18 June 1940: commemorating General de Gaulle’s call to arms
Photo of General de Gaulle, probably taken in 1940
Image source: www.ordredelaliberation.fr
Watch the video of the tribute to combatant France held at Mont Valérien, together with the speech given by the French President in London on 18 June 2020, when the UK capital was awarded the Legion of Honour.
Visit the Historial Charles de Gaulle and consult the Musée de l’Armée’s General de Gaulle resources
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Access the first-hand accounts and documents made available by the Fondation Charles de Gaulle:
Historical sources
Analyses
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‘Sur la préhistoire du 18 juin’, by François Bédarida (Espoir, no 123, 2000)
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‘Du 18 Juin aux 18 juin : comment l’appel du 18 juin est devenu l’acte fondateur de la Résistance’, by Jean-Louis Crémieux Brilhac (Espoir, no 123, 2000)
First-hand accounts
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Elisabeth de Miribel, General de Gaulle’s secretary
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Philippe de Gaulle, the General’s son
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Geneviève de Gaulle- Anthonioz , on the meaning of 18 June (text from June 1980)
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Jean-Louis Debré, on family memories of commemoration
A day-by-day account of 15 to 20 June 1940
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Discover a range of resources on our page dedicated to the 80th anniversary of 1940:
The call to arms of 18 June: refusing defeat – an episode of the web series “Comme en 40”
Key scientific and educational articles
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1940 | Answering the Call, a special edition of Les Chemins de la Mémoire with a new article by Laurent Douzou
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Enseigner de Gaulle (Teaching about de Gaulle), a feature edited by Tristan Lecoq, inspector-general of national education, and published by the Fondation Charles de Gaulle
Documents on General de Gaulle, with commentary
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The illustrated key stages of Charles de Gaulle’s life: Timeline © www.charles-de-gaulle.org
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Speeches given: General de Gaulle’s calls to arms © Musée de l’Ordre de la Libération
Other relevant articles
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Biography of General de Gaulle
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The Charles de Gaulle Memorial Colombey-les-Deux-Églises
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Test your knowledge by answering 20 simple questions on General de Gaulle and the call to arms of 18 June