Charles de Gaulle
Charles de Gaulle was born on the 22nd of November 1890 in the northern French city of Lille. He entered the military academy at Saint-Cyr in October 1910 after serving a year as a private and non-commissioned officer. His class ranking was mediocre, placing him 119th out of 221 cadets. Despite this, he rose to 45th place by the end of his first year. The tall young man stood 196 centimeters high and earned the nickname "the great asparagus" due to his height and prominent nose. He graduated 13th in his class in 1912 and received praise for his conduct and intelligence.
When World War I broke out in August 1914, de Gaulle served with the 33rd Infantry Regiment near Dinant. He received his baptism of fire on the 15th of August and was wounded by a bullet in the knee during the Battle of Dinant. He later wrote that he grew bitter about the outdated tactics used by French generals who ordered pointless bayonet charges against German artillery. In December 1914, he became regimental adjutant and gained recognition for crawling into no man's land to listen to enemy conversations. On the 18th of January 1915, he received the Croix de Guerre for this bravery.
His military career took a dramatic turn at Verdun on the 2nd of March 1916. While leading a charge to break out of an surrounded position, he suffered a bayonet wound to the left thigh after being stunned by a shell. He passed out from poison gas and was captured by German forces. De Gaulle spent 32 months in six different prisoner camps, mostly at Ingolstadt Fortress. During captivity, he read German newspapers and gave talks on the conflict to fellow prisoners. He earned the nickname "Le Connétable" or "The Constable" among his captors. He made five unsuccessful escape attempts, including hiding in a laundry basket and digging tunnels. He remained imprisoned until the armistice on the 11th of November 1918.
After World War I, de Gaulle served with the French Military Mission to Poland as an instructor during the war against communist Russia from 1919 to 1921. He distinguished himself near the River Zbrucz and won Poland's highest military decoration, the Virtuti Militari. He returned to France to lecture at Saint-Cyr and studied at the École de Guerre from November 1922 to October 1924. His instructor Colonel Moyrand criticized him for excessive self-confidence and arrogance.
De Gaulle clashed with traditional military doctrine by advocating for mechanized warfare instead of trench fighting. He became a disciple of retired lieutenant-colonel Emile Mayer who believed that wars were bound to happen but civilized countries should not threaten one another. In 1934, de Gaulle wrote Vers l'Armée de Métier (Towards a Professional Army). The book proposed mechanization of infantry with an elite force of 100,000 men and 3,000 tanks. Only 700 copies sold in France despite claims of thousands sold in Germany.
His views attracted attention from maverick politician Paul Reynaud who invited him to meet on the 5th of December 1934. De Gaulle used his books to widen contacts among journalists including André Pironneau editor of L'Écho de Paris. By 1938 he had become known as "Colonel Motor(s)" after leading a parade of 80 tanks into the Place d'Armes at Metz. His command tank bore the name Austerlitz. Despite attracting public attention, his superiors disapproved of his tank theories and passed him over for promotion to full colonel until 1936.
On the 12th of September 1939, de Gaulle attacked at Bitche simultaneously with the Saar Offensive while commanding French Fifth Army tanks. He wrote a paper called L'Avènement de la force mécanique which he sent to General Georges but received little response. In late February 1940, Prime Minister Paul Reynaud told de Gaulle that he would be given command of an armoured division by May 15.
When Germany invaded France on the 10th of May 1940, de Gaulle activated his new division on the 12th. The Germans broke through at Sedan on the 15th. That day, with three tank battalions assembled, he was summoned to headquarters and ordered to attack to gain time for General Robert Touchon's Sixth Army to redeploy. De Gaulle attacked the German-held village at Montcornet around 04:30 on the 17th of May. Outnumbered without air support, he lost 23 of his 90 vehicles to mines and anti-tank weapons.
He ignored orders from General Georges to withdraw and demanded two more divisions from Touchon who refused. His tanks forced German infantry to retreat to Caumont but brought only temporary relief. On the 28th of May, he attacked the German bridgehead at Abbeville taking around 300 prisoners in the last attempt to cut an escape route for Allied forces. He was promoted to brigadier-general on the 23rd of May 1940.
On the 17th of June 1940, de Gaulle flew to London on a British aircraft with Edward Spears. He landed at Heston Airport soon after 12:30 that afternoon. He saw Winston Churchill at around 15:00 and Churchill offered him broadcast time on BBC Radio. That evening he dined with Jean Monnet and denounced Pétain's "treason". The next day the British Cabinet reluctantly agreed to let him give a radio address.
De Gaulle's Appeal of the 18th of June exhorted the French people not to be demoralized and to continue resisting occupation. Few listened to the speech initially as it was largely aimed at French soldiers evacuated from Norway and Dunkirk. Most showed no interest in fighting for his Free French Forces and were repatriated to France to become German prisoners of war. The small audience grew for later speeches though few in mainland France knew anything about him by early August.
