“...waving the white flag and maybe presenting the sword of surrender to whom ever was shooting at them at the time....”
Ok...once and once only, I’ll stick up for the Frogs...
The French Poilu fought like absolute maniacs in World War I. Yeah, they had the Brits and us helping them, but look at Verdun for an example of how they fought tooth and nail and would not cede one inch of ground... Operation Gericht was meant to bleed the French white; it wound up bleeding the Germans as badly as it did the French. They just wouldn’t roll over and quit.
Gotta give them a little credit where its due...
(donning flame-retardant suit in 3....2....1)
Seriously though - if you want to read an amazing account of the French Verdun, read “The Price of Glory” by Alistair Horne (1961).