This article is about the specific polity Provisional Government of the French Republic and therefore only includes events related to its territory and not to its possessions or colonies. If you are interested in the possession, this is the link to the article about the nation which includes all possessions as well as all the different incarnations of the nation.
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Was the provisional Government established in France at the end of World War II when France was reconquered by the allies from the German occupation forces.
Summary
As the Allied forces liberated France in 1944-1945, the Provisional Government of the French Republic under de Gaulle was recognized as the legitimate government of France, replacing the Vichy regime. This paved the way for the restoration of the French Republic after the war.
The Free France movement played a crucial role in maintaining French national identity and ultimately restoring French sovereignty during the German occupation. De Gaulle emerged as a towering figure, cementing his status as a French national hero.
Establishment
June 1944: Following the Allied invasion of Normandy in June 1944 and the liberation of France later that year, the Free French Provisional government of the French Republic (GPRF) was installed as the new national government, led by de Gaulle.
June 1944: Allied forces invade France, landing on the coast of Normandy. Two of the beaches (Juno and Gold) were linked on the first day
June 1944: The five beachheads of the Allied invasion of Normandy were connected by 12 June.
June 1944: On 18 June the US 9th Infantry Division reached the west coast of the peninsula, isolating the Cherbourg garrison from any potential reinforcements. There was little opposition on the western side of the peninsula and on the eastern side, the exhausted defenders around Montebourg collapsed.
June 1944: Allied troops, mainly American, captured the fortified port of Cherbourg.
July 1944: American forces occupy Saint-Lô.
July 1944: Caen, a major objective, was still in German hands at the end of D-Day and would not be completely captured until 21 July.
July 1944: Allied operations to liberate St. Lo.
August 1944: Allied military operation in Normandy.
August 1944: Frontline of the western front of World War II in that date.
August 1944: Based on available maps.
August 1944: Allied liberation of Le Mans.
August 1944: Operation Dragoon landing in France started on the morning of 15 August.
August 1944: Allied forces clear the Chambois area.
August 1944: Allied operations In Southern France, 15-28 August 1944.
August 1944: By the evening of 21 August, the Falaise pocket had been sealed, with Germans trapped inside.
August 1944: Allied liberation of Grenoble.
August 1944: Battle of Paris frm 19 August 1944 until the German commander in Paris, Lt. Gen. Dietrich von Choltitz, surrendered formally to Brig. Gen. Jacques Philippe Leclerc of the French 2nd Army at 15:15 of 25 August 1944.
August 1944: Territorial changes based on the known frontline of the western front of World War II in that date.
August 1944: Allied liberation of Marseille and Toulon.
August 1944: On 29 August, the Allies captured Montélimar.
September 1944: Dieppe was captured by the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division on 1 September.
September 1944: Lyon was liberated by the French 2nd Corp.
September 1944: End of the German Occupation of Monaco.
September 1944: Territorial changes based on the known frontline of the western front of World War II in that date.
September 1944: Allied liberation of Antwerp.
September 1944: Allied liberation of Autun.
September 1944: Allied liberation of Dijon.
September 1944: Operation Dragoon encountered Siegfried Line campaign "closing" central france
September 1944: German garrison of Le Havre surrenders.
September 1944: Allied liberation of Langres.
September 1944: Allied advance in France up to Nancy, which is abandoned by German forces.
September 1944: Allied advance in Germany in that date.
September 1944: General Ramcke surrendered the city of Brest on 19 September 1944 to the Americans.
September 1944: The Germans surrender to the 3rd Canadian Division in Boulogne-sur-Mer.
September 1944: The attack on the Cap Gris Nez batteries in 1944 was part of the Allied invasion of Normandy during World War II. The operation was led by General Bernard Montgomery and resulted in the capture of strategic coastal positions.
September 1944: Calais fell to the Allied forces on 30 September
October 1944: Allied advances by October 16th in the Low Countries and Belgium, during the Battle of the Scheldt.
December 1944: Allied forces accept surrender of last of the Metz forts.
December 1944: Territorial changes caused on December 16th 1944 by the German Ardenne Offensive of 1944 ("Unternehmen Wacht am Rhein").
