What Happened to French Soldiers During WW2? | Animated History

[@TheArmchairHistorian]

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[@Turkpatriotantalia]

IT would have been nice If you mentioned the Mass killing of black french soldiers by the Wehrmacht in 1940, good Video though

[@GenghisKhan-bi6rd]

Tell me what is the soundtrack your using in this video?

[@rockyeet699]

Ad End Point is 4:11.

[@misterthemad994]

Small correction about Alsace-Lorraine ; while it is true that at least at the time most people in those regions could speak German fluently, they are not exactly german speaking ; after 1918 (when they became part of France again), people in those regions stopped speaking german as a primary language, in that role they either spoke french, or their own local "patois", their own local languages that are basically mixes of French, German and language of oïl (medieval latin dialect spoken in the northern half of France in the middle ages).

[@brokenbridge6316]

Nicely done video

[@Hesopod-w3b]

De Gaulle sent several pilots to the soviets to create a squadron and fight in the soviet air force. They flew yak 9s and often had the colours of the French flag on the nose of their aircraft.

[@nuttygeezer708]

Normandie Nieman

[@Hesopod-w3b]

@@nuttygeezer708 exactly

[@griphyx3540]

they're also the only foreign force to have received the medal of hero of the soviet union, which they still have to this day

[@hadrienbouchard1762]

And also the 177 French commandos that participated on D-day

[@merullesr]

At the end of the war, Staline gave them their planes which they brought back to France.

[@zoubida90]

Nice to mention also that Jean Moulin, the man who united all the groups of the resistance, got brutally tortured by the SS Klaus Barbie until he eventually died from his wounds and exhaustion. Yet the man never talked... An unsung hero who deserves his own video.

[@thatguynexus5935]

my favorite barbie

[@theawesomeman9821]

He deserves more than an analytical KZbin video. Hollywood should make a movie about him.

[@zoubida90]

@@theawesomeman9821 Agreed, but Hollywood making a movie about a frenchman who resisted during ww2, not attractive enough for the average american public. For most of them the french never won a war and has this "white flag" stereotype. So unfortunately this would likely not happen

[@blueridger28]

​@thatguynex😂us5935

[@ABPHistory]

Klaus Barbie got recruited by the CIA and helped hunt down Che Guevara too

[@JustAGigolo1985]

Whoever directs the animation has the best creative mind for it, every scene feels perfect, has thought put into it and helps visualize a lot of aspects!

[@surjackeroff]

They've really stepped up in the past few years too. Incredible how far this channel has come.

[@itsblitz4437]

Hats 👒 🎩 off to the animators for their hard work. I tip my hat to them.

[@andbrnr523]

I recommend the movie "The Cow and I" which is based on a real story of a French POW in Germany who travels back to France with a cow. Basically the trick was to tell the germans that his mission was to deliver the cow to the next farm so he would continue his way.

[@Ch33secakeGaming]

All fun and games until you bump into the same German soldier again

[@TheZackofSpades]

@@Ch33secakeGaminghey he’s still moving the cow, right? 😏

[@DirkVD]

It is a comedy starring Fernandel. Nothing true about it.

[@ybreton6593]

@@DirkVD comme dand le films de Lolan

[@vulpes7079]

​@@Ch33secakeGaming"sorry mate, I was mistaken. It's actually [farm further away]. The guy on that farm was a real dick, would probably have kept the cow if it was his"

[@AlexC-ou4ju]

my father's uncle at 13 was an ammo runner during the war for the resistance, he never even got to hold a rifle until the last years because weapons were so scarce. He thoroughly disliked the 'last hour resistants' people who joined the fight after the liberation of Toulouse.

[@Kartavya64]

Why Toulouse?

[@AlexC-ou4ju]

@@Kartavya64 nearest big city hed never been much further by then

[@senpainoticeme9675]

Preach. The only ones to be heartily commended with their dedication, were the conscripted and POW soldiers of the Republic, the pre-D-day members of the Maquis as well as the ones who were able to volunteer and continue the fight as the Free French.

[@johnacrts2171]

Heard about the last hour joiners from a documentary before. Did they actually go around shaving the heads of french women who had suspected relationships with german soldiers in an attempt to prove their 'loyalty to the resistance' like they actually contributed something to the fight?

[@AlexC-ou4ju]

@@johnacrts2171 a lot of heads were shorn a lot of heads got a superfluous cavity lots of unsanctioned justice took place between 1944-1945. You see a scene liek that in band of brothers but it's in the netherlands and never made clear whether the resistants were OG's ( for lack of a better term) or not Some of the last hour resistants to their credit joined the troops who fought along the Ruhr and Rhine and pushed into southern Germany so that France was the 4th biggest force on the western front by the war's end.

[@ileana4868]

i’m french and love that you tell the truth about the french military

[@damienbaujean8581]

Same, as a french, this feel so refreshing to see an american finally working on this subject with objectivity.

[@Thebettermartyr]

You guys should really stop surrendering

[@That_One_French_Lad]

​@@ThebettermartyrMate that happened once. We literally won the most battles in History.

[@Passportbros8]

Tell your nation "France" to get out of the continent so called Africa. The biblical promised land. Get out of our land. Get out of our continent. With all the poverty, oppression your nation brought upon my people in the continent of Africa. 🌍 You used my people to fight your white wars.

