(8–12 November 1940), further isolating West Africa.
Unlike in metropolitan France, the French Colonial Troops in West Africa were not reduced after the 1940 armistice and the region was little interfered with by the Axis powers, providing a valuable addition to the forces of Free France after it had been liberated. Before this happened, there was some tension between the French and the neighbouring British colonies, particularly Sierra Leone, leading to the formation of the Freetown Defence Flight in June 1941, but no military incidents took place.
Anti-British sentiment in Africa had run high after the French battleship
Free French
movement would be built in a drive on Dakar. But de Gaulle's suggestion was overruled by British desires to move swiftly.
On 18 September, three French light cruisers, the Georges Leygues, the Gloire, and the Montcalm were intercepted by Allied ships en route to Libreville. The intercepting Allied ships included the heavy cruiser HMAS Australia. The three French light cruisers were forced to retreat.
Vichy resistance stiffened as a result of the attacks on the French ships. The
Vichy French defenders of Dakar to allow them to peacefully enter the city. The Allied forces first tried to persuade the Vichy forces by means of propaganda. They then attempted to take Dakar by force of arms. Both attempts ended in defeat. Allied hopes of taking over French West Africa were dashed for the time being, leading to the less developed and economically important French Equatorial Africa
to be the main Free French territory in the immediate aftermath of the Armistice.
The Battle of Gabon (French: Bataille du Gabon), also called the Gabon Campaign (Campagne du Gabon), occurred in November 1940 during World War II. The battle resulted in forces under the orders of General Charles de Gaulle taking the colony of Gabon and its capital, Libreville, from Vichy France, and the rallying of French Equatorial Africa to Free France. It was the first military engagement leading to the liberation of France, and the only battle of the war fought in Equatorial Africa – West Africa.
Schmidt, Elizabeth (2015). "Popular Resistance and Anticolonial Mobilization: The War Effort in French Guinea". In Byfield, Judith A.; Brown, Carolyn A.; Parsons, Timothy; Sikainga, Ahmad Alawad (eds.). Africa and World War II. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 441–461.
Lawler, Nancy (1990). "Reform and Repression under the Free French: Economic and Political Transformation in the Côte d'Ivoire, 1942-45". Africa: Journal of the International African Institute. 60 (1): 88–110.
Ginio, Ruth (2000). "Marshal Petain Spoke to School Children: Vichy Propaganda in French West Africa, 1940-1943". International Journal of African Historical Studies. 33 (2): 291–312.
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