I've heard the Resistance was penetrated by German counter intelligence is it true?
After the war the French really had a tough time getting back on track untill de Gaulle took over,lot of people disliked him, but i think he saved thier ass.
A lot of people belittle the French for not fighting harder WW2,but i think there were circumstances over which they had no control. The heavy casulties, Verdun,the sense less attacks, just left a cloud over thier heads, the Brits i believe had some what the same cloud, The Somme.
I believe there where too nany men who were still alive who remember those awfull trench warfare days.
French Resistance after the war
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sid guttridge
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Hi Rodger,
The Germans suffered BOTH the Somme and Verdun, so I don't think they are the root cause.
The Germans had, partly through force of circumstance, developed a means of conducting war that paralysed conventional armies of the period if they did not have strategic depth and large untapped reserves to fall back on, which could buy them time to learn from their mistakes.
The British had the English Channel to hide behind and an empire to draw on for resources. The Soviet Union had land and bodies to trade to buy time to muster its resources. The French had no strategic depth or natural obstacle to protect their metropolis.
The Free French did tap their empire for eight divisions of reasonable quality later in the war, but this did not put them back in the big league. Only de Gaulle's extreme obduracy and Soviet diplomatic manoeuvring got them a seat back at the top table, an occupation zone and a UN veto.
Cheers,
Sid
The Germans suffered BOTH the Somme and Verdun, so I don't think they are the root cause.
The Germans had, partly through force of circumstance, developed a means of conducting war that paralysed conventional armies of the period if they did not have strategic depth and large untapped reserves to fall back on, which could buy them time to learn from their mistakes.
The British had the English Channel to hide behind and an empire to draw on for resources. The Soviet Union had land and bodies to trade to buy time to muster its resources. The French had no strategic depth or natural obstacle to protect their metropolis.
The Free French did tap their empire for eight divisions of reasonable quality later in the war, but this did not put them back in the big league. Only de Gaulle's extreme obduracy and Soviet diplomatic manoeuvring got them a seat back at the top table, an occupation zone and a UN veto.
Cheers,
Sid