Editing Charles de Gaulle (section)

=== Battle of France ===
{{Main|Battle of France|Battle of Montcornet|Battle of Abbeville}}

The Germans [[Manstein Plan|attacked the West on 10 May]].<ref name="Lacouture 1991, p178" /> De Gaulle activated his new division on 12 May.<ref name="Lacouture 1991, pp180-1" /> The Germans broke through at [[Battle of Sedan (1940)|Sedan]] on 15 May 1940.<ref name="CDG">{{cite web|author=Brad DeLong|title=Charles de Gaulle|url=http://econ161.berkeley.edu/TCEH/charlesdegaulle.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060107012026/http://econ161.berkeley.edu/TCEH/charlesdegaulle.html|archive-date=7 January 2006|publisher=University of California at Berkeley|date=29 May 2000}}</ref> That day, with three tank battalions assembled, less than a third of his paper strength, he was summoned to headquarters and told to attack to gain time for General Robert Touchon's [[Sixth Army (France)|Sixth Army]] to redeploy from the Maginot Line to the Aisne. General Georges told him it was his chance to implement his ideas.<ref>Lacouture 1991, pp. 180–2</ref>{{r|time19590105}}

De Gaulle attacked the German-held village at [[Battle of Montcornet|Montcornet]], a key road junction near Laon. The attack began around 04:30 on 17 May. Outnumbered and without air support, he lost 23 of his 90 vehicles to mines, anti-tank weapons, and [[Stuka]]s. On 18 May he was reinforced by two fresh regiments of armoured cavalry, bringing his strength to 150 vehicles. He attacked again on 19 May and his forces were once again devastated. He ignored orders from General Georges to withdraw, and in the early afternoon demanded two more divisions from Touchon, who refused.<ref>Lacouture 1991, pp. 180–3, 213–5, in a list of acts of insubordination committed by de Gaulle prior to 18 June 1940, Lacouture mentions a demand on 25 May 1940 that he be given command of an extra two or three divisions to mount a stronger attack. This does not appear in the more detailed narrative and it is not clear whether it is a confusion of the events on 19 May.</ref> Although de Gaulle's tanks forced German infantry to retreat to [[Caumont-sur-Durance|Caumont]], the action brought only temporary relief and did little to slow the spearhead of the German advance. Nevertheless, it was one of the few successes the French enjoyed while suffering defeats across the country.<ref name="Ledwidge p. 50-52">Ledwidge pp. 50–52</ref><ref name="Lacouture 1991, p180-3">Lacouture 1991, pp. 180–3</ref>

He delayed his retreat until 20 May. On 21 May, at the request of propaganda officers, he gave a talk on French radio about his recent attack.{{sfn|Lacouture|1991|p=183}} In recognition for his efforts de Gaulle was promoted to the rank of  [[Brigade general#France|brigadier-general]] on 23 May 1940. 
Later, De Gaulle attacked the German bridgehead at [[Battle of Abbeville|Abbeville]] on 28–29 May, taking around 300 German prisoners in the last attempt to cut an escape route for the Allied forces.{{sfn|Lacouture|1991|p=184}}<ref name="Fenby-2010" />{{RP|127}}

De Gaulle's rank of brigadier-general became effective on 1 June 1940.<ref name="Fenby-2010" />{{RP|127}} That day he was in Paris. After visiting his tailor to be fitted for his general's uniform, he met Reynaud, who appears to have offered him a government job for the first time, and afterwards the commander-in-chief [[Maxime Weygand]], who congratulated him on saving France's honour and asked for his advice.<ref name="Lacouture 1991, p187">Lacouture 1991, p. 187</ref> On 2 June he sent a memo to Weygand vainly urging that the French armoured divisions be consolidated from four weak divisions into three stronger ones and concentrated into an armoured [[corps]] under his command. He made the same suggestion to Reynaud.<ref name="Lacouture 1991, p187" />

