THE RED Arrows will take to the skies today with their French counterparts La Patrouille de France.
They will be marking the 80th anniversary of General Charles de Gaulle’s appeal to the French population to resist the German occupation of France during World War Two.
French President Emmanuel Macron will also be treated to a joint flypast by the Red Arrows, the Royal Air Force’s aerobatic team, and their French counterparts, the Patrouille de France, at 5pm.
Here is a schedule showing where they can be seen during their flight:
Macron’s visit marks the 80th anniversary of General Charles de Gaulle’s radio address to the French nation, shortly after the Nazi invasion of France, in which he laid the foundations of the Resistance.
The address was broadcast from London by the BBC on June 18, 1940, with permission from Winston Churchill.
In his rallying call, he said: “I call upon all Frenchmen who want to remain free to listen to my voice and follow me.”
After the fall of France to the Nazis, military man General Charles de Gaulle, retreated to the UK where he set his headquarters.
He was recognized as the leader of the Free French Forces, dedicated to the defeat of Germany and the liberation of all France by supporting the resistance movement.
De Gaulle would prove an adept wartime politician.
He won recognition and respect from the Allies and his countrymen who were under the jackboot of Nazism.
After the liberation of Paris in August 1944, de Gaulle was given a hero’s welcome in the French capital.
He became president of the provisional government, guideding France through the writing of the constitution on which the Fourth Republic was established.
But when his desires for a strong presidency were ignored, he resigned.
In 1958, a revolt in French-held Algeria, combined with serious social unrest within France, destroyed the Fourth Republic.
With the background, De Gaulle returned to lead the French once more, establishing a new constitution of the Fifth Republic.
In April 1969, he resigned after huge student protests and strikes and the inability to pass reforms.
