| Caption | French Circassian Cavalry assembling outside the railway station at Damascus, French Mandate of Syria in preparation of the surrendering ceremony to Axis officials, Sep 1941 ww2dbase | ||||
| Photographer | Unknown | ||||
| Source | ww2dbaseAustralian War Memorial | ||||
| Identification Code | 009749 | ||||
| More on... |
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| Photos at Same Place | Damascus, Syria, French Syria and Lebanon | ||||
| Added By | C. Peter Chen | ||||
| Licensing | This work is believed to be in the public domain. Please contact us regarding any inaccuracies with the above information. Thank you. |
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Famous WW2 Quote
"No bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. You win the war by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country!"George Patton, 31 May 1944
14 May 2016 12:09:09 AM
General de Gaulle believed that the Free French participation in the Syrian campaign would lead to an onrush of Vichyites willing to embrace his cause. He was badly mistaken. There were many among the poorly equipped Free French who were opposed to fighting fellow Frenchmen. One exception was Colonel Philibert Collet, commanding a force of fair-skinned Muslim Circassians, who led his men across the frontier into Syria - but of the ten squadrons that rode with him all but three subsequently changed their minds and rode back. It fell to Collet to inform de Gaulle that even Vichyites who had some sympathy with the Free French would resist an invasion on principle.