May-June 1940 haunts the spirits. Errors, faults and initial shortcomings of the State facing the Covid-19 make us think of poignant memories. It is therefore natural to open one of the great books devoted to the 1940 collapse, L'Étrange Défaite , by Marc Bloch, to assess whether the comparison is relevant or not.
Who is the author of this elegantly written work, which offers reading pleasure despite the painful nature of the subject? Normalien, medieval historian and co-founder of the School of Annals, Marc Bloch comes from a family of Jewish Alsatians who had chosen France in 1871. When war was declared in 1939, the academic asked to serve at the front whereas, aged 53, father and elder from 14-18, he could have obtained
a rear assignment. In May-June 1940, Captain Marc Bloch was responsible for the supply of gasoline and liaison with the neighboring British units at the staff of the 1st Army.
His book, written immediately after the armistice,
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