STOP Repeating these Military LIES

[@Simplehistory]

Hey fellow history buffs! 🌍 Big thanks to our Simple History Patreon Supporters for helping this video come to life. We're on a mission to keep sharing these slices of the past, but we genuinely need your support to keep going. If you love what we do and want to see more, consider hopping over to www.patreon.com/simplehistory. Together, we can keep these stories alive for everyone! 📜🔥 #KeepHistoryAlive

[@watarmalonz]

Hello edit:I am first

[@kimjongmill4445]

This was obviously also very heavily funded by US Army recruitment funds. You are an educational channel with a moral responsibility to the youth. You should be more transparent about your sponsors. Unsubscribing from this unabashed propaganda 🤢🤮

[@redcoatdestroyer55]

i cant tell if @kimjongmill4445 is joking or not

[@yomommaitsahoe8115]

😂😂 the USA it's a JOKE lots of HOMELESS VETERANS SLEEPING LIKE DOGS IN THE STREETS asking for money in the stop sign of the boulevard when you countrie send lots of billions to invade other poor countrys or the war of UKRAINE 😂😂😂😂👎

[@dino-qn8tn]

the french partisan movement was the weakest partisan movement in all of the countries exepct luxemburg

[@RonZertnert]

Making fun of the French for their combat skills is kind of a low hanging fruit, there are so many other things to make fun of them for.

[@captainjames4649]

I go the full way

[@Jess.400]

They eat doves so I a great substitute from this joke 🫡

[@angelpalazzolo1660]

I make fun off them by a lot off things aside from that anyways france gets the oh stop saying they suck at combat but wheres the italians the italians fought ofc better than the french they're tanks suck but they fought hardcore mode

[@LeopoldElwes]

like being French.😂

[@GIBBO4182]

🤣🤣🤣

[@Duckhook12]

I love how you kind of glossed over taking down Napoleon at Waterloo. It was a combined effort from British, Dutch, Belgium, German, and Prussian forces with Napoleon being outnumbered almost 2 to 1 and still it was a close battle. This man was a downright genius in warfare Russia not withstanding.

[@pokethegreat4145]

He would have won if it wasn't for the last minute Prussian reinforcements

[@bigenglishmonkey]

@@pokethegreat4145 not really, as its alternate history so who knows what would have happened, especially if the imperial guard were still used and still got repelled.

[@bigenglishmonkey]

the battle of Waterloo was around 9 hours long, the Prussians didn't arrive until around 6 hours in. napoleon had more men than wellington 73,000 vs 68,000, they were veterans from his old army while the only experienced troops under wellington was the British 31,000, and napoleon had already defeated the Prussians earlier while outnumbered 68,000 vs 86,000. adding the battle of Quatre Bras being indecisive i would say napoleon had the advantage at Waterloo and lost.

[@bigenglishmonkey]

@@pokethegreat4145 ill just repost this s you can see it too, as apparently i do have some idea that it wouldn't have changed anything after all and napoleon would have lost without the Prussians. the battle of Waterloo was around 9 hours long, the Prussians didn't arrive until around 6 hours in. napoleon had more men than wellington 73,000 vs 68,000, they were veterans from his old army while the only experienced troops under wellington was the British 31,000, and napoleon had already defeated the Prussians earlier while outnumbered 68,000 vs 86,000. adding the battle of Quatre Bras being indecisive i would say napoleon had the advantage at Waterloo and lost.

[@realismatitsfinest1]

But he was quite delusional. I mean, fighting a war with the British and thinking that he can simply retire and live out his days in the English countryside as a landowner. This is right up there with the daily delusional responses coming out of Biden's pie hole.

[@peronik349]

In 1870, out of political stupidity, France declared war on Prussia. The other German nations joined Prussia in responding to this declaration of war. On the evening of one of the battles (all in France even though it was France that attacked...) a German general made this comment: "The French soldiers?: they are Lions! Their only problem, they are led by a herd of donkeys!!!" the worst is that some people think that it is still true today ​

[@jaredjosephsongheng372]

Although that is technically true though. At least in WW2. The French High Command thought that the Ardennes was impenetrable so they didn't bother defending it. Well guess what. It wasn't so impenetrable after all.

[@Qba86]

@@jaredjosephsongheng372 To be fair, this was also the result of chaos brought on by the decision of the Belgians, to stay neutral until directly attacked (backing out of the previous agreement, that they would let the French and the British establish defensive positions on their territory).

[@jaredjosephsongheng372]

@@Qba86 Yes indeed. But if the Germans move fast enough which they probably might. They probably won't be able to defend the Ardennes properly anyways.

[@Qba86]

@@jaredjosephsongheng372 It's a big what if scenario, but consider that even with all the chaos on the Allied side, the German spearhead was nearly cut off from its supply lines at one point. It is possible that with their positions in Belgium secured in advance the Allied reaction would have been timelier and more effective.

[@danditto6145]

Perhaps they have been listening to the utterances of Manuel Macron.

[@kresh2914]

Whenever I see people joking about the French, I always imagine some French guy seeing that and yellin "Oh come on, THAT WAS ONE TIME!"

[@blacktemplar6113]

I am that guy. Lol

[@oleksi9336]

@@blacktemplar6113they don’t don’t know the powerful history of the napoleonic era. Vive Le France

[@klim9932]

I wish i could say that as a german.

[@Muhammadwasapedo]

But it was kinda a BIG one though.

[@ormagodendio2893]

No we basically shrug it off cause peoples who joke about this are just jealous of the country with the most numerous military vicotries in the world. Especially the americans that only scored one;.against themselves.

[@LB__1]

I remember watching Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader and they had a question about which country fought England during the Hundred Years War. She discounted France as a possibility because she thought the French were not good fighters and couldn't last in a war that long. That was for $500,000. Because of her ignorant mindset, she went from having $300,000 to $25,000.

[@codenamehalo9847]

LOL

[@dripsnake44]

I guess she wasn’t actually smarter than a fifth grader.

[@busterbackster1]

They wouldn't be a country if they were awful at fighting back then

[@LB__1]

@@dripsnake44 The irony was that she was the valedictorian for her graduating class.

[@smalltime0]

@@busterbackster1 It was a succession war between 2 claimants, the "English" were fighting House Valois, and were ruled over by House Plantagent. So really, they could be, both sides were French.

[@felinusfeline5559]

Funny fact: R Lee Ermy, the guy who played the famous Drill Sargent in Full Metal Jacket actually was one IRL and he said if one tried even HALF of what his character did in the movie? He'd be arrested, discharged and likely end up in jail.

[@thesenate1844]

Originally the drill instructor was going to be placed by the "Get Some!" guy, but were so impressed with Ermy that they cast him instead

[@johntheknight3062]

Laughing at French for their surrender is good sign of low intellect. At least is can serve as a selection tool.

[@tibsky1396]

The worst part of all this, despite the defeat, is that the French defenders of Lille in 1940 received Military Honors from the Germans at the end of the battle. And the worst part is that little brats are calling them cowards anyway.