The Vichy regime had already sentenced de Gaulle to four years imprisonment before condemning him to death by court martial in absentia on the 2nd of August 1940. De Gaulle said he considered the act of the Vichy men void and promised an explanation after victory. He and Churchill reached agreement on the 7th of August 1940 that Britain would fund the Free French forces with the bill settled after the war.
His support grew out of a base in colonial French Equatorial Africa where Félix Éboué governor of Chad switched his support to General de Gaulle in September 1940. Encouraged, de Gaulle traveled to Brazzaville in October where he announced the formation of an Empire Defense Council in his "Brazzaville Manifesto". He invited all colonies still supporting Vichy to join him which most did by 1943.
Working with the French Resistance after Operation Torch in November 1942, de Gaulle moved his headquarters to Algiers in May 1943. He became first joint head then sole chairman of the French Committee of National Liberation after squeezing out General Henri Giraud by force of personality. Allied commander Dwight Eisenhower held de Gaulle in high regard and gave him assurance that a French force would liberate Paris.
On the 25th of August 1944, German garrison of 5000 men surrendered after six days of fighting where resistance played a major part. On the evening of the 26th, the Wehrmacht launched massive aerial barrage leaving several thousand dead or injured. De Gaulle asked Eisenhower to send American troops into Paris as show of strength. The US 28th Infantry Division paraded down the Champs Elysees on the 29th of August.
Keenly aware of need to seize initiative, de Gaulle appointed Justice Minister François de Menthon to lead Legal Purge to punish traitors. Of near 2,000 people receiving death sentences fewer than 800 were executed. De Gaulle commuted 998 of 1,554 capital sentences including all women. Many others received jail terms or lost voting rights. Pétain received death sentence which his old protégé commuted to life imprisonment while Maxime Weygand was eventually acquitted.
Barely two months after forming new government on the 20th of January 1946, de Gaulle abruptly resigned. He hoped that as war hero he would be soon brought back by French people but that did not happen. Communist publication Combat wrote there was no cataclysm and empty plate didn't crack.
In April 1947, de Gaulle made renewed attempt to transform political scene creating Rassemblement du Peuple Français hoping it could move above party squabbles. Despite new party taking 40 percent vote in local elections and 121 seats in 1951 support ebbed due to lack of own press and television access. In May 1953 he withdrew again from active politics though RPF lingered until September 1955.
France
began losing overseas possessions amid surge of nationalism including Indochina colonized during mid-19th century which had been lost to Japanese after defeat of 1940. De Gaulle intended holding on to colony ordering parachuting of French agents into Indochina late 1944 attacking Japanese as American troops hit beaches. Communist Vietminh under Ho Chi Minh began determined campaign for independence from 1946 leading to bitter seven-year war largely funded by United States.
When Algerian War threatened collapse of unstable Fourth Republic National Assembly brought him back to power during May 1958 crisis. He founded Fifth Republic with strong presidency elected with 78 percent vote to continue role. He managed keeping France together while taking steps ending war much to anger of Pieds-Noirs and armed forces. He granted independence to Algeria acting progressively towards other French colonies.
In context Cold War de Gaulle initiated politics of grandeur asserting France major power should not rely countries like United States for national security prosperity. Pursuing policy national independence led withdrawing from NATO integrated military command launching independent nuclear strike force making France world fourth nuclear power. Restored cordial France-Germany relations with Konrad Adenauer creating European counterweight between Anglo-American Soviet spheres through signing Élysée Treaty on the 22nd of
January 1963.
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Common questions
When and where was Charles de Gaulle born?
Charles de Gaulle was born on the 22nd of November 1890 in the northern French city of Lille. He entered the military academy at Saint-Cyr in October 1910 after serving a year as a private and non-commissioned officer.
How did Charles de Gaulle become a prisoner during World War I?
Charles de Gaulle suffered a bayonet wound to the left thigh and passed out from poison gas while leading a charge at Verdun on the 2nd of March 1916. He was captured by German forces and spent 32 months in six different prisoner camps, mostly at Ingolstadt Fortress.
What book did Charles de Gaulle write about mechanized warfare?
Charles de Gaulle wrote Vers l'Armée de Métier (Towards a Professional Army) in 1934. The book proposed mechanization of infantry with an elite force of 100,000 men and 3,000 tanks.
Why is Charles de Gaulle famous for his speech on the 18th of June 1940?
Charles de Gaulle's Appeal of the 18th of June exhorted the French people not to be demoralized and to continue resisting occupation. This broadcast marked the beginning of his leadership of Free French Forces after he flew to London on the 17th of June 1940.
When did Charles de Gaulle resign from government before returning to power?
Charles de Gaulle abruptly resigned barely two months after forming new government on the 20th of January 1946. He returned to power during May 1958 crisis when the Algerian War threatened collapse of unstable Fourth Republic National Assembly.