Charles de Gaulle was an Army commander in World War 2

General Charles de Gaulle is acknowledged as the head of the Free French Forces on June 28, 1940, having established his headquarters in England following the installation of a puppet government in his native France. The Free French Forces are committed to the defeat of Germany and the liberation of all of France. The struggle against the Germans was nothing new for Charles de Gaulle. He battled in Verdun in World War I and suffered numerous wounds.

At the commencement of World War II, De Gaulle was in charge of a tank brigade. Due to his standing as a brave leader, he was elevated to brigadier general in May 1940. During the German invasion of France, he was appointed undersecretary of state for defense and war in the Reynaud administration. However, when Reynaud resigned and Field Marshal Philippe Petain, a virtual puppet of the German occupiers, took charge, he departed for England. On June 18, de Gaulle broadcast a message urging his countrymen to reject Petain's demand for an armistice and continue fighting under his direction. Ten days later, Britain publicly recognized de Gaulle as the head of the "Free French Forces," which at the time consisted primarily of French military forces already stationed in England, volunteers who were French nationals already residing in England, and French navy units.