[@thevoid5503]

If it wasn't for the French covering the British at Dunkirk, the whole war would have been over and done.

[@macblackadder93]

​@@thevoid5503only that the Germans couldn't invade mainland Britain. So that wouldn't make sense. What the French did was indeed delayed the Germans, but you seem to ignore that the Royal Navy and regular fishermen also saved a fair amount of French troops as well as the British and her Empire.

[@thecursed01]

@@thevoid5503 that just makes up for french generals ignoring scout plane reports if the german tank colums moving through woodland roads. would have been a super easy target for a bombardment. but they denied such a possibility and kept expecting the germans to attack their maginot line.

[@thecursed01]

@@JaEDLanc i think you made the point perfectly. the french were brave, their generals and leaders weren't. still somehow true today. french antifa are the only antifa i highly respect. becasue they actually mean what they claim. unlike those in germany or usa..who use fascist methods..

[@thevoid5503]

@@thecursed01 All of the British Army's heavy equipment at that time was in France. Much of the British Army, indeed, including the core that would later on train the British Army for the rest of the war, was there. Had the French not been there to cover the British retreat, a few RAF fighters and some boats wouldn't have changed a thing. They sacrificed themselves to buy you time. Nobody suspected an attack through the Ardennes, in fact, the place had been deemed so safe, that there was only a reserve army, without anti-tank or armoured backup to cover it. It was a complete shock for both Allies when the Germans came through the Ardennes, as both had believed that the attack would come around Liège in Belgium. Which is where you found most forces earmarked for.

[@ARCtrooperJules]

I’m French, and I’m so glad this video was made. We can be made fun for anything, but not surrendering

[@tuvoca825]

The French never gave up even after their nominal "surrender." I like to think of the surrender as a passive-agressive precursor to their continued conflict. If France had really given up... the war would have been lost. We never would have recovered France without the partnership with the brave French opposition at all levels. And neither France nor the United States would exist without the help of the other. When we landed on Normandy, it simply echoed the friendship that came to our aid when we needed it most in the US Revolutionary War. I wish the story were taught differently and that people were less superficial on the topic.

[@VascoDaGamaOtRupcha]

The soviet union lost several times the territory of France from 1941 till 1942, had more than three times the size of French army surrender to the Germans, yet nobody makes fun of them for it. I think (imho) it's some form of a weird propaganda thing, started by the British so they don't feel losers who were saved by the US and Russia after WWII.

[@charliequach6399]

I'm Vietnamese and 1954 came to mind. Dien Bien Phu, anyone?😛

[@hiddentruth1982]

their loss in ww 2 had nothing to do with the soldiers but was the leaders that failed.

[@withcheeseproductions]

The us loss in Vietnam wasn't cause of the soldiers but was the leaders that failed

[@Thomas-uu9ex]

Very good resume !

[@bradsanders407]

Sure buddy

[@Mystere-IV]

​@@iridium8341in the military its not that simple to disrepect orders from ur stupid bosd

[@hiddentruth1982]

@@withcheeseproductions You are actually correct. At the start of Vietnam the U.S. almost won the war until the Chinese sent thousands of soldiers in. Then the leaders agreed not to send troops above the 17th parallel trying to keep China out of it.

[@jokodihaynes419]

"History is not written by the victor it's written by those who write stuff down"-Max miller tasting history

[@Alec0124]

Heh, except for when the victors decide to burn all the books and destroy all the monuments 😅

[@RazorsharpLT]

@@Alec0124 Oh, you're talking about the monuments of people who literally defended slavery? The fact that the US has those monuments is amazing. Almost like Germany having a statue of Himmler for his "great service to the state".

[@rickisaak66]

Love Max!

[@TheSilverNoob79]

@@RazorsharpLT In a similar vein to how Mongolia has statues and monuments to Genghis Khan, a warlord who wiped a massive amount of the eastern continent's population. Or how the US talks positively about General Sherman who slaughtered unarmed southern women, children, and even freed slaves.

[@beachbrettf]

Well, max miller is a moron. Can't publish if the government doesn't allow it or OWNS THE MEDIA and you sure can't publish if you've been jailed or killed by the enemy.

[@pathutchison7688]

France has it terrible reputation because of poor leadership in 1940-41. Their army was not defeated, it was encircled. Also, it was the first time Blitzkreig was really used (was used in Poland to an extent, but not fully understood until after the fall of France).

[@redcoatdestroyer55]

in the First World War, the French leadership was horrible. they had the largest amount of executions of their own forces in the entire war, the majority of which were for dumb reasons

[@pathutchison7688]

@@redcoatdestroyer55 you’re absolutely correct. Joseph Joffre was abysmal. He fed his men to pointless Meat grinders. But I still don’t believe that’s where their poor reputation came from. After all, that war was a “victory”. It’s the quick 6 week defeat in 1940 that garnered the reputation.

[@alganhar1]

@@pathutchison7688 Sorry, but Blitzkreig was not new, it was an evolution of the Stormtrooper Tactics used by Germany in 1918, which themselves were an evolution of earlier Prussian military traditions. What made it s effective was not the tactic, but the SPEED, and due to terrible decisions by the French High Command and Government, especially when it came to command and control meant the French were simply unable to respond quickly enough. In essence the Germans took the initiative, and never once lost it because the lack of radios in the French military meant that orders, often carried by motorcycle dispatch riders to the Front, simply arrived too late. While the British learned their own harsh lessons during the Battle of France they at least had radios in most military vehicles, and every infantry platoon....

[@jugbywellington1134]

@@TorianTammas The British also "ran away" at Corunna in 1809. That worked out well for Napoleon, eh? History repeats itself.

[@OniGarro]

It's like I'm reading about Italy without it ever being mentioned: lots of dumb executions in WWI, Joffre reminds me of Cadorna, the first to undergo the proto-blitzkrieg were the Italian troops in Caporetto (the Germans thought: everyone bombs for a week to no avail, let's bomb for an hour or so, just the time they get comfy in the bunkers with all equipment then CHARGE), in WWII badly defeated with operation compass due to lacking technology and cumbersome, centralized leadership stumbling the logistics, and fought to ensure the German flee from Tunisia.

[@corntrooper8881]

Just so you know, Napoleon was not short, that was British propaganda that made him look less threatening than he actually was

[@vincent412l7]

The French foot was longer than the English foot. If converted to English feet, Napoleon was quite taller.

[@bonedoc4556]

So all those painters were just near sighted then. Lol

[@crissantos44]

Napoleon was 1,68 m. He was short for a male. But not back then. Given people back then, mainly in central and southern europe weren't exactly tall.

[@GD30.06]

He was Corsican as well. So it Amy had a factor

[@thelradame5508]

@@bonedoc4556His imperial guard were very tall well built men. By contrast he appeared short.

[@andrewnawarycz3026]

Polish cavalry always had the brains to run away from tanks, especially if you've a horse to get away on.

