Charles de Gaulle during World War II

At the outbreak of World War II, Charles de Gaulle was put in charge of the French 5th Army's tanks (five scattered battalions, largely equipped with R35 light tanks) in Alsace, and on 12 September 1939, he attacked at Bitche, simultaneously with the Saar Offensive. In late February 1940, Paul Reynaud told de Gaulle that he had been earmarked for command of an armoured division as soon as one became available.

Source: Wikipedia — Charles de Gaulle during World War II (CC BY-SA 4.0)