Thanks to our allies - updated

[KrazyHorse]

Originally posted by ZoboZeWarrior
Don't forget we have better than sinking ecologist ships :
Eat cheese, frogs and snails, drink wine, sing songs, pretending to be more cultural advanced, and do sex with person of other sex

So the typical Frenchman is an avid lover, a philosopher, a connaisseur of fine wine and fine dining, and also a hired thug who beats up on defenceless activists, but who runs away if he so much as smells Bratwurst in the air?

Sounds good to me.

[DinoDoc]

Originally posted by Alexander's Horse
We show up at all America's wars and what thanks do we get

British generals are famed for fighting to the last Australian.

[Kirnwaffen]

Actually, France fought quite valliantly (to a point) against the Germans at the start of World War II, and came close to stopping them completely on a couple of occasions.

At the beginning of the invasion of Poland, France made a very successful incursion into Germany to probe defenses. Unfortunately, The task force was, for whatever reason, ordered to pull out before they could do any real damage. By the time the French were ready to move again, German Panzer and infantry divisions had already redeployed along the border.

During the invasion of France, there was another battle at which, in conjunction with the British Expeditionary Force, the French again nearly halted the Germans. Unfortunately, name and details escape me at the moment.

[Lefty Scaevola]

Originally posted by Kirnwaffen
During the invasion of France, there was another battle at which, in conjunction with the British Expeditionary Force, the French again nearly halted the Germans. Unfortunately, name and details escape me at the moment.

Arras.

[Lefty Scaevola]

Originally posted by Alexander's Horse
We show up at all America's wars and what thanks do we get

Are you counting Mel Gibson in the American revolution, of those few Aussies who show out in the 1776 & 1812 wars, on the evil British side.

[KrazyHorse]

Kirnwaffen

Were you formerly known as Sikander, or is that entirely a product of a deranged mind?

[KrazyHorse]

Originally posted by Lefty Scaevola


Are you counting Mel Gibson in the American revolution, of those few Aussies who show out in the 1776 & 1812 wars, on the evil British side.

There were aussies in 1776? Cook only discovered the place in 1770, and IIRC there were no colonists there until the end of the century.

[Lonestar]

Originally posted by KrazyHorse




So the typical Frenchman is an avid lover, a philosopher, a connaisseur of fine wine and fine dining, and also a hired thug who beats up on defenceless activists, but who runs away if he so much as smells Bratwurst in the air?

Sounds good to me.

You forgot Nuke-testin' in the South Pacific.


Besides, anyone can blow up a Greenpeace ship. It takes a real Navy to use a Amphib to ram it, create such a huge gash it has to pull into a American port, and arrest the Captain.

[Lefty Scaevola]

Some of the naval brits who pouned our shores and ships likely spent some time there in the early exploration and colonial administration (around 1788 for settlement was it not), before or after those wars.

[Alexander's Horse]

The bark Endeavour in which Captain Cook sailed on his famous voyages of exploration now lies on the sea bottom outside Boston harbour (where it was used to enforce a naval blockade).

You bastards

[The Vagabond]

Originally posted by Lefty Scaevola
They only gave us access and transit because the expected us to get our butts kick like they did. None the less they were instrumental in allowing and supporting the campaign in northern Afghanistan, and with diplomatic efforts.

May I take this as a recognition of Russia's merits? A scanty and unwilling one, but still a recognition.

[Lefty Scaevola]

You may indeed do so, particularly in the diplomatic field, where they were one of the first to recognized the need for direct military intervention, and were essential for gaining better cooperation from India, Uzbekistan, & Tajikestan.
Edit: *slaps self after tripping over the obvious* And as Sikander points out below, Intelligence.

[Sikander]

I expected a better level of knowledge of military history from this bunch, though I'm sure many are sandbagging and taking the opportunity to troll.

Just to show how important France was as a military power in the history of Europe, I would like to point your attention to the fact that much of the military terminology currently in use in Western countries is French in origin. An example being the English / American names for army units of various sizes:

Squad
Platoon
Company
Battery
Battalion
Squadron
Regiment
Brigade
Division
Corps
Army

While the French have not been particularly successful during the last century, much of this has to do with the fact that they started most of their wars on the front lines of the battle, and they were arrayed against the more numerous and excellent German Army.

And thanks to the Russians, whose diplomatic, logistic and intelligence support has been extremely helpful.

A lot of countries have helped us, and I appreciate it. If you feel your country has been left out, speak up. You deserve to be recognized.

[KrazyHorse]

Originally posted by Sikander
I expected a better level of knowledge of military history from this bunch, though I'm sure many are sandbagging and taking the opportunity to troll

You're going to deny us our God-given right to mock the French?

Part of the problem with France's military performance in the last 500 years is that they were often on the wrong end of the pointy sticks of Europe's two wunderkind: England, and more recently Germany. The Napoleonic wars were examples of what France could do if unified, an advantage it often lacked. Even the supposedly great king of France Louis XIV lost all but one of the half-dozen wars he engaged in.

[Case]

Originally posted by Alexander's Horse
We show up at all America's wars and what thanks do we get

Why, America will save us when Indonesia invades

In fairness, the Australian governments of the day did beg the US for permission to send Australians to Vietnam and the Gulf, and I wouldn't be at all surprised if Howard has done the same in Afganistan.