On April 17, 1942, a man escaped from his prison at Konigstein by lowing himself down the castle wall and jumping aboard a train that took him to the French border. In November of that year, he donned an elderly lady's garb and pulled off another dramatic escape from France to Algiers. The arrival of this man, French General Henri Giraud, in Algiers marked the beginning of a power struggle between General Charles de Gaulle and General Giraud for control of the French resistance forces in French North Africa. This personal duel and power struggle involved not only the French, but also the active and repeated intervention of the British and American governments.
