<P> France was divided into a German occupation zone in the north and west and a "free zone" (zone libre) in the south . Both zones were nominally under the sovereignty of the French rump state headed by Pétain that replaced the French Third Republic; this rump state is often referred to as Vichy France . In response to the formation of a new political structure in France mandated by the Nazi government of Germany, De Gaulle, who had been made an Undersecretary of National Defence by Reynaud in London at the time of the armistice, delivered his Appeal of 18 June . With this speech, De Gaulle refused to recognise Pétain's Vichy government as legitimate and began the task of organising the Free French Forces . </P> <P> The British doubted Admiral François Darlan's promise not to allow the French fleet at Toulon to fall into German hands by the wording of the armistice conditions . They feared the Germans would seize the French Navy's fleet, docked at ports in Vichy France and North Africa and use them in an invasion of Britain (Operation Sea Lion). Within a month, the Royal Navy attacked the French naval forces stationed in North Africa in the Attack on Mers - el - Kébir . The British Chiefs of Staff Committee had concluded in May 1940 that if France collapsed, "we do not think we could continue the war with any chance of success" without "full economic and financial support" from the United States . Churchill's desire for American aid led in September to the Destroyers for Bases agreement that began the wartime Anglo - American partnership . </P> <P> The occupation of the various French zones continued until November 1942, when the Allies began Operation Torch, the invasion of Western North Africa . To safeguard southern France, the Germans enacted Case Anton and occupied Vichy France . In June 1944, the Western Allies launched Operation Overlord, followed by the Operation Dragoon on the French Mediterranean coast on 15 August . This threatened to cut off German troops in western and central France, and most began to retire toward Germany . (The fortified French Atlantic U-boat bases remained as pockets until the German capitulation .) On 24 August 1944, Paris was liberated, and by September 1944 most of the country was in Allied hands . </P> <P> The Free French provisional government declared the re-establishment of a provisional French Republic to ensure continuity with the defunct Third Republic . It set about raising new troops to participate in the advance to the Rhine and the Western Allied invasion of Germany by using the French Forces of the Interior as military cadres and manpower pools of experienced fighters to allow a very large and rapid expansion of the French Liberation Army (Armée française de la Libération). It was well equipped and well supplied despite the economic disruption brought by the occupation thanks to Lend - Lease and grew from 500,000 men in the summer of 1944 to over 1,300,000 by V-E day, making it the fourth largest Allied army in Europe . </P>

When did france surrender to germany in ww2