Post Numéro: 5 de Enrico Cernuschi 19 Juin 2005, 19:21
Salut les gars,
let me suggest you an historical background and not a simple humor exercise.
The authorities in French North Africa in Nov. 1942 joined the Anglosaxon but remained formally loyal to the Merechal.
De Gaulle had to do a long march before to get the control of all the French forces. He begun in Aug. 1943 but until Oct. 1943 he was the second in the line after Gen. Giraud and Giraud himself recongized the Marechal as the chief of the French only state.
In brutal terms the photos in the offices and schools in N. and West Africa were, until Oct. - Nov. 1943, the Marechal ones and not De Gaulle's.
When, In Nov. 1943, the political balance was no more in favour of Giraud but of De Gaulle Pétain, if he was going to remain the formal chief of the France state HAD to leave and go in Algérie; it was a gamble but the only one.
The Frenc developments were a story of step by step. In the propaganda and bombastic stories there are, since June 1940, only De Gaulle (the hero) and Pétain (the villain). The reality was quite different. There was a very long grey zone since 1940 until 1943.
Bye
EC