By Michael E. Haskew

As French resistance to the Nazis collapsed following the lightning invasion of May 10, 1940, General Charles de Gaulle chose exile in Great Britain, cloaking himself in the mantle of guardian of his nation’s honor. De Gaulle had held but a lowly office in the government of Prime Minister Paul Reynaud. When Reynaud was succeeded by octogenarian Philippe Pétain, a hero of World War I, and his collaborationist Vichy regime, de Gaulle became a wanted man in his own country for refusing to participate in a tragedy of unspeakable shame.

From London, de Gaulle delivered a stirring address to his countrymen on BBC radio, galvanized opposition to the Vichy government and the Nazis in French colonies around the world, and organized the Free French movement. In the process, de Gaulle managed even in defeat and destitution to maintain France’s position among the preeminent nations of the world. Few men in history have displayed such single-minded purpose and succeeded against such long odds.

Michael E. Haskew, editor of WWII History magazine, has researched the life of Charles de Gaulle extensively, and the following is an excerpt from his book De Gaulle: Lessons in Leadership from the Defiant General, recently released by Palgrave Macmillan.

In leaving for London, de Gaulle had crossed his personal Rubicon. With the 84-year-old Pétain in power, he had effectively turned his back on the government of France. By refusing to be a party to an armistice with the Nazis, he had stepped back from much of what he held sacred, including the discharge of his duties as an officer in the French Army. He chose exile and had no legitimate claim to authority or to represent his country. He had come to Britain totally dependent on the goodwill of his hosts and until a few days earlier had been an obscure brigadier general.

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