In 1918, the 4-year-long World War I ended. For de Gaulle, the 3 years and 3 months of life in the prisoner of war camp filled his heart with regret and frustration, and he wanted to make a contribution through the war and add glory to the family. Today, returning home as a prisoner of war is his "first setback on the road of life."
What makes de Gaulle even more uncomfortable is that the alumni or peers who went to the battlefield together have been promoted and reused, while he is still a captain without a position, idle at home, doing nothing. Although his family was deeply comforted that he could return home safely, de Gaulle did not want to "waste time". The Russo-Polish War gave him hope.
De Gaulle found an opportunity to make up for the "lost years".
During World War I, the "October Revolution" broke out in Russia, and in order to consolidate Soviet power, Soviet Russia and Germany signed a separate agreement and withdrew from the First World War. However, Britain, France and other countries regarded the newborn Soviet Russia as a thorn in the eye and a thorn in the flesh, believing that it was a huge challenge to Western society. Strangling it in the "cradle" became their consensus.
On the one hand, they intervened militarily with Soviet Russia, and on the other hand, they strongly supported Poland in provoking war. Poland, which was "shot at" by the Western countries, took advantage of the favorable opportunity of The Russian civil strife to occupy Minsk, Belarus. But what Poland did not expect was that the Soviet army was very determined to oppose aggression and carried out a fierce counteroffensive.
"Overwhelmed", Poland asked the Allies for help, and France decided to send a military advisory group of 2,000 people to support. De Gaulle did not hesitate to participate in the Russo-Polish War with the Advisory Corps, and his main job was to guide the tactical training of Polish officers and improve their technical and tactical level in combination with actual combat.
With the development of the war, the Soviet counter-offensive became more and more fierce, and de Gaulle and others had to be transferred to the front line and directly participate in and command the battle. At the Battle of Walsinia, he commanded a company of cavalry, repelling 2 battalions of Soviet attacks using the tactic of luring the enemy deeper and launching a surprise attack on the Soviets from both flanks.
In the end, the Polish army was not strong enough to give people "guns"; and the Soviet army did not want to fight because the civil war was not over. In this battle, the two sides fought a draw and signed the Treaty of Versailles, shaking hands and making peace. De Gaulle had some feelings of "unfinished business" about ending the war so soon.
This was the first battle he commanded after he arrived in Poland, and he achieved the record of "winning more with less". Of course, this is all thanks to de Gaulle's life in a German prisoner-of-war camp, where he met many Russian officers and learned about Soviet tactics. Among them, Tukhachevsky was his best "friend".
Coincidentally, the Soviet commander of this battle was Tukhachevsky.
De Gaulle's German prisoner-of-war camp held about 200 officers and prisoners of war from France, Britain and Russia. Because of the 7 "prison escapes", he became the "idol" of the prisoners of war, and became friends with the "prisoners" who escaped like him and tried to escape. Tukhachevsky is one of them.
De Gaulle and Tukhachevsky learned each other Russian and French, and the two often discussed strategy and tactics together and studied the performance of new weapons. In future wars in particular, there is a consensus that new weapons will drive changes in new tactics. The conversation was very speculative, which made them feel like they hated each other.
Of course, the discussion is more about how to "jailbreak"? Tukhachevsky told de Gaulle of his latest escape plan, and de Gaulle tried his best to keep him: "If you go back, your nobleman's son will be shot", Tukhachevsky replied: "How come, I still want to be a general".
As he predicted, in the Russo-Polish War, when the two men met, Tukhachevsky was already the commander of the army group, and de Gaulle was still a captain. Moreover, he later became one of the five marshals of the Soviet Army, but unfortunately at the age of 43, he was eliminated as a "dissident".
In 1920, the Poles were dissatisfied with the "Curzon Line" demarcated by the Treaty of Versailles and again went to war with Soviet Russia. After the Soviets repelled the invading Polish forces, the Western Front, commanded by Tukhachevsky, marched to Warsaw, but due to poor logistical support, the Soviets suffered a crushing defeat.
At this time, De Gaulle, who had been awarded the rank of major by Poland, commanded a cavalry battalion to hold the Zbruch ferry, crushing the Soviet attempt to cross the river, and once again "defeating" Tukhachevsky. Although the two commanded different levels of troops, it is impossible to compare whose tactical level is higher, but it also proves that de Gaulle is a good tactician.
The trip to Poland made De Gaulle's career and love a double harvest.
In October 1920, the Russo-Polish War finally ended. De Gaulle was awarded the Highest Medal of Honor by the Polish Army for his outstanding performance in the counterattack. At the same time, he also became a "well-known figure" in the French advisory group, and was commended by the French government. For this, he was rewarded with a 2-month home leave.
What everyone did not expect was that he harvested love. You know, at this time, de Gaulle was 30 years old, and when he reached the age of starting a family, his marriage once became a "key issue" for his family. But his empty-eyed and inaccessible personality made his marital problems "old and difficult problems".
Through the introduction, de Gaulle met Yvonne, who came from a prestigious family. However, Yvonne is reluctant to find a military companion, but she cannot stand the matchmaker's "stalking", and shares the same opinion. The two meet at the Autumn Fair in Paris, and at first, Yvonne is a little wary of the height gap between the two, and walking together, she is more like de Gaulle's daughter.
But when they visited the exhibition, in front of a portrait of the poet, de Gaulle poured out the poet's poems and recited the verses in large sections, which suddenly made Yvonne mesmerized and deeply in love with the "big man". The latter things were easy to handle, and the two often got together like glue, and soon announced their engagement.
After the "short" leave, the Polish military attached great importance to de Gaulle, who was highly tactically literate, and arranged for him to work as a tactical instructor at the Polish Military Academy. Just as he was about to accept his appointment, the leader of the French Advisory Group informed him to return home to the Saint-Cyr Military Academy as a lecturer in war history.
This unexpected news made de Gaulle overjoyed. Not only did he end his two-year overseas "adventure" life, but he also returned to his alma mater to teach after an 8-year absence. Even happier, she was able to marry her sweetheart, Yvonne. The honeymoon after marriage was a happy one, they lived not far from the military academy, and for the next three years, he had a son and a daughter.
It is reasonable to say that Captain de Gaulle, who is already in his 30s, does not seem to have much room for development in the military circles. But his character of never obeying easily did not discourage him, but drove him to display his talents in military teaching and wait for a good opportunity. In his view, in the era of peace without war, military schools are also a good place for soldiers to exert their talents.
During his time in Poland, de Gaulle fulfilled his regret of staying away from the battlefield for more than 3 years, and his military theory research was tested in actual combat, recognized by his superiors, and unexpectedly went to his alma mater to teach. Of course, harvesting love and forming a happy family are even more unexpected accidents. It seems that Poland is the "blessed land" of de Gaulle.
What do you think? Discussions and comments are welcome.
bibliography:
World War II, De Gaulle
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