Tears and Thanks as French Relive D-Day

The BBC ^ | February 10, 2004 | Hugh Schofield

[TonyInOhio]

"In World War II, American boys went halfway around the world in both directions, not to conquer, but to liberate." Steven Ambrose, 1994

The next time you encounter an uppity European, ask them: "Are you from a country whose arse we kicked, or a country whose arse we saved?"

FReegards,

Tony

[cavtrooper21]

Maybe these folks that remember what it was like to live under the Nazi boot should give some lessons to the punks that desecrated American and British war graves last year....

Nice to see that there are some Europeans that still remember America's sacrifice for their freedom.

[Focault's Pendulum]

It would be helpful if their younger generation could somehow be reminded that, "John still has a long moustache".

[martin_fierro]

My favorite scene from "The Longest Day":

Major Werner Pluskat (Hans Christian Blech), 352nd Coastal Artillery Division, is standing in his bunker, which happens to be situated on the bluffs overlooking what is to become Omaha Beach. As dawn breaks on June 6, 1944, (to the accompaniment of those immortal strains of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony - dum dum dum dum) he peers through his binoculars.

"Mein Gott," he mumbles. "The invasion. They're coming."

Pluskat grabs the radio-telephone and calls his superior.

"It's the invasion! There must be 5,000 ships out there!"

"Get hold of yourself, Pluskat," the general says condescendingly. "The enemy doesn't even have half of that many ships."

"Well, damnit!" Pluskat screams back as the first shells start whizzing overhead, "Come and see for yourself, you fool!"

"My dear Pluskat," the general laughs in disbelief, "where are these ships heading?"

"Straight FOR ME!"

[Righty1]

On the whole I've come to the point where I just don't care what the impotent euro snobs "think". Why the U.S. has pushed our Eastern European allies into bed with the frogs and huns is a question that leaves me as angry as Bush's largesse for the NEA.

[Grumpy Bear]

Great movie!

[Cold Heat]

They get no sympathy from me this year.

Perhaps never again.

[perfect stranger]

"It would be helpful if their younger generation could somehow be reminded that, "John still has a long moustache"."

You say that like you believe the media would report it.

How many countries backed the US up with respect to the war? How often do we get a report from the media about opinion from those countries?

[hometoroost]

Hey, an American military action the French approve of!

[F16Fighter]

Caen was not liberated till July 19.

And by then it had been flattened by allied bombing."

Caen?? Sorry 'bout that. We really meant to flatten Paris.

Oh well -- there's always hope for the future...

[Focault's Pendulum]

You say that like you believe the media would report it.

Actually I don't believe that at all. The media would prefer that those who lived through history would go away...in order to make it convenient to revise it.

My apologies...I erroneously sent this to you Freepmail.

[McGavin999]

And yet these people have forgotten what it was like to live under the heel of a dictator. They condemned the US for liberating the Iraqis while they celebrate their own liberation by kicking sand into the faces of those who liberated them.

[WorkingClassFilth]

"I can forget what the Germans did, though it costs me a deal of effort because I saw some terrible things, but those for whom I have absolutely no..." - the words failed him - "are those French people who put on jack-boots to hand over their countrymen to the occupier."

We have the same breed here - defeat the RAT machine by any means.

[perfect stranger]

The media ignores it every day.

Do you know where I can find the names of the countries that supported US in our decision to free Iraq?

I'd love to see a "red-blue map" depicting those countries.

[Professional Engineer]

ping

[SAMWolf]

Should have let the Germans keep it.

[snippy_about_it]

Thanks PE.

[Imal]

"I can forget what the Germans did, though it costs me a deal of effort because I saw some terrible things, but those for whom I have absolutely no..." - the words failed him - "are those French people who put on jack-boots to hand over their countrymen to the occupier."

The bad news: they now run the country.

[pistola]

Who are the French?