Free France Flag

Facts about the Flag of Free France Flag

1. The Cross of Lorraine was added to the French tricolour in 1940 as a counter-symbol, chosen because of its association with Joan of Arc.
2. It was proposed by a naval officer, Émile Muselier, whose two sons were both serving in the Free French forces.
3. The flag of the Free French Forces led by Charles de Gaulle from 1940 to 1944.
4. The flag belongs to the Free French Forces. It is used in France and the French colonial empire.
5. It was founded on 18 June 1940 by Charles de Gaulle.
6. It is based in London, and later Algiers.
7. The flag was adopted in 1940.
8. The design is 86 years old as of 2026.
9. Construction: French tricolour with a Cross of Lorraine.
10. It is normally drawn to a ratio of 2:3, which makes it rectangular.
11. The flag uses 3 colours: blue, white and red.
12. The blue stands for the French tricolour.
13. The white stands for the French tricolour.
14. The red stands for the French tricolour and the cross.
15. Cross of Lorraine: The emblem of Joan of Arc, chosen by the Free French as the answer to the swastika.
16. The Cross of Lorraine was chosen as an answer to the swastika and had been a French symbol of resistance since Joan of Arc.
17. It is filed here under Historical Flags, one of the categories of flag that belong to no country.