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L'invasion

10th may 1940. The arrival of French regiments in Belgium

14th of July (Bastille Day)

Almost every country has a national celebration, generally chosen to commemorate an anniversary deemed particularly influential and solemn, and nothing is more revealing about a country’s past than the decisions made surrounding this day and how they have changed with the times.

► Behind the scenes of the parades | The French people meet their armed forces

Storming of the Bastille, painting by Jean-Pierre Houël (1735-1813). Source: public domain

De l'Enfer au Paradis, les hôpitaux de l'arrière en 1916

Orderly Sister with bandages; gouache, Ferdinand Fargeot

L'Australie et la Nouvelle-Zélande dans la Grande Guerre

Caterpillar Valley cemetery near Longueval

Camarón – 30 April 1863

Commemorations of the Battle of Camarón in Mexico. Source: Foreign Legion.

Created in 1831 by Louis-Philippe, the Foreign Legion has taken part in every conflict France has been involved with since and contributed to the formation of the French Empire.

In the mystique created around this elite corps, one exploit symbolises most its heroism and sense of duty: Camarón.

Decorations, signs of national gratitude

Croix de guerre 1914-1918 (Cross of War). Source: Photo Franck Beauperin

By establishing the Croix de Guerre 1914-1918 (Cross of War), the decree of April 1915 set down the principle of honouring individual acts of bravery and the remarkable feats performed by military formations. However, this design continued way beyond the First World War.

Other decorations rewarded special courage and selfless action demonstrated during armed operations.

August 1944 – The 2nd Armoured Division in Normandy

A Sherman M4 of the 12th regiment of Chasseurs d'Afrique of the 2nd Armoured Division landing from a Landing Ship Tank in Normandy in August 1944. Source: U.S. Federal Government, royalty-free

The Polish in France

General Jozef Pilsudski, between 1910 and 1920.

Józef Piłsudski, at the time he became the first head of state (Naczelnik Państwa) of the Polish Republic, 1919. Source: L'Album de la Grande Guerre, L'Illustration.

The Polish in France, 1914-1918

In 1914, split between Russia, the Austrian-Hungarian Empire and Prussia, the Polish were divided into two camps. Many hoped, at best, for independence to be granted by the future victor: the National Committee of Warsaw was banking on Russia, while the National High Committee of Vienna had their hopes in Austria, whose armies included Pilsudski's legions (30,000 men).

It rapidly became clear that the main threat to Poland's future came from Germany: Warsaw's occupation by the Reich's troops in August 1915 and the creation of a new kingdom announced in November 1916 by Governor-General Von Bessemer, who sought to recruit Polish soldiers.

21 mars 1918 - La bataille de Picardie sonne l'heure de Foch

At Sarcus, General Foch, responsible for coordinating Franco-British troops from the 26th March

1918 - Les temps forts d'une année de combat

Georges Clemenceau, made head of the French Government on 16 November 1917, photographed on the 19th at the War Department.

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