2022

[savarin]

mais oui mon vieux c'est plus facile comme ça.

 

[savarin]

Do the French eat snails because they don't like fast food?

 

[Braeden P]

Q: why do French tanks have rear view mirrors?

A: to see the battle field

 

[FOMOGO]

 

[Aukai]

 

[WCraig]

Q: why do French tanks have rear view mirrors?

A: to see the battle field

I know this is the humour thread and you are "just joking", but...

If you look at the losses that France suffered in WWI, what happened in WWII is much more understandable. In WWI, nearly an entire generation of young French men were killed or maimed. France fielded nearly twice as many soldiers as the USA despite having perhaps half the population. Much of the heavy fighting happened on French soil destroying everything in its path. French leadership had endured what happened in WWI and faced the prospect of a repeat in WWII.

Some WWI stats:

World War I - Casualties, Armistice, Legacy | Britannica

World War I - Casualties, Armistice, Legacy: The casualties suffered by the military in World War I are estimated to be about 8,500,000 soldiers who died as a result of wounds and/or disease. The number of civilian deaths is uncertain but has been estimated to be around 13,000,000, largely...

www.britannica.com

<climbing off my soap box>

Craig

 

[finsruskw]

Thanks for that reply Craig.
And I appreciate the link you provided.
Staggering to think that in the here and now those losses could/can be exceeded at the push of a few buttons.

 

[higgite]

British soldiers (often referred to as Redcoats in American colonial history) wear red coats to hide the blood stains from wounds received in battle so as not to demoralize their comrades in combat. The French thought it was such a good concept that they started wearing brown pants.

Tom

 

[projectnut]

I know this is the humour thread and you are "just joking", but...

If you look at the losses that France suffered in WWI, what happened in WWII is much more understandable. In WWI, nearly an entire generation of young French men were killed or maimed. France fielded nearly twice as many soldiers as the USA despite having perhaps half the population. Much of the heavy fighting happened on French soil destroying everything in its path. French leadership had endured what happened in WWI and faced the prospect of a repeat in WWII.

Some WWI stats:

World War I - Casualties, Armistice, Legacy | Britannica

World War I - Casualties, Armistice, Legacy: The casualties suffered by the military in World War I are estimated to be about 8,500,000 soldiers who died as a result of wounds and/or disease. The number of civilian deaths is uncertain but has been estimated to be around 13,000,000, largely...

www.britannica.com

<climbing off my soap box>

Craig

There was a time when I had similar feelings about the French army, but if you look back a little farther in history I think you will find they were the ones that brought order and discipline to our Continental army during the revolutionary war. Without them we might well still be British colonies

 

[woodchucker]

There was a time when I had similar feelings about the French army, but if you look back a little farther in history I think you will find they were the ones that brought order and discipline to our Continental army during the revolutionary war. Without them we might well still be British colonies

Yes, and they helped fund our freedom too, as well as provided support in some of the conflict. Some of their armies were instrumental in our battles.

And Doctors without borders, is a French group that goes where the dire needs are.

And while it's easy to pile on them at times, and many here are nationalistic, the truth is they are a good friend to us, and we should be to them.