[@Passportbros8]

​@@damienbaujean8581Tell your nation "France" to get out of the continent so called Africa. The biblical promised land. Get out of our land. Get out of our continent. With all the poverty, oppression your nation brought upon my people in the continent of Africa. 🌍 You used my people to fight your white wars.

[@Jayjay-qe6um]

The Free French Memorial on Lyle Hill in Greenock, in western Scotland, in the shape of the Cross of Lorraine combined with an anchor was raised by subscription as a memorial to sailors on the Free French Naval Forces vessels that sailed from the Firth of Clyde to take part in the Battle of Atlantic. The memorial is also associated, locally, with the memory of the French destroyer Maille Breeze (1931) which sank at the Tall of the Bank. To this day, General de Gaulle's Appeal of 18 June 1940 remains one of the most famous speeches in French history.

[@Torrikify]

My grandfather, aged 18 in 1941, was faced with the choice of going to Germany or joining the African Army in Algiers. He took part in the Tunisian campaign, where he met the Free French. He then headed for Italy, where he took part in the Battle of Garigliano with the 1st DFL. He then participated in operation dragoon, liberating provence, the Rhône valley, Burgundy, Alsace and then Germany.

[@gabrielmontenegro9476]

So he had to go to Germany anyways. False choices man...

[@Torrikify]

@@gabrielmontenegro9476 Strangely enough, everything revolved around Germany at that time

[@corbinmartin5693]

How ironic is it that the day I discover I’m related to De Gaule from finding his old letters in my grandmother’s basement is the day arm chair uploaded this, thank you for this

[@alexandre069]

it's De Gaule

[@corbinmartin5693]

@@alexandre069 apologies

[@holius1]

​@@alexandre069 it's (Charles) De Gaulle two l's

[@AixlaachenPax1801]

No way just because this you have more credit to be in power in France than any corrupt politicians there

[@rogerkhorn1]

1:46 1:46 1:49

[@oliversherman2414]

It's crazy to think how WW2 was basically a civil war for the French between fascists and anti-fascists. Yet all the popular media ever talks about is how France surrendered and that was it for them

[@alexandre069]

It's because American got pissed of we didn't follow their war crime in Irak

[@d.olivergutierrez8690]

@@alexandre069oh yes the famous ww2 irak campaign 👍

[@alexandre069]

@@d.olivergutierrez8690 no the 2003 one

[@ljb4192]

@@alexandre069y’all are too busy with war crimes in Mali

[@GeneralYen]

Not between fascists and anti-fascists : between pro-Vichy and anti-Vichy. There is a huge nuance.

[@baptister7978]

My hometown was massacred by ss in 1944 after an attack by the résistance to the local garrison. The ss the next day took all the men and hang them on the balconies of the city. The worse part about this tragic event is that some of the ss were what we call "malgré nous" which is the term for the french from alsace that fought in the german army.

[@empereurnico6048]

note: they were forced conscript, no french men especially from Alsace would have wanted to help the boches

[@Coohy]

​@empereurnico6048 Yeah no one wants to be a nazi in hindsight, but reality is, there were many french facists, likewise the germans want to blame mustache man and move on, without taking a look in the mirror, Hitler wasn't just a person, but a whole generation of like minded people

[@Ctrainyourboy]

@@60iger29 oh boy thanks for the n*zi apologetic narrative, I'm sure everyone living in that area were so pumped that for the third time in 80 years their home would be turned to an artillery crater

[@justryane]

Thanks!

[@Bluestripsenclavelove]

Oh sad 0 likes :)

[@texenna]

Underrated

[@jeremyarnie1803]

Jean Moulin was not executed, he died from his injuries while he was in a train to Germany and no one exactly knows how he got arrested, maybe a French man betrayed him or the Gestapo was clever enough to arrest him. Gestapo chief Klaus Barbie knew the answer but never disclosed it.

[@ghardrimvoreksson7266]

Communists betrayed him

[@pluto9860]

Great video as always.

[@MrRoady13]

For all of you history buffs and comics enthusiasts, famous french cartoonist Jacques Tardi made a 3 parts comic book about his father's experience as a tankist during the battle of France, and then his capture and imprisonment in a Stalag in Germany during the totality of the war, up until his liberation and the return to civil life as one of the "defeated ones". It's called "Moi René Tardi, prisonnier de guerre", and it kinda reminded me of "Maus" by Art Spiegelman in its way of mixing up History and the difficult communication between a father and his son

[@tangow371]

Yooooo! Never thought I'd see somoene mention Tardi here of all places! I read all three parts of Stalag IIB. A very poignant story, I was taken aback by the bitterness and cynicism of the author and his father. Of course an understandable perspective considering his fathers experiences. He doesn't even hesitate to throw shades at de Gaulle or others like delattre de Tasigny.

[@Wojtek760O]

My great grandfather was a french soldier during ww2, after the defeat in 1940 the war basically beacame an escape simulator, he escaped german's prisons 5 times, went to see his wife 5 times and got send back to prison 5 times. I only know that one time he rode a cow wile escaping, hell yea.

[@Galactic_birds]

Your great grandfather sounds like an absolute chad

[@CouldBeNero]

Your great grandfather is the story of “The Cow and I” where a frenchman escapes german prison with a cow?

