Desertion

France had passed emergency defense measures to protect the nation's borders in the event of a major offensive, which they knew was only a matter of time before it began. The most heinous of which was full scale conscription.

Every man of proper age capable of being sent into the army to defend the borders was drafted to do so. Meanwhile, "volunteer" battalions consisting of teenage boys old enough to bear arms but not old enough to join the army were gathered, along with the elderly still youthful enough to do the same.

The pejorative term "voluntold" would be a more accurate description of these militias. Either way, France was doing its best to organize, train, and supply everyone who could possibly be mustered in its defense to do so.