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Posted by Fozzie (U1891105) on Sunday, 4th December 2005
When I put this into Google, it came back and said did you mean "French military defeats"! I thought that was quite funny. Thinking about it, have the French ever won any wars?
Although in terms of 'modern France' the Conquest of Britain' by 'William the Bastard' could be considered a victory, although it wasn't France at the time...
Their contribution to the Great War, their contribution to the Crimean War, their contribution to the American revolutionary war, their expulsion of the English from France, that’s all I can think of from the top of my head…
Have the French won any wars.
Now that's a difficult one.
Ever heard of the hundred years war between Britain and France. Who do you think won that one?
They were the most powerful country in Europe for a long time.
Some Yanks having a laugh
Without France, the US would never have gained their independence in 1776 .
Ever heard of Lafayette, Rochambeau and Admirals Comte de Barras and Comte de Grasse ?
No ? I'm not surprised .
Some people are just ungrateful ..... an accusation many Yanks laid at the door of the French recently.
Without France, the US would never have gained their independence in 1776 .
Ever heard of Lafayette, Rochambeau and Admirals Comte de Barras and Comte de Grasse ?
No ? I'm not surprised . Ìý
Not to mention the Louisiana Purchase - ie Napoleon selling the whole of the French empire in America to the US. It covered 500 million acres of land now occupied by Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Iowa, the Dakotas, Montana, most of Minnesota and parts of Colorado and Wyoming.
Just can't resist making the point that their greatest naval victory was sinking the Rainbow Warrior
Just can't resist making the point that their greatest naval victory was sinking the Rainbow WarriorÌý
THATS AN OUTRAGEOUS THING TO SAY.
(I wish I'd though of it)
, in reply to message 10.
Posted by WarFanatic (U2676733) on Wednesday, 7th December 2005
This reminds me of a joke.
How many gears does a French tank have?
6 - 1 forward 6 reverse!
IN reference to their rapid retreat from the german onslaught.
Louis XIV kicked butt all over Europe. They carried the major burden of WWI. They held an empire almost as long as England. IMO they have won abut as many as the we, the U.S., has.
Now that I think it over, since Germany became united has she ever won a war?
, in reply to message 1.
Posted by Rule_Britannia (U2429840) on Wednesday, 7th December 2005
I no this is probably in apropiate bu ttype in failure in to google and press the im feeling lucky button. it mite make you laugh.
I no this is probably in apropiate bu ttype in failure in to google and press the im feeling lucky button. it mite make you laugh.Ìý
britain_rules:I bow to the greatest poster of them all. I googled "Failure" and am still laughing. I don't know how they set it up, but it is great!
, in reply to message 11.
Posted by countvillars (U2316644) on Wednesday, 7th December 2005
And who was running besides them, to the North Sea coast, as fast as they could ? THE BEF !
If the Germans hadn't been so stupid to let them escape, the war would have been over by Christmas 1940.
, in reply to message 7.
Posted by countvillars (U2316644) on Wednesday, 7th December 2005
Ungrateful ?
Because France said invading Iraq wasn't such a good idea ? It should be pretty obvious by now that we were right.
A good advice by an old friend, taken in offence, I would say .
Ungrateful ?
Because France said invading Iraq wasn't such a good idea ? It should be pretty obvious by now that we were right.
A good advice by an old friend, taken in offence, I would say .Ìý
countvillars: I agree with you completely. My best friend is someone who will tell me what they consider to be the truth, even if it isn't what I want to hear.
I don't want to offend anyone, but in the spring of 1940 if there had even been a 100 meter wide road connecting France and England, Germany would have been in London by August.
, in reply to message 18.
Posted by Plancenoit (U1237957) on Wednesday, 7th December 2005
There was no-one to stop them in Kent. Just my old Granny and a bag of potatoes. Some mihjt say that was enough, if you'd known her.
Count,
Ungrateful ?
Because France said invading Iraq wasn't such a good idea ? It should be pretty obvious by now that we were right.
A good advice by an old friend, taken in offence, I would say .Ìý
I think they were being sarcastic!
Everyone seems to have forgotten that France under Napolean all but ruled Europe for a good few years. There were only a few nations that he did not defeat or have a treaty in favourable French terms. The period from c1788 to 1815 was not one long war but a series of wars so in effect France did win some wars then.
Then there was the 100 years' war - between England and France, and NOT between Britain and France as someone else mentioned.
Oh yeah, and the First World War - France had a far larger army on the Western Front than the BEF - something a lot of Brits forget.
