France

From the Call of Duty Wiki

France is a country in Western Europe which was a major fighting zone during World War I and World War II. France is shown in every Call of Duty game except Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Call of Duty: World at War, and Modern Warfare 2.

Contents 1 France during World War II 2 Equipment 2.1 Call of Duty 2: Big Red One 2.2 Call of Duty 3

[edit] France during World War II

On 3 September 1939, after the invasion of Poland by German and Soviet forces, France declared war on Germany, but for several months there was no major fighting between the two countries. In May 1940, Germany executed an invasion of France and the Low Countries. German forces pushed through the Ardennes and outflanked the Maginot Line defenses along the Franco-German border. Italy declared war on France on 10 June 1940. The capital of Paris was occupied on 10 June 1940 and the French government fled to Bordeaux, and on 22 June 1940 French General Charles Huntziger signed an armistice with Germany and Italy on behalf of France at Compiègne. France was divided into a German occupation zone in the north and west, an Italian occupation zone in the east and an unoccupied "free zone" in the south. On 10 July 1940, the French National Assembly (legislature) voted extraordinary powers to Prime Minister Marshal Henri Philippe Pétain, the "saviour of Verdun" from World War I, who became head of state. The Third French Republic became the French State, commonly known as Vichy France or the Vichy regime because it's provisional headquarters were in the southern town of Vichy due to Paris being in the German occupation zone.  The Vichy regime was neutral, however fighting did occur between France and the Allied Powers in North Africa, some of which is briefly depicted in Call of Duty 2: Big Red One.  After the Vichy regime's establishment, French Indochina was occupied by Japan.  The Vichy regime pursued a policy of collaboration with the Axis occupiers throughout its territory.

Some French political and military elements opposed to the armistice rallied around General Charles André de Gaulle and formed the Free French Forces, and continued fighting the Axis Powers. The Free French Forces were initially a minority and near the time of their formation only controlled the colonies of Cameroun and most of French Equatorial Africa and their international recognition was limited; the Vichy regime remained the recognised French government worldwide for most of the war.  Nevertheless the Allies had military affiliations with the Free French.  The French Resistance arose after the armistice as well to fight a resistance campaign against German, Italian and Vichy French forces. Players fight alongside French Resistance forces known as "Maquis" in Call of Duty 3. 

The Allies invaded Normandy in a major offensive on 6 June 1944 called Operation Overlord.  The Allies drove the Germans from the Falaise Gap in from 12 to 21 August 1944 and Paris was captured by the Allies on 25 August. Following this, the Vichy government lost effective control over the country and Charles de Gaulle's Free French took power in Paris as the Provisional Government of the French Republic (GPRF).  The Provisional Government signed the Declaration by United Nations and joined the Allied powers on 26 December 1944. Remnants of the Vichy regime fled to Sigmaringen, Germany and formed a government in exile, but Philippe Pétain refused to participate. After Sigmaringen's capture by the Allies on 22 April 1945, the Vichy regime came to an end and many of its leading figures were subsequently tried by the Provisional Government for treason. Pétain was convicted of treason and sentenced to death by firing squad like many others, but his sentence was commuted to life imprisonment by Charles de Gaulle on the grounds of his age and his service to France during World War I. After World War II, parts of Germany and Austria were divided into French occupation zones and France administered the Saar as a protectorate until 1956 when it was annexed once again to Germay. French. The Provisional Government became the Fourth French Republic in 1946.

[edit] Equipment

[edit] Call of Duty 2: Big Red One

• MAS38 SMG
• MAS36 Rifle
• Chatellerault
• MAS1935 Pistol
• Stielhandgranate M24
• Hotchkiss M1914 HMG
• MG42
• Panzerschreck
• Kübelwagen
• SdKfz 251 Hanomag
• Renault R35 tank
• Junkers Ju-87 Stuka
• Flakvierling

In Call of Duty 2: Big Red One multiplayer, French weapons are supplemented by either American weapons (M1 Garand, M1919A6 .30 cal, Springfield and M2 Frag Grenade) if playing for the Free French and German weapons (Gewehr 43, MG34, Scoped Kar98k, and Stielhandgranate) if playing for the Vichy French.

[edit] Call of Duty 3

In Call of Duty 3, the Maquis use British weapons provided to them by the United Kingdom, mostly the Sten. Pierre LaRoche uses a Kar98k in the chapter "Night Drop".

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