FNFL (Free French Naval Forces) insignia

[Tonomachi]

This is what I have collected over the years as my interest has to do with them being worn by the WW2 era Free French Naval Commandos. As I understand it the FNFL pieces below were worn by any and all Free French Naval personnel and not specific to the Free French Naval Commandos. The enameled kite shaped badges were worn on the right pocket by all Free French Naval Forces and the cloth version was a less expensive substitute for enlisted personnel.

 

The reference I have indicates that the Free French Naval Commandos wore the cloth version on their right shoulder in 1942 because they were wearing the standard French Naval bonnet before they adopted the green beret. However there is one grainy black and white photograph that is supposedly dated to 1942 that shows the head of the Free French Naval Commandos Philippe Kieffer wearing an unknown colored beret with the enameled kite shaped badge. This is the only photograph of any of the commandos wearing the enameled kite as a beret badge so I don't think it is known if this was something everyone wore as it might have been before they adopted the green beret. Once they started wearing the green beret in 1943 they used the cloth patch as a beret badge. In 1944 they replaced the cloth beret badge with their own ultra rare 1er BFMC (1er Battalion de Fusiliers Marins Commandos) brass beret badge. They also wore the enameled kite shaped badge on the right pocket. If I have gotten some of the dates or details wrong feel free to correct me as we are all here on this forum to learn and to share information that hopefully keeps us from getting ripped off by purchasing fake stuff. I have seen so many copies of this brass beret badge that I would be afraid of buying one even if I could afford one. It was also worn post war and there were commemorative pieces made as well as copies for the 1960s movie the Longest Day. It would be great if anyone has a photograph of a real one that they don't mind posting.

 

 

[Tonomachi]

Backs

 

 

[Tonomachi]

Three different variations of the cloth patch

 

 

[Tonomachi]

Backs

 

 

[Tonomachi]

Here is a well know photo of a Free French Naval Commando wearing the cloth patch on the right shoulder as they had yet to adopt the green beret.

 

 

[Tonomachi]

Once they adopted the green beret the cloth patch was moved from the right shoulder to the beret

 

 

[Tonomachi]

Another photo of the patch being worn on the green beret

 

 

[Tonomachi]

Here is the photo I spoke about where the enameled kite is being worn as a beret badge by Philippe Kieffer

 

 

[Tonomachi]

Here is a photo of the ultra rare brass beret badge which replaced the cloth piece

 

 

[irish]

Nice grouping of items. Like yourself I have tried over the years to put together a collection of FNFL Commando items. Original items are hard to find as you likely know. Thanks for posting your pieces and opening a discussion.

 

I hope you do not mind me adding of few pieces to your post. These 3 items came from a women who had worked at the U.S. Canteen service in Brooklyn New York during the war. These were given to her by a French sailor who was on a ship visiting the Navy Yard in Brooklyn for repair. A number of Free French naval ships had used U.S ports and ship yards for re-fits and various services during the war. An interesting bit of military history

 

The ship pin is in the profile of an assault type boat. I have found photo examples of the ship online. It was used mainly on coastal raider type commando operations in the Mediterranean from what I can tell.

 

 

[Tonomachi]

Thanks for posting these as I pretty sure not many people are aware of the existence of the assault boat pin.

[irish]

Thank you, the badge has a very simple pin to the reverse.

[irish]

A photo of the what the boat most likely is. Note the rounded gun position. High Speed Launch. In this case in a Corsican port. On deck is a team of ten "saboteurs" from either the French Cdo de Choc or Cdo d'Afrique. With a British Maj Croft. His teams operated out of Bastia into Italy and Southeast France. Credit to Militaria Magazine... No 191, Jun 01.

 

 

 

[stratasfan]

Boy, thanks ever so for sharing! I am aware of the France Libre kite-shaped pin, but had not found out what it was actually used for. I've seen them on eBay many times. Are there good points to tell if one is original v. repro?

 

Thanks for all the info, too! I really enjoyed the post and will definitely be filing the info in printed form!

[Tonomachi]

Boy, thanks ever so for sharing! I am aware of the France Libre kite-shaped pin, but had not found out what it was actually used for. I've seen them on eBay many times. Are there good points to tell if one is original v. repro?

 

Thanks for all the info, too! I really enjoyed the post and will definitely be filing the info in printed form!

My guess is that the ones you are referring to on eBay are the smaller versions that I don't believe are actual uniform worn FNFL badges but end of war or immediate post war civilian type lapel badges supporting or showing some involvement with the Free French Underground. Here are photos of the size differences I'm taking about. The larger ones are the FNFL badges posted above. I understand that the FNFL Association produced a very similar badge but the blue enamel is less intense if that makes any sense. This is what my reference says and I have no photograph of the association badge.

[stratasfan]

One question . . . I've seen a kite-shaped badge before that has the Cross of Lorraine, but the initial R and F on each side and the P on the bottom of the cross tail. If that also a Free French navy badge?

[stratasfan]

Hee hee! We must have been typing and hit post at the same time! I see what you mean about the size difference? Are the smaller ones hard to get, too? I don't know if I knew there were two different sizes. Maybe that is why some sell and some don't.

[Tonomachi]

Hee hee! We must have been typing and hit post at the same time! I see what you mean about the size difference? Are the smaller ones hard to get, too? I don't know if I knew there were two different sizes. Maybe that is why some sell and some don't.

I see the small ones for sale on eBay quite frequently but not the larger badges. Regarding the letters on the badge you saw the RF has got to stand for Republic of France but I have no idea what the P stood for.

[Tonomachi]

On 11/16/2018 at 3:34 PM, stratasfan said:

One question . . . I've seen a kite-shaped badge before that has the Cross of Lorraine, but the initial R and F on each side and the P on the bottom of the cross tail. If that also a Free French navy badge?

I just found out what the initials R.P.F. stands for.  In French it stands for "Rassemblement du peuple français" or in English it stands for "Rally for the French people" which is or was a political party created by Charles de Gaulle in 1947.

 

 

[stratasfan]

@Tonomachi - That's great! Thanks for posting! Really interesting and certainly a good thing to know!

[vostoktrading]

When I was a much younger person, growing up in Tahiti in French Polynesia, my parents purchased an old 1965 Peugeot 404 Pininfarina cabriolet. It was an old car and this was about 1978. The thing that fits in to this thread is that the key fob that came with this car was a very WORN brass round shield that had the exact enameled emblem shown in Tonomachi's photo from post #15 (the bottom most one) glued or welded onto the brass disc. At the time, I was a naive 18 year-old and I failed to understand the value of the key fob and the car itself.

It seems safe to presume that the key fob belonged to a previous owner that may have been associated with this unit, supporting Tonomachi's view of the origin of the smaller versions of this pin. The thing that stands out in my mind is the obvious wear. I have to say this key fob was much much older than the car. Could it be from WW2? Maybe. It was old. Tahiti had a lot of French veterans of the war living there. I was lucky enough to get to know some true resistance hero's who retired there.