[@Wojtek760O]

@@CouldBeNero maybe not this story especially but yes kinda.

[@Matt-bz2dm]

Thanks for this one, my great grandfather was captured in 40 and since he died young he never told my grandpa what really happened to him

[@gavinwhite8506]

You know it’s a good day when armchair historian posts a new video

[@derkaiser420]

Anyone who ever talks down about the French in WWII I always argue about the rear guard at the Battle of Dunkirk. Thousands of French soldiers knowing they were going to die or be captured still defended the British withdrawal and fought valiantly. And the French Resistance never let the Germans rest until they were liberated.

[@tuturg7454]

And the french soldiers in the Lille pocket that fought untill their last cartridge and kept 7 german divisions away from Dunkerque for a week during the most crucial moments of the Dynamo operation.

[@ThatOneGuy-mn6dv]

I forgot who said this but in this case it was spot on when in the context to France during the start of ww2. "The battle/war is fought 10-20 before it actually happens" or something to this effect. I think it was from Margin of Victory: Five Battles that Changed the Face of Modern War from Douglas Macgregor but I might be wrong but still we find examples of this. France was planning to fight ww2 thinking one way but one thing or another whatever they thought wasn't the case and what they did do was under supported. The forces did the best they could with effectively leadership that depending on who you view or ask basically failed them and give up long before their men under their command.

[@Blackdeathgaming-yv1kk]

I mean.....resistance in the west is vastly overexagerated these days. There was way more collaboration then there ever was resistance. So much so that some allied nations even wanted to treat France as a defeated nation instead of a liberated nation but was stopped by the British because they didn't want a repeat of punishing countries like after ww1. Resistance in my country only started shooting in like 1944 and in Belgium late 1943.

[@AdanClark-zx7pw]

Agreed but there was also french getting on the boats and Brits fighting the rearguard and holding the perimeter but maybe through jingoism or pride that's something the odd french revisionist overlooks blaming there whole defeat on the British while forgetting the debacle started with there collapse at Sedan

[@EllieMaes-Grandad]

@@AdanClark-zx7pw Many of the French lifted from Dunkerque's beaches opted for return to France, rather than join de Gaulle.

[@sharkjack27]

Smh France just shoulda just loaded a save game

[@vault6242]

They should've built lvl 5 forts and not guaranteed poland smh

[@haikalmiftah2529]

Love this HOI4 reference 🤣🤣.

[@zacoman2225]

Unfortunately they were playing on iron man mode

[@White_Wolf7274]

Hi tanks for still uploading videos on KZbin

[@jokodihaynes419]

Charles de Gaulle had trouble trying to get French soldiers to fight for him because the British attack french battleships

[@Storiedfrog9]

The attack on Mers-el-Kébir would be a great topic for a video, theres a lot of controversy surrounding that event

[@wtfroflffs]

So many of them fought for the Wehrmacht instead.

[@AlexC-ou4ju]

@@wtfroflffs yes, this could have been avoided if Britain didn't attack Mer els Kebir and trusted the French at their word that the fleet would be scuttled before it would be handed over to the germans as it was on the 27 November 1942 despite the british actions

[@livethefuture2492]

​@@Storiedfrog9 There's no controversy. There are plenty of videos discussing the issue at length. Best one is watch Drachinifel's analysis. He puts it plainly all the various options and how it could have easily been averted. Ultimately, the reason was that The french admiral in charge was a right incompetent treasonous bastard who betrayed not only his own men but the very principles of a commander duty to his men. And needlessly sacrificed his own men for his hubris. Although let's be clear about something....The British did not 'betray' the French in any way at all. The very idea that anyone could reasonably have that thought disgusts me to my core. It was France that betrayed the Allied cause. They could have chose to fight on, enact a fighting retreat to North Africa or Britain. Chose to stay true to their allies. But all that fought on was DeGaulle and a few thousand of his most loyal troops. But no, they let the very identity of their country die, and relegated themselves to the Nazi rule. Giving up all hope of returning to the homeland and restoring the liberty of their country. Instead they sold out, relegation themselves to having to be liberated by the allies 4 years later. Its commonly misrepresented, The free french were Fringe, a tiny number compared to what should have been. The reality was far more bleak and it seemed that most french had simply given up on the ideals of their own nation. It's an embarrassement that the UK and US wanted to liberate France more than the bloody French themselves. And they have the guts to call their old allies as 'Traitors'. Make no mistake. There was only one Traitor in the allied cause. And it was France.

[@trevid7158]

@@livethefuture2492dude shut up. They lost the war and capitulated like a dozen empires before them. Like Greece>Rome, a dozen kingdoms>ottoman. The entirety of France wasn’t gonna get in a band wagon and go to africa. France at home still flew it’s colors and started to prosper. The nationalism the Germans sold them was more appealing then continuing with the Allies who sank their ships

[@carta8399]

The objectivity of this channel is as usual outstanding. Congratulations for the great work.

[@Wolfram_von_Richthofen]

There are two men that can be blamed for France's surrender that was quicker than the Siege of Pavlov's house, and these are Edouard Daladier and Maurice Gamelin. Daladier for leaving the Czechs at the mercy of the Nazis and Gamelin for his complete failure to invade Germany from the West, while the Germans were fighting in Poland.

