Your memory is really not on par today. In desert storm the French sent an armored division that participated in everything. And they had the best food by far, and they actually brought wine for their soldiers. Unlike our teetotaling leaders in the US military.
Never left Paris… Indeed.
In DS, they were a flank unit to my brother’s (101st AASLT). They were generally better equipped, supported and at least as well trained as the US infantry. He was surprised (in the 1990 era) to find a number of Americans in the ranks.
The FFL allows French leadership to execute whatever insane Frog foreign policy they like without endangering the lives (and votes) of his Metropolitan Army...