Charles de Gaulle

Born: 22 November 1890 Birthplace: Lille, France Death: 9 November 1970 (Natural causes) Best Known As: Leader of the French resistance in WWII A lifetime military man, de Gaulle was minister for National Defense and War in June, 1940 when France capitulated to Germany. DeGaulle escaped to Britain, where he made a famous broadcast calling on the French people to resist (earning him the nickname of the "Man of June 18, 1940"). DeGaulle formed the Free French forces and became a symbol of the French resistance. After the war he served as president and a kind of grand figurehead of France until stepping down in 1969. De Gaulle was a German prisoner of war during World War I.