[@marshaltito7232]

They used the cavalry as mounted infantry, they used horses to get places fast and then dismount to fight. It was a tactic that makes perfect sense in the context of most Europen armies being largely unmechanized. This included the German and Soviet Army, especially at the beginning of the war. But the propaganda footage that still exists to this day convinces us that the Germans were all riding around on panzers because that's the image they wanted to project. In reality, the average German soldier was still getting around by foot or horse. Poland managed to punch well above its weight, its enemies were simply far too large.

[@jhnshep]

@@marshaltito7232 one of the reasons the sixth army lasted so long in Stalingrad was of all the horses they had with them,

[@bcb5696]

@@marshaltito7232imagine summarizing the entire video in every comment reply

[@bogusmogus9551]

The Germans used many horses during WWII

[@RoulicisThe]

@@marshaltito7232 There was a cavalry brigade in Poland that went to combat mounted, but they carried grenade belt to throw on the germans, not spears like some retared knight roleplayer

[@notsoseriouslen6374]

as a history buff i have never once thought of France as having a weak military....all of by which are the reasons you brought up

[@harrymichaels3877]

One of my favourite rebuttals to arguments that the French army was weak during WW2 is that one of the key reasons the British were able to evacuate from Dunkirk is that they were covered in a fighting retreat by the French 1st, 7th and 9th army.

[@Khookies-lp2lu]

​@@harrymichaels3877Indeed, I was surprised by how long I had been into history before I found out about this, had the French not fought on and stayed back, the British would never have had a chance to board and escape

[@bigenglishmonkey]

@@harrymichaels3877 ive never seen that as much of an example, both armies were cut off and trying to survive and 1/3 of the troops that left dunkirk were french, ide say those same french immediately returning to france to defend it is a better example.

[@jonnyd9351]

@@harrymichaels3877So because the French didn’t instantly get overrun by the Germans they weren’t weak? What’s the alternative that would make the French weak in your eyes, then instantly giving up at the sight of a German tank? Losing the entire war in a few days isn’t enough😂?

[@harrymichaels3877]

@@jonnyd9351 whilst that’s true, but as said in the video if it weren’t for the channel the British would have been overrun as well.

[@jonathangardner6868]

The first one about the French is amazing. In fact the French GIGN is probably one of the most intense counter-terrorism groups!

[@jessicalacasse6205]

why they lost all their africa colony ...and every thing that could be a danger is illegal like dogs

[@augusgus1776]

⁠@@jessicalacasse6205 lol, there is no illegal breed of dog in France

[@jessicalacasse6205]

@@augusgus1776 go research what is a type 1 dog in france could send u links but yt dont like links

[@jessicalacasse6205]

and the type 2 are heavily enforce like a gunlaws

[@Swagmaster07]

@@jessicalacasse6205 You can send links, cope harder missinformation

[@corymorimacori1059]

“It was a setup, for money. Ik the traitor wasn’t me.” Niko Bellic

[@1-4-johnny.cash.fan-8-8]

GTA 4 is so goated. Best GTA game of all time.

[@davidallenmandal2439]

50 children all sitting neatly in a row against the church wall.

[@Ianforlife-mv3kl]

​@@1-4-johnny.cash.fan-8-8i have to agree on that one

[@beachbrettf]

Stay off the Internet

[@1-4-johnny.cash.fan-8-8]

@@beachbrettf ni-

[@glenngriffon8032]

Popular opinion: If the French are as good as they claim then why don't we hear about them more? France: Those who brag are without confidence, and only a fool judges an ally or opponent on rumor alone.

[@georgeprchal3924]

WWI The Crimean War The Napoleonic Wars The 7 Years War The 30 Years War The War of Spanish Succession The Hundred Years War The Crusades The Battle of Tours etc

[@Jens-Viper-Nobel]

@@georgeprchal3924 You forgot the obvious one. The free French fighting all the way from North Africa to Germany in both their own units and that of other allied forces throughout the war. And this is not to forget the French resistance movements. The latter was only hampered in their endeavours by their leaders stupid fixation on being a political force for the goood of communism or gaullism or whatever that led to stupid and damaging rivalry, but where the foot soldiers of the movements were as fierce as any soldier in an army, just like you saw with that idiot DeGaulle himself being more interested in paving his way towards power over a liberated France and costing both his own and allies their lives totally unwarranted in the process. In fact, France is a nation of the common people being both kind and competent as well as fierce opponents in a war, but with a truly remarkable capacity on the flip side for producing some of the worlds most stupid and selfcentered, selfimportant leaders that will always cause more harm than good.

[@georgeprchal3924]

@@Jens-Viper-Nobel problem is they like the British were completely incompetent in the early war as well as the Phony War of '40 and not to mention the botched operation in Norway.

[@rks5457]

Yeah because the French don't brag and are not arrogant 😂

[@lowelllipe9125]

Love how you skipped over the Vichy French, the main reason for the misunderstanding of the French capitulation as them being cowardly. Pétain created the myth

[@NoName-kf5cu]

indeed a fascist dictatorship took power (Vichy) the people believed in petain but it was divided, the free french and résistance fought against that government and germany bravely, people over time joined more and more the free french and résistance as over the years their victoires brought hope to the people. we also need to take into account that france was alone, the british escaped quite fast and started to attack the french fleet. and they didn't know if spain was loin to join hitler or not. and the americans came 4 years later (twice might i add)

[@kyledabearsfan]

Yeah, the Vichy French really ruined the image of the French military. As a kid in the US, I spent a lot of time reading in utter fascination about the French resistance efforts and some of the brilliant operations.

[@malegria9641]

His name was Putain

[@NoName-kf5cu]

@@malegria9641 😂😂😂

[@kwharrison6668]

The myth goes back way further than that. It goes back to all the wars between the British and French and the English using “weak French” as propaganda.

[@andrewmontgomery5621]

"Sometimes the bitterest truth can taste better than the sweetest lies." Griffin the Archanan in Men in Black 3

[@Autechltd]

It's especially sad when it's the French that helped the Americans the most during the War on independence, and it's the US ppl who perpetuate the myth the most.

[@NemoBlank]

Then we had a war against them soon after, so big deal.

[@Pvt_Badger0916]

​@@NemoBlankwhat war was that ?

[@NemoBlank]

@@Pvt_Badger0916 The Quasi War of 1798. We fought the French all over the Caribbean. Don't they teach history in high school anymore?

[@Pvt_Badger0916]

@@NemoBlank I'm not American oh look supported by and aided by Great Britain and the Royal navy when the British had blockade most French navy in their home ports so really was against French Pirates big deal ... that's why its not even a footnote in my countries history because my ancestors did most of fighting around the world against the French while the Russians and Prussian did it in on the continent ... ya welcome ....

[@RJavierYepesDeV]

Hey so did the Spanish. With money, which they never paid back and troops.