The French may not have won any wars on their own apart from napoleons campaigns even though in some they were using troops from conquered armies.
But merely the Battle of Verdun in 1916 deserves some recognitiopn surely. It may not have won the war, but they deserve credit for that!
Talking of countries that haven't done anything on their own, what about the USA. Even the war of independence had french support.
Only Grenada I think was a truly US war. Well apart from the US civil war but even then both sides wanted french and British help.
You are forgetting the Mexican War of Alamo fame and the 1812 invasion of Canada
, in reply to message 23.
Posted by marduk-slayer of tiamat (U2258525) on Thursday, 8th December 2005
the mexican war was against spaniards. that eplains why they won. the canada war i dont know anythin about
How about Capitaine D'Anjou, I think it was, who led about 15 French Foreign legionnaires in a bayonet charge against 3,000 Mexicans at Camerone. Did anyone get the final score......???
, in reply to message 24.
Posted by PaulRyckier (U1753522) on Thursday, 8th December 2005
Marduk,
now I see it isn't you Gilgamesh.
Kind regards again.
On the first day of the Somme, the French achieved their objectives.
I would hardly count Verdun as a victory - both sides just fed men into the slaughterhouse until the Germans blinked first.
They were far better organised in the Crimea than the Brits, as well.
They were there for Desert Storm as well but its more pleasing to think about Blenheim, Quebec, Cadiz, Trafalgar, Salamanca, Waterloo, the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1, Sedan.
There's also French Indo-China but that was almost unwinnable and WW1 battles like the Nivelle Offensive of 1917 but they are just tragic, like the British attacks up to 1918.
This thread reminded me of an old joke.
Why are the boulevards of Paris lined with tree?
So the Germans can march in the shade.
Boom, boom!
, in reply to message 28.
Posted by marduk-slayer of tiamat (U2258525) on Friday, 9th December 2005
lol
Just can't resist making the point that their greatest naval victory was sinking the Rainbow WarriorÌý
Thats funny. 5 Stars
the mexican war was against spaniards. that eplains why they won. the canada war i dont know anythin aboutÌý
"The Mexican" war was against Mexicans. Mexicans are not Spaniards. They are mostly Native with some Spanish ancestry, and BTW they are also major ass kickers. They sent the French army (to include the Foreign Legion) hauling ass for the French fleet.
Cheerz
You are forgetting the Mexican War of Alamo fame and the 1812 invasion of CanadaÌý
Elistan,
Texas was not a part of the United States during the Alamo. In fact we were an independent country prior to joining the Union.
Have you by chance done any research on the Irish involvement in the war of 1812, you may find it interesting, but then again you probably know all this already.
Cheerz, Matt.
Generally, the French seems to have done pretty well except on those occasions when they came up against a British opponent. In the 1700s it was Marlborough, then 100 years later Wellington repeated the trick.
I believe the last time the French won a major battle against a British army was in 1745, at the battle of Fontenoy. After that, they had some minor victories in America in the 1750s until Wolfe finally beat them at Quebec.
The Germans were a bit of a problem in the 20th century but of course it was the French who ended up on the winning side. In 1940 the French army was widely considered the best in the world - the German victory that year was a shock result, caused by Allied generals' slow response to unfamiliar German tactics.
, in reply to message 33.
Posted by marduk-slayer of tiamat (U2258525) on Monday, 12th December 2005
the french where on the winning side, true, but they were getting the smack-down laid upon them (admittedly, not so much in ww1)
They were only considered to be a winning opponent because of Churchill's insistence that they be considered a major power to balance against the Soviets. Stalin or Roosevelt never took De Gaulle or any Free French leaders that seriously.
, in reply to message 35.
Posted by marduk-slayer of tiamat (U2258525) on Monday, 12th December 2005
kinda like how the british have never taken them seriously! lol
Right Gaiseric, to tell you the truth I was always wondering what type of "behind-the-curtains" games were played and France collapsed so easily till a specialist I know added on the top of that the early German "war machine" was down to the basics... crap... noway near the descriptions "quality weapons" and "super technology": these came only after late 1943 only when Germans were actually losing! It was the French that had many of the best weapons of the time (and studying them the Germans often improved their own ones in newer editions).
