Yes, France had an army during World War II, but its role and effectiveness evolved significantly throughout the conflict. At the start of the war in 1939, the French military was one of the largest and most powerful in Europe. France’s army, known as the Armée de Terre, was composed of a vast number of soldiers, with roughly 4 million men under arms in 1939, backed by substantial equipment and defenses.
During the early phase of World War II, France, along with the United Kingdom, declared war on Germany following the invasion of Poland. The French military played a key role in the Phoney War (1939-1940), a period of limited military operations where both sides were largely stationed behind defensive lines, notably along the Maginot Line, a series of fortifications designed to prevent a German invasion.
However, when Germany launched its blitzkrieg offensive in May 1940, bypassing the heavily defended Maginot Line by invading through Belgium and the Ardennes, France was quickly overwhelmed. In just six weeks, German forces defeated the French army, leading to the fall of France in June 1940. The defeat marked the collapse of the French military as a fighting force, and large parts of the country were occupied by Germany.
After the surrender, the Vichy regime, a collaborationist government under Marshal Philippe Pétain, governed the unoccupied southern part of France. However, many French soldiers and civilians resisted, and the Free French Forces, led by General Charles de Gaulle, continued to fight alongside the Allies. These forces eventually grew to a significant size, with contributions in North Africa, the Middle East, and eventually in the liberation of France starting in 1944. By the end of the war, the Free French Forces played a crucial role in the liberation of France from Nazi occupation.