French TextAugust 1914 ... The outbreak of the Great War throws against each other millions of men against one another in the mud of Flanders or on the heights of Verdun, who are called to write about one of the most tragic epics of the bloody twentieth century. Among the crowds of anonymous soldiers enduring the trials and sacrifices of war, a select few will discover in themselves "the divine coupling of courage and fear," and their calling as leaders. Charles de Gaulle, Winston Churchill, Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, George S. Patton, these five men, initiated in the fire of the First World War will become the major decision makers in the next war. The tribulations they experienced will deeply mark and influence the course of their careers and the course of history in a decisive manner. One must end the war of positions, the war of attrition and millions of lives needlessly cut short. Churchill will understand quickly the role that we can draw from armored vehicles. In France De Gaulle will be the prophet, with Hitler encouraging his generals whom he calls upon to imagine the Blitzkrieg while will be employed to devastate Europe a quarter century later. Patton, meanwhile, will be the first to implement the Lorraine Front, which would become in the twentieth century, the essential element on the battlefield. For the first time, these five destinies are presented together in a single volume, representing a key document for understanding history.