Ep 241: Julian Jackson on Nazi-Occupied France and Pétain

School of War · Oct 21, 2025 · 1h 8m

Julian Jackson, Emeritus Professor of Modern French History at Queen Mary University of London and author of France on Trial: The Case of Marshal Pétain, joins the show to discuss the rise and fall of “the Lion of Verdun”; Philippe Pétain.

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Times

01:06 Introduction

01:53 How Pétain became the “Hero of France” in WW1

11:32 France sues for peace with Germany in 1940

18:52 The legality of the armistice

27:49 Churchill’s take on the armistice

33:48 What Was Vichy France?

41:43 Vichy’s treatment of the Jews

53:05 Distancing France from extermination

58:13 Why does Pétain stay a servant to the…