At Yorktown, the vast majority of "Washington"s" Franco-American Army consisted of French soldiers. The French fleet prevented the British fleet from reinforcing or evacuating Cornwallis's Army. The French general graciously allowed Washington to accept Cornwallis's surrender. There is no way we could have won that battle by ourselves. Of course we dare not say that in our history books.
On a single day in October of 1806, Napoleon crushed the Prussian Army with two hammer blows at Jena-Auerstadt. The Prussian army simply disintegrated. Intact Fortesses surrendered to summons from cavalry troopers. Not too shabby of an accomplishment against the best trained army in the World.
The French probably fought about a hundred pitched battles during Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars 1792-1815, winning about 80% of all the battles. No one I know has matched that record against opponents who possessed the same technology.
If the American Army of May 1940 had faced the German Army they would have folded in 6 days not 6 weeks like the French did.
Actually, George Washington's major accomplishment in the French and Indian War was a humiliating defeat at the hands of the French.
This post is filled with garden variety stupidity, but this paragraph is breathtakingly stupid.
The war that ended with the peace of Westphalia in 1648 was the Thirty Years War, not the War of Spanish succesion. In the 30 yrs war, the French Bourbons completely vanquished the Austrian/Spanish Hapsburgs and established themselves as the dominant power in Europe.
In the War of the Spanish Succession (that ended in with the peace of Utrecht in 1713) the French, despite having to fight nearly alone against almost all of Europe, ended up getting exactly what they wanted (a submissive Bourbon dynasty in Spain) while the erstwhile Spanish allies basically got screwed.
As regards Washington, France, the Seven Years War and surrender, we don't want to go there, either. Washington surrendred to the French and then confessed to war crimes in a document written in French (which he could not read.)
And finally, your analysis of the first World War... well...
What you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. . . . may God have mercy on your soul.
- Billy Madison
What doomed France? A theory occurs to me. Conscription in the 19th century was accompanied with spreading use of condoms. Birth control suited the French character, which was pleasure loving and tightfisted about money and inheritances, but it cost France the numbers and dynamism at a time when Germany was on the rise. Swelling numbers made other countries strive and hustle while the French were enjoying themselves (comparatively speaking) and living off the fruits of their earlier labors.
If your recent history is that flawed, I shudder to think about the rest of your "analysis."
Of all the people you Americans should be the last one to call French cowards!Their victories agains British vere very important for you gaining your indenpendence!
France under Napoleon had ruled militarily Europe for years.
In the WWI Germany didn`t wipe out the French?Who told you that?A four years of trench warfare with insignificant gains in teritory on both sides is a "French defeat"???You ,conviniently forgot to mention that on the Western Front both British and French were fighting Imperial Germany!
WWII??A favourite claim about French cowardice is ;France surrendered!But,so did everybody else!Germany had conquered and defeated the whole Europe,routed 450000 British in France...Britain was saved only because of their best ally;The Chanel,their natural moat!Remember,since 1941 85% of fighting was on the Eastern front against Russia.But,of course,you have saved the world,bla,bla,bla...The truth is that first contact of American troops with the Germans was a catastrofe!For you.
Indochina???Ha,ha,ha....It must be the French that were throwing into the sea all those helicopters in Saigon in 1975,right?!
I couldn't help but yell at the tv. If these pansies would stop crying and start fighting, maybe the Nazis wouldn't have been marching down the street in front of their homes.
I started trying to think of someone that the French could go beat up to try to restore their dignity. I couldn't do it. Every country I considered as a possible target for French "agression" (sorry, I know their really isn't any, but you know what I mean), I realized, could totally kick the crap out of the French.
How pitiful to be a French citizen and know that everyone in the world looks at you and thinks "arrogant, rude, pansy, loser".
20,000 SINGLE SHOT .22 CAL FRENCH MILITARY ASSAULT RIFLES.
ONLY THROWN DOWN ONCE!
MAKE OFFER at http://www.theUSsavedourworthlessbuttsTWICEandthisishowwerepaythem.dorks