[@senpainoticeme9675]

I blame Huntziger directly for the collapse on the defense of the Ardennes. Although both Daladier and Gamelin were culpable in the events leading to the tragic Battle of France, Huntzinger actions were inexplicable on the days preceding and during the Battle of Sedan as the overall commander of the Ardennes sector. He ignored the pleas of his air scouts reporting the huge and long German column opposite the Ardennes. His ground commanders even asked permission to shell the bridges in the Ardennes but they were denied. Not surprising that when France fell, he was an ardent supporter of the Vichy regime.

[@jmb2140]

you forget Chamberlain and the English politics of the moment......

[@Wolfram_von_Richthofen]

@@jmb2140 But the main focus was France, since they had a direct border with Germany, they were an infinitely bigger threat to the Nazis than the UK ever was. Even if the UK dropped its guarantees, the French would've easily mowed down the Germans, let alone while they were banging their heads on the Sudeten Wall of fortifications.

[@AstroNuggetKOS]

I love videos like these because they are educating and fun

[@jokodihaynes419]

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

[@Comandercheez112]

Another Great video!

[@Narrowsplice]

Been waiting for a video like this!!!

[@ExtantPerson]

My great-great-grandfather served through all of WW1 in the French army and survived through WW2. I have never been able to figure out where he was in France or what he did during German occupation/Vichy France, but this video has helped me develop ideas of some possibilities.

[@dave8323]

Does it really matter, did you ever meet him?

[@ExtantPerson]

@@dave8323 Why wouldn’t it matter? He’s an ancestor of mine who played a role in one of the most important events in human history. The more I can learn about what he might have gone through, the better.

[@jackthorton10]

Good luck, may your search be fruitful

[@ExtantPerson]

@@jackthorton10 thank you

[@Random_person-di9um]

I love how you have the French national anthem In the background

[@PraiseKéké]

My great grandfather was captured in June 1940, with some comrades he escaped from the prisoners' column, but having no idea where they were and with the few remaining locals being hostile to them, they only saw one option: de-escape, they managed to reintegrate the column unnoticed.

[@the_feedle]

Thank you for also mentionning the forced conscripts of Alsace-Lorraine. Today nicknamed "malgré nous" ("Despite us"), they were seen as traitors by both the french and the nazis. Sadly many of them were made prisonners by the soviets and ended up in the gulag of Tambov, were a vast amount of them did not survive

[@teanott5073]

Might I recommend the cartoon the long long holiday? It was a French made animated series detailing some of what life us like for the occupied french. How accurate it is I'm unsure but it is definitely a cute little dramatic

[@Ibby.M.I.786]

The sad thing is that a lot of French actually believed that it was truly the end for themselves when France signed the Armistice with Germany and gave up (this is the part the media clenches onto); yet there were so many French out there that did not want to take the NAZIs marching into their homeland laying down. My insignificant opinion: had France been better prepared and were to look forward from World War 1 tactics, they would have been a force to be reckoned a lot sooner. Hitler and his boys would have not been able to push as far as they did

[@roisanglier34]

Peut être que si les anglais n'avait pas trahi la France en livrant les plan de la ligne Maginot aux Allemands. Et en fuyant des le début de la bataille sa aurait était plus simple.

[@akiraraiku]

It is the fault of the Ardennes commander for letting the germans succeed in their all in with their tank rush through the forest. They were spotted by recon aircraft. Artillery was able to shell the bridges and airwings were ready to bomb and straf the german tank trafic jam in the ardenne, all stuck rear to front on a thin forest road. He only had to give the order. He did not.

[@ybreton6593]

le problème les allemands ont commencer a se préparer a la guerre en 1933 avec l'arrivée d'adolphe hitler 6 ans pour ce préparer c'est beaucoups contrairement au autres pays

[@Dr.Zergling]

My great grandfather was an Alsacian soldier garrisonned on the Maginot Line. He was then drafted by Germany and send to the eastern front. Made his way back on foot, hiding from the Germans and luckily ended up captured by the British and not the soviets. He had kept is French military papers and met a French speaking British officer that was aware of the situation, and promptly sent back to his family and bakery in Strasbourg. i'm glad you mentioned this little known fact.

[@dardanianmapper9906]

Video idea: "Battle of Byalistok - Minsk, the most one sided battle of ww2"

[@wifi_soldier5076]

German with 12,000 deaths and Soviets with 400,000 deaths under just 3 weeks is insane....

[@dardanianmapper9906]

@wifi_soldier5076 yeah that's why it's worth a video made about it

[@bigchickenstrip2509]

@@wifi_soldier5076those are the casualties for both sides not just deaths. A large amount of the Soviet casualties were prisoners not deaths.

