How Empire is Being

Fighting France

How Empire is Being Restored

SLOWLY, step by step, but most im pressively, the Empire of France is being restored.

The revival commenced in November. 1942. when the Anglo-American forces landed in North Africa. Within a few weeks, all the French Colonies and Terri tories of Africa, which hitherto had been under the Axis heel, had rallied to Generals de Gaulle and Giraud. A French Government, now the French Committee of National Liberation, was established in Algiers. Since then, many things have happened:— The great fleet of Prance broke away from the Germans. Many warships joined the United Nations. Those which could not escape were scuttled.

The Governor of Martinique, the one important French colony which still clung to Vichy, was overthrown, and Martinique joined the Empire of Fighting France.

Fighting French forces from North Africa landed in Corsica in September and co-operated with the Corsicans in driving; out the Germans. Corsica is the first section of Metropolitan France to be freed of the enemy.

It is the deliberate policy of Britain and the United States to restore the French Empire; and the work of restora tion is being left, as far as possible, to the people of Fighting France them selves. Thus, under the direction of the French, the people of Syria (freed from Vichy rule by the British in 1941-42) have freely elected a Chamber of Deputies, which in turn has elected a President of Syria.

Thus the French Pacific Territories of New Caledonia and French Oceania, adrift in an apparently hopeless sea in 1940-42, now are linked again with a nation that is increasing rapidly in strength and spirit. Already, the contri bution of Fighting France to the United Nations’ effort against the Axis is power ful and important.