Des femmes dans la France combattante pendant la Deuxième Guerre mondiale : Le Corps des Volontaires Françaises et le Groupe Rochambeau

• Main Author: Elodie Jauneau
• Format: Article
• Language: fra
• Published: Association Mnémosyne 2009-01-01
• Series: Genre & Histoire
• Online Access: http://journals.openedition.org/genrehistoire/373

This article uses women’s writings to examine women’s voluntary enlistment in the French Army during World War II. As early as 1940, several hundred women joined the Free French Army’s ranks in London, but also in North Africa (Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia). They enlisted in the three army corps and were present in most services. These women carried out essential jobs between 1940 and 1945, although men often denigrated and underestimated their contributions. This moral, physical, and often ideological engagement in the Liberation Army became for most of them a permanent turning point in their lives. Many felt the need to write about this particular period of their lives. Their testimonies and memories reveal the context and motivations surrounding their decision to enlist. Contrary to general opinion, they were not just « AFAT » (Land Army’s Female Auxiliaries) nor did they only serve in transmission or health services. The article then examines the nature of women’s jobs and the ways French soldiers described them during and after the Liberation.