[@Willing_Herold]

@@bigchickenstrip2509there is no difference between pow and death in statistics as you still lose men to the other side wounded are temporary tho

[@bigchickenstrip2509]

@@Willing_Herold I agree with what your saying as both deaths and pows are listed as irrecoverable losses unlike wounded but I was correcting his statement that all 400,000 Soviet casualties were deaths

[@d34th0dg3r]

Amazing video

[@ismaelfleurine2620]

As always, the @TheArmchairHistorian always makes good documentaries. Jumpscare at 0:50 though

[@rjnovak5977]

Your so underrated, you need more veiwers

[@alexandre069]

The real shame is not the surrender giving the circonstances, its the collaboration that followed it

[@ro.stan.4115]

So true

[@livethefuture2492]

I've seen a lot people say things like the British 'betrayed' the French at dunkirk by fleeing, or by attacking the base at Mers-el-Kebir, but let's be clear about something....The British did not 'betray' the French in any way at all. The very idea that anyone could reasonably have that thought disgusts me to my core. It was France that betrayed the Allied cause. They could have chose to fight on, enact a fighting retreat to North Africa or Britain. Chose to stay true to their allies. But all that fought on was DeGaulle and a few thousand of his most loyal troops. But no, they let the very identity of their country die, and relegated themselves to the Nazi rule. Giving up all hope of returning to the homeland and restoring the liberty of their country. Instead they sold out, relegation themselves to having to be liberated by the allies 4 years later. Its commonly misrepresented, The free french were Fringe, a tiny number compared to what should have been. The reality was far more bleak and it seemed that most french had simply given up on the ideals of their own nation. It's an embarrassement that the UK and US wanted to liberate France more than the bloody French themselves. And they have the guts to call their old allies as 'Traitors'. Make no mistake. There was only one Traitor in the allied cause. And it was France.

[@alexandre069]

@@livethefuture2492 ok dude

[@samrevlej9331]

@@livethefuture2492 Stop spamming

[@samrevlej9331]

As a French person with Jewish great-grandparents who hid during the Occupation, I fully agree

[@nanamifan0220]

Thanks again for the great videos!!!!

[@borgognosimon5719]

I would like to add something, it would have been interesting to developp more on the colonies, the colonials provided to France some 250,000 men with another 190,000 French european settlers combined with the 50,000 Free French. The French army of Africa, numbering 400k men in 1943 fought in Italy, France did regain its millitary prestige in Italy and had more predtige from the Americans who allowed them to fight in the ETO The colonies is the reason why France was able to win the war

[@ro.stan.4115]

France did not win anything.

[@harkchhun9003]

Nice video

[@fluffehpancakes1102]

Great work! Can you guys do one about the Netherlands during ww2?

[@yourhistorybase279]

The occupation and dutch resistence + involvement is much underrated, would be a good video

[@fluffehpancakes1102]

@@yourhistorybase279 yes along with the fact they put another resistance up in Indonesia.

[@AJKam1kaz3]

This might be a challenge as not a lot is covered about how the French Foreign Legion fought each other during WWII. The 13th DBLE with the Free French and the 6th with the Vichy French.

[@richardmaseke4143]

I like the way he hasn’t romanticised the French resistance , it was clear vichy France had supported n enforced some of Germany’s policies a t that time , they were infact the greatest vassal for him in tje western front

[@ctrI_key]

These videos are very well-made! Love it

[@charlieOL78]

You forgot about the army in the North African colonies who was secretly maintained by Vichy under Weygand's command (in unoccupied colonies) and joined the Allies after Torch and the German invasion of south France. In 1943 Giraud took commands until De Gaulle took control of those around 200k soldiers (mostly from Algeria, Morroco and Tunisia) who fought in Italy (decisive action at Monte Cassino) and were the spearhead of the french Army of liberation after Operation Dragoon ! But as "indigenous" those soldiers were progressively dismissed and replaced by white french people for the final blow against Germany in 1945.

[@JoeWilikers]

Brave Frenchmen. Died where they stood to protect the British evacuation at Dunkirk.

[@GeneralYen]

And let's not forget the French Army of Africa, who became the basis for the French armies that operated successfully in Italy (Monte Cassino) and Southern France !

[@kadecase7470]

The Forgotten Soldier is a war memoir of a ‘volksdeutch’ kid from Alsace Lorraine who fought in a Panzergrenadier division, I’ve heard some rumors that it’s fake but it’s a pretty good story for anyone who wants to read about a ‘German’ infantrymen’s experience on the Eastern front

[@karnage97]

Ah another day another Armchair Historian upload thanks again🤌🏽🤌🏽

[@carrickrichards2457]

My maternal Grandfather was in the French Navy and was sunk at both Mers el Kebir and Dacca, fished out by Mountbatten once. His brother was Army and not so lucky. He had a very tough time after being wounded in 1940, coming back from a POW camp in 1945: The younger family were all told not to talk about it.

[@thealtergo]

Great video

[@ChadTwiz-xl8cc]

Great video!

[@StationaryGamingReal]

As soon as the Allies landed in France, everyone was suddenly The Resistance.

[@phlm9038]

It is because you don't understand the purpose of the resistance in France : they lived more or less underground while being prepared to help the Allies during the d-day landings. During the occupation their role was to spread anti Vichy and Nazi propaganda, transmit intel to the Allies, help escaped prisoners of war, Jews or Allied pilots to go or return to England. Also they had to be taught how to use a gun or how to sabotage infrastructures. The ones involved in armed resistance were mainly communists. When you say "as soon as the Allies landed in France, everyone was suddenly The Resistance", it sounds like French left-wing propaganda of the seventies.

