De Gaulle was a troublemaking blowhard. He hid in London during WWII and was a pain in the rear the whole time he was there, Churchill hated him. He strutted into Paris like the all-conquering hero after it was liberated by  the Allies including thousands of Canadians who are buried on French soil  (I have visited the cemeteries). He showed his lack of gratitude for the salvation of his country by insulting his liberators and downplaying his country's cooperation and collaboration with the Nazis. Thousands of French Jews and other "undesirables" were sent to their deaths with the full cooperation of the French people.  France is a beautiful country with wonderful people but de Gaulle was , to me at least, an opportunistic, authoritarian, ruthless man who would do or say anything to stay in power.