Posted on 07/21/2023 10:40:19 AM PDT by DallasBiff
And as a royal cousin!
France still had that regicide and revolution taint!
“Everybody’s missing the big question: why did the Germans have those pointy things on the tops of their helmets?”
They played a killer game of leapfrog.
That’s quite a story. Thanks for posting 👍
The monarchy would never have survived. The German people had had it with the Hohenzollerns. Not only were millions of men gone, Germany had lost much pre war territory, and the state, whoever ruled was subject to staggering reparations.
And that’s where that bastard Clemenceau and Company come in.
I think even then most of the US Navy was deployed in the Atlantic.
The real reason for WW1 & WW2.
The warm air blows across France from the Mediterranean sea.
The French are known not to bath on a regular basis.
The Germans can smell the French on warm days.
This has always bothered the Germans.
If you look closely at photos of the beginning of WW1 and WW2, you will see German soldiers marching with a rifle in one hand and a bar of soap in the other......
I think it actually took awhile to totally get the two-ocean Navy in place. But I doubt it could have come to fruition without some reliance on The Royal Navy.
But every German soldier in WW2 wanted to be stationed in Paris. And they did loves them those French women.
If Germany had defeated France. Note I’m assuming no UK participation. I can’t see Germany occupying France, or any annexation of French territory. It already had a restive Alsace-Lorraine. (Which baffled the Germans did these people not speak German? What’s wrong with them?) They may have grabbed a few French colonies. I think Germany would have preferred a return to the status quo in Europe, a status with an acknowment that Germany was the big dog. I think they would have been busy propping Russia up trying to keep Nicky or some Romanov on the throne.
Basically the Germans attitude was Britain can have their Empire, and we’ll have the Continent.
There is the back story of Serbia vs. A-H. The matter of an idiot of a Russian Foreign Minister, one Alexander Izvolsky, who on his own not consulting the Tsar’s old line major advisors, made efforts to gain access for the Russian Black Sea fleet to pass to the Bosphorus thru the Dardanelles by abandoning the long Russian backed guaranteed Serbian sovereignty against Austria in the Balkans.
Outwitted and fooled by Aloix Lexa von Aehrenthal A-H diplomat who arranged Austria’s annexation of Bosnia-Herzegovina from Turkish territory which were then being administered by A-H. Aehrenthal acted to really antagonize the Russian-Austrian working together to solve the Balkan problem. Purpose? imho- Aehrenthal was working for international banking interests— driving the ethnic tensions that led to the assassination of Franz Ferdinand (who all the while this was going on was spending a lot of time with Wilhelm II the loonie intriguing for Germany against his cousin Nicholas.) and the war that followed on alliances which broke three monarchies of Europe for good.
Money in war— have heard.
Pretty much but I don’t think that means boots-the-ground control. I think it means something more like hegemony.
Now the sun’s gone to hell and
The moon’s riding high
Let me bid you farewell
Every man has to die
But it’s written in the starlight
And every line in your palm
We’re fools to make war
On our brothers in arms
-Dire Straits
I have heard that it was because French roads are treelined and the German Army liked to.march in the shade.
—after. IIRC—
I’m all for French jokes, but too soon, too soon...
... and not in a funny, sarcastic way.
Ahh that makes more sense now!
Von Hindenburg and Ludendorff should have been executed for war crimes, and the Kaiser should have been allowed to remain (like Hirohito later), as a unifying symbol in a Constitutional monarchy.
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.