[@mahersalthomas1739]

It seemed more French hated the Nazis then accepted them. Put they took over their country so they had to play their part until the Allies came. Once we took back Paris it was all good again. Frenchies didn’t want nothing to do with Nazi Germany

[@acornsoda22]

Yes, there was far more collaboration and far less resistance than the French would have you believe. Still, being the Allied continental power, the myth was eagerly spread and accepted.

[@phlm9038]

@@acornsoda22 Do you have the numbers?

[@scorale4176]

My grands parents met during WWII, my grandpa was a soldier and my grand ma was living in the Somme region she had to evacuate and my grandpa was charged to help the evacuation of civilians.

[@Julien-yq8ru]

From a French citizen, thanks you. By the way, your illustration of Jean Moulin lacks a scarf. This is not a small detail. The man was a préfet (a district civil governor) during the invasion. The Germans arrived and raped some women in Moulin's jurisdiction. They asked Jean Moulin to pretend that Senegalese "tirailleurs" had committed those rapes. Moulin refused. The Germans put him in jail. Moulin did not want to concede, but may have been afraid of doing so, so he tried to cut his throat. That is why he allways wore a scarf, to hide his scar. From the two or three hundreds préfets who were at the top of the French administration, he was the only one to refuse the armistice. As a storyteller, you had to make choices. Many French pilots joined the RAF, the Free French played a decisive role in Italy, etc. But these are all details. What is not a detail is the fact that French Resistance was mainly an intelligence network which provided key informations about German deployments. We like to represent them with blazing guns. They were not fighters. They were intellectuels (Camus), poets (Char), workers, students, men and women who risked their lives by sheltering an ally pilot, by listening to the BBC, by expressing their contempt for the occupant. They also started to think about the future of the country, a better democracy, a society with solidarity. That is not a battle with guns, but that is a battle the Resistance won over the Germans, Vichy... and even de Gaulle.

[@Goc4ever]

Well done Armchair Historian, well done. I really loved this in-depth discussion of the French soldiers during World War 2, it was a breath of fresh air without all the bias that spoke ill of France and its military history.

[@Lexa.agustin]

I like your content!

[@andkondude]

You missed the fact that the French held very few soldiers in reserve during the inital stages for the Battle for France which greatly hindered their ability to counter attack. Just a useful addition for the context of why France fell so quickly (See Churchills history of wwii for context)

[@padawanmage71]

I wonder what became of the fate of the collaborationist Vichy forces after the war? Like the ‘Milice’, who I heard were pretty nasty.

[@theotherohlourdespadua1131]

Pierre Laval, 2nd most powerful guy in Vichy France, became the chief of Police for postwar Paris. His WW2 politics bled into the postwar French police forces and hence gaining the infamous reputation of immediate and disproportional police brutality. American police officers are babies compared to the bloody carnage a French police officer can dish out...

[@samrevlej9331]

@@theotherohlourdespadua1131 Laval was shot. Maurice Papon, a civil servant who deported Jews around Bordeaux, was the one who became a police chief.

[@texenna]

Nothing, they remained in high positions and they worked with former free french to brutally crackdown in akgeria

[@archimedesfromteamfortress2]

​@@theotherohlourdespadua1131this is plain misinformation. He was executed for treason in 1945 after a kangaroo trial

[@adam_ic]

@@theotherohlourdespadua1131 Laval est mort en 45 c'est de Maurice Papon dont tu parles

More interesting for a future video is the Spanish participation in both sides during the war, having relevant moments such as the "Blue Division" in Leningrad against the Soviets and "The Nine" made up of Republican exiles who fought in the 9th Company of the Free French 2nd Armored Division, also known as the Leclerc Division. These soldiers were perhaps the most veterans who existed at the beginning of the Second World War, having been in combat since 1936 and they demonstrated it in the combats they had.

[@mchrome3366]

I’m American and over the years have better understood why the French were so quickly demoralized and defeated in their surrender. Without going into the many factors the “fighting French” and the French resistance were the last soldiers the Nazis wanted to run into in their retreat after D day. They were terrified of being captured by the French.

[@Karl-nv5ok]

They signed an armistice.

[@rafidog]

Glad to hear about the "Malgré-nous" from Alsace-Lorraine (a common misnomer as it was in fact Alsace and only Moselle) on one of my favorite history channels. If these men didnt accept the draft, escaped or deserted, their whole families were under the threat of getting executed to the last member. What was told in my family was that, from the town where I grew up, of all the men of age to get drafted, none of them came back from the eastern front but two, both were my great-uncles. According to the story told by my grand-mother when I was a child, one of the them was an electrician on a German warship in the Baltic sea, and was especially disobedient. So much so, that the kind captain of the warship let him escape instead of executing him, and he somehow made it back home. Edit: additional fact, Jean Moulin was tortured to death in a train car in the station of Metz, in Moselle, also near my hometown. There is a commemorative plate in the station reminding the passerby of this painful fact. There is also a difference there in WWII memorials, which, instead of being headlined with the usual "fallen for France" (Morts pour la France) it is usually headlined "to our fallen" (A nos morts) because of the "messy business" the "Malgré-nous" also were.

[@clamum9648]

I dunno about anyone else but your WoWS Legends link isn't working for me, nothing loads.

