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| rdfs:label | - Grand Quartier Général (1939–1940)
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| rdfs:comment | - The Grand Quartier Général (abbreviated to GQG or Grand QG in spoken French) was the general headquarters of the French Army during the Second World War. Originally established in 1911, the GQG was only re-established on the outbreak of war in 1939; its previous incarnation had functioned from 1914 to 1919 during the First World War. In the inter-war years the plans for activation of GQG changed considerably with the formation switching from an offensive-oriented position near the German border at Metz in the 1920s gradually westwards. By 1938 its planned position was at the Château de Vincennes in the suburbs of Paris, from where it was expected to conduct a defensive war.
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| abstract | - The Grand Quartier Général (abbreviated to GQG or Grand QG in spoken French) was the general headquarters of the French Army during the Second World War. Originally established in 1911, the GQG was only re-established on the outbreak of war in 1939; its previous incarnation had functioned from 1914 to 1919 during the First World War. In the inter-war years the plans for activation of GQG changed considerably with the formation switching from an offensive-oriented position near the German border at Metz in the 1920s gradually westwards. By 1938 its planned position was at the Château de Vincennes in the suburbs of Paris, from where it was expected to conduct a defensive war. Activated in 1939 upon the mobilisation of the French Army GQG struggled with an awkward distribution of staff between Vincennes and a number of more distant towns (including the staff of the important North-East army). The French chief of staff, General Maurice Gamelin, found this situation unworkable and instituted reforms in January 1940. These upset the North-East army commander General Alphonse Joseph Georges and were ill-received by the United Kingdom, France's ally. GQG responded slowly to the German attack into France when it eventually came in early May 1940. With the French and British armies in retreat GQG was somewhat rejuvenated by the replacement of Gamelin with Maxime Weygand on 19 May. However this was short lived and continued French reversals in the Battle of France forced the GQG staff to move south-west away from the advancing German forces. By the time of the signing of the Second Armistice at Compiègne on 22 June 1940 GQG was at Montauban, near Toulouse. The GQG was disbanded on 1 July 1940 after the surrender to Germany.
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