To call the Vichy military actions as "defensive" or to claim they only acted in self defense is a mischaracterization.
In fact the Vichy troops where fighting the Free French Troops and the resistance. They called them "Gaullist" IIRC as Charles DeGaul was the head of the Free French.
France was also considered one of the more zealous countries in its enforcement of Nazi racial policy including passing some 168 of it's own racial policy laws.
http://www.brookings.edu/fp/cuse/analysis/holocaust.htm
All the best,
Crumpp