[@dohanddonuts5716]

My father was on the phone with the VA and he had it on speaker phone since his hearing was damaged in Vietnam. The woman on the phone kept telling him to take her off apeaker phone and my dad kept telling her I can't hear if I do that. He then heard someone say he was in Vietnam, ne has PTSD and flagged his file. It stayed there for awhile, even after he complained. I myself told one of his doctors that it was totally unprofessional and uncalled for. The men and women who serve deserve to be treated with dignity, PTSD or not.

[@JonDoe-oz6ds]

Should have got a rating for it then.

[@dohanddonuts5716]

@JonDoe-oz6ds Oh, he did. I also let his doctor know I was not happy. This was also around the time they diagnosed him with dementia. Another wonderful gift from Vietnam. Thank you, Agent Orange.

[@KageNoTora74]

It may not have been that easy to enlist at all times, but Defense Secretary Robert McNamara had the idea of reducing physical, educational and psychological requirements in order to boost troop numbers during the Vietnam War, Project 10,000 as he called it, or McNamara's Morons as it was called by many others behind his back. As a result, people who had trouble keeping up with their battle buddies, were barely able to operate their weapons without self injury or who couldn't restrain themselves from commiting monstrous atrocities were deployed.

[@juanmanuelpenaloza9264]

Turns out we have standards for a reason.

[@KageNoTora74]

@@juanmanuelpenaloza9264 Hindsight

[@stevenburris8854]

Not forgot about their tendencies for drug abuse

[@user-eq7zq6so3j]

Even worse, it was project 100,000.

[@ferretyluv]

It was Project 100,000.

[@priatalat]

You are a legend for clearing things about Nero. I feel like he was just a dude trying to do his job. He even managed to keep the position away from dangerous people.

[@maddslothii2532]

If I remember correctly, after the fire he built a massive palace were a lot of peoples homes used to be. The Colosseum was built over top of some of that palace after it was buried by the next emperor... that probably did not help his image any.

[@charlotteshenkenberger345]

I heard his drinking cups were made of or contained lead, which probably didn't help much.

[@jiyuhong5853]

5:30. Merde! La Garde meurt, elle ne se rend pas Napolean Bonaparte and the 7 coalition wars proves that the french are a force to be reckoned with

[@24934637]

It's so very true about what you say about veterans with PTSD. I served in the British Armed Forces, but joined at a time when there wasn't much going on worldwide, and I never saw combat, however I'm in contact with a LOT of veterans who have, some of which suffer from PTSD from either active combat, or helping clearing up from other peoples atrocities (such as terrorism related plane crashes). During the 33 years that I've been in close contact with serving members of the Armed Forces, and Veterans, I've never yet seen an outbreak of violence that wasn't justified. What I have seen is many times when violence probably could have been justified, have been avoided because the Veteran involved has been trained in conflict management! Obviously there ARE rare occasions that are highly publicised, such as the horrible murder of Chris Kyle (AKA 'American Sniper) Chris was murdered by Eddie Ray Routh, a Schizophrenic former US Marine, who was said by his parents to also have PTSD related to military service. Horrible events such as this are incredibly rare, but always seem to be massively reported by the media, and spoken of as if it's a norm for Veterans to be deranged psychopaths. Quite simply not true!

[@greggrace967]

If I remember correctly that POS that killed Chris Kyle didn't even serve in combat did he? Was in the Marines for just a short time. Either way, I read that he told his sister that he wanted the truck they were driving.

[@24934637]

@@greggrace967 Oh wow! I didn't know that! Thank you for the info! I was under the impression that his 'reason' (Not that there can ever be a justified reason for what he did) was that they (Chris Kyle and Chad Littlefield) weren't talking to Eddie Ray Routh as much as he wanted them to, as a result, he felt left out and murdered them. Describing him as a 'POS' is being far more polite than he deserves!!

[@Hudsoncolo]

I saw that movie

[@meghjha_18]

do yoy know some terrorists who did war crimes ( which went unnoticed because it was committed by United Satan of America and North Atlantic Terrorist org) in Iraq

[@ferretyluv]

That narrative died after 9/11. The idea that PTSD turns veterans deranged came from the Vietnam War, with movies like Rambo not exactly helping. What also didn’t help was the My Lai massacre.

[@brunozeigerts6379]

During the Battle of France in 1940, cadets at a cavalry school held off a panzer division for several days with their training weapons. The survivors were carried out between ranks of German soldiers standing at parade attention.

[@Daniel4646]

A nation's military as a whole is usually just as (in)capable as its government's ability to adapt.

[@starstreakalex7372]

more or less true, only to an extent.

[@welshman8954]

Very, very true except in the case of the French

[@Daniel4646]

@@welshman8954 🦨💩

[@Daniel4646]

@@starstreakalex7372 Not "only to an extent". Look at how Russia, once believed to be one of the world's prime military powers, has been faring in Ukraine and Afghanistan.

[@Daniel4646]

@@Unknown_Genius That's just the whole point: Because of the deeply entrenched corruption within Putin's regime, Russia has lost its prestige as a military world power.

[@jamesorth6460]

during the Korean war my father (now 93) served with the 23rd Inf. Reg with a French battalion during the battles of Twin Tunnels and Chipyong-ni, in both battles the French made several bayonet charges against the Chinese.

[@AaronKelley1969]

The first thing to understand about the French is that, for most of medieval history, the leaders of England WERE French, which is why France and England were enemies for so very long.

[@Justin-pe9cl]

I’m glad the Polish and French myths are becoming realized as such

[@JL-ny2qs]

What myth was disproven?

[@kinglizardwizardry763]

​@@JL-ny2qsthat the French are all cowards... They simply aren't

[@simple-commentator-not-rea7345]

​@@JL-ny2qsPeople aren't gonna watch this video for you

[@JL-ny2qs]

@@simple-commentator-not-rea7345 wat?

[@PCgamerChannel]

What about those dumb polacks?

[@laytonrobinson-x]

Everyone says “FrAnCe AlwAyS SuRrEnDeRs” *ils ne passeront pas Verdun 1916*

[@timm2428]

Thank you for covering ptsd. I have it and it really is a war within yourself but we are more apt to harm ourselves than others for sure.

[@FREEMAN....]

Despite our overwhelming numerical and material superiority, French troops counterattacked in several places. I cannot understand how such valiant soldiers, fighting in various places one against ten (sometimes even one against thirty), still manage to find enough strength to attack: it is simply astonishing. ! I found among the French soldiers of Dunkirk the same enthusiasm as that of the poilus of Verdun in 1916. For several days, hundreds of bombers and cannons have been pounding the French defenses. However, it's always the same thing, our infantry and our tanks cannot break through, despite some fleeting local successes. The French command very skillfully installed its troops and artillery. I fear that Dunkirk will be a failure for us: almost the entire British expeditionary force and most of the French 1st Army will escape us, because a few thousand brave men are blocking our access to the sea. It's appalling , but that’s how it is.“ “Dunkirk provides me with proof that the French soldier is one of the best in the world. French artillery, so feared in 14-18, once again demonstrated its formidable effectiveness. Our losses are terrifying: many battalions have lost 60% of their troops, sometimes even more! “ „ By resisting for ten days against our forces which were clearly superior in numbers and means, the French army accomplished, at Dunkirk, a superb feat which should be saluted. It certainly saved Britain from defeat, by allowing its professional army to reach English shores.“ General Georg von Külcher

[@FREEMAN....]

