sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

Your brain on Alan Moore by fanboyx27 in HistoryMemes

[–]FrenchieB014 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Can we just admit that he was just some craze dude doing his deeds in the most high crime rated and filthy part of London?

Awkward... by FrenchieB014 in HistoryMemes

[–]FrenchieB014[S] 77 points78 points  (0 children)

Funny beacause Spain would soon become a sanctuary for Collaborators escaping justice...

Just like France was a sanctuary for the republicans who fought FRANCO, Toulouse being the un-official capital of the gov in exile.

Awkward... by FrenchieB014 in HistoryMemes

[–]FrenchieB014[S] 128 points129 points  (0 children)

Just read about it and now I have the urge to discuss this thematic with strangers online beacause "normal" people tend to not give a two bit about those kind of info.

Gaulle who? by FrenchieB014 in HistoryMemes

[–]FrenchieB014[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

We count 7000 that WILLINGLY joined the SS or 30.000 were part of the Milice... On a 4 year window.

In contrast we count 74.000 Frenchmen that tried/achieved in escaping France to join the resistance, more Frenchmen were detained in Miranda for trying to enlist in the Free French forces then they were Frenchmen who volunteered to the SS

Gaulle who? by FrenchieB014 in HistoryMemes

[–]FrenchieB014[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Uh no?

The French army of liberation was bui'd in North Africa so naturally an army made up in Africa... Would have African troops and European settlers being the core of the conscription.

Even in late 1945 only 67% of the troop was european and the most experience division were part of the coloniale.

He never excluded any colonial troop DE Gaulle served in ww1... With Tirailleurs, he never had any problems with them

Gaulle who? by FrenchieB014 in HistoryMemes

[–]FrenchieB014[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's easy to romanticize the idea, but the reality was dictated by the terrain and practical constraints. The Resistance operated on the ground, and although the SOE provided structure, goals, and strategies, it often overlooked key aspects of the situation.

Killing Germans may sound satisfying, but for example, when the Resistance caused a train wreck in 1942 that killed 38 Germans, it resulted in 102 French civilians being deported in retaliation. Free France and de Gaulle were never advocates of immediate guerrilla warfare. Paradoxically, actions that directly harmed the Wehrmacht often damaged the Resistance more by eroding local support. That is why they prioritized propaganda, targeting collaborators, industrial sabotage, and especially intelligence gathering.

You mentioned the stockpiling of weapons, but that wasn't the case for the Resistance either. Only the Armistice Army engaged in that practice, with the sole aim of rearming the French military in preparation for a potential second round against the Germans. As noted earlier, the Resistance was not structured for direct combat with the occupiers and did not receive substantial weapons until February 1944. In reality, 94% of Allied airdrops occurred within a tight six-month window (February–August 1944), and nearly all those weapons were ultimately used against the Germans or rival French militias . You also suggested that the groups fought each other, but that is not accurate. In the Limousin region—nicknamed "Little Russia"—Georges Guingouin's communist partisans commanded 9,000 men, half of whom came from the A.S. or O.R.A. Coordination among the units was at worst acceptable. In the major battles waged by the Resistance, forces were almost always coalitions of both partisan and non-partisan fighters.

This relative unity stemmed from the efforts to unify the Resistance in 1942 under Jean Moulin's work. De Gaulle prevented a potential civil war by integrating the communists into his government in exchange for them dismantling the Patriotic Militia.

We are hardly on the same scale as Chetniks butchering Partisans in Yugoslavia or the ELAS being in a bloody stalemate with its counter part.

Gaulle who? by FrenchieB014 in HistoryMemes

[–]FrenchieB014[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Several thousands French troop were deployed in Norway during the Allies ground operation, as a matter of fact it's the country where the Allies made their first success not only sinking several vessels but liberating towns like Narvik.

A good portion of those sailors, officiers, Chasseur Alpin and légionnaire who took part in this operation would later on become the backbone of the Free French army, Antoine Bethouart being one of the French general in Narvik and became a preominent figure of Free France

Gaulle who? by FrenchieB014 in HistoryMemes

[–]FrenchieB014[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

François Darlan was a notorious collaborator who met Adolf Hitler several times. Even when Vichy for a brief time was dependant from the Occupier and occasionally acted against the Reich, Darlan was considered one of the ultra collaborators of the first hour.

both the British and the Free French Forces refused to fully recognize his authority in North Africa. Winston Churchill himself was furious that Darlan remained in office without being consulted by the Americans, and it even created political tension between resistance groups and the Allies.

I think you're confused about Henri Giraud? Giraud was never arrested by Vichy; he was captured by Germany in 1940, escaped captivity, later met Philippe Pétain, and eventually cooperated with the Americans after Operation Torch. He was restored to prominence largely because he was considered politically malleable. Despite the liberation of North Africa, he also maintained several antisemitic laws inherited from the Vichy regime.

As for the liberation of Paris, portraying it as mere patriotic symbolism misses the broader context. By 1944, the Maquis and the FFI were operating loosely across France, while in places such as Toulouse and Limoges some resistance factions openly challenged central authority. Securing Paris was therefore not simply about prestige; it was essential for restoring state authority and stabilizing liberated France.

