How Charles de Gaulle Defied Churchill and Hitler in 1940

What Happened Charles de Gaulle’s rise to leadership of the French Resistance began during the darkest moment of World War II. By June 1940, Germany’s blitzkrieg tactics had shattered French defenses in just six weeks. Unlike the static trench warfare of World War I, German armored divisions combined tanks, aircraft, and rapid movement to devastating effect, breaking through the Ardennes and driving deep into French territory. Paris fell on June 14, 1940, and the French government was in full retreat.