French Army B

French Army B was a major field army of the Free French Forces during the latter stages of World War II. Formed in French North Africa in 1943, it served as the primary combat formation for the liberation of Metropolitan France from the south. Under the command of General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny, it played a decisive role in Operation Dragoon and the subsequent advance up the Rhône valley.

History

The army was officially constituted on 1 August 1943 in Algeria, following the Allied invasion of Sicily and the Armistice of Cassibile with Italy. Its core was formed from units of the French Army of Africa, which had sided with the Allies after the Torch landings, alongside French Resistance fighters integrated as part of the French Forces of the Interior. After initial combat in the Italian Campaign, notably during the Battle of Monte Cassino and the advance on Rome, it was redeployed for the invasion of southern France. Landing during Operation Dragoon on 15 August 1944, it fought rapidly northward, liberating Toulon and Marseille before linking with elements of George S. Patton's Third United States Army near Dijon in September. Following the liberation of Alsace and participation in the reduction of the Colmar Pocket, it was redesignated as the French First Army in 1945 and incorporated into the Allied advance from Paris to the Rhine.

Organization and structure

Upon its formation, the army was organized into two corps. The first was the I Corps, commanded by General Antoine Béthouart, which included the 1st Free French Division and the 2nd Moroccan Infantry Division. The second was the II Corps, under General Joseph de Goislard de Monsabert, comprising the 3rd Algerian Infantry Division and the 1st Armored Division. This structure blended experienced colonial troops from the Army of Africa with newer units equipped by the United States via Lend-Lease. The army operated under the supreme command of Allied Forces Headquarters (AFHQ) and was directly supported by the French Navy and the Free French Air Force during amphibious and ground operations.

Equipment and capabilities

The army was largely equipped and supplied by the United States Department of War as part of the Allied rearmament program. Its infantry divisions utilized standard American small arms like the M1 Garand and the M1 carbine, while its armored component, the 1st Armored Division, was outfitted with M4 Sherman and M10 tank destroyer vehicles. Artillery regiments were supplied with 105mm M2A1 howitzers and other American ordnance. This standardization with United States Army logistics was critical for its operational effectiveness during the high-tempo advance from the Mediterranean coast. The force demonstrated significant capability in combined arms warfare, mountain fighting in the Apennine Mountains, and urban combat in ports like Marseille.

Role and deployments

Its primary strategic role was to open a second front in France, diverting Wehrmacht forces from the Normandy landings and securing vital Mediterranean ports. Initial deployments saw it attached to the U.S. Fifth Army under General Mark W. Clark in Italy. Its main deployment was the assault phase of Operation Dragoon, where it formed the left flank of the Allied landing force alongside the U.S. Seventh Army. Following the breakout from the beachhead, its mission was to clear southern France, protect the eastern flank of the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF) advance, and later to secure the Franco-German border by assaulting the Siegfried Line. Post-war, many of its veteran units formed the nucleus of the French occupation force in Allied-occupied Germany.

Commanders and notable personnel

The army's commander-in-chief throughout its existence was General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny, a revered figure who later represented France at the German Instrument of Surrender in 1945. Key subordinate commanders included Corps commanders Antoine Béthouart and Joseph de Goislard de Monsabert. Notable personnel also included General Alphonse Juin, though he commanded the French Expeditionary Corps in Italy separately. The army included future prominent military and political figures such as Pierre Koenig and Lieutenant François Mitterrand, who served as a junior officer. Its operations were closely coordinated with Allied leaders like Dwight D. Eisenhower and Henry Maitland Wilson.

Category:Field armies of France in World War II Category:Military units and formations established in 1943 Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 1944