Escadron de Chasse 2/30 Normandie-Niemen Air Base (BA 118). During the rallying of général Charles de Gaulle through the Appeal of 18 June 1940 inviting Frenchmen to join him in London, some went on to Great-Britain in order to continue the fight with the Allies. Great-Britain became the most important « Free French military base and rallying point. Following the rupture of the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact by Operation Barbarossa on June 22, 1941, representatives of Vichy were declared as Persona non grata by the Soviet Authorities and were asked to return to France. Colonel Charles Luguet, the air attaché of the Vichy Government in Moscow, changed
Evacuations of civilians in Britain during World War II new headquarters. Men of German (and later Italian) origin were interned from 12 May 1940. Many interned were refugees from Nazi Germany. By July, almost all of these men under 70 were held in military camps, mainly on the Isle of Man. At first, unnecessary mistreatment was common, but conditions soon improved. For many interned persons, conditions in the camps were not especially unpleasant. When the Blitz began in September, 1940, there were clear grounds for evacuation. Free travel and billeting allowance were offered to those who made private arrangements. They were also given to children, the elderly, the disabled,