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2004-05-15 Iraq-Jordan

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Posted by Steve White 2004-05-15 12:28:02 AM|| || Front Page|| [11130 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 Maybe Barnier is awaiting a translation of Colin Powell's statement. He doesn't seem to be picking up the gist of what Colin has repeatedly said. I am begining to wonder how large the downside is to just letting Putin have the joint. As long as we aren't funding the French rebuild, the Iraqis can do whatever they want.

Posted by Super Hose 2004-05-15 4:02:42 AM|| 2004-05-15 4:02:42 AM|| Front Page Top

#2 Man, I am so hoping that we can stick it to the French some day. The sooner, the better, too.

Posted by Infidel Bob 2004-05-15 9:08:30 AM|| 2004-05-15 9:08:30 AM|| Front Page Top

#3 Of course, in one way, I guess we are sticking it to them. The louder they shout, the louder we don't listen.

Posted by Infidel Bob 2004-05-15 10:13:53 AM|| 2004-05-15 10:13:53 AM|| Front Page Top

#4 The best response to this is a VIGOROUS and completely public investigation of the Oil for Food program. A public airing of French greed, graft, and perfidy is certainly in order.

I'm not sure how welcome the French would be in Iraq if the Iraqis knew how much Saddam paid the French to help him loot their country and oppress them.

As for French troops, with the exception of the Germans in the Foreign Legion, they haven't been worth much since Napoleon. Leave them at home to deal with the coming Islamic uprising in France.

Posted by RWV 2004-05-15 10:59:09 AM|| 2004-05-15 10:59:09 AM|| Front Page Top

#5 RWV

I suggest you look at http://www.war1418.com/battleverdun/

and at this picture

http://www.war1418.com/battleverdun/battleverdun66/foto-aanval01.jpg

Then shut up.

And for your info a number of Legionnaires are French on false names. And _all_ officers are French. Do you really think it is the privates who lead officers into battle?

Posted by JFM 2004-05-15 12:58:23 PM|| 2004-05-15 12:58:23 PM|| Front Page Top

#6 JFM, I am well aware of the French armies' performance in WWI, particularly the action at Fort Vaux at Verdun. They fought well but only the Germans advancing beyond their plan and the German High Command's intent to bleed the French white at Verdun kept them from overrunning the place in the initial attack. Also, shortly after this was the time when the French pulled divisions out of the line for "cowardice" and shot every tent man "pour encourager les autres."

Individual soldiers may have fought well, but the French Army has been a disaster for a long time.

Posted by RWV 2004-05-15 1:24:30 PM|| 2004-05-15 1:24:30 PM|| Front Page Top

#7 Every tenth man. Sorry about that. The inflexibility of the French officer corps was one of the main reasons the French were bled white in the First War. For every one like Petain, there were a dozen like Foch. They had absolutely no qualms about sending their troops into the grinder.

JFM, if you like pictures of WWI, try Andy Simpson's "Hot Blood & Cold Steel: Life & Death in the Trenches of the First World War"

Posted by RWV 2004-05-15 1:39:24 PM|| 2004-05-15 1:39:24 PM|| Front Page Top

#8 Are you talking about the mutinies consecutive to the Nivelle offensives? The tropps rebelled because they were tired of how lazy generals were sacrifying them, generals were never held accountable and who didn't care about soldiers lives. Foch told "I have two hundred thousand men to spend". That was the kind of things who pushed the French soldiers to mutiny. And of course the high generals reacted by calling them cowards as this diverted the responsibilities from them.

Now the Nivelle mutinies were suffocated by Petain who sent only less than fifty men to the firing squad. (This, and his handling of Verdun made Petain immensely popular as the only general who cared for the troops, you can't understand Vichy without thinking in veteran's veneration of Petain). Another point is that the mutinies ended when the Germans tried to take advantage of them through an offensive. As told by a French WWI soldier "Wars are made to be won" and the mutineers were not willing to let the Germans win this one.

Posted by JFM 2004-05-15 1:48:54 PM|| 2004-05-15 1:48:54 PM|| Front Page Top

#9 I am going to sit down and audit this class in WWI history.

Posted by badanov 2004-05-15 1:54:10 PM|| [http://www.rkka.org] 2004-05-15 1:54:10 PM|| Front Page Top

#10 Hmm... just in time. The frogs still got fight.

Posted by BJ Pershing 2004-05-15 2:41:50 PM|| 2004-05-15 2:41:50 PM|| Front Page Top

#11 Truce, JFM. One of my favorite stories as a young man was La Chanson de Roland. My people left France in 1066 and returned only sporadically thereafter. The French fighting man has always acquitted himself well but has had to endure indifferent leadership.

Posted by RWV 2004-05-15 3:37:24 PM|| 2004-05-15 3:37:24 PM|| Front Page Top

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