Book contents
- Defeat and Division
- Armies of the Second World War
- Defeat and Division
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Maps
- Abbreviations
- Introduction
- 1 France in the Age of Total War
- 2 From Phoney Peace to Phoney War, 1938–1940
- 3 Case Yellow
- 4 “Stand and Fight …”
- 5 “The War Is Over for Us”
- 6 “The Wisdom of a Great Leader”
- 7 La France libre
- 8 “Grandi soldati”
- 9 France’s North African Hinterland
- 10 Torch
- Epilogue
- Acknowledgments
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Index
8 - “Grandi soldati”
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 25 August 2022
- Defeat and Division
- Armies of the Second World War
- Defeat and Division
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Maps
- Abbreviations
- Introduction
- 1 France in the Age of Total War
- 2 From Phoney Peace to Phoney War, 1938–1940
- 3 Case Yellow
- 4 “Stand and Fight …”
- 5 “The War Is Over for Us”
- 6 “The Wisdom of a Great Leader”
- 7 La France libre
- 8 “Grandi soldati”
- 9 France’s North African Hinterland
- 10 Torch
- Epilogue
- Acknowledgments
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
By 1942, the Soviet Union and the United States had joined the conflict, further isolating Vichy. Resistance in France was growing, acknowledged by a change of name from la France libre to la France combattante to acknowledge a growing resistance movement inside France. Jean Moulin had been dispatched to organize and harness it to la France combattante’s political agenda, and to define its missions. While de Gaulle’s movement remained small, the FFL had demonstrated fighting resolve at Bir Hakeim, a small but symbolic step toward wiping away the stain of 1940. Vichy’s deepening collaboration with Hitler helped to put la France combattante on firmer political footing, and strengthened de Gaulle’s political standing. Nevertheless, as de Gaulle realized, the Americans in particular posed a more immediate threat to the achievement of his goal of reasserting French grandeur and global influence than did either the Germans or Vichy. It would require all of de Gaulle’s determination and political savvy to keep la France combattante from being relegated to one of the Second World War’s obscure footnotes in the wake of Operation Torch – the November 1942 Anglo-American invasion of French North Africa.
- Type
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- Information
- Defeat and DivisionFrance at War, 1939–1942, pp. 385 - 435Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2022