The zone occupée was the area of France where German occupying troops were deployed during the Second World War after the signature of the Second Armistice at Compiègne. After the German occupation of the zone libre

Zone libre

The zone libre was a partition of the French metropolitan territory during the Second World War, established at the Second Armistice at Compiègne on June 22, 1940. It lay to the south of the demarcation line and was administered by the French government of Marshal Philippe Pétain based in Vichy,...

in November 1942, the zone occupée was re-named the zone nord (north zone).

Origin of the zone occupée

Article 2 of the terms of the armistice signed on June 22, 1940 at the Rethondes clearing in Compiègne Forest

Compiègne Forest

The Forest of Compiègne is a large forest in the region of Picardie, France, near the city of Compiègne and approximately north of Paris.-Geography:...

 between Marshal Wilhelm Keitel

Wilhelm Keitel

Wilhelm Bodewin Gustav Keitel was a German field marshal . As head of the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht and de facto war minister, he was one of Germany's most senior military leaders during World War II...

, representative of the Third Reich, and General Charles Huntzinger

Charles Huntziger

Charles Huntziger was a French Army general during World War I and World War II.Born at Lesneven , he graduated from Saint-Cyr in 1900 and joined the colonial infantry. During World War I he served in the Middle Eastern theatre. He was chief of staff of operations of the Allied Expeditionary Force...

, representative of the French government of Marshal Philippe Pétain

Philippe Pétain

Henri Philippe Benoni Omer Joseph Pétain , generally known as Philippe Pétain or Marshal Pétain , was a French general who reached the distinction of Marshal of France, and was later Chief of State of Vichy France , from 1940 to 1944...

, stipulated as follows:

In order to protect the interests of the German Reich, the French territory situated to the north and west of the line traced on the attached map, will be occupied by German troops...

The separation of French territory into two zones was indicated by a line drawn on an accompanying map:

...starts, in the east, at the Swiss-French frontier, near Geneva, and is then bounded by Dole, Paray-le-Monial, and Bourges, about twenty kilometers to the east of Tours. From there, it passes at a distance of twenty kilometers to the wast of the Tours-Angouleme-Libourne railway line, and then, further on, by Monte-de-Marsan and Orthez, until it reaches the Spanish frontier.

This partition of French territory took effect on 25 Jun 1940. It was later named the ligne de démarcation (demarcation line).

The areas constituting the French colonial empire remained under the authority of Marshall Pétain's Vichy regime. French sovereignty was to be exercised over the whole of French territory, including the zone occupée, Alsace and Moselle, but the 3rd article of the armistice stipulated that Germany would exercise rights of an occupying power in the zone occupée:

In the occupied region of France, the German Reich exercises all of the rights of an occupying power. The French government undertakes to facilitate in every way possible the implementation of these rights, and to provide the assistance of the French administrative services to that end. The French government will immediately direct all officials and administrators of the occupied territory to comply with the regulations of, and to collaborate fully with, the German military authorities..

Policies

The division line between the unoccupied and occupied zones constituted an internal frontier. Crossing the border required a pass , which was difficult to acquire. People could write only to their family members, and this was only permissible using a pre-filled card where the sender checked off the appropriate words (e.g. 'in good health', 'wounded', 'dead', 'prisoner'). The occupied zone was on German time, which was one hour ahead of the unoccupied zone. Other policies implemented in the occupied zone but not in the south were a curfew

Curfew

A curfew is an order specifying a time after which certain regulations apply. Examples:# An order by a government for certain persons to return home daily before a certain time...

 from 10 p.m to 5 a.m, the ban of American films, the suppression of displaying the French flag and singing the Marseillaise, and the banning of Vichy paramilitary organizations and the Veterans' Legion.

See also

• German occupation of France during World War II
• Zone libre
  Zone libre
  The zone libre was a partition of the French metropolitan territory during the Second World War, established at the Second Armistice at Compiègne on June 22, 1940. It lay to the south of the demarcation line and was administered by the French government of Marshal Philippe Pétain based in Vichy,...
  
  , called zone sud (south zone) after November 1942
• Vichy regime