De Gaull's Redemption: The Battle of Gabon

The Battle of Gabon stopped the bleeding of the Free French forces who were recovering from the failure that was Dakar.

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The failures at Dakar had been a political disaster for De Gaulle and the Free French Movement. While material causalities would be light, the slew of colonies that would join De Gaulle's movement were grinded to a halt, as were the plans to have West Africa act as the hub for French resistance, instead, having to settle for the less developed Equatorial Africa. Even still, the colony of Gabon refused to join De Gaulle. This Vichy held land would pose a threat for the entire Free French influence within the continent. And as such, more blood would be spilled between kin. It is October 27th, and the battle over Gabon, has begun.

After the conclusion of the armistice between France and Nazi Germany in June 1940, there was confusion as to the allegiance of the various French colonies. Some, like Cameroon and French Equatorial Africa, would join De Gaull's Free French forces, while virtually all others would stay under the puppet state of Vichy France. There was hope that diplomacy would be able to win the day, however, the British attack of the French fleet at Mers-el-Kebir turned much of the public and colonial authorities away from peacefully joining the allies war effort. Thus, it was decided that the only path forward, was bloodshed.

Gabon's governor at the time Georges Masson had pledged Gabon's allegiance to De Gaull's France. However, he met immediate Resistance from the french populace in Libreville, the capital of the colony, as well as large sections of the church, thus, being forced to rescind his pledge, and a round up of Free French sympathizers would quickly occur, many being arrested or transported to Senegal. Unlike Senegal, Gabon was not something that could be left, as stated by De Gaull himself: "a hostile enclave, that was hard to reduce because it gave on to the ocean, was created in the heart of our equatorial holdings. The failure to secure the territory would threaten the very principle of our presence within Africa.” Thus, plans were quickly drawn up, for the invasion of Gabon.

Even prior to a committed invasion of the colony. Sections of Gabon had already fallen to free french forces. In early September, the chief administrator of the Woleu-Ntem province rallied to the Free French, taking the majority of the province with him. The 15th brought about yet another victory, as Colonel André Parant with a dozen men surprised the Vichy commander of Port-Gentil, the second largest city in Gabon. Through hours of discussion and plenty of bluffing, Parant had the vichy forces surrender without firing a single shot, taking the cities port front. It wouldn't be until late October that further action took place.

On October the 27th the last Vichy stronghold within Woleu-Ntem fell with the fall of Mitzic. Control over Port-Gentil became hotly contested, and Free French forces under General Philippe Leclerc left Cameroon, and quickly marched towards Liberville, the capital of Gabon. The vichy forces that came up against Leclerc would surrender in mass, 200 of them switching sides voluntarily. Lambaréné, the last Vichy Stronghold before Liberville, fell with minimal fighting on November the 5th and Liberville on the 10th. The last of the Vichy forces within the colony surrendering just two days later. Thus, leaving the whole of French Equatorial Africa, in the hand of the Allies.

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