Military Administration in France (MBF)

Military Administration in France (MBF)
Name	Military Administration in France (MBF)
Native name	Administration militaire en France
Active	1940–1944
Country	France
Allegiance	Nazi Germany
Branch	Wehrmacht
Type	Occupation administration
Garrison	Paris
Notable commanders	Wilhelm Keitel, Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb, Gerd von Rundstedt

Military Administration in France (MBF) was the occupation authority established by Nazi Germany after the Battle of France and the Armistice of 22 June 1940. It administered the occupied zone of France from Paris while coordinating with the Vichy France regime, the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht, and other German institutions such as the SS and Gestapo. The MBF's actions intersected with major wartime events including the Operation Barbarossa, the Allied invasion of Normandy, and the Liberation of Paris.

Overview

The MBF governed the occupied northern and western regions of France, implementing policies tied to the Treaty of Versailles aftermath and subsequent Anglo-German Naval Agreement tensions. It reported to the OKW and maintained relations with the Militärbefehlshaber in den besetzten Gebieten (MBF) chain, coordinating security with the Abwehr, Kriminalpolizei, and Sicherheitsdienst. Its seat in Paris oversaw enforcement measures linked to the Nazi racial policy, industrial requisitions affecting companies like Renault and Peugeot, and transport controls on railways such as the Chemins de fer de l'État.

Historical Background

Following the Fall of France and the Armistice of 22 June 1940, the Wehrmacht established military governance overseen by senior commanders including Wilhelm Keitel and regional generals like Erwin von Witzleben. The MBF emerged amid competing German authorities including the Reich Ministry for the Occupied Eastern Territories, the Foreign Office (Nazi Germany), and the SS leadership of Heinrich Himmler. Occupation policies reflected precedents from the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk era and earlier German military administrations in Belgium during World War I and the Hindenburg doctrines. The MBF's role evolved through events such as the Vichy collaboration under Philippe Pétain, the Milice Française, and the growth of the French Resistance led by figures like Jean Moulin and organizations such as the Free French Forces.

Organizational Structure

The MBF was structured with a central command in Paris and subordinate regional commands aligned with military districts similar to the General Government model. Key components included the military commander, liaison officers to Vichy France ministries like the Ministry of the Interior (Vichy France), and coordination cells interacting with the Einsatzgruppen, the SS Main Office, and the Reichsministerium für die besetzten Ostgebiete. Administrative bureaus handled logistics, requisitions, and policing, interfacing with railway authorities such as SNCF and industrial conglomerates including Michelin and Schneider-Creusot. Judicial functions involved collaboration with courts influenced by the Nuremberg Laws framework and local magistrates under pressure from the Gestapo.

Functions and Responsibilities

The MBF imposed security measures, economic exploitation, and population control aimed at supporting the Wehrmacht and the wider Nazi war economy. Responsibilities included managing transport corridors used during operations like Case Blue, requisitioning food supplies linked to the Hunger Plan, controlling labor through deportations to factories in Germany, and supervising censorship in coordination with the Propagandaministerium and outlets such as Radiodiffusion nationale. The MBF facilitated deportations orchestrated with agencies including the SS and the Reich Security Main Office that culminated in convoys to Auschwitz and Drancy. It also administered martial law provisions during incidents like the Vel' d'Hiv Roundup and responses to partisan attacks associated with the French Resistance and Maquis units.

Legal Framework and Authority

The MBF derived authority from instruments including the Armistice of 22 June 1940, directives from the OKW, and commands issued by leaders such as Adolf Hitler and Hermann Göring. It operated through occupation decrees that superseded initiatives by the Vichy regime yet attempted to work within legal façades upheld by institutions like the Conseil d'État (France). Legal measures referenced precedents from military law as codified in texts shaped by jurists tied to the Reich Legal Directorate and applied in cases adjudicated by military tribunals akin to those at Feldgerichte. The MBF's authority intersected with international instruments such as the Hague Conventions (1907) but often violated norms in practice through measures implemented by the Gestapo and Einsatzgruppen.

Relationship with Civil Administration

Relations between the MBF and Vichy France institutions such as ministries led by figures like Pierre Laval were complex, marked by negotiation, coercion, and collaboration. The MBF coordinated with the Milice Française for internal security while conflicting with Vichy sovereignty claims represented by Marshal Pétain. Economic arrangements entailed dealings with corporations such as Air Liquide and Thomson-Houston, while labor policies affected unions formerly organized under bodies like the Confédération générale du travail (CGT). Cultural policies touched organizations like the Académie française and press outlets including Le Figaro, with censorship enforced through directives aligned with the Reich Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda.

Criticisms and Controversies

The MBF faced criticism for complicity in Holocaust deportations, exploitation epitomized by forced labor, and suppression of civil liberties violating the Geneva Conventions. Historians such as Robert Paxton and Marc Bloch-influenced scholars have debated the extent of collaboration versus coercion involving figures like Pierre Laval and institutions like the Milice. Controversies include economic pillage involving firms such as Peugeot and judicial complicity in trials reminiscent of Vichy purges after 1944. Postwar reckoning involved prosecutions under the oversight of Allied authorities represented by the Nuremberg Military Tribunals and denazification processes led by the Allied Control Council.

Category:Occupation of France by Germany