[@warriorthawitt9971]

My Great Aunt grew up in Nazi Germany (She was like 15-16 when the war ended). Anyway, one Summer in her earlier teen years, she had to take a year off school to essentially do slave labor on a Farm, that was owned by some Nazi Party Lady (Who she said wasn't a very nice person.) Anyway, there were some French POW's who worked on the farm and one day, one of them gave her a piece of chocolate. The Nazi Party Lady told her don't eat that it'll probably taste bad and/or be poison. But, she did eat it later on and said that it was good.

[@beniaminorzechowski9913]

Video idea. Soviet invasion of Poland on September 17th 1939

[@cazper-r3b]

Nice video!

[@MadLad_Poli33]

New historical show has been made, quick! Watch it!!

[@pokefan-ix7sh]

extract from wikipedia: Although no precise estimates exist, the number of French soldiers captured by Nazi Germany during the Battle of France between May and June 1940 is generally recognised around 1.8 million, equivalent to around 10 percent of the total adult male population of France at the time. After a brief period of captivity in France, most of the prisoners were deported to Germany. In Germany, prisoners were incarcerated in Stalag or Oflag prison camps, according to rank, but the vast majority were soon transferred to work details (Kommandos) working in German agriculture or industry. Prisoners from the French colonial empire, however, remained in camps in France with poor living conditions as a result of Nazi racial ideologies. During negotiations for the Armistice of 22 June 1940, the Vichy French government adopted a policy of collaboration in hopes for German concessions allowing repatriation. The Germans nevertheless deferred the return of prisoners until the negotiation of a final peace treaty, which never occurred due to the United Kingdom's refusal to surrender and Germany's defeat in the Battle of Britain.[1] The absence of a large proportion of the male population of France also had important consequences on the position of women in occupied France and charity fundraising on behalf of the prisoners played an important role in French daily life until late in the occupation. Limited repatriation of certain classes of POWs did occur from 1940 and the government was keen to encourage the return of prisoners, even launching the unpopular relève system in order to exchange prisoners of war for French labourers going to work in Germany. Nevertheless, many prisoners remained in German captivity until the defeat of Germany in 1945. Prisoners who returned to France, either by repatriation or through escaping, generally found themselves stigmatised by the French civilian population and received little official recognition.

[@Tom-cs7ff]

My grandfather was in the belgian resistance. He officially joined the "maquis" in 1944, but the archives proved he started in 1941, when he helped a french escaping POW to go back to France. He later helped two russian escaping POWs, as there was a camp not too far, who later also joined a resistant group.

[@Catarigue]

Great video!! Vive la France!!! 🇫🇷

[@Passportbros8]

Tell your nation "France" to get out of the continent so called Africa. The biblical promised land. Get out of our land. Get out of our continent. With all the poverty, oppression your nation brought upon my people in the continent of Africa. 🌍 You used my people to fight your terrible wars.

[@Passportbros8]

Tell the nation "🇫🇷" to get out of the continent so called Africa. The biblical promised land. Get out of our land. Get out of our continent. With all the poverty, oppression your nation brought upon my people in the continent of Africa. 🌍

[@gazza2933]

I'm English (not British) and throughout our history we have not always been the best of friends with France. However, unless you have seen active service/combat, perhaps a person shouldn't be too quick to criticise a nation at war. Interesting video. Thank you. 👍

[@caseclosed9342]

Fun fact: Despite their country being retaken by the Allies, some Charlemagne Division members stayed with Germany and took part in defending the Führerbunker during the Battle of Berlin.

[@Peter-xg1ol]

I heard they were his only defenders

[@KaptifLaDistillerie]

The large majority of those who collaborated were allowed to live free and we still feel the consequences of it today

[@altandemei2644]

Thanks to the USians and their "upcoming fight against communism", they wasted no time embedding themselves in the political institutions of France once De Gaulle left his provisional position in the government and during the 4th republic you had the american ambassador sieging and overseeing the ministers councils, you know : the kind of events in wich the most important decisions of the State are made, all under "supervision" of the USians so here you have your reason as to why so many traitors got off scott free : The USA bailed them out.

[@laguerredesetoiles]

(Excuse my bad english i am french) Your video is a great video, and a thank you for that, i just want to say a thing, you talk about french how serve in the german army by force, this story is true and not many People now about this in France we call them "malgré nous" thoses men how came from Alsace, Lorraine and Moselle ( french région on the german border) was force to fight in the eastern front, but after the war when you surrounder to the soviet or allies and go back to France you avec to make a choice : 15 years in the french military ( indochina, algeria war) or prison because for the goverment your are a traitor, a well now chacartere of a book name 317 section ( took place in the end of indochina war ) was what we call a "malgré nous". Many goes to the french forein legion where theire mate old germain and ss soldiers, but that is a another story. Thanks for you video.

[@martinsto8190]

all is good, since nut heads from around the world keep declaring that english must be The International language, then why not go along with their silly game. in the end an international language means that its every human's right to change it a little bit. no one is allowed to say your english is bad, just because you use non english phrases.

[@NewEnglandOtaku]

I used to think they were a joke thanks to the way they were shown in TV shows and cartoons.. But I learned so much from watching these videos, they really helped me understand the French army, I also watched the De Gaulle movie.. I know that doesn't sound like much but I learned a little bit about that.. but I did learn from Sabaton about what was known as the Ghost Division and it was Irwin Rommel's corp who faced no resistance and they moved in ahead of the main German army but had a great surprise attack that left them holding their own.

