Episode 145: Charles de Gaulle in WWI: From Academy to Verdun
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Who was Charles de Gaulle before he became a military leader?
It is difficult to imagine Charles de Gaulle as a young man, before the kepi, the presidency and his famous silhouette. But in August 1914, he was a 23-year-old lieutenant, about to be wounded and tested in the inferno of combat. Ultimately captured in the brutal fighting at Verdun, he would do all in his power to escape from captivity in Germany. This is the story of Charles de Gaulle's First World War.
Welcome to Not So Quiet on the Western Front, the podcast where we lift the lid, bust the myths and explore the incredible history of the First World War. I'm Dan Hill, a military historian and battlefield guide specialising in the history of the war on the Western Front. And I'm
Dr Spencer Jones, author and senior lecturer in war studies at the University of Wolverhampton. Well, hello, James. Pleasure to be joining you. Pleasure to be having you as our resident French Army in the First World War expert. Back on the show once again. It's just you and I this time. Dan not available on his travels. There always seems to be one of us on our travels in the last few weeks. But great to have you here and great to dive into perhaps the most famous Frenchman of the 20th century, Charles de Gaulle. But in a period of his life when perhaps he, as we'll get into, perhaps a period of his life he actually wanted to forget the First World War, but one that's so important to the man he'll become.
Yeah, he is someone, as you said, arguably the most important Frenchman, most famous Frenchman of the 20th century. Someone that in other countries in the West, a very controversial figure. As an American, he's not always the biggest fan of the United States, but you can't help but respect his tenacity. And given the fact that At the forefront of his mind is service to France. He's doing what he believes is best for his country. And all of that, what we will know from his most famous point in his life, the 1940s and then the presidency and going into the 50s and 60s, it's all defined by his experience as a child and then as a young man during the First World War.
And that's really interesting, because just before we went on air, we were comparing them a little bit to Winston Churchill. Roughly comparable age. Churchill is older, of course. But both of them are shaped profoundly by their First World War experiences, and that will lead into their Second World War experiences. And And let's not forget, too, one Corporal Adolf Hitler, also profoundly shaped by his First World War experience. So the First World War as the defining moment for European leaders who are going to shape the coming decades, really, really important. And it reminds us what a huge epoch-shaping event the First World War was, especially on the continent of Europe and the adjacents. But the subject today is, of course, Charles de Gaulle.
And James, let's take Charles right back to his earliest days. Where is he born? What kind of family is he born into? What does his upbringing look like?
Yes, Charles de Gaulle is born on the 22nd of November 1890 in Lille, so in the northern part of France. But I would argue that a lot of his worldview is shaped even before his birthday. Both his father and his uncle serve in the Gard Mobile during the Franco-Prussian War. So this is the war of 1870-71. And they are present in the Siege of Paris. They will bring up young Charles with this story of their service in the military. Though, interestingly, on a broader scale, his family's not particularly militaristic. He doesn't have tons of relatives who serve in the military. You can go back through... and find a scattering, but doesn't come from a traditional military family. 1870 is what's going to change his family's worldview and give especially Charles, the young Charles, a course which will draw him towards the army.
The family were Catholic. They were also Republicans, so they're sort of at the center of French political life, but they're extremely patriotic. They are the epitome of the third Republican family, and they are going to instill that in a young Charles de Gaulle as he's growing up.
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Chapters
4 chapters
1
Who was Charles de Gaulle before he became a military leader?
0:00–17:12
2
How did de Gaulle’s family background shape his early worldview?
17:12–33:43
3
What motivated de Gaulle to pursue a career in the French infantry?
33:43–48:14
4
How did de Gaulle experience his first combat at Dinant in August 1914?
48:14–53:18
Speakers
2 identifiedMore from WW1: Not So Quiet On The Western Front!
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