Evening star., 1942-12-28
Sees DurIun Death
As Unifying French
Entire Empire Nay Fight
As Unit for Liberation,
Military Critic Believes
By Maj. George Fielding Eliot.

By Maj. George Fielding Eliot.
The very strong possibility that the
death of Admiral Darlan may result in
the unification OF all Frenchmen now
engaged in active resistance to the Axis,
Is one of the most important military
considerations of the moment. Should
this take place, we may very we'll see the
whole of the French African empire,
plus Syria, the Pacific Islands and the
French West Indies. fighting as a unit
for the liberation of the mother coun-
try. France overseas may achieve the
regeneration of metropolitan France.
In so doing, and quite aside from ques-
tions of strategical position, important
contributions to the military power Of
the United Nations will result. The ex-
listing military units. French and native,
in French North and West Africa would,
II brought to full war establishment and
properly equipped, be able to provide
from to II divisions, with corps and
army troops. or an army of. say, 3O00 900
men all told. In World War I q total
of 10000 natives were enlisted from the
French colonial empire, Of which 665 900
came from North, West and Equatorial
Africa. From this region. no less than
$4,000 native soldiers were sent to fight
In France, and many others fought in
lesser theaters of operations.
The total population of this great
African bloc, including the inundated
territories of the Cameroons and Togo
land, is 100000 Europeans, mostly
French, and about sc, 900 900 natives.
One great dificulty is, of course, equip
ment. In order to raise a great native
army In French Africa, vast amounts
of arms and stores will be needed, and
Africa has no resources Of her own in
the matter Of industrial production,
though this is not true of raw materials.
Another and perhaps greater difnculty
is the need of adequate numbers OF
French officers, commissioned off,
GERS and specialists. In some native units
of the pre-war French Army, the pro-
portion of Frenchmen to natives has
run as high as 20 per cent. There is no
reservoir Of trained native officers, and
little possibility of creating one No ma
tive, in pre-war days could rise above the
rank of captain, and very few ever at
tanned a grade above that of lieutenant;
nor could there be more than one ma
tive lieutenant to company or battery.
There were no native artillery units,
though natives served In French artil-
lery units as drivers, mechanics and
ammunition tenders. Thus, though the
creation Of a great mass of native in
fantry is theoretically possible, the job
of forming and training all the vast or
ganization of technical arms and serv-
ices which Is necessary to a modern army
will be particularly difficult one in
Africa because of lack of foundation,
once the possibilities OF the existing
military organization has been ex-
hausted.
The tendency will inevitably be to
draw on existing units Of French troops
(zouaves, marine infantry, chasseurs
D'Afrique, artillery, tanks, engneers)
and on the Foreign Legion for leaders
for the new formations of native troops
The French units will decline in estab-
lishment and gradually disappear ex-
cept for a few highly technical outfits,
unless some means is found to keep them
up to strength. The only reservoir of
recruits for them and for the officer
training schools which will spring up all
over the French empire, will be France
itself; and France is captive.
Under these circumstances it seems
inevitable that great numbers of young
Frenchmen, eager to serve in arms now
that the French flag may fly freely again
over so great portion Of the world, will
seek by every available means to leave
France and join the forces which are
fighting for her redemption. It seems
likewise inevitable that there will spring
up and grow great organization de-
voted to the purpose of enabling these
young Frenchmen to fulfill so laudable
an ambition, and one so directly con-
tributory to the success Of Allied arms
The enemy will OF course, reply with
repressive measures; Laval and his asso-
ciates will do all they can to prevent
men OF military age from leaving the
Spanish frontier: but If the whole of
the French empire (save captive Indo-
China) Is in arms against the Axis,
ninging the tri-color once more to the
winds of battle, II France marches again
beside her traditional associates to
crush the traditional foe, the conditions
will be very different from those of
despair and defeat which have preceded
the present state of affairs
Frenchmen will never allow it to be
said that only the natives of the colonies
and the single million of Frenchmen in
Algeria were found to reclaim France
from the Hun. We are about to see the
beginnings of the greatest UNDER
ground railroad" Of all history, which
events now taking place will inevitably
bring into being
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Defends His Contention