If the battle of Bir Hakeim was but one of many feats of arms during the Second World War, it particularly marks the memory of "Fighting France", because the exploit of the Free French Forces occurred during a period in which the Allies were having few successes on the Pacific and Mediterranean fronts. Allied propaganda therefore celebrated this battle, thus attracting adherents to the cause of "Fighting France", and aiding general de Gaulle's French National Committee in obtaining recognition from the British and American governments. General de Gaulle's challenge was to keep France at war so that France would participate in the Allied victory, offsetting the Vichy's government's collaboration. The legendary epic of the Free French Forces at Bir Hakeim is an important part of the myth, and the reality, of "Fighting France". While the official memory of "Free France" still celebrates the unity of Frenchmen under the banner of "the Cross of Lorraine", the soldiers at Bir Hakeim could not forget the franco-french tensions they experienced.

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