What if instead of trying to collaborate with the Germans, Phillippe Petain instead decided to flee to London, alongside Charles De Gaulle, to join the Free French Forces?
The stress likely kills him. The intense stress of fighting a prolonged conflict with the Nazis while viewed as a junior partner by the British and Americans, jockeying for aid and support likely speeds up the issues that plagued Petain several years after the war.What if instead of trying to collaborate with the Germans, Phillippe Petain instead decided to flee to London, alongside Charles De Gaulle, to join the Free French Forces?
And the fact that he can't isn't related to that question?The OP isn't asking IF Petain would join the Free French but what if he had.
Who is to say he can't? His senility could lead him to believe he alone can save the French similar to World War I and the mutinies. That is why it's a challenge. Come up with a scenario and see where it goes. It's easy to say impossible. History usually asks you to hold it's beer and show otherwise.And the fact that he can't isn't related to that question?
Alright, but that means discussing what makes it hard to him to join the FFL is very important, otherwise you can't say why he joined the FFL regardless.Who is to say he can't? His senility could lead him to believe he alone can save the French similar to World War I and the mutinies. That is why it's a challenge. Come up with a scenario and see where it goes. It's easy to say impossible. History usually asks you to hold it's beer and show otherwise.
You would probably need different Nazis, like ones that see France as prime lebensraum. If it's apparent that defeat means the total erasure of France from the map then I sure Petain would be able to keep his defeatism to himself. Although under such circumstances I imagine there would be no Free French Forces as the French Third Republic's government would probably just move to Algiers when the continent is overrun.What if instead of trying to collaborate with the Germans, Phillippe Petain instead decided to flee to London, alongside Charles De Gaulle, to join the Free French Forces?
Petain was also, shall we say, “not with it” by
1940. In other words he wasn’t senile yet but he was almost there. A meeting Petain
had in the summer of that tumultous year
with British Major General Sir Edward Spears
illustrates this point. Spears pleaded with
Petain to rally France against the Germans,
to save France as Joan of Arc had earlier done. At the mention of her name Petain lit up. “Joan of Arc! Have you read my speech on Joan of Arc?” “No...” “Now that is too bad. I made it at Rouen; now when was it, in 1937, 38. It was an extremely fine
speech, I must say. I shall read it to you.”
After a lengthy search the speech was found,
& Petain read it in a monotone to his visitor.
After finishing Petain remarked “Joan of Arc
was a peasant of France. Our peasants are
part of the soil of France. I made a very fine
speech on the peasants of France- now let me see, it was some time back, you must
see it, I shall read it to you.”*