Martinique in the town of Saint-Pierre, Auguste Cyparis, was saved by the thick walls of his prison cell. Shortly thereafter the capital shifted to Fort-de-France, where it remains today. During WWII, the Vichy government controlled Martinique and Guadeloupe. German U-boats used Martinique for refueling and re-supply during the Battle of the Caribbean. In 1942, 182 ships were sunk in the Caribbean, dropping to 45 in 1943, and 5 in 1944. Free French forces took over on the island on Bastille Day, 14 July 1943, as Admiral Robert fled. In 1946, the French National Assembly voted unanimously to transform the colony into
Martinique national football team fourteen Caribbean Cups. The national team is the organization with the smallest population to have won the competition. Martinique won their first and only Caribbean Cup title in 1993. The tournament was played in Jamaica and Martinique defeated the hosts 6–5 on penalties in the final match. The following year, Martinique finished runner-up to Trinidad and Tobago. The team has finished in third place on three occasions in 1992, 1996, and 2001. Martinique has participated all three editions of the Coupe de l'Outre-Mer, which was established in 2008. In the first edition, the team finished runner-up to the champions Réunion