France was invaded by the German army in May , fell in June, and signed an armistice a few weeks later. General de Gaulle, established a government-in-exile in London, Free France, which joined the Allies and supported the Resistance. According to the armistice, Germany de facto annexed the regions of Alsace and Lorraine, while the rest of France was principally divided into a small demilitarized Italian zone in the south east and two large parts: the Occupied Zone and the Free Zone.
The first encapsulated Northern France and the Atlantic Coast and was placed under German military control. The liberation of France began with the Allied landings in Normandy on 6 June Two months later, on 25 August, the German forces in Paris surrendered. In the summer of , France had a total population of 40,, inhabitants. Some , to , were Jewish, with , living in the Southern Zone. About half of the Jewish population were not French citizens, but Jews who had moved to France after the First World War or had arrived as Jewish refugees during the s.
Almost immediately after the occupation, Jews in both zones were subjected to a first wave of anti-Jewish measures.
In the German-controlled zone, Jews were removed from their jobs, their freedom of movement was restricted, and many were arrested. At the same time, the Vichy government actively commenced persecuting Jews.
In June , the Germans forced the Jews in the occupied zone to wear the Jewish badge for easy identification, began arresting large groups, and restricted the movements of the remaining community. The Vichy authorities also arrested and deported approximately 7, Jews from their zone in the summer of Altogether, 42, Jews were sent to Nazi-occupied Poland during Nearly one third of them came from unoccupied France.
