Posted on 08/31/2021 6:56:16 AM PDT by texas booster
On March 7, 1966, General Charles De Gaulle, the French President, informed the United States government the all foreign troops must leave France.
That was the end result of a number of agendas which began with the French desire to develop a self-determinate nuclear arsenal, remove France from what it considered an unequal partnership with the United Kingdom and the United States in NATO, and free it from being drawn into a conflict between the North Atlantic Treaty Organization members and members of the Warsaw Pact, should the Russian forces encroach on West Germany territory.
France wished to be free to seek its own treaty with the Warsaw Pact countries. If the country remained in the NATO membership, it would be obligated to respond against any Russian aggression in Germany according to the NATO mandates. This allowed RAF Mildenhall to become home to the 513th Troop Carrier Wing on July 1, 1966.
In a series of acts from 1958 forward, De Gaulle grew more and more hostile to the United States playing a dominant role in NATO. He wrote President Eisenhower and Prime Minister McMillan that there must be a tripartite directorate with France having an equal role in NATO to the United Kingdom and the United States.
However, his real intent was to draw NATO forces into France's colonial affairs regarding their conflict with insurgents in Algeria.
When Eisenhower and McMillan refused, De Gaulle began building up the defenses of France and pulled the French Mediterranean Fleet out of NATO command on March 11, 1959.
In June 1959, De Gaulle prohibited NATO nuclear weapons from being stationed in France. His ultimate goal was two-fold. De Gaulle sought to make France independent of the United States and the United Kingdom's influence and to possess the ability to conduct autonomous negotiations with the USSR should the East Germans move into West Germany.
In coming years he removed the rest of France's Navy from the NATO command.
On Feb, 13, 1960, France became a nuclear power when it exploded a nuclear device in the Sahara desert. What concerned the western nations in the NATO alliance was the statement of the French Chief of the General Staff. He pointed out that their nuclear weapons could fire in any direction.
The obvious threat was that America could just as easily become a target. The remark was in response to the American Secretary of State Dean Rusk, when he warned France that American nuclear weapons would be pointed at France if they performed a nuclear strike beyond the agreed plans.
In March 1966, De Gaulle removed all French armed forces from NATO control and told the United States (and other NATO military members) to leave France. France remained an ally to NATO forces, but only agreed to station French troops in Germany during the Cold War.
It was because of this moment in history, on March 7, 1966, that Mildenhall became destined to play a new role in the Cold War. On April 15, 1966 RAF Mildenhall began to make preparations for the arrival of the 513th Troop Carrier Wing.
On July 1, 1966, the 513 TCW became the parent organization for RAF Mildenhall when it began its transition from Evreux-Fauville Air Base, France with two rotational C-130 squadrons.
Britain, and thus the US, should have stayed out of WWI and let the Kaiser have France.
WWI was a battle between colonial powers over colonial commerce and power. The US had no interest in that war. The WWI Germans were not the Nazis in any way.
WWII was different, but we should have let them fight WWI to their stalemate.
I don’t think it was a military person
The US entered WWI because of German submarine attacks on American shipping, and especially because of the Zimmermann telegram.
In other words, both the US and Britain entered the war because of German misbehavior, not to save France. Saving France was just an unintended [cough] "benefit".
You want logistical efficiency? Talk to Wal-Mart
Which is why our top Pentagon generals and admirals deserve to be fired.
All that military education and not a single one can stand up and discuss exactly how we are going to extract ourselves safely?
Talk about misbehaving.....the US (having declared neutrality) supplier of arms & munitions to Britain/France (NEUTRALITY "The state of not supporting or helping either side in a conflict, disagreement, etc.; impartiality.). In addition, New York bankers had floated loans to Britain/France that would have been void had Germany won.
Follow the money, Germany had to loose!
De Gaulle was a dictator of France. Only way they got rid of was him to die.
All true, and in complete agreement to Trump’s statement “America First” and about other countries he would expect to likewise support their sovereign interests. All of this put sand in the gears of the one-world globalist/Statists... the international socialists also known as Communists, and the EU loving euro countries. Now with Brexit and “who’s next?” (Hungary? or Italexit?) You’re right-—
Washington was all about not being entangled in foreign issues and bogging down the United States in them-the post US revolution neutrality vs. the French Revolution when those leaders tried to get the US to pay our revolution debt (owed to the King Louis whom they had guillotined) to their “govt.”. Washington said we owed the debt to the King which they killed. And now, the Taliban apparently offered to “allow” to “extend” US stay if the US would unfreeze Afghan govt. accounts— which are NOT the Taliban’s to begin with (if we do, JoeBama is even more of a slimeball as are his obamaumao people running things for the puppeteer muslime).
When Degaulle came into Paris ( bit of showbiz,but there were still snipers, provided by Ike, and if i recall Gen. Leclerc came in first or maybe with DeGaulle) he had to meet up with a photo-op with the Communist leader of the French Resistance in Paris alongside other resistance members who were not commies, and some were Vichy trying to hide.
A political soup, and at that time there was a rival Gen. Giraud vs. DeGaulle. Marshal Petain was sentenced to death for Vichy collaboration, and for the “olde guard” DeGaulle commuted the sentence.
The local population was very friendly and supportive of Americans. They were close to the invasion fighting and liberation there. When traveling farther away from the channel, to Paris, they became typically arrogant french euroweenies.
My dad got shipped out to Rhine-Main in early Jan 1965 then when we joined him a few weeks later we found out we were being shipped again to High Wycombe England by the end of January. Four different high schools, four different countries in three months. Such was the life of a military family.
A favorite story about De Gaulle was in WWII just before the invasion of Normandy. De Gaulle kept pushing for more influence in the invasion, and Churchill was pushing back. De Gaulle finally said to Churchill that the French people considered him a Joan of Arc. Churchill replied, “We burned that one.”
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