French/German-bashing and war propaganda crap in this section of the board? Isn't the "Free Fire Zone"" a more adequate place to discuss such silly stuff? Cheers,
Too bloody true unless you want the hundreds of similar silly stuff on USA I could find in just a few minutes of searching. Keep it on free fire.
I'm not bashing France. I find it very sad that they are going to write one paragraph in the history book about Omaha. Think about, thousands of Brits and American solders lost their life for what. One paragraph?
I agree with VYACHESLAV. French pupils should know what the Allies did when they liberated their country and how many sons died on those foreign beaches. Jet
You are bashing France, the original, post was relevant the cartoons were not they were just a lets have a go simple. As to one paragraph on Omaha, dont worry too much, we have similar problems and I aint happy either, that my sons end of school history for his GCSE is to be based on Apartheid South Africa and the wild west of the USA, now that is irrelevant. But Ill hold the insults on South Africa... Why not post some anti UK cartoons as well as the kids in our schools dont even get a paragraph on Omaha in their history sylabus for the next two years or for that matter UK involvement.
To make comments like this shows that you yourself have little grasp of history; and as one who lives in France I do find this quite offensive. In WW1 alone the French suffered more than 1.4 million war dead (twice as many as Britain, with both countries having a similar population); France as a Nation has never really recovered from this. And as for giving Omaha one paragraph; many of your fellow Americans regularly email me via my website not even knowing one sentence about D Day; ignorance knows now national boundary.
Of course you do. I really don't get it. So the "Omaha" LZ is mentioned only once in a french history book. Dunna know about Juno, Gold etc. but what is the current PC qouta for mentioning "omaha" right now?four, five , 99+ times? Guess the French tried to write a history book and not a Monty Pyton sketch. But maybe I'm the only one around who always feels a bitter taste in his mouth, when the U.S. Normandy deaths are dragged out of thier graves to serve a political purpose, in this case "pro bellum". To me it's almost shameless to "utilize" those G.I.'s. Sure none of them liked to be killed, but their country sent them there and they fell. May they rest in peace and their gravestones be a signal for peace in the future. But the French certainly don't need a lesson about sacrify and war deaths. Look at Verdun and a couple dozen other cemetries filed with millions of their sons. Maybe that is one of the reason why war isn't very popular here in the "old Europe": Our soil is literally crowded with soldiers lying in mass graves all over Europe. Those 9,387 U.S. soldiers lying at the Normandy American Cemetery are not priviliged or "first class" war deaths. At least not to me. Cheers, [ 01. March 2003, 10:30 AM: Message edited by: AndyW ]
In addition to and related to that, the History of France (and Europe) is a HECK of alot longer than the 225 years of the US. Our history is the revolution....the civilwar....WWII....and we have a heck of alot less to fit in to our classes. Basically, we have less history. Besides, if the French weren't keeping the british busy, they could have devoted all of those redcoats to the colonies. You ever read about that in a US history textbook?
First, the new history books in high schools include all developments of wars and major battles. The US Hisory books have a chapter dedicated to France, the literature books have chapters dedicated to france.
To Andy W Well, it wasn't American fault that European nations cannot live together. From a 100 year war to Napoleon and to both World War's it seems European nations cannot fight each other for more then a hundred years. Look how many Russians died in World War I and II. They don't say anything but their numbers are nothing compare to German and French add together. Heck, russian are still fighting today in chechnia and everyday their solders are ambushed by muslim rebels.
Okay, then write something that most of the world does not know. Like how French and its Allies gassed would give gas to White Army and they would gas the Red Army. Wouldn't that be to shamefull to put? I mean all French wanted to do is to open a second front. 1.4 million war dead is not a lot because France is on the border of Germany. How many Slavs, Gypsys, and Jews were killed by Hitler alone? How many Russians were killed in World War I? More then French that's for sure.
Vyacheslav: Your last statements are simply SILLY! Sommecourt made a mistake in mentioning the French men killed during WWI, they were nearly 4.500.000 men! France did not have men after WWI! You only could see little towns crowded with women, children and old men even in the 1930s! France had not replace those dead men by 1940 and that is why they chose to play defensive! they did not want other idiotic offensives like in WWI! Are French cowards and bad fighters? I do not think so. Ask that to the 600.000 Germans killed in Verdun and the 100.000 killed at the Marne! And there are many other cases! Ask the 30.000 Russians killed in Borodino! Ask the Afrika Korps men who fought general Koening's troops or the men who faced French troops at Cassino!
None of mine did. Granted, high school was 10 years ago, but I still have my highschool books and I look through them as a joke all of the time. And to be honest, I really don't belive that "new history books in high schools include all developments of wars and major battles." My college WWII classes could not even do this for WWII alone. One paragraph for one beach head during one battle in one war in the entire history of France does not sound out of proportion to me.