Now if France had quality weapons and arguably the best army then how it fell so easily... Even if the Germans made the circle the French could still put a blind on their eyes, say goodbuy to Paris forever and then send their bulk of the army to sweep north and south into West, East Germany and reach Russia to say a "dobre den" to the comrades! Afterall didn't the French know who was Scipio? tsk tsk tsk
PS: For those who forget Scipio 'Africanus' was the famous Roman military leader that instead of running to meet the advancing Hannibal (who was threatening directly the city of Rome itself) he took the bulk of the Roman army, passed it with ships on Africa, sieged the weakly defended Carthage, enterred in and destroyed it to the last stone! Its a good-old practice that very often if not always works!
sorry fot blind and goodbuy... hahaha... amazing! Still French are unforgivable, they put the world in so much trouble cos they were bored to solve the problem of the Nazi offensive themselves.
sorry for fot...
PS:AZERTY=french keybord, you have to think it in otherways!
, in reply to message 37.
Posted by marduk-slayer of tiamat (U2258525) on Monday, 12th December 2005
you seem to be forgetting, the romans and french are wolds apart, the romans are italians, the french are the only people to be beat by yhte italians in more than 2 major wars in history!
6+1 doesn't equal 6 gears.
, in reply to message 18.
Posted by EdUndercover (U1944162) on Thursday, 15th December 2005
Ungrateful ?
Because France said invading Iraq wasn't such a good idea ? It should be pretty obvious by now that we were right.
A good advice by an old friend, taken in offence, I would say .Ìý
countvillars: I agree with you completely. My best friend is someone who will tell me what they consider to be the truth, even if it isn't what I want to hear.
I don't want to offend anyone, but in the spring of 1940 if there had even been a 100 meter wide road connecting France and England, Germany would have been in London by August.Ìý
If the UK had been joined to Europe by land in 1940, it would have had a much smaller navy and a much bigger army to face the Germans - so you don't know what the outcome against the Germans would have been.
Or they could have just detonated a bomb in this road, wrecked the road and pounded it with Artillary continuously.
Nikolaos
Battle of Zama was fought 202 BC,ending the second Punic war.
Chartago was destroyed in the third Punic war 146 BC.Scipio Africanus had then been dead for 37 years,and had consequently nothing to do with the destruction of Chartago,furthermore did he before Zama fight the Chartagians in Spain and not in Italy.
Hasse
blatant mistake Hasseth... I saw it later also... I am no specialist on Punic wars and that is why I was left with the notion that Romans had taken the war to Africa while Hannibal was still alive... sorry... but then the paradigm of hitting back this way exists: Byzantines for example were not so anxious running to go meet the invaders... they were doing circles, sending troops in the back of the enemy and hitting their unprotected homes or bases, thus demoralising them then they would at last meet them and 'punish' them for the invasion thus showing some sense of 'punishment' for 'crimes' against the empire, but mind you all the loot was going for the emperor and only a small percentage back to the people!!! Double the benefits!!!
Britain was not conquored by the French in 1066. Norman means Northmen. Desendants of Vikings
Fred
, in reply to message 11.
Posted by Grumpyfred (U2228930) on Thursday, 15th December 2005
Sorry, you are thinking of the Italian tanks. The French W. W. 2 tanks were quite good, only used (As were the British)wrong So good in fact, that those that were captured, were taken up by the Germans.
Fred
, in reply to message 45.
Posted by marduk-slayer of tiamat (U2258525) on Friday, 16th December 2005
blatant mistake Hasseth... I saw it later also... I am no specialist on Punic wars and that is why I was left with the notion that Romans had taken the war to Africa while Hannibal was still alive... sorry... but then the paradigm of hitting back this way exists: Byzantines for example were not so anxious running to go meet the invaders... they were doing circles, sending troops in the back of the enemy and hitting their unprotected homes or bases, thus demoralising them then they would at last meet them and 'punish' them for the invasion thus showing some sense of 'punishment' for 'crimes' against the empire, but mind you all the loot was going for the emperor and only a small percentage back to the people!!! Double the benefits!!!Ìý
the eastern roman empire could afford to get round the back though, wasnt as much of a risk as scipio doin it was-i mean, the eastern romans had constantinople, which was impenetrable to anything which didnt rely on treachery or open gates to get in
, in reply to message 48.
Posted by Plancenoit (U1237957) on Saturday, 17th December 2005
How about Vercingetorix, (is that how you spell it??) he was a Gaul/French and had a few victories. I know he eventually got hammered, but does he count towards French victories?? Sorry if he's already been mentioned, only had time to skim through previous postings.
Actually, yes they have won their fair share of wars.
But that brings up another, equally serious, question:
Do english people ever brush their teeth?
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