Charles Williams: Petain, Wellington in Wellington, Wellington for sale

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'Charles Williams'reassessment of Petain tells the story of a peasant who became a Marshal of France and head of the Vichy state.''Born in Cauchy-a-la-Tour in the Department of Pas-de-Calais in 1856, Petain escaped his lowly background by joining the military academy at St-Cyr in 1876. His military career progressed unremarkably, and he was on the verge of retirement when the First World War broke out and transformed his life. By June 1915 Petain was the head of the French Second Army, and then earned the title the'Victor of Verdun'for his defence of that strategically vital city in 1916. Promoted to Marshal - France's highest military rank - in 1918, he had become a national hero - at least for the time being.''In June 1940, following the German invasion, Petain was appointed Prime Minister. But his reluctance to oversee further carnage and what he perceived (and he was not alone in this) as the inevitability of a British defeat led him immediately to seek an armistice, which the Germans signed on 22 June. In July the Third Republic was put in cold storage, Petain appointed Head of State and the Vichy regime born. Pressed into a political role, the ageing soldier jockeyed uncomfortably between Nazis, Allies and Vichy politicians until the end of the war. In 1945 he returned of his own volition to France to be tried for treason. The death sentence he received was commuted by General de Gaulle. Petain was imprisoned on the Ile d'Yeu, off the Brittany coast. He died there in 1951, aged ninety-six.'--BOOK JACKET. 576 pages
Author
Charles Williams
Title
Petain
Publisher name
Little, Brown 2005 Hardcover
Shipping time
3 - 7 days
Publication year
2005
Binding type
Hard cover
Vendor name
Book Haven
Vendor rating
Key words
Biography, Non-fiction, War
Topic
Biography&autobiography, Militarybiography&autobiography, Presidents&heads Of State
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