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Imperial backwater or strategic outpost? The British takeover of Vicky Madagascar, 1942*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 February 2009

Martin Thomas
Martin Thomas
Affiliation:
University of the West of England
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Abstract

Between June 1940 and September 1942 the French colony of Madagascar was a part of the Vichy French empire and a life-line for supplies to French Indo-China. Governor Paul Annet's island administration assumed a critical importance to Britain and South Africa after the fall of Singapore in February 1942. Conscious of the precedent of Vichy's two-fold capitulation to Japanese demands upon Indo-China in August 1940 and July 1941, both the British and the American governments feared that Annet might follow suit, conceding to Japan the use of Madagascar's principal ports and air bases. This threat led to the invasion of Madagascar by British empire forces. The attack began in May 1942 and was completed by October. Much to General Charles de Gaulle's lasting annoyance, the Free French movement played no part in these operations, although the British installed a Free French administration at Tananarive in December. This article examines the Madagascar invasion in the light of this exclusion of the Free French. It measures the strategic importance of the island against the political damage caused to Anglo-Free French relations by the British rebuttal of de Gaulle. It is argued that the British government utilized the Madagascar takeover as a means to keep the French national committee in check, disregarding Free French proposals as a result. Albeit temporary, this generated political confusion within Madagascar itself.

Type
Articles
Information
The Historical Journal , Volume 39 , Issue 4 , December 1996 , pp. 1049 - 1074
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1996

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References

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85 Churchill to Eden, 22 Sept. 1942, P.R.O., PREM 3/265/11.

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94 Grafftey-Smith to Eden, 14 July 1943, P.R.O., FO 371/36138, Z8719/8/69.

95 The fear that the Fighting French would impose conscription if given leeway to do so, was one that Mack in particular seems to have taken seriously, see: W. H. B. Mack to Sir R. Campbell, 10 June 1942, P.R.O., T 160/1146/17006/3.

96 Plan to war office, 16 Nov. 1942, P.R.O., ADM 199/1277.

97 S.T.O., Diego Suarez, to Admiralty, 31 Oct. 1942, report by Lord Rennell, 27 Nov. 1942, both P.R.O., ADM 199/874.

98 Regarding Muselier, see: Peake to Strang, 19 Jan. 1943, CO 968/87/7; regarding de Gaulle's military staff, see: Peake to Strang, 18 December 1942, P.R.O., FO 371/31954, Z10551/90/17. Commandant Schaeffer, Colonel Lombard and Colonel Billotte were the three staff members involved.

99 Minutes by Speaight and Strang, 19 & 20 Nov. 1942, P.R.O., FO 371/32151, Z8760/8463/17.

100 Peake to Strang, 1 Dec. 1942 & Minute by Eden, 2 Dec. 1942, P.R.O., FO 371/32153, Z9630/8463/17. The war office was not as hostile to de Gaulle as the foreign office assumed. War office military intelligence instructed Platt to consolidate support for Fighting France in Madagascar: war office to Platt, 10 Dec. 1942, P.R.O., PREM 3/265/11.

101 Memo by Lord, Rennell, ‘Transfer of the administration of Madagascar’, 22 Nov. 1942Google Scholar, & minute by Strang, 2 Dec. 1942, P.R.O., FO 371/32153, Z9615/8463/17.

102 Naval officer commanding, Mauritius, to C-in-C Eastern fleet, 5 Dec. 1942, P.R.O., ADM 199/1293.

103 Grafftey-Smith to Eden, 14 July 1943, P.R.O., FO 371/36138, Z8719/8/69.

104 Strang record of meeting at foreign office, 13 May 1943, PRO., T 160/1151/17400/03.

105 F.F.L. record of meeting at war office to determine Madagascar military requirements, 17 June 1943, & General Leyer, chef de l'état-major général, guerre, to inter-allied rearmament committee, undated, Sept. 1943, both S.H.A.T., 7P238/Colonies/Force Franchises Libre.

106 Leyer to G.O.C., Levant, 17 Sept. 1943 & General Smallwood to Leyer, 7 Dec. 1943, S.H.A.T., 7P238/Colonies/F.F.L.

107 Grafftey-Smith to Eden, 10 Aug. 1943, P.R.O., FO 371/36138, Z8719/8/69.

108 Foreign office minute by Strang, 17 Aug. 1943, P.R.O., FO 371/36138, Z8719/8/69.

109 Foreign office to Halifax, 2 Jan. 1943, ADM 199/180; Eden to Peake, 28 Dec. I942.P.R.O., FO 660/12.