Charles De Galle Essay -- essays research papers

Charles de Gaulle was born in Lille, France, on Nov. 22, 1890, the son of a teacher of philosophy and literature at a Jesuit college. From early childhood he took an interest in reading. Fascinated by history, he formed an almost mystical formation of service to France. De Gaulle graduated from the Ecole Militaire of Saint-Cyr in 1912 and joined an infantry division. In World War I he was wounded and captured at Douaumont in the Battle of Verdun in March 1916. As a war prisoner, he wrote his first book, published in 1924 called La discorde chez l'ennemi. He served on Marshal Henri Philippe Petain’s staff then with the French army in the Rhineland, and later in Lebanon. On April 7, 1921 de Gaulle married Yvonne Vendroux and they had their first child, a son, on December 28. Their daughter, Elisabeth was born on May 15th 1924. In the 1930's de Gaulle wrote many books and articles on military subjects that showed how much of a good writer and thinker he was. In 1931 he published Le fil de l'epee or the The Edge of the Sword, an investigation of military and political leadership. He also published Vers l'armee de metier or later called The Army of the Future and La France et son armee or France and Her Army. He fought for the better uses of armored mobility and air power, because he felt it would provide better defenses than fixed fortifications such as the Maginot Line. His theories were refused by the military and by left-wing leaders.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  At the out...