50 Fun Facts About Charles De Gaulle

In which French city was Charles de Gaulle born in 1890?

He was the third of five children in a devoutly Catholic, monarchist household.

What was the profession of de Gaulle's father, Henri?

He taught at a Jesuit college and later founded his own school; family debates fed young Charles's love of history.

The surname de Gaulle is thought to derive from which language?

It may come from van der Walle or de Waal, meaning 'from the wall' or 'rampart'.

Which military academy did de Gaulle set his sights on from July 1906?

Applications had fallen below 700 that decade because the army was being used for strike-breaking.

Where did de Gaulle receive his first wound, a bullet in the knee, in August 1914?

It came on 15 August, his baptism of fire as a platoon commander with the 33rd Regiment.

At which 1916 battle was de Gaulle bayoneted, gassed and taken prisoner?

He was one of the few survivors of his battalion at Douaumont on 2 March.

How many escape attempts did de Gaulle make as a prisoner of war?

He tried a laundry basket, a tunnel, a hole in a wall and even dressing as a nurse.

What nickname did fellow prisoners give de Gaulle for his patriotic fervour?

It was the title of the medieval commander-in-chief of the French army.

Which future Red Army commander did de Gaulle befriend in the Ingolstadt prison camp?

The Russian's ideas about a fast-moving mechanised army closely matched de Gaulle's own.

For which marshal did de Gaulle work as a ghostwriter from 1925?

They fell out over credit for the book Le Soldat; de Gaulle later quipped that the marshal 'died in 1925, but he did not know it'.

De Gaulle's 1934 book Vers l'Armée de Métier argued for what?

It sold only about 700 copies in France, but caught the eye of politician Paul Reynaud.

Which German-held village near Laon did de Gaulle's armoured division attack in May 1940?

It was one of the few French counterattacks of the campaign.

Which London airport did de Gaulle land at when he fled France in mid-1940?

He saw Churchill that afternoon and was offered airtime on the BBC.

De Gaulle's famous BBC broadcast urging France to keep fighting was made on which date?

Few people heard it; it was aimed largely at French soldiers evacuated from Norway and Dunkirk.

What sentence did a Vichy court martial pass on de Gaulle in absentia on 2 August 1940?

Pétain remarked he would make sure it was never carried out.

Which colonial governor was the first to switch to de Gaulle, in September 1940?

De Gaulle then went to Brazzaville and issued his manifesto forming an Empire Defence Council.

Which Normandy town did de Gaulle proclaim capital of Free France on 14 June 1944?

He set up a civil administration there under his aide François Coulet before returning to England the same night.

How many guns did de Gaulle's July 1944 Washington salute have, marking him as a general?

Roosevelt never warmed to him; Eisenhower was far more cooperative.

Whose division was allowed to enter Paris first in August 1944, at de Gaulle's insistence?

The German garrison of 5,000 surrendered on 25 August after six days of fighting.

On what date did de Gaulle abruptly resign as head of the provisional government?

He expected to be recalled quickly as a stronger executive; instead he waited twelve years.

Which president asked de Gaulle to form a government during the crisis of May 1958?

Coty told parliament the nation was 'on the brink of civil war'.

At what age did de Gaulle say in 1958 he was unlikely to 'start a career as a dictator'?

He insisted he would take power only from lawfully constituted authorities.

Who actually drafted the text of the Fifth Republic's constitution?

He put de Gaulle's ideas on paper and became the Republic's first prime minister.

What share of voters approved the new constitution in the referendum of 28 September 1958?

Every African colony backed it except Guinea, which chose immediate independence.

Which was the only French African colony to vote for immediate independence in 1958?

It immediately lost all French assistance.

Which March 1962 agreements ended the Algerian War?

A referendum a month later legitimised them, and Algeria became independent that July.

Roughly how many pieds-noirs left Algeria in just a few months of 1962?

The exodus accelerated after the Oran massacre of 5 July.

Which group ambushed de Gaulle's Citroën DS with machine guns at Petit-Clamart in August 1962?

Colonel Jean-Marie Bastien-Thiry organised the attack; the general and his wife escaped unhurt.

The 1962 referendum changed the presidency to be chosen how?

It was the first direct presidential election since Louis Napoleon in 1848.

What was the code name of France's first nuclear test in February 1960?

It was detonated near Reggane in the Sahara, making France the fourth nuclear power.

In which year did France withdraw from NATO's integrated military command under de Gaulle?

He also ordered all foreign military personnel out of France within a year.

With which West German chancellor did de Gaulle sign the Élysée Treaty in 1963?

The treaty sealed the Franco-German reconciliation at the heart of the Common Market.

How many times did de Gaulle veto Britain's application to join the European Economic Community?

The vetoes came in 1963 and June 1967.

In January 1964 de Gaulle broke with Washington's containment policy by recognising which state?

He cited 'the weight of evidence and reason' and hoped to stir Sino-Soviet rivalry.

From the balcony of which city hall did de Gaulle shout 'Vive le Québec libre!' in July 1967?

He left Canada abruptly two days later; the sovereignty movement calls it a watershed.

Where did de Gaulle secretly fly on 29 May 1968 to consult General Massu about army support?

He returned once assured of the military's backing and won a landslide in June elections.

What did de Gaulle's 1968 phrase 'La réforme oui, la chienlit non' mean?

'Chienlit' is a scatological pun that has entered French political vocabulary.

The failed 1969 referendum that prompted de Gaulle's resignation proposed reform of what?

He quit at noon on 28 April 1969; Pompidou succeeded him two months later.

What was the name of de Gaulle's country estate at Colombey-les-Deux-Églises?

There he dictated Memoirs of Hope, the fastest seller in French publishing history.

Announcing de Gaulle's death on TV in 1970, Georges Pompidou said 'France is a...' what?

De Gaulle died of an aneurysm while watching the evening news at Colombey.

De Gaulle insisted that his funeral at Colombey be attended by no ministers or presidents, only whom?

Pompidou held a separate memorial at Notre-Dame for the foreign dignitaries at the same hour.

Next to whom is de Gaulle buried at Colombey?

Anne had Down syndrome and died aged 20 in 1948; he walked the grounds hand in hand with her.

De Gaulle married Yvonne Vendroux in 1921 in which town?

They had three children: Philippe, Élisabeth and Anne.

Besides the Paris airport, which French vessel bears de Gaulle's name?

The airport is at Roissy, outside Paris.

Which country's highest military decoration did de Gaulle win as an instructor in 1919-21?

He served with the French Military Mission during Poland's war with communist Russia, holding the Polish rank of major.

Which staff-college instructor clashed with de Gaulle and called him 'a King in exile'?

Moyrand's report criticised his 'excessive self-confidence' and 'attitude of a King in exile'.

Where did de Gaulle graduate, out of 129, from the École de Guerre in 1924?

He had entered 33rd and left with the grade 'assez bien', good enough.

Which elite light-infantry battalion did de Gaulle command at Trier from November 1927?

His plan for a night crossing of the freezing Moselle was vetoed by his commanding general.

How did de Gaulle die on the evening of 9 November 1970?

He collapsed while watching the television news; his funeral at Colombey was the biggest such event in French history.

De Gaulle's namesake grandson dismayed the family by ending his MEP career in which party?

One relative compared it to hearing 'the Pope had converted to Islam'.