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Historic
:
The
Commander-in-Chief of the Air Forces, General Vuillemin, opposed
the Army Generals from the beginning of the conflict. They
wanted, like the organization in place during the First World
War, that the air forces were at the disposal of the troops
on the ground. This organization was the one in place at the
outbreak of hostilities (see Figure 1)
Thus,
as of September, General Vuillemin initially suppressed
the "Command of the Air Forces made available to the ground
forces" and created two ZOA North and East
(Air Operations Zone) dependent on the 1st Air Army.
To these ZOAs are attached
"FAC" (Air Forces of Cooperation)
and FAR (Reserved Air Forces) see Scheme n � 2
But General Vuillemin, in the interests of optimization, decided to abolish the 1st Air Army, a level of command that was useless to him. The 3rd and 5th Air Armies were also abolished and the ZOA Alps and North Africa came into being.
However, the generals of the Army led by General Gamelin succeeded in convincing the President of the Council, Edouard Daladier, and the Minister of Air, Guy la Chambre, of the merits of their vision of the Aviation, and General Vuillemin had no choice but to modify its organization again: A command of the Air Forces of Cooperation is thus established to which are attached the
"FAC" (Air Forces of Cooperation)
which regroup the units attached to the ground forces,. .. which finally resumes the concept of the Air Armies that General Vuillemin had tried to suppress at the beginning of the conflict!
All these reorganizations created tensions between the various generals, and the modifications were made on a background of personal quarrels, not conducive to objectivity and virtuous efficiency ...
The ZOAs were therefore composed of FAR (Reserve Air Forces) which regroup Fighter aircrafts and bombing under the exclusive command of the Air Force and the FAC which were attached to the ground forces.
The low air means of the Air Force are thus divided into two entities, attached to two distinct commandments, Terrestrial and Air, which made it more difficult to function and ultimately detracts from the effectiveness of the Army of the Army, Air.
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