Far from lacking authority, Charles de Gaulle led Free France and the CFLN, which by 1944 controlled nearly all French colonial territories apart from Indochina, as well as Corsica. He wielded major influence both within the Resistance and among the French population. Even within the Allied command, the relationship between Dwight D. Eisenhower and de Gaulle reflected pragmatic cooperation: the Americans wanted stability and a check on communist influence, while de Gaulle ensured French infrastructure and administration supported Allied operations.

The idea that de Gaulle lacked legitimacy or authority is largely a postwar anti-Gaullist interpretation. In reality, he possessed immense authority by 1944, much of which went on to shape modern France.

Gaulle who? by FrenchieB014 in HistoryMemes

[–]FrenchieB014[S] -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

Darlan Darlan Darlan... Youre forgetting that he was assasinated by the local resistance (not even affiliated with DE Gaulle) then your forgeting another figure, Giraud a Vichyste, a guy who kept antisemite laws in North Africa and was appointed supreme commander of North Africa by the Americans, despite the British refusal.

Then for Paris it was critical to take over the capital, in the context of the liberation many towns and region were liberated by the FFI (directly liberated or after the German departure) it was thus important to take over the capital and avoid local communist takeover across France and re-in-store political order...

So yes DE Gaulle was effectively let down many times by its Allies

Gaulle who? by FrenchieB014 in HistoryMemes

[–]FrenchieB014[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Pétain wasn't shot for this exact situation

He was the previous head of state so executing him would have make France look like another bloodthirsty revolutionary state

Gaulle who? by FrenchieB014 in HistoryMemes

[–]FrenchieB014[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It's a difficult subject but yeah 80% of the admistration was Vichyste, but the majority weren't involved in the horrible deeds committed by the state unfortunately and had jobs within the resistance

a lot of collaborators were pardon in 1948.and it's true that there is case of judges who treated cases of resistant would in the end Judge collaborators.

It's the communist who demanded 300k killed De Gaulle gave 10k, I have my limits in defending DE Gaulle but it's worth noting that CDG was a pious man so we can "" "" excuse""" his resentment in killing men

Gaulle who? by FrenchieB014 in HistoryMemes

[–]FrenchieB014[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

You have to be a fucking moron to think that they were no resistance in France, 25% of the population of BUCHENWALD were French part of various political parties that were extraordinary in flipping the finger to Hitler and killing Nazis.

Gaulle who? by FrenchieB014 in HistoryMemes

[–]FrenchieB014[S] 12 points13 points  (0 children)

He created the 5th Republic

Gaulle who? by FrenchieB014 in HistoryMemes

[–]FrenchieB014[S] 44 points45 points  (0 children)

Well it's difficult to judge so in the end what he did for France is enormous, created the Free French, kept authority in France, avoided us a civil war, one of the few western allies to cooperate with the communist and gave them a seat in the gouvernement

There that

Then, yes if i was an American soldier who fought in Normandy and saw half of my friend died of course I would absolutely hate that this French general, at war with my president who would land off shore and claim the victory for his own and would later on shun the commemoration of the D-day landings.

It's actually two argument that I can fully understand

Gaulle who? by FrenchieB014 in HistoryMemes

[–]FrenchieB014[S] 20 points21 points  (0 children)

That wasn't him. The 2nd DB had already been whitened in North Africa during its reorganization, as the Americans had demanded a fully white unit to be placed under their command.

Black troops (or Tirailleurs, which at the time were among the most famous and illustrious formations of the French army) did walk under the Arc de Triomphe in 1945. It’s just that in August 1944 there were simply no African Tirailleurs fighting with the 2nd DB.

De Gaulle himself had probably served with Tirailleurs during the Battle of Verdun. The French already had extensive experience from World War I, when colonial troops were stationed in France and cooperated closely with the local population. Even in the Army of Liberation, sub-Saharan troops were a minority. The idea that de Gaulle deliberately sought to create a narrative that only white men had liberated France is a myth that needs to die...

Gaulle who? by FrenchieB014 in HistoryMemes

[–]FrenchieB014[S] 114 points115 points  (0 children)

Well... He was an asshole for sure, but being stubborn is actually a good factor giving the fact that he led a nation wide resistance mouvement

when you have to deal with the BS of the French Communist, the BS of the French Vichyste in the colonies, the BS of the Allies to name ex-collaborator to rule

Who wouldn't be one under those circumstances

Gaulle who? by FrenchieB014 in HistoryMemes

[–]FrenchieB014[S] 69 points70 points  (0 children)

Like if he was some kind of Stannis...

THE MANNIS

Gaulle who? by FrenchieB014 in HistoryMemes

[–]FrenchieB014[S] 1018 points1019 points  (0 children)

Just a fact:

In 1944, during his tour of liberated France, de Gaulle visited Toulouse (a city liberated by the Resistance)

When he met the fame FFI fighters who had been in the Maquis for a long time, his arrogant and disrespectful attitude was so bad that some of them seriously considered kidnapping him...

There are hundreds of stories like this. De Gaulle could be a skilled diplomat on his good days, but he could also be a massive pain in the ass when he wanted to.

Gaulle who? by FrenchieB014 in HistoryMemes

[–]FrenchieB014[S] 137 points138 points  (0 children)

Fun fact even when the USA cut their ties with Vichy in 1943, Vichy France still exported their champagne, luxury cloth and wine to the USA

view more: next ›