Pro-Germans in France
The formation of the French "Anti-Bolshevist Legion" under the direct encouragement of Laval and Marcel Deat would have been not unremarkable, even if it had not provided the occasion for an attempt on the lives of these Quislings. The volunteers, who are to fight in Russia on Hitler's " crusade," follow previous small bodies of crusaders from Spain and from Italy. The difference is that whereas the Spaniards and Italians fight in uniforms of their own, the French are put into German field-grey uniforms, made to swear fealty to Hitler, and treated as a mere addition to the German Army. It is amazing that hundreds of Frenchmen can be found ready so to degrade themselves ; and it may be recorded as a solitary item to the credit of the Vichy Government that it refused to allow recruit- ing for the force in unoccupied France. For the rest Vichy seems fast sliding further into " collaboration " with Hitler. Admiral Darlan is plainly working towards the use by Axis forces of Bizerta and Tunis, if not also of the West African coast. The removal of General Weygand from the direct command of the North African army (though he retains a rather vague supreme authority over the area) and the dismissal of Admiral Le Luc from the post of chief of Naval Operations, both seem to be explicable in this way. The continuing importance of the French fleet in this connexion does not need pointing out. The arrest by Darlan of General Laurencie and his suspension from the French National Council to which Petain had appointed him seems on a rather different footing, for he publicly expressed belief in a British victory. Vichy could not tolerate that, whatever its private views.
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