==== Government minister ====
On 5 June, the day the Germans began the second phase of their offensive ''([[Fall Rot]])'', Prime Minister Paul Reynaud appointed de Gaulle Under-Secretary of State for [[Minister of Defence (France)|National Defence and War]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k9616752j/f2|title=Présidence du conseil: ministres et sous-secrétaires d'Etat|date=6 June 1940|website=gallica.bnf.fr|publisher=Government of the French Republic|access-date=24 September 2021|archive-date=24 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210924125737/https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k9616752j/f2|url-status=live}}</ref> with particular responsibility for coordination with the British.<ref>{{cite web|title=Cabinet Paul Reynaud|publisher=Assemblée Nationale Française|year=2008|url=http://www.assemblee-nationale.fr/histoire/gvt3rep.asp#paulreynaud|access-date=2 November 2008|archive-date=25 February 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140225090000/http://www.assemblee-nationale.fr/histoire/gvt3rep.asp#paulreynaud|url-status=live}}</ref> Weygand objected to the appointment, thinking him "a mere child".<ref name="Lacouture 1991, p190">Lacouture 1991, p. 190</ref> Pétain (deputy prime minister) was also displeased and told Reynaud the story of the ghost-writing of ''Le Soldat''.<ref name="Lacouture 1991, p190" /> His appointment received a good deal of press attention, both in France and in the UK. He asked for an English-speaking aide and [[Geoffroy Chodron de Courcel]] was given the job.<ref>Lacouture 1991, p. 191</ref>

On 8 June, de Gaulle visited Weygand, who believed it was "the end" and that after France was defeated Britain would soon sue for peace.<ref>Lacouture 1991, p. 193. Weygand later disputed the accuracy of de Gaulle's account of this conversation, and remarked on its similarity to a dialogue by [[Pierre Corneille]]. Lacouture suggests that de Gaulle's account is consistent with other evidence of Weygand's beliefs at the time and is therefore, allowing perhaps for a little literary embellishment, broadly plausible.</ref> A day later, de Gaulle flew to London and met British Prime Minister [[Winston Churchill]] for the first time. It was thought that half a million men could be evacuated to [[French North Africa]], provided the British and French navies and air forces coordinated their efforts. Either at this meeting or on 16 June, he urged Churchill in vain to throw more [[Royal Air Force]] (RAF) aircraft into the Battle of France but conceded that Churchill was right to refuse.<ref>Lacouture 1991, p. 194</ref>

On 11 June, de Gaulle drove to Arcis-sur-Aube and offered General [[Charles Huntziger]] Weygand's job as Commander-in-Chief. Huntziger accepted in principle, but de Gaulle was unable to persuade Reynaud to sack Weygand.<ref name="Lacouture 1991, pp195-6">Lacouture 1991, pp. 195–196</ref> On 13 June, de Gaulle attended another Anglo-French conference at Tours with Churchill, [[Edward Wood, 1st Earl of Halifax|Lord Halifax]], [[Max Aitken, 1st Baron Beaverbrook|Lord Beaverbrook]], [[Edward Spears]], [[Hastings Ismay, 1st Baron Ismay |Sir Hastings Ismay]], and [[Alexander Cadogan|Sir Alexander Cadogan]].<ref>Lacouture 1991, pp. 198–200, 238</ref> De Gaulle was dissuaded from resigning by the Interior Minister [[Georges Mandel]], who argued that the war was just beginning, and that de Gaulle needed to keep his reputation unsullied.<ref name="Lacouture 1991, p201">Lacouture 1991, p. 201</ref> Nevertheless, at around 9:00 on 17 June, de Gaulle flew to London on a British aircraft with Spears. De Gaulle later told [[André Malraux]] of the mental anguish which his flight to London – a break with the French Army and with the recognised government, which would inevitably be seen as treason by many – had caused him.<ref>Lacouture 1991, pp. 211–6</ref>