of others that could be Black.