Anniversaries: What if….?

Posted on | June 18, 2010 |

Today marks the 70th anniversary of General Charles De Gaulle’s broadcast to France, from London, in which he urged the French people to continue resisting the Nazi invaders, even though their country had been over-run.

The French Battle fleet, hearing this, dithered. This forced the British fleet to sink the whole lot, fearing that those powerful battleships would be taken over by the Nazis. It was a slaughter, but done to prevent worse things in the future -specifically the blockading and starvation of England, which would have brought it to submission within weeks.

If de Gaulle had not spoken as he had it is possible that all resistance in France would have collapsed and that all of France, under the Vichy collaboration, would have been simply a pawn of the Nazis.

The lesson here is stark. Speak your truth, no matter how much opposition there is. Do not give in to what is wrong, and be prepared to follow through on your words. The invasion of England would have been certain but for those brave words, seemingly shouted into the face of a howling gale. But fate had other plans.

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