Unknown_Enemy
Posts: 277
Joined: 9/10/2001 From: France, Paris Status: offline
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[QUOTE] [I]Posted by Bernard[/I] the French blamed everyone for failure in may-june 1940[/QUOTE] Well, the staff was blaming anyone for sure, because if they could not find some resposabilities their heads would have been on the level. [QUOTE] [I]Posted by Bernard[/I] What they don't say is [/QUOTE] huu, please, could we update to "What they didn't say is " ? Then, everybody should remember that by 1940, blitzkrieg was a new concept, neither understood in France, UK, Belgium or Holland. Neither France or UK had organised some mechanised units, all western europe was still looking for a WW1 type war. Then, let's have a closer look : - No spirit : agreed, most of french were not eager to die for the liberty of Poland. And worst, one of the more powerful political party at the time : the communist party, was strongly versus the war and despite being banned, covertly advocated peace since the beginning of war. - No tactics : wrong. They was some very good tactics, which had been learned by all high ranking officers. For instance, when the breakthrought was detected in the Ardennes, the local staff asked to chop the trees to block the roads. The answer was a very strong NO, as the road were necessary for the cavalry to attack. Indeed, the french cavalry was send on these roads, just to come back routed with the panzers hot on their tails. Brillant isn't it ? - no strategy : wrong the whole french strategy was to dig up in defense and let the enemy bleed dry on it. Which was a typical WW1 well learned lesson. Except that what was forgotten is that war are won by attacking, not only by defense. - no leader : wrong. De Gaule, Leclerc, Giraud anyone ? The only problem is that they were regarded as strange fools when war should be run by serious people. - no transmission : wrong again, transmissions were top of the line for a slow moving WW1 model. But nobody in the french (or UK) CC ever imagined they would have to deal with an enemy able to run 50 miles a day. For a complete analysys of the france battle, I would recommand the reading of "History of WW2" by Liddel Heart. Then for Montoire, it came by Petain as a Marechal, was adamant not to have the army more humiliated. Which forbid to have the government to continue the fight from the colonies. But that is another and long history.
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Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wagh'nagl fhtagn. Yaah ! Yaah ! Cthulhu fhtagn ! Cthulhu fhtagn !
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