In WW2 Why DID the French surrender so easily?
Discussion
Read about the Maginot Line .. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maginot_Line.
fido said:
Read about the Maginot Line .. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maginot_Line.
Link doesn't work.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maginot_Line
jammy_basturd said:
fido said:
Read about the Maginot Line .. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maginot_Line.
Link doesn't work.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maginot_Line
I think the advantage of surrending, assuming you are the surrending type, is that you keep your remaining infrastructure, all the Citizens keep their jobs, daily life is close to normal except the invaders get all the decent pussy.
The advantage for the invaders, apart from the pussy, is you don't have to run the country. You install a puppet gov, thus releasing most of your soldiers for conquests elswhere.
Rather like buying a company and keeping the existing employees.
Some info might be found on this by searching "open cities" or watching re- runs of 'ello 'ello.
The advantage for the invaders, apart from the pussy, is you don't have to run the country. You install a puppet gov, thus releasing most of your soldiers for conquests elswhere.
Rather like buying a company and keeping the existing employees.
Some info might be found on this by searching "open cities" or watching re- runs of 'ello 'ello.
Ask Santa for a decent book on the subject, like this one
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fall-France-Invasion-Makin...
The fact that you have been "led to believe" a load of tripe, demonstrates the dangers of asking an internet forum for the answers on this type of topic
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fall-France-Invasion-Makin...
The fact that you have been "led to believe" a load of tripe, demonstrates the dangers of asking an internet forum for the answers on this type of topic
thatone1967 said:
they were Cheese eating surrender monkeys?
Probably worth noting that we Brits were also involved in the defence of France and also had our a
ses handed to us by the Germans at the same time.The only difference was that we had a country to retreat to that was separated from the current sphere of battle by 20 miles of water.
If it weren't for that stretch of water and a very narrow victory by a very select group of people in the Battle of Britain, I believe it's not too much of an exaggeration to say that we would be speaking German now.
The German tactic, lightening war, was quite new and methods to slow it had not been developed. Further, not only did the French retreat but the British expeditionary Force did as well, leading to DG's anti-British sentiments later some say.
Static defences were a silly thing to depend on when there were massive gaps but then there was no money for such things.
If you ignore what happend to Jews, homosexuals and such, life wasn't too bad for the French. In theory only roughly half of Franch was under German occupation.
Whilst they complained about lack of food they had a much better diet than those in England. And they weren't bombed, nor were their cities reduced to rubble, their infrastructure destroyed. Nor were they in debt to America after the war. They did not lose a high proportion of their youth, their shipping and such. They would not even have lost their navy if the British hadn't decided to use it as target practice.
The only problem was that a bit over 99% of the French were in the Resistance. It was a complex arrangement and even Balestre, he of the FIA, was forced to wear SS uniform as the Resistance tailors couldn't quite manage the efficiency of their German counterparts.
The French came out of the war financially much stronger than the Uk did. If they had pulled back from their empire they could have been so much stronger now. But they wasted their advantage.
However, what is irrifutable is that they were all round much better off surrendering than carrying on fighting. Unless, of course, you were Jewish, leftish, homosexual, had mental problems . . .
Static defences were a silly thing to depend on when there were massive gaps but then there was no money for such things.
If you ignore what happend to Jews, homosexuals and such, life wasn't too bad for the French. In theory only roughly half of Franch was under German occupation.
Whilst they complained about lack of food they had a much better diet than those in England. And they weren't bombed, nor were their cities reduced to rubble, their infrastructure destroyed. Nor were they in debt to America after the war. They did not lose a high proportion of their youth, their shipping and such. They would not even have lost their navy if the British hadn't decided to use it as target practice.
The only problem was that a bit over 99% of the French were in the Resistance. It was a complex arrangement and even Balestre, he of the FIA, was forced to wear SS uniform as the Resistance tailors couldn't quite manage the efficiency of their German counterparts.
The French came out of the war financially much stronger than the Uk did. If they had pulled back from their empire they could have been so much stronger now. But they wasted their advantage.
However, what is irrifutable is that they were all round much better off surrendering than carrying on fighting. Unless, of course, you were Jewish, leftish, homosexual, had mental problems . . .
Piss poor planning.
The French actually started fighting the Germans in 1939 (Sarr Offensive) but with a lack of political will the French army didn’t push home its roughly 3 to 1 advantage and invade Germany. Instead they waited for the Germans to come and attack them.
That of course happened but only when the Germans had moved there best men and armor up to the western front (they had been busy in Poland in the Autumn of 1939). The Germans then cut through Belgium over the top of the defensive line, split the two defending armies up and quickly drove on to take Paris and have the French sue for peace.
The French actually started fighting the Germans in 1939 (Sarr Offensive) but with a lack of political will the French army didn’t push home its roughly 3 to 1 advantage and invade Germany. Instead they waited for the Germans to come and attack them.
That of course happened but only when the Germans had moved there best men and armor up to the western front (they had been busy in Poland in the Autumn of 1939). The Germans then cut through Belgium over the top of the defensive line, split the two defending armies up and quickly drove on to take Paris and have the French sue for peace.
Read this for an eye opener:
Dunkirk- Fight to the last Man, Hugh Sebag-Montefiore
Many French divisions capitulated before a shot was fired. Based on rumour alone that the German army was in advance, many downed their guns and fled. The Generals were no better, often bursting into tears and declaring defeat without putting up any fight.
Amazingly, one supposedly impregnable fortress, was captured by a handful of German paratroopers landing on the roof who went in through the rear doors, they had been left open because it was a hot day!!!
There were some examples of bravery but by and large the BEF were hampered by the French at all levels
Dunkirk- Fight to the last Man, Hugh Sebag-Montefiore
Many French divisions capitulated before a shot was fired. Based on rumour alone that the German army was in advance, many downed their guns and fled. The Generals were no better, often bursting into tears and declaring defeat without putting up any fight.
Amazingly, one supposedly impregnable fortress, was captured by a handful of German paratroopers landing on the roof who went in through the rear doors, they had been left open because it was a hot day!!!
There were some examples of bravery but by and large the BEF were hampered by the French at all levels
The French army was outclassed and outgunned and their officers quite rightly told many of them to lay down their arms rather than get needlessly slaughtered. It was thought better to be occupied than dead as one is temporary.
The truth is that many French fought very very bravely and they took very high losses.
There is still an aire of anti French feeling in the English. I feel it particularly strongly sometimes, but in truth the French did some amazing things in the war. Look at the numbers of people who escaped Colditz and note that most were French.
The truth is that many French fought very very bravely and they took very high losses.
There is still an aire of anti French feeling in the English. I feel it particularly strongly sometimes, but in truth the French did some amazing things in the war. Look at the numbers of people who escaped Colditz and note that most were French.
Derek Smith said:
And they weren't bombed, nor were their cities reduced to rubble, their infrastructure destroyed.
Yes they were; we flattened most of Normandy chasing after Jerry. 20,000+ French civilians died between D-Day and the liberation of France. We dropped over 590,000 tonnes of explosives on France. More than half the total that was dropped on Germany itself.And do they thank us, do they f
k.....Gassing Station | News, Politics & Economics | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff