Landing in France

[Swoop]

Unless you took part in the actual liberation of Holland why would you ask that question?

Simple.  Because I'm an arrogant, argumentative ****** who got a perverse pleasure out of seeing the steam come out of a Dutchman's ears.

The same reason I took every opportunity to point out Holland has nothing whatsoever, it's a marsh that no other country wanted in the first place.  Although that last one is more of a compliment, considering the country has no natural resources (seriously, there are no natural sources of stone, ore or even wood in the whole country) they managed to build a massive trade empire out of.....well, tulips as far as I can tell.  That's pretty good going really.

[SFRT - Frenchy]

  Those French jokes are always pretty funny, saddly general lack of education made "average Joe" spread them as facts.  


- French Participation  

177 French landed Sword on June 6 at dawn. They were with the British troops during all the engagement and went to support the English parachutists at the beginning of the afternoon. French crews of strategic bombers took part in the bombardments during D-Day and the battle of Normandy. Free France Warships took part in the bombardment of the coast on June 6, 1944 and supplied the landed troops in the days which followed. Ten French soldiers were parachuted over Brittany to carry out sabotage actions.

It is obviously necessary to tell about the actions of the French resistance which made it possible to disturb the German transmissions so as the arrivals of German reinforcements. The role of the French Resistance was essential to win the battle of Normandy, according to Eisenhower.

http://www.dday-overlord.com/eng/summary_dday.htm

[ozrocker]

The Resistance was vital to many ops in WW2, especially Overlord. It's never been said otherwise, just historically France has well how you say? Capitulated to most anyone.

                                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                                    Oz

[SFRT - Frenchy]

If that were true, we'd probably not have an history of France for the last 2,000+ year. We lost many battles, few wars. 

[danny76]

France was overrun just like Poland, The Netherlands, and Belgium. Yet nobody jokes about them. The British Army was even there fighting along with the French military, together they couldn't stop the German Army. Even Russia was knocked back on it's heels saved only by the fact that their country was so vast and had a population so large that the German wave eventually spent itself in futility.

I was reading this and just waiting for the "until the US bailed everyone out".

In actual fact the estimated French death toll was closer to 600'000, the British 388'000, the U.S 400'000, which in actual fact pales woefully into insignificance against the Polish deaths of 5.8 million, the Chinese deaths of 10 million, and most shockingly the Soviet deaths of 20 million.

The germans lost 4.8 million, and the Japanes 2.35 million, the total 48 million 238 thousand 700 lives were estimated lost in WW2

Numbers just to gigantic, and completely humbling to comprehend

[USRanger]

Man, it's just unfathomable to think of a death toll in the millions.  Just couldn't imagine.

[danny76]

Man, it's just unfathomable to think of a death toll in the millions.  Just couldn't imagine.

I agree and apologise for being a little sarcastic in the post, I was shocked despite researching WW2 for years, my wife didn't believe me until i showed her the evidence.

Like i said, absolutely humbling.