Posted on 11/13/2018 10:53:06 AM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
President Donald Trump escalated his verbal assaults against France on Tuesday, suggesting that Americas stalwart European ally would have been vanquished in both world wars if not for the military firepower provided by the United States.
Trump tweeted about a suggestion by French President Emmanuel Macron that Europe build up its militaries because the continent can no longer depend on the U.S. for defense. Macron had also said Europe needs to protect itself against cyberthreats from China, Russia and the U.S.
Macrons comments were inaccurately reported and Trump continues to misrepresent them, seemingly for political hay. The French leaders office said Trump had lumped together Macrons remarks on protecting against cyber-threats and interference in our democracies from China, Russia and even the United States with Macrons later statement on military defense....
(Excerpt) Read more at columbian.com ...
While that is true, it’s still worthwhile to remind them where they would have been without the U. S.
Trump may not get it exactly right, but his realization of France’s need to wake up is 100% spot on, and it’s something no other president has had the cajones to blurt out.
France is an ungrateful little child.
Is this even controversial?!
They were defeated not once but TWICE.
Hilarious that it’s even a discussion. Let’s revise history today kiddies so that we can make Trump look like big meanie!
French volunteers in the Wehrmacht march in Paris during the German occupation
Source: https://www.feldgrau.com/WW2-German-Wehrmacht-French-Volunteers
What's the difference between "being defeated" and "siding with the enemy"?
Without the sacrifice of young US men in WWI, the German offensives would have succeeded in forcing a French mutiny. Without the US equipment and later manpower in WWII, the Soviet Union would have fallen, leading to an eventual peace settlement favorable to Germany. I believe that President Trump speaks the truth.
France was defeated in about six weeks by Germany in 1940.
The Soviet Union would have fallen without US lend lease propping them up in 1941/42.
He was too polite to mention that France sided with Germany.
Certainly in WWI, and well, WWII goes without saying....
Without the Allies attacking Germany from the west, would the Russians have prevailed in the east?
And Russia couldn’t have saved France in WWI either. They quit before the war was over.
That’s true for WW II, but not WW I.
Having knocked Russia out of WW I, the Germans shifted about 3,000,000 troops to the Western Front and launched a massive offensive in the early spring of 1918. It would have succeeded but for the American expeditionary force that was there to help stop it and participate in the massive Allied counter-offensive that won the war by November of 1918.
Well France was defeated and in only 40 days in WWII.
As for WWI, they and the British could have maintained the stalemate with Germany forcing both sides to the negotiating table. Technology favored defensive warfare and both sides were utterly exhausted by 1918. Neither had the strength to break the other’s lines and even if they did, they didn’t have the logistics to exploit a breakthrough.
American strength carried France to the victorious side in both World Wars. That is undeniable.
In November the Germans and Italy decided they needed Vichy France, the breadbasket of the nation and of course naval access to the French Med ports.
The Vichy Free French, neutral till that point decided to scuttle their fleet in Toulon rather than escape to the Allies.
Russia sure as hell wouldn’t have won without all the logistics backbone provided to them by the Allies.....450,000 trucks (they had no significant automotive industry)....2,000 locomotives at a time when they produced 200...etc. Without that there is zero chance the Soviet Union is able to project power all the way into Central Europe. They’d have had the same problem the Germans did once they got too far from their supply bases.
This whole European Army concept would make sense if they faced any external threat. The main purpose of an EU Army is expansion, and preventing any more brexit. And then last but not least, to flip the finger to America.
Did Trump really say that, or is the media saying this?
In WWII, France was defeated. They were liberated starting in June 1944 at some cost to American, British, and Canadian lives.
The author is either ignorant of this, is writing hoping her readers are ignorant, or both.
In the case of WWII France was defeated!!
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.