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French Civil and Military High Command | |
|---|---|
 Commission of Free France | |
| Date formed | 13 November 1942 |
| Date dissolved | 3 June 1943 |
| People and organisations | |
| Status in legislature | none |
| Opposition party |  French State |
| History | |
| Incoming formation | created by Darlan after Allied invasion in North Africa |
| Outgoing formation | merged with French National Committee to form French Committee of National Liberation |
| Predecessor | .svg){kind=small} Vichy regime |
| Successor | .svg){kind=small} French Committee of National Liberation |
The French Civil and Military High Command (French: Commandement en chef français civil et militaire) [1][2] was an administrative and military governing body in Algiers that was created in connection with the Allied landings in French North Africa on 7 and 8 November 1942 as part of Operation Torch. It came about as a result of negotiations between the Americans and two military figures from Vichy France whom the Americans believed could assure safe passage for the landing forces, namely Henri Giraud and François Darlan.
Giraud was contacted first, and spoke with General Dwight Eisenhower in his military headquarters in Gibraltar, but negotiations were slowed when Giraud demanded too much. Meanwhile, the Americans contacted Vichy official Admiral François Darlan, who happened to be in Algiers, who made a deal with the Allies not to oppose the landings in exchange for being named High Commissioner. This was accepted, and the military-civilian body was first called the High Commission of France in Africa (Haut-commissariat de France en Afrique). The name "Civil and Military High Command" was adopted later by Giraud, who succeeded Darlan after the latter was assassinated in 1943.
The Commission exercised authority over French Algeria, the French Protectorate of Morocco, the French Protectorate of Tunisia (after its evacuation by the Germans and Italians in May 1943) and French West Africa. In June of the same year, the High Commission merged with the French National Committee, the governing body of Free France, giving birth to the French National Liberation Committee.
The question of loyalties and allegiance was a complex one. Darlan was Minister of the Navy under Philippe Petain and part of the Vichy regime subjugated to Germany, but made a deal with the Allies to allow free passage during Operation Torch in exchange for being named High Commissioner. The French population of North Africa was divided among supporters of Vichy, Gaullists, and others. By the time the Civil and Military High Command merged in 1943, it was in support of de Gaulle and Free France.