The French resistance was a vital part of the war effort.
Yeah, they brought fresh crousants to the Americans and Brits every morning
France's WW-II Ceremony Acompanied by Protests vs. USA
by Gerard 70 Replies latest social current
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Crazy151drinker
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Gerard
no. They [Libia] had no WoMD.
Only because Bush set up inspectors in Lybia so Gadaffi had confess to their nuclear weapons program. Does an unfinished nuclear bomb in the hands of a well know terrorist state count as WMD?
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IronGland
The Polish army was filled with very, very brave people, they were outgunned and destroyed but fought like tigers to preserve their homeland.
Indeed. And much later in the war, they once again fought bravely during the warsaw uprising while our 'ally' stalin, halted the advance of the Red Army and let them be massacred.
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roybatty
interestingly hitler pointed out in his victory speech that the polish soldiers faught bravely. the polish cavallery attack the tanks because they thought it was paper tanks used to create a diversion. no one is attacking a tank with a bayonet.
Ok, you HAVE to give me a source that states Polish calvery charged German tanks because they thought they were made from paper.
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hillary_step
IronGland,
Indeed. And much later in the war, they once again fought bravely during the warsaw uprising while our 'ally' stalin, halted the advance of the Red Army and let them be massacred.
Yes, and we must also be aware that this whole episode with led to the ruthless destruction of many Polish civilians as well as the Polich Resistance was not just a plan of Stalins but was very much a tripartite agreement with the other major Allies. Three prongs to this fork of betrayal.
Best regards - HS
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Gerard
Ok, you HAVE to give me a source that states Polish calvery charged German tanks because they thought they were made from paper.
I second that motion. I think the Poles had big cojones and went down like men.
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roybatty
Most simply accepted the occupation, a great many actively collaborated with the Germans. La Resistance was largely a postwar myth. Why the french are credited as victors and were given a postwar occupation zone in germany is beyond me.
This is totally a personal observation but when I speak with individuals from Holland who lived through the German occupation, I get more of a sense that they tried harder to resist then the French. For example, didn't civil servants in France help the German army, while in Holland they didn't?
BTW, (and I'm asking this sincerely) was there a Vichy type government in each country Germany conquered? It seems to me that the Germans didn't have too much trouble finding French individuals willing to help them. Was this true is Belgium, Holland and other nations?
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hillary_step
Realist,
interestingly hitler pointed out in his victory speech that the polish soldiers faught bravely. the polish cavallery attack the tanks because they thought it was paper tanks used to create a diversion. no one is attacking a tank with a bayonet.
Now, this depends on whose history books you read. John Toland writes in his superb work 'Hitler', that by the time the Polish lancers charged the German Tanks, the large part of its armies mechanized units and defensive artillery were in pieces and that they had nothing left to throw at the invading armies but their own bodies. Rather similar to the attacks the Poles made on Monte Cassino in which they used their own bodies to clutter the firing positions of the Germans barricaded within.
I would be most interested to read information regarding the 'wooden tank' view of this battle if you could point me to some.
Best regards - HS
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Realist
roybatty & hillary,
i did a quick google search and couldn't find a creadible source for the cardboard tank view (i heard it on a germany history program a couple of years ago). imo it does make some sense since germany used many cardboard tanks in their maneuvers which could be eliminated by cavalry. the google search revealed however that the whole incident (with or without cardboard) seems to be more of a myth generated by the german propaganda in 1939 than anything else. apparently cavalry tried to attack german infantry and got surprised by german tanks.
regarding colaboration with the germans...this existed on all sides not just in france.
that they had nothing left to throw at the invading armies but their own bodies. Rather similar to the attacks the Poles made on Monte Cassino in which they used their own bodies to clutter the firing positions of the Germans barricaded within.
that does not sound very reasonable. unless you think you have a real chance of eliminating the enemy position or you are threatened by getting killed by your own troops (such as the soviets) if you don't storm the enemy position no normal person would sacrifice themselfs in such a way.
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hillary_step
Realist,
that does not sound very reasonable. unless you think you have a real chance of eliminating the enemy position or you are threatened by getting killed by your own troops (such as the soviets) if you don't storm the enemy position no normal person would sacrifice themselfs in such a way.
It may not sound very reasonable, but that is exactly what happened. Take a trip to Monte Cassino, count the Allied graves, then count the Polish graves, you will notice an enormous difference in numbers. My father was an eye witness of these events, all three of my grandparents were slaughtered by the Germans a year before the great Battle within a shell distance of the Abbey.
The whole situation is well covered in Hapgood and Richardson's book 'Monte Cassino'. The Poles sacrificed themselves in large numbers often throwing themselves onto German machine guns in an endeavour to put them out of operation temporarily, so that they could be overrun. Such actions are not exclusive to the Poles in warfare, but the Poles certainly gained the respect of friend and foe alike in a combat situation by such extraordinary heroism.
Monte Cassino had to be virtually flattened by air strikes before the Germans, who themselves fought a heroic defense of their position, were routed.
Best regards - HS