Free Frances Lion by William Mortimer Moore

Free Frances Lion by William Mortimer Moore

But for his early death, many Frenchmen believe Leclerc would have been their greatest figure to emerge from World War II. De Gaulle himself admitted to his son-in-law that he gave up smoking when Leclerc died, in order to retain his health in case France needed him, because Leclerc was no longer there. From the fall of France until 1943, Leclerc dovetailed his operations with the British effort in North Africa, establishing himself as a dynamic combat leader in the battles against Rommel. But once the conflict shifted to European soil he became even more prominent as the commander of the 2nd French Armored Division (the famous 2e DB). For the next two years he was under the operational control of either Patton's Third Army, as in the Normandy breakout, Hodges' First Army, at the Westwall, or Patch's Seventh Army in the south. His career not only includes the liberation of Paris, for which he is most famous, but the retaking of Strasbourg and the reduction of the Colmar Pocket. Helping to spearhead the advance into Germany itself, Leclerc's armor comprised a rock upon which American units could rely, and its waving the tricolor during the Allied counter-invasion went far toward retrieving French prestige in the war. By the German surrender in May 1945, Leclerc is one of very few Frenchmen of whom it can be said that he never stopped fighting to regain France's freedom, from the debacle of 1940 right through to the end. After VE-Day Leclerc was dispatched to reassert French authority in Indo-China, an uphill task given the atrophy suffered by the French colonial government due to its isolation from its homeland and local Japanese superiority. While being partly successful in the south and Cambodia, Leclerc soon discovered that the Viet Minh were harder to dislodge in the North, and that Ho Chi Minh was more than a match for frequently changing postwar French governments. Recognizing that France had neither the means nor the will to recover control, Leclerc advised his government to negotiate at all costs. This didn't happen, leading to Dien Bien Phu eight years later and thence to US involvement. Surprisingly, Leclerc has never yet been the subject of a thorough biography in English. Nevertheless many Americans and Englishmen will inevitably have noticed the plethora of monuments to Leclerc in any moderately sized French town. With a fast-paced narrative covering combat at all levels of command and a foreword by Martin Windrow, author of The Last Valley: Dien Bien Phu and the French Defeat in Vietnam, Free France's Lion will make fascinating reading for any serious student of the full scope of World War II.

[The] first full-scale biography in English of the ‘liberator of Paris’ . . .the descriptions of Leclerc’s military strategies and tactics are engaging . . . * Publishers Weekly *
In the 21st Century, not many remember the man, what he stood for, and what he accomplished. Moore demonstrates conclusively that Leclerc truly served as a lion of Free France. Anyone who mocks the French for lack of fighting spirit would do well to read this book about a fine soldier and his men, and learn a little of history. * stonebooks.com *
Overall, this is an excellent and enjoyable work, well worth a read for anyone with an interest in broadening his or her knowledge of the Second World War or the life of a very interesting and engaging man. * WarStudies Blog - Birmingham 13/11/2012 *

Mortimer Moore, William: - Of Anglo-Dutch descent, William Mortimer-Moore was born in 1958 and educated at Dean Close School and University College, Cardiff. He has always wanted to write and, after a detour involving advertising copywriting, property, building and a couple of unpublished novels, William decided to address his love of history and France by writing this biography of Leclerc. He lives in Cheltenham in the United Kingdom where he is presently writing a book about Paris during 1944.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781612000688
ISBN 10	1612000681
Title	Free Frances Lion
Author	William Mortimer Moore
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Casemate Publishers
Year published	2011-11-19
Number of pages	384
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.