World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseFrench Equatorial Africa, or Afrique équatoriale française, was established in 1910. It was divided into four administrative divisions, Congo, Gabon, Oubangui-Chari, and Chad. The French governor general's office was established in Brazzaville, Congo. During WW2, after the French capitulation and the establishment of the new government in Vichy, France, most of the French colonies proclaimed non-belligerency, following the footsteps of their Vichy-French leaders. French Equatorial Africa was one of the exceptions. Governor General Adolphe Félix Sylvestre Éboué, along with most of his deputies, chose to side with the Britain-based Free France and the Allies. Governor Georges Pierre Masson of Gabon, however, chose to side with Vichy. Wishing to use French Equatorial Africa as a whole as a staging point for a possible over-land Free French invasion of North Africa, Charles de Gaulle called for the elimination of Vichy-leaning forces in Gabon. The conflict between the two French factions lasted from late Oct to mid Nov 1940, with French (and colonial) troops fighting each other on land and French warships firing on each other at sea. On 12 Nov 1940, after seeing his forces reduced to ineffective pockets, Masson negotiated surrender to the Free French before committing suicide. Some of the officers and troops who served Masson joined the Free French after that point, but those who refused, including General Marcel Tetu, were kept as prisoners of war in Congo for the duration of WW2. After the war, French Equatorial Africa was given representation in the French parliament. In Sep 1958, French Equatorial Africa was dissolved after a referendum showed the people wished for independence. In 1959, the Union of Central African Republics was formed as an interim entity to government the former colony. Four independent nations were declared in the following year: Republic of Chad on 11 Aug 1960, Central African Republic on 13 Aug 1960 (formerly the Oubangui-Chari region of French Equatorial Africa), Republic of the Congo on 15 Aug 1960, and the Gabonese Republic on 17 Aug 1960.