The answer is actually pretty straightforward and obvious..
First of… Well… Not every Frenchman had a radio in 1940 so the appeal of the 18th June was overall symbolic
. The army had just been crushed in one of the most shocking military defeats in history, and millions of civilians were on the roads during the massive exodus, fleeing the German advance. People had other priorities.
On top of that, Charles de Gaulle was practically anonymous to the average French person. He was a relatively junior brigadier general with a good record, some interesting military theories about armored warfare, and a brief stint as a junior minister in Reynaud’s government.
In fact, several far more prestigious figures joined the Free French early on. One of the most notable was General Georges Catroux, a four-star general and hero of France’s colonial conquests, someone with a reputation on the level of Lyautey and close to that of Pétain himself. The British even seriously considered sidelining de Gaulle in favor of Catroux at one point… but Catroux refused the idea.
De Gaulle’s position was also legally and politically shaky in the eyes of many: a relatively obscure general who had fled to England, declared himself leader of the resistance, and created a rival government without consulting the previous political parties.
Worst of all… DE Gaulle did in fact technically deserted the French army he was later sentence to death and to add to all of that he was seen by many members of the resistance (mostly communist… Even the Germans) a pawn of the British
In the end, those who joined him in significant numbers in 1940 were mostly from the merchant navy and the air force, plus units that hadn’t lived through the apocalyptic defeat in France — like the troops who had returned victorious from the Norway campaign and felt their success was being stolen from them.
Even many committed patriots who crossed the Channel to keep fighting, like Daniel Cordier (who later became a key aide to Jean Moulin), arrived in London without having ever heard of de Gaulle. Even though he crossed the channel to continue the war.
ForrestCFB on
The background looks like amsterdam though
-et37- on
De Gaulle’s behavior in WW2 makes sense when you realize that, as a young man, he wrote a fanfic about a General De Gaulle who crushed Germany and brought France to greatness.
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Why so few Frenchmen joined Free France in
1940?
The answer is actually pretty straightforward and obvious..
First of… Well… Not every Frenchman had a radio in 1940 so the appeal of the 18th June was overall symbolic
. The army had just been crushed in one of the most shocking military defeats in history, and millions of civilians were on the roads during the massive exodus, fleeing the German advance. People had other priorities.
On top of that, Charles de Gaulle was practically anonymous to the average French person. He was a relatively junior brigadier general with a good record, some interesting military theories about armored warfare, and a brief stint as a junior minister in Reynaud’s government.
In fact, several far more prestigious figures joined the Free French early on. One of the most notable was General Georges Catroux, a four-star general and hero of France’s colonial conquests, someone with a reputation on the level of Lyautey and close to that of Pétain himself. The British even seriously considered sidelining de Gaulle in favor of Catroux at one point… but Catroux refused the idea.
De Gaulle’s position was also legally and politically shaky in the eyes of many: a relatively obscure general who had fled to England, declared himself leader of the resistance, and created a rival government without consulting the previous political parties.
Worst of all… DE Gaulle did in fact technically deserted the French army he was later sentence to death and to add to all of that he was seen by many members of the resistance (mostly communist… Even the Germans) a pawn of the British
In the end, those who joined him in significant numbers in 1940 were mostly from the merchant navy and the air force, plus units that hadn’t lived through the apocalyptic defeat in France — like the troops who had returned victorious from the Norway campaign and felt their success was being stolen from them.
Even many committed patriots who crossed the Channel to keep fighting, like Daniel Cordier (who later became a key aide to Jean Moulin), arrived in London without having ever heard of de Gaulle. Even though he crossed the channel to continue the war.
The background looks like amsterdam though
De Gaulle’s behavior in WW2 makes sense when you realize that, as a young man, he wrote a fanfic about a General De Gaulle who crushed Germany and brought France to greatness.