1942 in France

1941 in France, other events of 1942, 1943 in France.

Events from the year 1942 in France.

Events

• 19 February - Riom Trial begins, attempt by Vichy France regime to prove that the leaders of the French Third Republic had been responsible for France's defeat by Germany in 1940.
• 28 March - British Commandos raid St Nazaire on the coast of Western France.
• 5 May - Battle of Madagascar begins, Allied campaign to capture Vichy French-controlled Madagascar during World War II.
• 26 May - Battle of Bir Hakeim begins, First Free French Division defends the site against the Italian and German Afrika Korps.
• 11 June - Battle of Bir Hakeim ends, a successful delaying action.
• 16 July - Vel' d'Hiv Roundup (Rafle du Vel' d'Hiv), the mass arrest of 13,152 Jews who are held at the Winter Velodrome in Paris and Drancy internment camp before deportation to Auschwitz.
• 18 September - 116 people are executed in retaliation for recent attacks on German soldiers
• 19 August - Unsuccessful Dieppe Raid is carried out by Allied forces.
• 24 September - Andrée Borrel and Lise de Baissac became the first female SOE agents to be parachuted into occupied France.
• 8 November - Madagascar finally secured by Allied forces.
• 8 November - Operation Torch - United States and United Kingdom forces land in French North Africa.
• 8 November - French Resistance Coup in Algiers, by which 400 French civil resistants neutralize the Vichyist XIXth Army Corps and the Vichyist generals so allowing the immediate success of Operation Torch in Algiers.
• 10 November - In violation of a 1940 armistice, Germany invades Vichy France following French Admiral François Darlan agreement to an armistice with the Allies in North Africa.
• 27 November - Scuttling of the French fleet in Toulon takes place, ordered by the Admiralty of Vichy France to avoid capture by Nazi German forces.
• 7 December - British commandos conduct Operation Frankton a raid on shipping in Bordeaux harbour.
• 24 December - Admiral Darlan, the former Vichy leader who had switched over to the Allies following the Torch landings, assassinated in Algiers.

Sport

Births

• 18 January - Johnny Servoz-Gavin, motor racing driver (died 2006).
• 21 March - Françoise Dorléac, actress (died 1967).
• 26 April - Claudine Auger, actress.
• 24 June - Antoine Berman, translator and historian (died 1991).
• 12 September - François Tavenas, academic in Canada (died 2004).
• 28 September - Pierre Clémenti, actor (died 1999).
• 29 September - Jean-Luc Ponty, jazz violinist and composer.
• 17 October - Jean-Pierre Dogliani, soccer player (died 2003).
• 19 October - Edmond Baraffe, soccer player and manager.
• 19 December - Jean-Patrick Manchette, novelist (died 1995).

Deaths

• 17 April - Jean Baptiste Perrin, physicist and Nobel laureate (born 1870).
• 3 July - Louis Franchet d'Espérey, general during World War I (born 1856).
• 14 July - Sébastien Faure, anarchist (born 1858).
• 20 September - Jacques Émile Blanche, painter (born 1861).
• 24 December - François Darlan, Admiral (born 1881).

References

v t e Years in France (1555-present) 1555 1699 1704 1707 1708 1716 1769 1775 1784 1785 1786 1787 1788 1789 1790 1791 1792 1793 1794 1795 1796 1797 1798 1799 1800 1801 1802 1803 1804 1805 1806 1807 1808 1809 1810 1811 1812 1813 1814 1815 1816 1817 1818 1819 1820 1821 1822 1823 1824 1825 1826 1827 1828 1829 1830 1831 1832 1833 1834 1835 1836 1837 1838 1839 1840 1841 1842 1843 1844 1845 1846 1847 1848 1849 1850 1851 1852 1853 1854 1855 1856 1857 1858 1859 1860 1861 1862 1863 1864 1865 1866 1867 1868 1869 1870 1871 1872 1873 1874 1875 1876 1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014