At Monthermé, the French put up resistance worthy of the “poilus” of Verdun in 1916. They defended their positions, even going so far as to counterattack despite our numerical and material superiority. During my career as a soldier, I have rarely met such courageous soldiers. General Reinhardt

[@RoulicisThe]

And then the english abandoned their posts without a single radio warning which allowed the germans to pierce through the entrenchement, isolate and massacre the french defensive positions one by one. Wasn't the first time in WW2 that english stabbed France in the back, and it wouldn't be the last (Mers el-Kébir...)

[@youtubu124]

I never understood the jokes towards the French. They were gangster af. Their AMX 13 series tanks had no armor, but an autoloader. Run in blow the magazine, then run back. Reload, rinse, and repeat. Straight up balls to the wall.

[@Batchall_Accepted]

Everyone likes to conveniently forget the last stand they made to give the Brits time to escape. Imagine knowing you've already lost, and are going to have to surrender and be conquered, but still putting your lift on the line fighting on until you've bought enough time. That takes balls man

[@youtubu124]

@@Batchall_Accepted I completely agree. Fighting to buy others time while sacrificing yourself is real courage, and they deserve respect. The French are great people and I've love the strength and defiance to an unjust ruler. Viva La Revolution! Always brave and tough as nails. Id proudly stand should to shoulder with them in a fight.

[@jakesevere9165]

“gangster af” might be one of the cringiest things ever said

[@dr.claudiafinch1088]

When I hear The Battle of Verdun my mind instantly goes to Sabaton.

[@tormentorxl2732]

I was a kid like , ya I wanna be front line infantry! Took the ASVAB test. And the marines were like sorry we need you as a helicopter mechanic😂

[@PCTexasAM]

Hey, that's exactly like my nephew. Except when he took the ASVAB, he did so terribly the army was like, "Son, you are too stupid to die."

[@Timboslice475]

You can still say you want to be infantry, I got a 93 and still went infantry.

[@Batchall_Accepted]

And look at you now, your back and knees still work and you don't have to deal with PTSD! Being Infantry was cool but there's a lot of bullshit that goes with it too Seriously, don't regret not being a grunt. It's not the be all and end all of military service, and non combat jobs transfer better to civvie life. Those helos you fixed probably ended up doing a lot more damage than me and my 240 ever could lol 😂

[@andycole5957]

Right, I bet you did... Cause I had an ASVAB to qualify for "any job in any branch of service" according to my recruiter, a 96 if I remember correctly. I told him I wanted USMC Infantry and he said all the 03 slots were full, so I'd have to go open contract. I said it's a contract for 03, or I'll take up the Army's sweet offer, which included a $20k signing bonus. Amazingly he found an 03 slot he "missed" on first glance...

[@HanzTheODST]

@@Batchall_Acceptedhey don’t underestimate that 240

[@Dookthegreatimbecile]

The French had trouble, but in World War 1 they kept the mighty German empire away from Paris and they tried their hardest in Verdun, and in World War 2, they fell but in some of the colonies of France in Africa, made them selves free.

[@anthonyeaton5153]

The French army fought gallantly in WW1. They were not well led and almost mutinied in 1917 due to lack of leave, awful food not being paid etc. They showed they could equal the Germans at Verdun. Almost 2 million Frenchmen died in that war.

[@Dookthegreatimbecile]

@@anthonyeaton5153 Yeah that may be true, they did resist so you do have a good point.

[@stanwolenski9541]

My grandson was a captain in the USAF according to him he made around $100,000: per year with all allotments included. He also received 30 days vacation in addition to 13 holidays, exceeding certain standards earned him another 2 days of vacation. Add that to a typical 5 day a week schedule and he was off nearly 40% of the time.

[@j.b.2263]

Thats what Ive always had in any job.

[@compatriot852]

Making fun of France for losing wars is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to making jokes about them

[@webbycroissant5692]

Yep. As a french, I'd much rather hear jokes towards france that are actually true and funny than oversaturated mockery based on lies.

[@MrPikaGammer]

@@Unknown_Genius Sadly, most people are not, nearly eighty years of French surrender jokes have tainted the average person's knowledge about France's military history.

[@fautlsavoirhein]

@@MrPikaGammer 80 years ? More like 20. The joke was created by the Americans who got pissed off because " booo France refuse to invade Irak and are against this war boooo." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-French_sentiment_in_the_United_States#21st_century With an ally like this, you don't need ennemies.

[@danilonakazone386]

My great-uncle fought in WWll with the Brazilaan Expeditionary Forces, I strongly believe he had PTSD but he would just zone out for several seconds, even minutes... But had a normal lifem took care of his farm, he had a town house, took care of his nephew, my uncle, and attended to regular activities. as I said I do not know if this is actually PTSD but he did zoned out and stared at nothing alot

[@rockymountainlifeprospecti4423]

It is one of many side effects of PTSD. We own and run a military boarding home during deployment and PTSD refuge camp in the Rockies. We take them out gold panning and ghost town metal detecting for PTSD relief and working with thier animals. Thankfully we had people like him, willing to give all for our future of freedom.

[@littlebritain64]

There is a former graveyard for Brazilian Expedition Force in my little town, Pistoia, Tuscany. They fought on the Linea Gotica where my little town was. Now their bodies are in Brasil and the place is a commemorative sanctuary. Be all those guys blessed for helping us to gain our freedom again.

[@hoodwalker6491]

this felt like a US-Army sponsored Ad

[@MrZombiekiller23]

Very interesting to see how much this rewrites real misconceptions vs how much it solidifies certain propaganda.

[@jakemiller8468]

This channel in general is pretty hit or miss Ive noticed. Seems like these videos are churned out by a big writers room without much oversight or quality control. Every once in a while they pump out a good one but seems sorta soul-less and sloppy most times.

[@MrZombiekiller23]

Once I saw ANIMATED HISTORY channels talking about the war in Ukraine like CNN then I had to look into these channels. Most of them are connected to CIA cut outs like the NED and others are connected to the WEF and IMF depending on the topics... Most of what we are shown is entirely coordinated propaganda, youtube search these days is just straight up abysmal in terms of looking up anything non corporate or propagandized...its insane seeing the level of fraud in our world that is just so normal.@@jakemiller8468

[@tobbcittobbcit8899]

What propaganda are catching your eye?

[@CuriousMisterG]

The French have ALWAYS been "For the country, not the queen!" Type of mentality. They don't want glory, they want peace through strength and determination. The French are, in my opinion, America's GREATEST ally

[@gggo1789]

And US is France's worst ally in my opinion, although I don't even think I need to mention why.

