Tag Archives: de Gaulle

This week in the War, 17–23 June 1940: Two tourists in Paris

Posted on June 17, 2012 by secondbysecond

Most visitors to Paris love the city—and I’m no exception; I adore it—and most come in July or August. It’s the time of year when Parisians flee to the countryside, abandoning their parks and boulevards to hordes of tourists. Paris … Continue reading →

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This week in the War, 20–26 May 1940: Maxime Weygand–man of the hour

Posted on May 24, 2012 by secondbysecond

Monday 20 May 1940, General Maxime Weygand (who had been appointed French commander-in-chief the previous day)  met with General Gamelin, whom he was replacing, and with a government which was already beginning to panic. The seventy-three-year-old Weygand had (like de … Continue reading →

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This week in the War, 22–28 January 1940: De Gaulle’s memo

Posted on January 24, 2012 by secondbysecond

With France supposedly secure behind its Maginot Line, most French people believed there was cause for optimism. Having the largest army in Europe, they reasoned that their country would surely prevail. This view was not shared by a certain French colonel, named Charles de … Continue reading →

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