The  best  graduates  of  Saint-Cyr  were  given  the choice  of  their  first  appointment.  Charles  de Gaulle had also won that right, and he now faced the question: where should he begin his service? Traditionally, the most prestigious service was cavalry, and last on this scale, as everywhere, was long-suffering infantry. However strange that may seem at first glance, our junior lieutenant chose precisely  the  thankless  lot  of  an  infantryman.  Moreover,  he  decided  to  serve  in  that  very  33rd Infantry Regiment at Arras where he had gone through his service in the ranks. Charles de Gaulle would  always surprise everyone  by his  unexpected decisions,  but this  one  was  not  as  rash  as  it might  seem.  Picturesque cavalry  inevitably  lost its  former  glory  in  the epoch  of  mass  use  of machine-guns  while artillery was  regarded  as  a  kind of  auxiliary service  in  France;  but infantry remained  the  main  striking  force called  upon  to perform  those  really  great  deeds  of  which  de Gaulle dreamed. True, there were also the particularly fashionable Navy and aviation, which was then coming in to being. But these services required highly specialized training.

Born at Lille and linked with the north through his mother’s and grandmother’s origin, he had a longing for the parts where he intended to serve. In character and temperament he was close to the traditions and spirit of the inhabitants of the northern provinces sharply differing from those of the south. Charles de Gaulle was fascinated by the history of France, chiefly by military history, and it was mostly in the north that the great battles had taken place which he knew as if he had fought in them himself. He was convinced that the north would also inevitably be the scene of the battles to come.

Finally, Charles de Gaulle knew, of course, that the newly appointed commander of 33rd  Infantry was Philippe Petain, well known in the army not only for his obstreperousness and frictions with his superiors, which adversely affected  his career, but also for his critical attitude to the official military doctrine. Petain was extremely conservative. Ignoring the new law segregating the church from  the  state,  he  openly  encouraged officers  to  attend  Mass  regularly.  In  any  case  he  had  the reputation  of  an  intelligent,  energetic,  and  exacting  officer  who  could be a  good  teacher  of  the military craft.

The  moment  came  when  the  raw  young  officer,  his  fresh  epaulets  glittering,  reported  to  his colonel.  The  22-year-old  junior  lieutenant,  black  eyed,  very tall,  stood  for  the  first time  face  to face with the 56-year-old  colonel ironically looking at him with his pale blue eyes. De Gaulle’s destiny would for a long time be linked with Petain…

The Young officer who would serve for many years under Colonel (later Marshall) Petain would feel great respect for his patron. It is interesting that even after Petain’s disgrace at the end, when he became France’s traitor, de Gaulle would retain something of that feeling. He would write in his memoir : “My first  colonel, Petain, showed me the meaning of the gift and art of command.”

Thus  De  Gaulle  began his  career.  One cannot  say,  however,  that  his  education  was  ended.  His Service as an officer strengthened and deepened some of his character traits. Professional soldiers were a world in itself not only with regard to the nation but also to the variable elements in the army, the men called up for the service in the ranks and reserve officers. The caste spirit was at that time extremely strong in the French army, which largely retained the structure and traditions of the monarchist army despite the numerous attempts of the Republic to democratize it. While it has  proved possible  to  impose  heavy  restriction  on  the church,  this  other  institution  of  the  old regime  was  unshakable.  Officially,  the army  functioned  according  to 1832  law  adopted  under Louis  Philippe.  Even  after  the exposure  of  the  Dreyfus  affair  nothing had  changed; the army remained  a  state  within  state.  Officers  were  encouraged  in  their  feelings  of  disdain  towards civilians  in  general  and  towards  the  deputies,  parliament,  and  the  government  in  particular. Strange as it may seem, the fact that the army had no franchise and was formally outside politics only  served  to  foster  that  contempt  and  to  strengthen  the  officer’s  opposition  to  everything civilian. It is easy to see that this tendency coincided with young de Gaulle’s anti-parliamentarism.