[@romrom9761]

@@gggo1789 non tu peux pas dire ca ! tu oublies les Marines qui ont donner leurs vies pour notre liberté, les Americains nous ont aider deux fois et ils ont verser leurs sang pour nous ! donc tu dit des conneries ! et tu deshonors la mémoire de leurs morts ! c est honteux ! si tu attends du respect de leurs part commence par le leur en accorder ! tu mélanges Politique et Histoire ! nous sommes des fréres d armes.

[@bobmiller7502]

What about Iran Iraq WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION? Forgot that by chance

[@daviddemille170]

What about the sacrifice of the French rear guard during the evacuation of Dunkirk.

[@antoniojr.dologuin7700]

The defender of Verdun is the french💪 just the bloodiest war in history

[@anthonyeaton5153]

Not as bloody as WW2

[@jukosdainamikos4050]

lost

[@georgiaman1926]

The French military are not cowards. It's the French Government.

[@christineberrios6246]

Trues

[@christineberrios6246]

Very is must be indeed is that if trues

[@GCho733]

Unfortunately people tend to forget there were more wars out there besides WW2…

[@EnigmaAlpha666]

They push WW2 movies the most

[@Noplayster13]

And they also forget that the British army was defeated by Germany at the same moment that the French one was. They just happened to have an island to retreat to.

[@bigenglishmonkey]

@@Noplayster13 because everyone knows the difference between a tactical retreat from an unwinnable situation on someone elses land, and an entire country dropping out of a 6 year war less than 1 year in.

[@Noplayster13]

@@bigenglishmonkey Point is that England was only saved from conquest by the channel; not their military which had been defeated by the German army just as surely as France’s military had. If England and France had switched places geographically, England would have surrendered instead.

[@bigenglishmonkey]

@@Noplayster13 not necessarily, if they were swapped then britain would have been a land power and france a sea power. The only way you could say the exact same thing happens is if you could prove britain would screw up just as much as france in their own defence.

[@neofulcrum5013]

Can you guys cover the history of guerrilla warfare and its tactics?

[@BadCompanyGaming]

This and the Troubles conflict

[@Batchall_Accepted]

​@@BadCompanyGamingid actually like a video on this. I feel like people in America kind of glorify the IRA because they're still viewing them through that Michael Collins lens, and don't have an idea of what a bunch of vicious thugs they became in the 70s and 80s, to both protestants and also Catholics who weren't "for the cause" and just wanted to get on with their lives.

[@reecedignan8365]

18:18 I believe the common statistic for most modern military’s is for every 1 fighting man there are 11 behind him. This is actually an advancement on the WW2 one which was every 1 man fighting there were 7 behind him. - to those wondering the behind him part refers to all people being the soldier keeping him fed, supplied, housed, medical attendance, monetary upkeep, grooming, etc etc. any rear line area that doesn’t see combat but assists in making sure that 1 soldier can see combat.

[@RevSinkiller]

True. In the modern armed forces, the ratio is 1:4. One soldier for every 4 support personnel.

[@coolsmoke5825]

What, France gets no mention for Dien Bien Phu? Soldiers were still paratrooping in while full knowing full well they wouldn't get out. It was a tactical and strategic clusterF***, true, but the soldier's bravery was undeniable.

[@FriedEdd]

Simple History didn't Nero fiddle (rather than the instrument) with kiddies whilst Rome burned. Nero famously had minnows (young boys) who nibbled on him as he swam naked in his pool.

[@danielwright7191]

Can you cover the Burgundian kingdom in a separate video? Seeing as how they seem to no longer be around I expect the content to be lesser but still having some intrigue.

[@righty-o3585]

France has been an ally to the US for 250 years. If it was not for France's help, we might not have won our independence. So yeah.

[@bringerofword4644]

Made good on that deal.

[@luissalazar6960]

Not only thanks to France but also thanks to Spain.

[@righty-o3585]

@@luissalazar6960 Oh , and Spain also 🤘

[@mattkaustickomments]

Thanks for clarifying the WW 2 Polish cavalry charges.

[@DD-vn2ev]

Polish American volunteers in France, The Blue Army. Please

[@benfrank9622]

I was once one of the people that labeled French as incompetent during WW2, but now I'm one of the people who understands why the French army lost.

[@uh0kn]

uhh.. you’d be dead man, you only joined KZbin 5 years ago too

[@harlech2]

They lost because they dropped their rifles and ran?

[@harlech2]

@GuderianMarsh-ke6fm ... but it's filled with French people?

[@morammofilmsph1540]

​@@harlech2 they dropped their rifles and ran in WW2. Every war before that, they were making other militaries drop their rifles and run.

[@scottessery100]

@@adelaidesngan604please explain what your on about. The bef left Dunkirk in may 1940 and returned to Normandy in June 1944 having kicked the axis out of North Africa fought in Burma Italy and door dashed supplies to Russia

[@booshandorkakow64]

I can tell you from experience that he Army will enlist damn near anyone and find something for them to do. Most of the requirements and standards are very loosely enforced. You'd be surprised how failing to meet recruitment quotas for years will move those goalposts. Oh, and when people say the pay sucks they aren't talking about generals lol. Yes, the pay SUCKS.

[@Ten4Forsty]

My grandfather left home, walked 20 miles to the nearest train station, rode that train to the closest place he could sign up at. He was only 17 years old, lied about his age so he could join and when he was finished he was a 0-9 and the best grandfather you could ask for. Sweetest man you ever met, he even calls all the grandkids "Hon". Thanks You Vets🫡🇺🇲👨‍✈️👩‍✈️

[@nitroplayzrobloxandotherga780]

My grandfather and my father are also vets and they're both incredible men.

[@nitroplayzrobloxandotherga780]

Iraq and Vietnam

[@Wolfshalifi]

14:11 eh it’s pretty easy to get a waiver to join the army

[@KhmerShadow]

I see a lot of comments talking about the French but nobody is talking about how the Space Force was created years before the topic of aliens started becoming talked about publicly in government

[@BeefT-Sq]

In WWII, the French Generals ignored reconnaissance photos showing chaotic bunched-up German supply that could have been bombed to devastating effect. French tanks were dispersed and deployed chaotically. France surrendered while a large part of the country had not yet been invaded. French strategy depended on the Maginot line, which ate up a large portion of the defense budget and could not be extended into neutral countries. The Maginot Line was tail heavy, with an incredibly big support apparatus underground to support a few big guns. Corrupt, inept and even traitorous leaders caused the defeat.

[@Skipper.17]

If it wasn’t for the French, Americans would be speaking English.

[@aarontactical]

We are speaking and texting in English, here’s a correction: “if it wasn’t for the French, Americans would be talking British”

[@ordo_draigo_assault_ham]

No but also yes.

[@compatriot852]

English... lmao

[@IrrationalTriangle]

that is scary have you seen how they speak.

