289 - Charles De Gaulle
The WW2 Podcast
Angus Wallace
4.6 • 1.6K Ratings
🗓️ 15 December 2025
⏱️ 65 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Charles de Gaulle remains one of the most distinctive figures to emerge from the Second World War. Soldier, writer, leader in exile, and later the creator of the Fifth Republic, he played a central role in reshaping modern France. His relationship with Winston Churchill, their shared struggle during the war, and the influence both men continued to wield long after the fighting ended make him a fascinating subject.
In this episode, I speak with historian Richard Vinen, author of Last of the Titans: Churchill and de Gaulle. His book explores the lives of de Gaulle and Churchill and sets their wartime partnership within a wider story of national identity, political power, and the long shadow of past greatness. Richard guides us through de Gaulle's early years, his outlook as a soldier, his time in London, and the reasons he became such a commanding presence in French public life.
Last of the Titans: Churchill and de Gaulle is also available as an audiobook on Audible.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Hiring isn't just about finding someone willing to take the job. I need the right person with the right |
| 0:06.6 | background who can move our business forward. If I wanted candidates who match what I'm looking for, |
| 0:12.2 | I trust Indeed sponsored jobs. Hiring, Indeed is all you need. Stop struggling to get your job |
| 0:19.0 | post seen. Indeed sponsored jobs boost your post for quality |
| 0:23.1 | candidates, including to Indeed data. They're 90% more likely to lead to a hire. Spend more time |
| 0:29.6 | interviewing candidates who check all your boxes. Less dress, less time, more results now with |
| 0:36.0 | Indeed sponsored jobs. And listeners of this show will get a 100 |
| 0:39.7 | pound sponsored job credit to help get your job the premium status it deserves at Indeed.com |
| 0:45.8 | slash show. Just go to Indeed.com slash show right now and support our show by saying you heard about |
| 0:52.4 | Indeed on this podcast. |
| 0:56.4 | Indeed.com slash show. |
| 0:57.8 | Terms and conditions apply. |
| 0:58.5 | Hiring? |
| 1:01.0 | Do it the right way with Indeed. |
| 1:05.7 | This country is at war with Germany. |
| 1:07.6 | We shall go on to the end. |
| 1:13.6 | I remember the sheets of flame which came up and almost blinded us from our guns. Today we're going to look at one of the most striking figures to emerge from the war. |
| 1:26.6 | Charles de Gaulle is a man who still looms over the history of modern France, |
| 1:31.9 | soldier, writer, leader in exile, and later the architect of the Fifth Republic. |
| 1:36.6 | He is someone who managed to reinvent himself and his country at a time of national trauma. |
| 1:43.9 | To help me explore who de Gaulle was, how he rose to prominence, and how he shaped both |
| 1:49.2 | wartime and post-war France, I'm joined by Richard Vienin. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Angus Wallace, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Angus Wallace and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.