[@LiamBar2010]

Interesting, but not mentioned here, were the Vichy french soldiers in Syria who fought against the Free French during the latter's initial operations. Many (understandably), did not see De Gaulle as legitimate, who had a habit of overstating his ability to convince french soldiers to switch sides.

[@2packrm781]

Thank you Armchair Historian for making this upload on the French. Seeing what they did during the the fall & recapture of France 🇫🇷 was worth it for the insight of constant inner battling.

[@PeacePetal]

I'm surprised you didn't talk more about the French forces that reformed as the Allies swept through France in 1944 and 1945. By V-E Day, the Free French numbered 1.3 million, making them the fourth largest army in Europe. I'd say they earned their occupation zone!

[@ak9989]

Lol only with massive American aid

[@PeacePetal]

@@ak9989American weapons, but French soldiers.

[@ro.stan.4115]

They joined when everyone knew war was over. Germany was on it's knees. Just like french for the past 4 years

[@altandemei2644]

@@ak9989 USian lend and lease wich was repayed in full. The US never "galantly came to the rescue of France by pure good will" as it gets regurgitated everywhere, it was cynical and interested and if it wasnt for De Gaulle forcing both the hands of Churchill and Roosevelt : Hitler could have very well kept his New European Order as long as he kept being the lap dashund of the USA.

[@stellarsjay1773]

Is that a real person giving the lecture? Looks suspiciously static to me.

[@Bigeardtom1806]

Merci pour cet hommage, VIVE NOS MORTS ET VIVE LA FRANCE DE SON ÉTERNELLE GRANDEUR ET LIBRE DANS L'HONNEUR ET L'INDÉPENDANCE ❤🇨🇵🇨🇵🇨🇵🇨🇵

[@merullesr]

My father who fought in Belgium and Lille was captured at Dunkirk. Sent to Pomerania (East Prussia), he escaped after two attempts and joined the Red Army with whom he crossed Germany to return to France. He left to do his military service in 1938 and was demobilized in 1946. All his youth.

[@IronDragon-2143]

I don't know why, but your WWII videos are always my favorite.

[@tuturg7454]

It's amazing that you mentionned Bir Hakeim, the "malgré nous" , or Oradour sur Glanes... Great work ! France during WW2 usualy gets swept away in most English speaking Histories.

[@tibsky1396]

The attack on Mers-el-Kébir also disgusted many French people from fighting alongside the British. And there is also the case of the scuttling of the Toulon fleet in 1942, in order to prevent the Germans from seizing it.

[@jameshudkins2210]

They also prevented the Allies / Free French from using it.

[@nicolasiiiletzar7984]

@@jameshudkins2210 Idk man, a few ships actually managed to escape to the allies, while most of the ships were just saborded, but it wasn't necesseraly to prevent allies from taking them, but because there was no other choice (the germans were driving fast towards Toulon to seize the ships, everything had to be done quickly, the allies were only to the other side of the sea, no time)

[@valdemarrolandsen9292]

i whuld love to see a video on WW2 from danish perspective, becuse their situation is a really intresting one, and i think it culd make a good video

[@NewYorkKnightsCombat1]

As the son of a Frenchman I have a strong affinity for France and I appreciate all the content on this channel about France in WWII and French history. I do like the recent improvements in the animation of the history, but I think I preferred the live narration to this animated version. Is there any reason why the animation has replaced the live narrator?

[@anaesthete5592]

Make a video on Srilankan civil war please

[@haydencoudriet1311]

My great grandfather was one of the ones who was at Dunkirk and continued at Africa for Free France. I appreciate that you mentioned the real strength of our people.

[@alansmithee8831]

Hello Griffin. I was surprised at the omission of Vichy French soldiers fighting the British in Syria and Madagascar. Also no mention of what happened to French Indochina, handed by the Vichy French to Japan. My dad was the equivalent of a medic in the Royal Navy and was sent from Singapore to help pick up French Indochinese shortly after WW2.

[@justaperson1557]

Nice vid

[@jonbaxter2254]

There were also many thousands who collaborated, such as Vichy soldiers and the Milice.

[@peletsoivre9110]

Being part of the "army of the armistice" is hardly a case of collaboration, the soldiers were being reduced to a neutral faction with no particular relations with axis military and sometimes found themselves at the opposite end of a free french or british offensive while no declaration of war was ever issued. Most of the french troops who fought in Tunisia, Italy, France and Germany from 1942 to 45 were originally part of this force.

[@borgognosimon5719]

@@peletsoivre9110 not to mention that volunteers for the french army of armistice thought that they would be fighting the Germans

[@caput_in_astris]

Brillant video, very well describing the different fates of French soldiers. I particularly appreciated the concluding sentences: history is indeed a messy business. Thank you!

[@oliverlane9716]

The difference between the French and Polish militaries post occupation is so stark.

[@adelsaleh938]

shout out to the editors for the excellent music complementing the animations

[@bachtruongson9408]

the animation is AMAZING

[@roms4154]

my paternal grandfather enlisted in 1942 at the age of 17 from Casablanca in Morocco! then was enlisted in the second DB of General Leclerc! he was injured by a shell burst on one of the bridges in Strasbourg! my other grandfather landed in Marseille with General Delatre de Tasigny !