French Fighting ability - Page 4

Arsenal vg-33 · 31-01-2008, 02:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 4th wilts

i am in no way calling french cowards.do you think the maginot line made france complacent at all,from the government down to the generals and so on.yours,lee.

Well, we should keep in mind that the Maginot Line, as originally planned, was essentially incomplete. I think it made the French high commanders more over-confident rather than complacent.

4th wilts · 31-01-2008, 02:10 PM

i am noot privy to the complete plans for maginot,but i dont understand why they never fortified the belgian border too.yours,lee.

kfz · 31-01-2008, 02:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 4th wilts

i am noot privy to the complete plans for maginot,but i dont understand why they never fortified the belgian border too.yours,lee.

The ofiicial line is that the ground was too soft and the water table too high for such a large underground stucture. If you bewleive that or not??

Poltical maytbe. At the time Belgium was very much of the Allies making, building a large fortification on the doorstep either shows little faith in your ally or is just plain rude??

Kev

Owen · 31-01-2008, 02:34 PM

Belgium was neutral not an ally.
France had to hope Germany respected that.
Germany didn't.
Only then did Belguim become an ally.

4th wilts · 31-01-2008, 03:43 PM

the french should have known about hitlers ambitions,perhaps they did,but it seems to me a blunder of the highest order not to fortify the belgian border.yours,lee.

Gotthard Heinrici · 31-01-2008, 03:48 PM

Well the actual blunder was building the line in the first place imho. It engendered a defensive mindedness that the French could not shake off once war had started.

4th wilts · 31-01-2008, 04:05 PM

so getting back to the question about french fighting,do you think this defensive mindness was a factor in the battle of france,certainly in the high command,but also running down the military ladder.yours,lee.

Paul Reed · 31-01-2008, 10:02 PM

To be accurate, the Belgian border was fortified. It had a complex, and numerous series of bunkers, plus minefields, anti-tank rails, barbed wire and much else. The fact that it was "un-fortified" is one of the myths of the Maginot Line. However, it can certainly be argued that the defences, say, at Lille, were not the same at Fermont, Villy la Ferte or many other locations were the Maginot Line was at its strongest. The majority of these locations were never breached or conquered by the Germans.

Owen · 31-01-2008, 11:37 PM

The Belgians had their own forts around Liege, Namur and the most famous one at Eben Emael.
As Paul says most on the Maginot forts held out until the Armistice in June 1940.
The French soldiers believed as they had not surrendered they would not be classed as POWs under the trms of the Armistice.
Unfortunately for them the Germans had other ideas and carted them of to captivity.
Another term of the Armistice with German was that for the French had to make a seperate Armistice with the Italians who had attacked France very late on in June.
That upset the French as they had repulsed the Italian attacks easily.
They hadn't been defeated by Italy at all.
It was all part of Hitlers revenge on France for German humilation after WW1.

4th wilts · 01-02-2008, 04:16 PM

i seen an australian bloke on t.v some time ago,who was a f.o.o.he won a v.c i think,he was fighting in syria i believe.he praised the french big time.i believe this was 1940.yours,4th wilts.

31-01-2008, 03:48 PM	#36 (permalink)
Gotthard Heinrici Ostfront is where its at! Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 3,853	Well the actual blunder was building the line in the first place imho. It engendered a defensive mindedness that the French could not shake off once war had started. __________________ *"The Eastern front is like a house of cards. If the front is broken through at one point all the rest will collapse."* - General Heinz Guderian

31-01-2008, 10:02 PM	#38 (permalink)
Paul Reed Ubique Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Kent/France Posts: 3,448	To be accurate, the Belgian border was fortified. It had a complex, and numerous series of bunkers, plus minefields, anti-tank rails, barbed wire and much else. The fact that it was "un-fortified" is one of the myths of the Maginot Line. However, it can certainly be argued that the defences, say, at Lille, were not the same at Fermont, Villy la Ferte or many other locations were the Maginot Line was at its strongest. The majority of these locations were never breached or conquered by the Germans. __________________ The WW2 Society: Remembering those from Britain & The Commonwealth who served 1939-45 - http://www.battlefieldsww2.50megs.com/ww2_society.htm

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31-01-2008, 02:10 PM	#32 (permalink)
4th wilts Discharged Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: wessex Posts: 1,032	i am noot privy to the complete plans for maginot,but i dont understand why they never fortified the belgian border too.yours,lee.

31-01-2008, 02:34 PM	#34 (permalink)
Owen Top Moose Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Under the stairs Posts: 9,306	Belgium was neutral not an ally. France had to hope Germany respected that. Germany didn't. Only then did Belguim become an ally.

31-01-2008, 03:43 PM	#35 (permalink)
4th wilts Discharged Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: wessex Posts: 1,032	the french should have known about hitlers ambitions,perhaps they did,but it seems to me a blunder of the highest order not to fortify the belgian border.yours,lee.

31-01-2008, 04:05 PM	#37 (permalink)
4th wilts Discharged Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: wessex Posts: 1,032	so getting back to the question about french fighting,do you think this defensive mindness was a factor in the battle of france,certainly in the high command,but also running down the military ladder.yours,lee.

31-01-2008, 11:37 PM	#39 (permalink)
Owen Top Moose Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Under the stairs Posts: 9,306	The Belgians had their own forts around Liege, Namur and the most famous one at Eben Emael. As Paul says most on the Maginot forts held out until the Armistice in June 1940. The French soldiers believed as they had not surrendered they would not be classed as POWs under the trms of the Armistice. Unfortunately for them the Germans had other ideas and carted them of to captivity. Another term of the Armistice with German was that for the French had to make a seperate Armistice with the Italians who had attacked France very late on in June. That upset the French as they had repulsed the Italian attacks easily. They hadn't been defeated by Italy at all. It was all part of Hitlers revenge on France for German humilation after WW1.

01-02-2008, 04:16 PM	#40 (permalink)
4th wilts Discharged Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: wessex Posts: 1,032	i seen an australian bloke on t.v some time ago,who was a f.o.o.he won a v.c i think,he was fighting in syria i believe.he praised the french big time.i believe this was 1940.yours,4th wilts.

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