Battle of Gabon
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Gabon or the Battle of Libreville was part of the West African Campaign
of World War II fought in November 1940. The battle resulted in the Free French forces
under General
Charles de Gaulle
taking Libreville
, Gabon
, and taking all of French Equatorial Africa
from Vichy French
forces.
. On 12 October, he authorized plans for the invasion of French Equatorial Africa. De Gaulle also wanted to use French Equatorial Africa as a base to launch attacks into Axis-controlled Libya
. For this reason, he personally headed northward to survey the situation in Tchad, located on the southern border of Libya.
On 27 October, Free French forces crossed into French Equatorial Africa
and took the town of Mitzic. On 5 November, the Vichy garrison at Lambaréné
capitulated. Meanwhile, the main Free French forces under Generals Philippe Leclerc
and Marie Pierre Koenig
departed from Douala, French Cameroon. Their goal was to take Libreville, French Equatorial Africa.
sank the Vichy submarine Poncelet. Koenig's force landed at Pointe La Mondah. His forces included French Legionnaires (including the 13th Foreign Legion Demi-Brigade
), Senegal
ese, and Cameroon
ian troops.
On 9 November, Lysander
aircraft operating out of Douala bombed the Libreville aerodrome. The aerodrome was eventually captured, despite the stiff resistance encountered by Koenig's force during their approach. Free French naval forces, including the colonial sloop Savorgnan de Brazza
attacked and sank the Vichy colonial sloop Bougainville
. Bougainville was the sister ship to Savorgnan de Brazza.http://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/6151.html http://www.seawaves.com/newsletters/TDIH/april/21Apr.txt
On 12 November, the final Vichy forces capitulated at Port Gentil. Governor Masson—despairing of his actions—committed suicide.
in Brazzaville
, French Congo
for the duration of the war.
West Africa Campaign (World War II)
The name West African campaign refers to two battles during World War II: the Battle of Dakar and the Battle of Gabon, both of which took place in late 1940...
of World War II fought in November 1940. The battle resulted in the Free French forces
Free French Forces
The Free French Forces were French partisans in World War II who decided to continue fighting against the forces of the Axis powers after the surrender of France and subsequent German occupation and, in the case of Vichy France, collaboration with the Germans.-Definition:In many sources, Free...
under General
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
Charles de Gaulle
Charles de Gaulle
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II. He later founded the French Fifth Republic in 1958 and served as its first President from 1959 to 1969....
taking Libreville
Libreville
Libreville is the capital and largest city of Gabon, in west central Africa. The city is a port on the Komo River, near the Gulf of Guinea, and a trade center for a timber region. As of 2005, it has a population of 578,156.- History :...
, Gabon
Gabon
Gabon , officially the Gabonese Republic is a state in west central Africa sharing borders with Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north, and with the Republic of the Congo curving around the east and south. The Gulf of Guinea, an arm of the Atlantic Ocean is to the west...
, and taking all of French Equatorial Africa
French Equatorial Africa
French Equatorial Africa or the AEF was the federation of French colonial possessions in Middle Africa, extending northwards from the Congo River to the Sahara Desert.-History:...
from Vichy French
Vichy France
Vichy France, Vichy Regime, or Vichy Government, are common terms used to describe the government of France that collaborated with the Axis powers from July 1940 to August 1944. This government succeeded the Third Republic and preceded the Provisional Government of the French Republic...
forces.
Background
On 8 October 1940, General de Gaulle arrived in DoualaDouala
Douala is the largest city in Cameroon and the capital of Cameroon's Littoral Province. Home to Cameroon's largest port and its major international airport, Douala International Airport, it is the commercial capital of the country...
. On 12 October, he authorized plans for the invasion of French Equatorial Africa. De Gaulle also wanted to use French Equatorial Africa as a base to launch attacks into Axis-controlled Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
. For this reason, he personally headed northward to survey the situation in Tchad, located on the southern border of Libya.