[@davidlefranc6240]

Yeah but they had this brilliant idea of trying the Louis XV dictator tactic against their own colonies ,Louis XVI reminded them what happen when you behave like a tyrant!@@aarontactical

[@geraldgriffin8220]

I lived one street away from a Polish veteran who became a POW early in the war , he had the numbers on his arm.. He was in a mounted regiment of lancers and said they would try to drive the lane through the observation portal of the German tanks and it worked but was told to surrender by his officer when things became hopeless.

[@anthonyrufino9271]

Yep like a wise man once said: "war is just a part of who we are, why fight it"

[@iaminsideyourwalls2021]

He's also invincible and was very in touch with his inner child

[@mobiletaskforceepsilon1172]

​@@iaminsideyourwalls2021I thought he liked touching children

[@thelradame5508]

He’s also a hairless albino.

[@jackjones9460]

People make fun of the French mainly because they hear French criticism of their countries. I’ve heard the same thing from Poles, Czechs, Slovaks, Arabs, and Americans.

[@Thomas-uu9ex]

Yes you right, many criticism come from french people themselve. It s also a political problem, from the left side of politic in france and their critiques cover the history of france in general. Like Napoléon Bonaparte, Louis XVI, General De Gaulle etc …

[@johnjones9065]

We make fun of the french because they're coward's 😂😂😂

[@robertkarp2070]

The ASVAB is not a pass or fail test. It is an aptitude test. Each branch will have a set threshold dependent upon how badly they need people to fill billets. Each job in the military will require a certain score dependent upon how technical the job.

[@kennyknapp5531]

I make fun of the French military, and I will till the day I die. The difference is that I served in the US military, I fought side by side with the French, Spanish, English, Norway, and several other countries. They are my brothers. I love the French military, I also know the United States wouldn't exist if it wasn't for the French helping us. I make fun of them as they make fun of me. It is a brotherhood. We still respect each other, but I get mad when people who have not served make fun of other people's military.

[@bonedoc4556]

Because they're jokes. If that's the way its going to be then you can't joke about anything you don't have 1st hand experience with. That's not a world I want to live in even as many are tying to do it with cancellation these days.

[@gunengineering1338]

I think the reputation people with PTSD have for violence may partially or entirely come from soldiers shock transition from battlefield to civilian life. Where literally overnight they transition from an environment of mass killing and having to sleep with one eye open to a civil environment. Both cognitive and emotional shock may be a cause for some of these outbursts. But i imagine most can overcome this in time. And i think some organizations are even working on discovering ways to deal with this. Think of it as a psychological version of decompression sickness.

[@ferretyluv]

It came from Vietnam.

[@YouTube_user3333]

Decompression sickness? Nah, decompression illness( bends), lung over expansion injury and oxygen toxicity convolutions all come under the banner Decompression sickness.

[@gunengineering1338]

@@KZbin_user3333 that's what i was talking about

[@robertbell8872]

Just to point out that there were French troops at Gallipoli. Overall, some 80,000 French troops served at Gallipoli in the course of the campaign. Of these, more than 14,000 were killed or reported missing in action and 40,000 wounded-a casualty rate of 68%. Robin Prior, in his book Gallipoli: the End of the Myth (UNSW Press, 2009), quotes the British Official History figure of 7,825 killed (at the time!). British casualties were around 120,000. The French incurred 27,000 casualties and a Turkish figure, while uncertain, is thought to be over 220,000.

[@stevenrandall9851]

Don't forget the foreighn legion.

[@alexanderblackburn4520]

You 100% can join the military without passing the minimum asvab requirement, they literally have a waiver for that, my recruiter was one of them. He literally told me that he took it 3 times, and his 3 scores barely equalled my 1 time.

[@crow578]

ALL minimums can be bypassed. I failed the physical requirements to leave orientation, but they sent me to boot camp anyway.

[@xEXABYTEx]

The French Resistance spy will always be one of my favorite types of character in fiction. Based on real historical fact.

[@jonathonspears7736]

OMG thank you! I am always telling people that the French are not weak cowards.

[@bonedoc4556]

Just annoying 😂

[@leighz1962]

I don't speak French, but thank you for surrendering.

[@Solveig.Tissot]

​@@bonedoc4556Average Virgin Cringe Brainless Fatherless Anti France Troll Fanboy taking Copium over here ⬆️

[@Solveig.Tissot]

​@@leighz1962Average Virgin Cringe Brainless Fatherless Anti France Troll Fanboy taking Copium over here ⬆️

[@blackmanospherepresident]

Always non military people who have the most jokes about the military....

[@bonedoc4556]

As is the case with everything regarding jokes. So what

[@louiswohlk9131]

Every shot of soldiers with their rifle pointing at you look like a group of paparazzis chasing you - great video!

[@wj8108]

When we all make fun of the French we are making fun of their weak leaders

[@yanleray]

Well there nothing we can do…

[@youknowme1475]

their soldiers too who surrendered

[@WhoeverThisManIs20.14]

@@youknowme1475 They were ordered to do so.

[@youknowme1475]

@@WhoeverThisManIs20.14 I was joking

[@krypanzer3620]

Cant be saying that about De Gaulle.

[@ambroiseperret6460]

Our media which are mostly anglo centered failed to show to the public the realities of history : a good example for ww1 , were the french showed incredible bravura , is Airforce we often see the british/german pilote fighting in air battle yet it was France who had the largest airforce (4 608 planes in service at the end of ww1 ) .

[@bigenglishmonkey]

but how much of that is because of the media or because the only WW1 pilot thats common knowledge is the red baron? i mean, i can think of quite a few pilots and/or squadrons from WW2 but not much from WW1.

[@ambroiseperret6460]

@@bigenglishmonkey its what i say our anglo centered media dont push french heros or heroic actions because theres no demande and it would interfere with the angloshpere heroes and heroic moment , the perfect example is dunkirk and the battle of Lille , dunkirk was mainly possible because of a french delaying action in Lille but people dont talk much about it and in the movie dunkirk its only 2 french soldier at the begining making a slight allusion to it .

[@alganhar1]

@@ambroiseperret6460 People also like to forget that almost a third of the troops pulled out of Dunkirk were French.... Especially French people. They also like to forget about the British units that were whittled down to a shadow of their former strength in the bitter defensive fighting around the town claiming it was only the French fighting there.... Sorry but it goes both ways....

[@griffhenshaw5631]

I read somewhere that Napoleon's height was actually normal but Was a form of propaganda That he was short

[@christianellegaard7120]

Another thing about the French is that in most of the major conflicts, involving western nations, the main decisive battles have been fought on French soil. They are just sick of it.

[@richardturner8577]

You do not have to be a full US citizen to join the military! I served for 20 yrs in the Marine Corps and I had several troops that worked on and even obtained US citizenship. You do however have to swear allegiance to the US to enlist.

[@randytessman6750]

Space Force isnt combat ??? like WTF :( that is there biggest part of their job to plan for that

[@germanguyiguess]

Stopping kids from saying first

[@EricWulfe]

yeah, like a dumb puppet

[@henrixd5155]

Just want to say thank you for covering the Norfolk regiment.

