Who has info about French bombarding Alies at Gibraltar and shooting at Americans during Operation Torch I need details Thank for that
See http://www.34infdiv.org/history/135inf/4210.0306.txt for a report of the Americans captured by the French at Algiers. I've seen nothing about a French attack on Gib, certainly not at the time of of Operation Torch (8-11 November 1942). Read also Rick Atkinson's "An Army at Dawn"
THANK YOU for THAT !!! I could not find it. The Gibraltar attac happened after british tried to get rid of French fleet at Oran ( 1940) but I can not find any details
Stanchev, war is a nasty business and people get hurt. The French have (or had) an old fashioned attitude towards warfare that included chivalry and honour. While I have not read anywhere of chivalry being accorded to the Nazis, certainly German troops accorded French soldiers with military honours after several engagements during the France campaign. French soldiers performed honourably and bravely in 1940 against the Germans. During the Torch invasion, French soldiers were bound by honour to do their duty. Remember, the Torch invasion was an invasion and not a liberation. France was not a combattant in 1942, having signed an armistice with Germany. Therefore the attack by the Anglo-American force was an agression of neutrality and French troops were honour bound to resist. If French forces attacked Gibraltar at that time, they were perfectly entitled to do so. No love would be lost between the French and British who have been traditional enemies since 1066- paerhaps before that. In many if not most cases, resistance was token. I have one example of a token resistance which, regretably, caused American casualties. An American company had been ordered to take a fort. The fort was held by Foreign Legion troops. The officer positioned his men carefully for an assault and then proceded to approach the fort on foot. He wanted to parlay with the commander of the fort to negotiate a surrender. He called out several times but could get no response. Finally, he fired his pistol in the air to attract somebody's attention. The reply came in a hail of rifle fire. Eventually, after a brief assault the fort was captured and some American (and French) casualties resulted from this action. After the battle the French officer explained his dilemma. He could not surrender his fort unless he had no means with which to defend it. It would be not enough to simply lock the weapons away, they would have to be unavailable if honour was to be served. Therefore he ordered all the weapons to be dropped into the well. Unfortunately the well filled up with weapons at about the time the Americans arrived. So the French troops sought another old, disused well and began disposing of their weapons therein. When the American officer fired his pistol, the fort was officially under attack and therefore the French were honour bound to defend it with the weapons at hand. They had a few rifles and a machine gun and fired until they ran out of ammunition. Honour was served. It is quaint but it is a custom that perhaps warfare should revert to. Those Fench troops could not know the crimes of Auschwitz or Malmedy to follow later. Such things were not contemplated. But French troops fought well. At Dunkirk and elsewhere they distinguished themselves. But 1940 was a long time before 1942 and 1942 was a long time before 1944. An age of innocence had passed. Let us hope that all these animosities can be resolved for the 60th VE Day memorial. World war two was a long time ago. Now, Europeans have an opportunity to live in peace for a very long time. Nationalism is an insidious threat to peace. Don't spoil it!
Agree !! You are right men don't spoil it because I dont think americans will show up their asses to fight for French again
