After France's defeat in 1940, General de Gaulle refused to capitulate and formed his government-in-exile, first in London, then in Brazzaville and Algiers from 1943 onwards. He was joined in the resistance by thousands of French people eager to continue the war in the name of ‘Free France’. De Gaulle therefore had to build a complete military justice system to discipline his troops. He did so by applying pre-war French law in the name of legality. But from 1943 onwards, military courts were also responsible for trying and punishing traitors and collaborators. Military justice thus became political justice and oscillated between legality and exception, according to the circumstances and the needs of General de Gaulle and Free France.