FEATURE: Charles de Gaulle’s First War

On Tuesday I posted a free piece that looked into the legend of Charles de Gaulle: who he was, and where he came from; ending with his joining his regiment just prior to the First World War. You can read that piece here:

FREE ARTICLE: Charles de Gaulle: Origins

Today, I’m going to look at the active part he played in the First World War…

Opening Throes

France went to war in August 1914, and Charles De Gaulle decided to record his version of the conflict in a journal. On 1st, he noted that his regiment, the 33rd Infantry, were awaiting a mobilisation order: ‘Absolute calm on the part of the troops and the population. But uneasiness on many faces. What important men the officers are now.’ Bearing in mind the lack of prestige for the French Army I spoke about on Tuesday, there’s a certain amount of smugness about this. Everyone looks down on soldiers until you actually need them.

Over the next few days more men arrived: reservists to be incorporated, as well as more who had previously run away rather than serve, or who were deemed medically unfit but wanted to join the army. Meanwhile, de Gaulle was reflective as they prepared to leave: ‘Goodbye, my rooms, my books, my familiar objects. How much more intense life does seem, and how the smallest trifles stand out in relief when perhaps everything may be coming to an end.’ A small crowd saw the regiment off, but de Gaulle was impressed by their demeanour: ‘People are resolute and hold back their tears ... This really is the unanimous élan, the kind of restrained enthusiasm I had dreamed of.’

The 33rd Infantry Regiment belonged to Charles Lanrezac’s Fifth Army. They were not part of Joffre’s big strategy to deliver two blows to the Germans, in line with Russian attacks to go off in concert. He spared Lanrezac little thought to begin with. Fifth Army would form the far left of the French line, with the British Expeditionary Force stuck on their left flank to extend it further, and they were there to stop the German forces swinging through Belgium.

However, as unimportant as Joffre evidently thought the likes of de Gaulle when he plotted how he was going to win the war, he soon had to change his tune when the extent of the German move through Belgium revealed them swinging out much, much further than anticipated. This risked them getting around and then behind his line. Encirclement would be the beginning of the end. As events played out, Charles Lanrezac’s men were not unimportant after all, and they faced being hit from multiple directions and decimated.

So this is what 23-year-old Charles de Gaulle was enthusiastically marching into. He would be commanding a platoon of 11th Company, about 65 men, and they faced a long trek to meet the invading enemy. According to the war diary: ‘During the days of the 6th and 7th the 33rd covered seventy kilometres without leaving a single straggler, marching with reservists out of training, most of whom were wearing new boots.’ De Gaulle was excited: ‘My very dear Mama, here we are in the open country, full of spirits and confidence. The troops are absolutely admirable.’