« We present ourselves before you with the single thought of a total war »
« Silent soldiers in the factories, deaf to negative thoughts (Applause), aged peasants bowed over their land, solid women hard at work, and children earnestly contributing their frail help: these are our troops »
His speech, expressing his determination to achieve total victory, restored confidence and recognised all those who were valiantly contributing to the war effort. In the Renault, Berliet, Somua, and Latil factories, workers were not only producing munitions and artillery weapons but also vehicles, with the FT 17, the future Victory Tank, in the pipeline
Barely a year later, he was able to address the Chamber of Deputies once again and announce the armistice and victory, earning him the nickname of the Father of Victory
For further information...
Online video: "Vérité sur l'histoire", INA , http://www.ina.fr/video/CPF08008746/verite-de-l-histoire-video.html , excerpt from 00:03 to 00:48 min
Book: "Clémenceau", Michel Winock, Perrin, 2007, 568 pages