LES ARMÉES FRANÇAISES À L’HONNEUR – Allied Propaganda Leaflet Celebrating the French Army in Italy, with Churchill and de Gaulle Portraits. c.1944 – Provenance: Robert Hastings; The Churchill Collection of Steve Forbes.

Title: Les Armées Françaises à l’Honneur
Date: c.1944
Language: French
Format: Two-sided illustrated propaganda leaflet
Size: 26.4 x 20.2 cm
Subject: Winston Churchill, Charles de Gaulle, Free French Forces, French Army, Italian Campaign, Allied propaganda, Second World War
Provenance: Robert Hastings, Churchill scholar and collector; subsequently The Churchill Collection of Steve Forbes, publisher of Forbes magazine.

Original French-language Allied propaganda leaflet, Les Armées Françaises à l’Honneur, issued during the later stages of the Second World War and celebrating the renewed military role of French forces fighting alongside the Allies.

The leaflet is illustrated with portraits of Winston Churchill and General Charles de Gaulle, together with photographic scenes of French troops, artillery, supply columns and armoured units in action. The text highlights the performance of French forces in Italy, including references to General Juin and the French contribution to Allied operations on difficult terrain.

The upper panel reproduces messages exchanged between Churchill and de Gaulle. Churchill praises the “magnificent” conduct of French troops in battle beside British and American forces, while de Gaulle replies that Churchill’s message will be communicated to General Giraud and to French troops. The publication therefore presents French military revival as part of the broader Allied coalition and as a restoration of national honour after the disaster of 1940.

This is an evocative piece of liberation-era propaganda. Its purpose was to reassure French readers that France was again an active combatant nation, not merely an occupied country awaiting rescue. The leaflet belongs to the wider Allied information campaign directed at occupied and liberated French audiences, emphasising unity between Britain, the Free French movement and the Allied armies.

The historical context is important. Churchill had formally recognised de Gaulle as leader of the Free French in June 1940, and the French Expeditionary Corps in Italy later played a significant role in the Italian campaign, particularly under General Alphonse Juin. Contemporary Allied propaganda made considerable use of such achievements to present France as restored to honour and military agency.

This example is further distinguished by its provenance. It was formerly in the collection of Robert Hastings, Churchill scholar and collector, before entering The Churchill Collection of Steve Forbes, publisher of Forbes magazine. Forbes assembled one of the most substantial private Churchill collections of recent decades, and the provenance is especially relevant here because Churchill appears prominently on the leaflet and is directly quoted in relation to the French Army.

Institutional Holdings

No separate institutional record for this specific item has been traced.

Related institutional and historical records document the wider Churchill–de Gaulle relationship, the Free French movement, and the French Expeditionary Corps in Italy, but I have not located a catalogue entry for this exact leaflet.

Condition: Very good. Light age toning, fold creases, handling marks and minor edge wear. Complete and clearly legible.

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