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To: John Jorsett
Unfortunately, the greatest French military leaders were an Italian and a 16-year-old girl.

Just a joke. Charles Martel revolutionized warfare. As I write in "A Patriot's History of the United States," the French victory off New Jersy in 1781---by the way, the ONLY time the French Navy ever defeated the Brits (so how is that for Divine Providence?)---sealed Washington's victory over Cornwallis, no question.

But this is too easy on a French Army that had bigger and more powerful tanks than the Germans in 1940 and which stratigically was utterly blind by hiding behind the Maginot Line when everyone knew that the Belgian border was wide open.

17 posted on 03/24/2005 6:33:36 AM PST by LS (CNN is the Amtrak of news)
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To: LS
But this is too easy on a French Army that had bigger and more powerful tanks than the Germans in 1940 and which stratigically was utterly blind by hiding behind the Maginot Line when everyone knew that the Belgian border was wide open.

Only problem with the Maginot Line was that they defended it with too many troops. The Maginot line was well-built and a good investment.

And actually the Belgian border WASN'T wide open; the French heavily manned it and immediately dashed into Belgium when the German invasion began in 1940.

The one part that was "wide open" was a narrow area in the Ardennes across from Luxembourg; of course, the Germans shot through there behind the French forces dashing into Belgium.

30 posted on 03/24/2005 6:54:31 AM PST by Strategerist
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