Charles De Gaulle - The Flame of French Resistance? - WW2 Biography Special

Charles De Gaulle is a towering figure in history, and not just because of his height. Becoming increasingly political in the interwar years due to his unorthodox views on military strategy, The Fall of France will thrust him into the limelight.

Hosted by: Indy Neidell
Written by: Francis van Berkel
Director: Astrid Deinhard
Producers: Astrid Deinhard and Spartacus Olsson
Executive Producers: Astrid Deinhard, Indy Neidell, Spartacus Olsson, Bodo Rittenauer
Creative Producer: Joram Appel
Post-Production Director: Wieke Kapteijns
Research by: Catherine Burton
Edited by: Mikołaj Cackowski
Sound design: Marek Kamiński

Colorizations by:

Sources:
IWM A 1464, E 2324, D 1966
Frederick Milthorp collection

Soundtracks from the Epidemic Sound:
Max Anson - Ancient Saga
Farell Wooten - Blunt Object
Johannes Bornlof - Deviation in Time
Reynard Seidel - Deflection
Johannes Bornlof - The Inspector 4
Phoenix Tail - At the Front

A TimeGhost chronological documentary produced by OnLion Entertainment GmbH.

[WorldWarTwo]

Cheers,
Francis

*RULES OF CONDUCT*
STAY CIVIL AND POLITE we will delete any comments with personal insults, or attacks.
AVOID PARTISAN POLITICS AS FAR AS YOU CAN we reserve the right to cut off vitriolic debates.
HATE SPEECH IN ANY DIRECTION will lead to a ban.
RACISM, XENOPHOBIA, OR SLAMMING OF MINORITIES will lead to an immediate ban.
PARTISAN REVISIONISM, ESPECIALLY HOLOCAUST AND HOLODOMOR DENIAL will lead to an immediate ban.

[EdVarkarion]

So some other funfacts about De Gaulle
-He wrote a book on armored warfare which was a dud in France, but was a hot seller in Germany. One of its readers was a certain Erwin Rommel
-During his time as a POW, one of his cellmates was a fellow armored warfare enthusiast, the future Soviet Marshal Tukhachevsky
-De Gaulle's daughter Anne had Down's Syndrome. She had a special place in De Gaulle's heart, being the only person he acted silly around and even let her play with his prized officer's kepi. His Wife Yvonne later as first lady of France set up charity to help handicapped children, in Anne's name.
-Charles De Gaulle's only son, Phillpe, was named after Marshal Petain. Phillip De Gaulle became an Admiral of the French Navy and at 98 years old he is (as of April 2020) the only living child of Charles De Gaulle.

[merkavamayhem]

Charles de Gaulle: I AM THE SEN...REPUBLIC

[ceoofwalls]

French government: surrender

Charles De Gaulle: We don’t do that here

[simplymarshal]

Historians: how patriotic will you be

Charles de gaulle: *YES*

[FormChecks-syrl]

"Just think how awakened his 'male virtue' must have been when the Great War broke out..."
I see what you did there.

[QuizmasterLaw]

"The leaders who, for many years, have been at the head of the French armies have formed a government. This government, alleging the defeat of our armies, has made contact with the enemy in order to stop the fighting. It is true, we were, we are, overwhelmed by the mechanical, ground and air forces of the enemy. Infinitely more than their number, it is the tanks, the aeroplanes, the tactics of the Germans which are causing us to retreat. It was the tanks, the aeroplanes, the tactics of the Germans that surprised our leaders to the point of bringing them to where they are today.

But has the last word been said? Must hope disappear? Is defeat final? No!

Believe me, I who am speaking to you with full knowledge of the facts, and who tell you that nothing is lost for France. The same means that overcame us can bring us victory one day. For France is not alone! She is not alone! She is not alone! She has a vast Empire behind her. She can align with the British Empire that holds the sea and continues the fight. She can, like England, use without limit the immense industry of the United States.

This war is not limited to the unfortunate territory of our country. This war is not over as a result of the Battle of France. This war is a world war. All the mistakes, all the delays, all the suffering, do not alter the fact that there are, in the world, all the means necessary to crush our enemies one day. Vanquished today by mechanical force, in the future we will be able to overcome by a superior mechanical force. The fate of the world depends on it.

I, General de Gaulle, currently in London, invite the officers and the French soldiers who are located in British territory or who might end up here, with their weapons or without their weapons, I invite the engineers and the specialised workers of the armament industries who are located in British territory or who might end up here, to put themselves in contact with me.

Whatever happens, the flame of the French resistance must not be extinguished and will not be extinguished. Tomorrow, as today, I will speak on the radio from London."

[cherudium]

"I was the republic." I don't think that's how that works though, but um sure De Gaulle, you do you.

[moneyman]

One thing I truly love about De Gaulle is that he had a daughter named Anne who had Downs Syndrome and didn’t treat her like she was something to be hidden but the opposite. He was openly affectionate and goofy with her while not with his other kids.
In those days if you had a child with something like Downs they would have been sent to an asylum and never spoken of but he was the opposite. When she died of pneumonia at the age of 20 he was absolutely devistated and said “Now she will be normal like the rest”
And when he survived an assasination attempt in ‘62 he claimed that a potentially fatal bullet was stopped by the frame of a photograph of Anne.

[chriskoff]

"I was the republic"
I'm interested to know if this inspired the star wars quote "I am the senate".

[jaojao]

At his death the President of France said that "de Gaulle is dead, France is a widow"

[tisFrancesfault]

He's not without critique, and it's at times even easy to do so, but you have to respect him for fighting on.

He was an undeniable patriot

[ingeposch]

it seems to me that dear old Charles, with his originally catholic and royalist vieuws, took over the motto of Louis XIV; "l'etait c'est moi...

[stepanlukanov]

Fun Fact: He shared a cell in Germany with Mikhail Tukhachevsky

[quedtion_marks_kirby_modding]

He passed from having Pétain as his master to literaly being the biggest french opposition to Pétain's regime.

[LeBangBig]

De Gaulle a aussi servi en Pologne en 1919 pendant la guerre contre les soviétiques.

[pegzounet]

whatever else he was, he was in his heart a true servant of France. o7

Also i find it hilarious that he ended up as the resistance and restorer of the republic and Darlan ended up on the vichy side, given how staunchly republican Darlan was and how quasi monarchist de Gaulle. Ah well.

[martinlaird]

Could you do a special on the Free French Generals? - Leclerc, Juin, De Tassigny etc

[Altrantis]

I went to a french school in Concepción, Chile which was founded in 1943 and it's name is Charles de Gaulle. Special note on the year, think what was happening at that point in time. Teachers were brought from Martinique. It's half a block away from a french WW1 memorial of people from Concepción who died fighting in the French army, including Gallipoli of all places.

[garmenlin]

Charles De Gaulle should of been a rancher, considering how many beefs he had with the Germans, British, and Americans.