Posted on 07/23/2016 5:43:03 PM PDT by dynachrome
Even in the 80’s,90’s and since, Americans are treated very special in most of France, particularly in Normandy. I find Belgium very agreeable too. Visited Bastogne last year and WW I sites including Ypres the year before. I’ve only been to Minnesota once, in the 80’s. Lovely country.
I guess I simply don’t recognize Vichy France as France. France was divided and the resistance to Vichy was huge. The British SOE and our OSS did much to train and equip the Maquis so they would be able to help us when the time came.
That’s pretty much the timeline.
By March-April 1943 after Stalingrad, pretty much everyone alive back then knew the defeat of the Third Reich was a question of when, not if.
That is for sure and certain.
Operation Barbarossa cost Hitler Africa and then the entire war.
But don’t forget all the civil bureaucrats still keeping their jobs and obeying German orders to empty out camps and send ‘em to Auschwitz, especially throughout 1943.
France signed surrender documents and agreements and treaties with Germany once they were subjugated.
Is it distasteful? Hell yes but stay true to the facts.
The rightful leaders of France were forced out or resigned. Petain was an old man who was manipulated by the pro German traitors who took over. There is much incredible information in the little local government archives. Fascinating reading.
Vichy France is a somewhat obscure and niche field of study, despite the facts.
General Eisenhower commanded Operation Torch. Major General Patton commanded the land forces of the Western Task Force consisting 2 infantry divisions and 1 armored division
U.S. carriers undergo a maintenance period for a number of months following their deployments, too.
Yet the will not go into enclaves created by muslims in thier own country
Gol damn get a friggin clue Molly Pitcher.
Our terrific new 2+ billion dollar overrun cost, way late out of construction
super carrier is a floating mess of problems and absolutely NOT ready for
deployment. The DeGaulle is. I DO NOT DO SARCASM TAGS even though people like you obviously need to be led by the hand.
Sending their aircraft carrier away does little to change that unless they would want to bomb Paris.
You are absolutely correct. I was thinking of Task Force 35 headed by the Augusta which crossed the Atlantic with our troops, Patton in charge.
I think it is interesting to note that Paul Tibbets, piloting the Red Gremlin landed the B 17 on Gibraltar’s short airstrip—the first time it had been done. He was carrying Mark Clark, Eisenhower’s #2 , for Operation Flagpole. Tibbets later flew Eisenhower to Gibraltar a short time ahead of the landings.
Thanks for the correction.
People like me appreciate sarcasm tags as we are accustomed to dealing with mountains of written facts. These “facts” often are in error.
I had forgotten about the fiasco and monstrous overruns of the Ford. Thanks for the reminder. But then, isn’t that the case with everything for the last umpteen years? We are not capable of switching to a war footing today as we did in 1942.
Sorry I misread your intent. But then....is it really such an effort to type /s? old ladies like me would appreciate it.
We do have a lot of inside information due to maintaining our diplomatic relations until we violated them with Operation Torch. It is a niche field of study as you say, but interesting.
There is no need to seek ignorance of an historical event. To me your major point is only reinforced by the events of the Franco American War (Quasi-war). The two nations were in very tumultuous- even desperate- internal order. Especially the French in the midst of their revolution.
I’ve studied the war for the precedents it set on the conduct of undeclared wars under the Constitution. The wars with the Indians in the NW Territories are also informative on the issue but, technically, were internal wars.
Other notable features of it were the establishment of the Marines, the re-establishment of the Navy, and the slogan “Millions for defense, but not one cent for tribute!”
And, poignant to all patriots, the return from retirement of the faithful George Washington to his final military command in service of our nation.
If we are going to include every disagreement with another nation as a “War” which would include “Quasi-wars,” we are not dealing with manageable parameters. Wars which are DECLARED are “wars” to me. I certainly do not seek ignorance as you imply. Military actions which took place when the Colonies were under British rule and all our American Forefathers were subjugated to British Law certainly do not count as US Wars to me. I think it is reasonable to believe The united States had to exist for it to be called a US War.
I believe the French had reason to expect our assistance in their fight with England after all they did for us, but that is another subject. We did not even pay back the men who financed our war of independence with Britain. Adams was quite insulting towards the French. Again, another topic.
Washington was long dead before either of the Barbary Wars. He died in 1799.
The pointlessness of your self demeaning astounds me, but whatever.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quasi-War
Your persistence in mixing apples and oranges astounds me.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.