[@StephenStafford-r2y]

I didn't know the French soldiers rebelled against moronic frontal assaults in WW1 - if the Commonwealth soldiers had done the same it would have saved hundreds of thousands of their lives. Viva la France.

[@REal-PAPLI]

Sad part is that French bashing started because French did not follow the usa in terms of war on Irak, for which the us l’aéré recognized they lied about mass destruction weapons being there in the first place.

[@bonedoc4556]

Uh, it started way before that.

[@compatriot852]

It's far older than that...

[@tibsky1396]

Since De Gaulle in fact, because he did not trust USA, and he predicted the mess that the European Union would be under a strong American influence today.

[@punchdreadnought8101]

@@tibsky1396 De Gaulle's army asked for American support during Indochina War and still lost.

[@tibsky1396]

@@punchdreadnought8101 So? During the Korean War, a handful of Frenchmen showed the Americans how to charge with the Bayonet, as the latter fell back against the Chinese and North Koreans, but the war did not end as planned despite everything.

[@the_modern_minuteman2625]

This is an enlistment add for the US military

[@derlowenkonig7971]

So obvious, isn't it?

[@the_modern_minuteman2625]

@@derlowenkonig7971”No soldiers don’t have terrible pay” meanwhile “lower enlisted should apply for food stamps” - US government

[@nurgle-j5n]

it's just psyops all the way down :(

[@vava_4181]

as a proud french pariotist, I wish all those idiots that call us cowards could see that video!

[@anthonyeaton5153]

Bravo Mon ami.

[@vava_4181]

@@anthonyeaton5153 merci bien

[@zangrygrapes4571]

imagine being french lmao

[@legotheepic3611]

I think colonizing land in Africa and forcing them to pay a colonization fee even after independence is pretty cowardly actually.

[@marshaltito7232]

One of the things I think isn't talked about enough is that because France took such titanic casualties during WW1 that it caused a massive decline in birthrate. Because of this, the French high command knew it would be impossible for them to fight another Great War, for they simply wouldn't have enough men. That's why they built Maginot, they refused to be on the side of a trench war without having fortifications that would allow them to inflict vastly more casualties than they took. If 1914s Imperial Germany rose from the grave and tried again in the exact same way this would have worked. But as they say, commanders are always preparing to fight the last war. So when the next war came and Germany had evolved, the French's entire order of battle collapsed. Even so, France still inflicted massive casualties on Germany and managed to hold off the onslaught largely unorganized for long enough to allow the evacuations at Dunkirk. The French surrender was a symptom of a grand tragedy, not some national cowardice.

[@alganhar1]

No, actually. The Maginot line was to force any German attack to come through Belgium. That was its entire purpose and why it was mostly manned by the least capable French troops. The idea was that the best trained and equipped French troops would be massed on the Belgian Border and enter Belgium when war looked likely to stop the Germans at a line of rivers and canals that had been pre-fortified by the Begians. The problem was that while this was good in theory it required Belgian cooperation to allow the French entry. A few years prior to the war French and Belgian relations had taken a significant hit, and the Belgians stepped back from this kind off cooperation with France. The end result is when the Germans did attack the French were not able to enter Belgium until the Belgian Government requested they do so, and by then it was too late to reach the original defensive lines. The Maginot Line actually succeeded, its job was not to stop the Germans getting through along the French Border, it was to force them to attack elsewhere, and they DID. Now we can ask the question whether it was worth it, and that would be a valid question to ask, but this idea that the Maginot Line was a failure is in itself a myth... The Germans never seriously attacked it, they never seriously CONSIDERED attacking it.....

[@johnshelton1141]

General Gamlien delayed by 2 days a counterattack that would slowed the German breakthrew from the Ardennnes crossing the Meuse. The British and french forces that entered Belgium could have fallen back and escape the encirlement.

[@tsarfox3462]

I mean, Napoleon alone is so good that one should take pause before questioning France's military prowess.

[@Piotrek1993PL]

My polish grand grand mother, who was around 25 when the WWII broke out. She told me about cavalary charge against tanks near her village. "We were running away, but our poor boys, on horsies and saberies charged the Germans, but had no chance, hey had tanks."

[@Zbyszkov2]

robili to co mogli żeby nas obronić

[@FREEMAN....]

The Germans who experienced combat against the Fench never made fun of them or belittled them arrogantly. They knew who they were fighting. Those who deliberately mocked the French calling them surrender chicken are the Americans because they need to appear as the ultimate warriors before the eyes of the whole mankind and those who did beat those who defeated the French, then strongest army in the workd. Sadly, the Americans lack of humility and tend to bully other peoples, considering themselves the kings of the hill.

[@rinnekojin2813]

That is not correct, the Americans didn't do that. The entire world jokes. The whole internet has a running gag of calling them cowards even though we know they aren't

[@FREEMAN....]

@@rinnekojin2813 You're mistaken. The joke started with the Americans. They are the ones who put it on the table and they dominate the internet, that's how they led others to follow.

[@Tundratreader]

My grandfather had ptsd from his time in ww2, Though he wasn't violent, it just led to nightmares and flashbacks of situations when he and his uncle in the Durham light infantry went through artillery bombardments.

[@SlyCooper1920]

Come on everyone France deserves better including the italians, the Frenchxnearly brought Europe to its knees including Russia itself

[@MustacheCashStash125]

I have respect for all those militaries

[@compatriot852]

You're talking about Napoleonic France. Modern France is basically Napoleon III

[@bigj1905]

6:35 The failure to build the Maginot line to the Belgian border actually wasn’t an ‘oversight’ exactly. Their were several reasons why it wasn’t expanded. Firstly, the line was already massively expensive to build and maintain, and during (and after) the Great Depression, military spending was not really a priority, so another costly expansion of the defenses would not have been a popular move. For another, France believed that, like in WW1, a Franco-British Army would move into Belgium if Germany invaded, though they would do so much more swiftly and quickly. As a result, it would keep the war off French territory, which was a priority for French high-command and political leaders. However, Belgium, not wanting to give Germany a reason to invade, refused to allow Allied garrisons until after the Germans invaded, and with their speed and surprise, the Allies didn’t have time to move in. It wasn’t an oversight as much as it was a strategic decision that proved to be extremely poor in hindsight.

[@johnshelton1141]

If King Albert was still alive in 1940, Belgium would not have surrendered.

[@TranscendianIntendor]

Consideration of the source of your information or just the thoughts, arguments for one viewpoint or another have forever been key to the ability to think critically. I think Absolam,Absolam! is the greatest poem I have ever read. What it means to me is that the greatest tragedy for a man is to have wasted his life supporting incorrect beliefs.

[@JamesFromTexas]

Don't disparage French military, just their government!

[@davidlefranc6240]

I suppose you would prefer somebody from the left are you sure you understand their government !

[@Husqvarna_Automower]

France has made some sick looking tanks