Chronology
Interactive Chronologies with maps are available in the section Changes Navigation
Was a global conflict that lasted from 1939 to 1945 (it started sooner in certain regions) between the Axis Powers (mainly Germany, Japan and Italy) and the Allies (mainly the Soviet Union, the U.S.A., the U.K., China and France). It was the war with more fatalities in history. The war in Asia began when Japan invaded China on July 7, 1937. The war in Europe began when Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. The war ended with the complete defeat of the Axis powers, which were occupied by the Allies.
1.1.World War II (Western Front)
Was the Western European theatre of World War II.
1.1.1.Siegfried Line campaign
Was a phase in the Western European campaign of World War II which involved actions near the German defensive Siegfried Line.
1.1.1.1.Clearing the Channel Coast
Was a World War II operation undertaken by the First Canadian Army in August 1944 to capture the French coastline along the Strait of Dover.
1.1.1.2.Battle of the Scheldt
Was a series of military operations led by the First Canadian Army, with Polish and British units attached, to open up the shipping route to Antwerp so that its port could be used to supply the Allies in north-west Europe.
1.1.2.Operation Overlord
Was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allied operation that launched the successful invasion of German-occupied Western Europe during World War II.
1.1.2.1.Allied Invasion of Normandy
The allied forces launched an invasion of German-occupied France with the Normandy landings of 6 June 1944 (D-Day).
1.1.2.2.Battle of Cherbourg
Was a battle fought in Cherbourg, France, immediately after the successful Allied landings on 6 June 1944.
1.1.2.3.Battle of Saint-Lô
Was an allied military operation that liberated the region around Saint-Lô, France.
1.1.2.4.Battle of Caen
Was an Allied military operation that liberated the region around Caen, France.
1.1.2.5.Operation Cobra
Was an offensive launched by the United States First Army seven weeks after the D-Day landings, during the Normandy campaign of World War II that led to the collapse of the German Normandy front.
1.1.2.6.Conquest of Normandy
Was the Allied conquest of German-occupied Normandy during World War II.
1.1.2.7.Battle of Mortain
Was a German counter-attack near Mortain, in northwestern France during the Battle of Normandy.
1.1.2.8.Operation Totalize
Was an offensive launched by Allied troops in the First Canadian Army during the later stages of Operation Overlord in order to break through the German defences south of Caen.
1.1.2.9.Battle of the Falaise Pocket
Was an Allied operation during the Battle of Normandy that led to the destruction of the German pocket in the area of the French cities of Trun, Argentan, Vimoutiers and Chambois.
1.1.2.10.Liberation of Paris
A military battle that took place during World War II from 19 August 1944 until the German garrison surrendered the French capital on 25 August 1944.
1.1.2.11.Battle for Brest
Was fought in August and September 1944 in Brest as part of the Battle of Normandy during World War II.
1.1.3.Operation Dragoon
Was the landing operation of the Allied invasion of Provence (Southern France) on 15 August 1944.
1.1.3.1.Main invasion (operation Dragoon)
The invasion of the bulk of the armies partecipating to operation Dragoon during World War II.
1.1.4.Lorraine campaign
Was the operation of the U.S. Army to liberate German-occupied Lorraine during World War II.
1.1.5.Western Allied invasion of Germany
Was the invasion of the western territories of Germany mainly by the United States, United Kingdom, France and Canada at the end of World War II.
1.1.5.1.German Offensive on the Western Front during the Allied invasion
Was a offensive of Germany against the Allies that were invading German-occupied Europe during World War II.
1.1.6.Colmar Pocket
Was an Allied military operation to liberate central Alsace from German forces.
January 1945: Allied operations in the Colmar Pocket (January-February 1945).
February 1945: Allied operations in the Colmar Pocket (January-February 1945).
1.2.End of World War II in Europe
Refers to the surrender of Axis forces and the end of World War II and to the territorial changes that were a direct consequence of World War II but happened after the traditional end of the War.
May 1945: After the End of World War II the Western European countries of Germany are reverted to their pre-war borders.
1.2.1.The Surrender of German forces
Surrender of German forces at the end of World War II.
May 1945: The German garrisons of most of the last Atlantic pockets in France, in Dunkirk and La Rochelle, surrendered to the Allies.
May 1945: The Atlantic Pocket of Lorient surrendered to French forces.
May 1945: The German Atlantic Pocket of Saint-Nazaire surrendered.
October 1946: Proclamation of the Fourth French Republic.
Disestablishment
October 1946: Proclamation of the Fourth French Republic.
