Petain Met De Gaulle Silently

During the Battle of France in 1940, French marshal Philippe Petain found himself dining in the same Bordeaux restaurant as French officer Charles de Gaulle, just one month before Petain became leader of the Vichy regime. The meeting carried weight because de Gaulle had once served under Petain, who had been his early military mentor, but by then they had split over France’s future. Petain supported seeking an armistice after Germany’s invasion, while de Gaulle wanted France to continue the fight from abroad. While in the restaurant, De Gaulle came over and shook Petain’s hand in silence, and the two men never met again.

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