On 27 October, Free French forces crossed into French Equatorial Africa
French Equatorial Africa
French Equatorial Africa or the AEF was the federation of French colonial possessions in Middle Africa, extending northwards from the Congo River to the Sahara Desert.-History:...
and took the town of Mitzic. On 5 November, the Vichy garrison at Lambaréné
Lambaréné
Lambaréné is the capital of the political district Moyen-Ogooué in Gabon. The city counts 24,000 inhabitants and is located 75 kilometres south of the equator....
capitulated. Meanwhile, the main Free French forces under Generals Philippe Leclerc
Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque
Philippe François Marie, comte de Hauteclocque, then Leclerc de Hauteclocque, by a 1945 decree that incorporated his French Resistance alias Jacques-Philippe Leclerc to his name, , was a French general during World War II...
and Marie Pierre Koenig
Marie Pierre Koenig
Marie Pierre Kœnig was a French army officer and politician. He commanded a Free French Brigade at the Battle of Bir Hakeim in North Africa in 1942....
departed from Douala, French Cameroon. Their goal was to take Libreville, French Equatorial Africa.
Course of battle
On 8 November 1940, the Shoreham class sloopShoreham class sloop
The Shoreham-class sloops were a class of eight small British warships built in the early 1930s.Developed from the Bridgewater-class sloops, with a longer hull, the Shoreham-class sloops were laid down between 1929 and 1931 at Chatham and Devonport Naval Dockyards.-Ships:*HMS Shoreham was launched...
sank the Vichy submarine Poncelet. Koenig's force landed at Pointe La Mondah. His forces included French Legionnaires (including the 13th Foreign Legion Demi-Brigade
13th Foreign Legion Demi-Brigade
The 13th Foreign Legion Demi-Brigade is a mechanized infantry demi-brigade in the French Foreign Legion. It is the only permanent demi-brigade in the French Army, and is a unit of particular notoriety and reputation within the Legion...
), Senegal
Senegal
Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
ese, and Cameroon
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
ian troops.
On 9 November, Lysander
Westland Lysander
The Westland Lysander was a British army co-operation and liaison aircraft produced by Westland Aircraft used immediately before and during the Second World War...
aircraft operating out of Douala bombed the Libreville aerodrome. The aerodrome was eventually captured, despite the stiff resistance encountered by Koenig's force during their approach. Free French naval forces, including the colonial sloop Savorgnan de Brazza
Bougainville class aviso
The Bougainville class was a type of colonial aviso or sloop of the French Navy of the 1930s that were designed to operate in remote locations of the French Empire....
attacked and sank the Vichy colonial sloop Bougainville
Bougainville class aviso
The Bougainville class was a type of colonial aviso or sloop of the French Navy of the 1930s that were designed to operate in remote locations of the French Empire....
. Bougainville was the sister ship to Savorgnan de Brazza.http://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/6151.html http://www.seawaves.com/newsletters/TDIH/april/21Apr.txt
On 12 November, the final Vichy forces capitulated at Port Gentil. Governor Masson—despairing of his actions—committed suicide.
Free French
- AvisoAvisoAn aviso , a kind of dispatch boat or advice boat, survives particularly in the French navy, they are considered equivalent to the modern sloop....
Savorgnan de Brazza - AvisoAvisoAn aviso , a kind of dispatch boat or advice boat, survives particularly in the French navy, they are considered equivalent to the modern sloop....
Commandant Dominé
Vichy French
- AvisoAvisoAn aviso , a kind of dispatch boat or advice boat, survives particularly in the French navy, they are considered equivalent to the modern sloop....
Bougainville - SubmarineSubmarineA submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
Poncelet
Aftermath
On 15 November, de Gaulle's personal appeal failed to persuade most of the captured Vichy soldiers—including General Marcel Tetu to join the Free French. As a result, they were interned as prisoners of warPrisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
in Brazzaville
Brazzaville
-Transport:The city is home to Maya-Maya Airport and a railway station on the Congo-Ocean Railway. It is also an important river port, with ferries sailing to Kinshasa and to Bangui via Impfondo...
, French Congo
French Congo
The French Congo was a French colony which at one time comprised the present-day area of the Republic of the Congo, Gabon, and the Central African Republic...
for the duration of the war.