Selected Sources
Battle of the Scheldt. Canadiansoldiers.com. Retrieved on 7 April 2024 on https://www.canadiansoldiers.com/history/campaigns/northwesteurope/scheldt.htm
Durand, F. B (2016): History of Timor-Leste, Chiang Mai (Thailand), p. 114
East Timor and Indonesia Action Network. Retrieved on may 11th, 2021 on https://www.etan.org/etanpdf/2006/CAVR/03-History-of-the-Conflict.pdf
OPERATION COBRA, 25-29 July 1944. United States Military Academy West Point. Retrieved on March, 26th, 2024 on https://s3.amazonaws.com/usma-media/inline-images/academics/academic_departments/history/WWII%20Europe%20Med/WWIIEurope62.jpg
Operations In Southern France, 15-28 August 1944 & The Invasion Force. United States Military Academy West Point. Retrieved on March, 26th, 2024 on https://s3.amazonaws.com/usma-media/inline-images/academics/academic_departments/history/WWII%20Europe%20Med/WWIIEurope67.jpg
Pogue, F. (1954): United States Army in World War II: The European theater of operations, Washington D.C. (USA), p. 226
Pursuit To The West Wall, 26 August-14 September 1944 United States Military Academy West Point. Retrieved on March, 26th, 2024 on https://s3.amazonaws.com/usma-media/inline-images/academics/academic_departments/history/WWII%20Europe%20Med/WWIIEurope66.jpg
Reduction Of Ruhr Pocket And Advance To the Elbe And Middle Rivers, 5-18 April 1945. United States Military Academy West Point. Retrieved on March, 26th, 2024 on https://s3.amazonaws.com/usma-media/inline-images/academics/academic_departments/history/WWII%20Europe%20Med/WWIIEurope81.jpg
Sullivan, G.R.: Ardennes-Alsace p.23. U.S. Army Center of Military Hisotry. Retrieved on 7 April 2024 on https://www.history.army.mil/brochures/ardennes/aral.htm
The Breakout, 1-13 August 1944. United States Military Academy West Point. Retrieved on March, 26th, 2024 on https://s3.amazonaws.com/usma-media/inline-images/academics/academic_departments/history/WWII%20Europe%20Med/WWIIEurope64.jpg
U.S. Army Center of Military History. Retrieved on March, 26th, 2024 on https://history.army.mil/brochures/ardennes/p49(map).jpg
Williams, M.H. (1989): United States army in World War II - Special Studies - Chronology 1941-1945, p. 203
Williams, M.H. (1989): United States army in World War II - Special Studies - Chronology 1941-1945, p. 208
Williams, M.H. (1989): United States army in World War II - Special Studies - Chronology 1941-1945, p. 221
Williams, M.H. (1989): United States army in World War II - Special Studies - Chronology 1941-1945, p. 233
Williams, M.H. (1989): United States army in World War II - Special Studies - Chronology 1941-1945, p. 530
Williams, M.H. (1989): United States army in World War II - Special Studies - Chronology 1941-1945, p.250
Williams, M.H. (1989): United States army in World War II - Special Studies - Chronology 1941-1945, p.258
Williams, M.H. (1989): United States army in World War II - Special Studies - Chronology 1941-1945, p.260
Williams, M.H. (1989): United States army in World War II - Special Studies - Chronology 1941-1945, p.261
Williams, M.H. (1989): United States army in World War II - Special Studies - Chronology 1941-1945, p.269
Williams, M.H. (1989): United States army in World War II - Special Studies - Chronology 1941-1945, p.284
Williams, M.H. (1989): United States army in World War II - Special Studies - Chronology 1941-1945, p.291
Williams, M.H. (1989): United States army in World War II - Special Studies - Chronology 1941-1945, p.351
Williams, M.H. (1989): United States army in World War II - Special Studies - Chronology 1941-1945, pp. 213-214
Williams, M.H. (1989): United States army in World War II - Special Studies - Chronology 1941-1945, pp.249-250
Williams, M.H. (1989): United States army in World War II - Special Studies - Chronology 1941-1945, pp.250-253
Williams, M.H. (1989): United States army in World War II - Special Studies - Chronology 1941-1945, pp.251-256
Williams, M.H. (1989): United States army in World War II - Special Studies - Chronology 1941-1945, pp.272-274
Williams, M.H. (1989): United States army in World War II - Special Studies - Chronology 1941-1945, pp.279-280
Provisional Government of the French Republic
