French, English & cowardice

[chrisrob]

My knowledge of history and battles is extremely poor and my wife's is great. However, she ascertains the French are reputedly great cowards for just giving up in wars (eg WW2) and letting others rescue them.
I'm sure I heard somewhere recently that actually, historically speaking, they have been braver than us and we were the cowards that used to just give up?
Can anyone give me any thoughts? Or am I just talking a load of cobblers?

[VHG]

For your answer

1) Go into google.co.uk

2) Type french military victories

3) Press the "I'm feeling luck" button

[heathfield]

Excellent response, VHG!! Alternatively...

[mrs_overall]

Q. What is the shortest book in the world?

A. The Book of French Military Victories


Cheese eating surrender monkeys!

[Lil O'lady]

Verdun, mes braves.
Pour la patrie.

[123everton]

They did'nt win at Verdun, at best it was a draw.
The French mutineed to avoid going on the offensive, and the Germans had to move their troops because of a separate little skirmish that was developing further down their line at the Somme.
It's one of history's more overlooked facts that the Somme was prosecuted in order to keep the French in the field.

[Segilla]

There's a joke about the French and war - something like we are always there when they need us, but far more subtle.

[cris r]

Are the French cowards? No. It takes courage to even go near a battlefield and many brave French men and women died as part of the resistance in WW2. Are they rubbish at war? Yes. Aside from Algeria I cant recall a single military campaign of theirs that did not end in defeat. SInce they have always traditionally been well equipped (in WW2 their equipment, including tanks and artillary was far superior to Britains) then it is either the conceptual (tactics) or the moral (will to fight) componants of their military that has always fallen short. I would suggest probably a bit of both. In WW2 the French Generals proved themselves to be arrogant and incompetant, failing repeatedly to muster their forces into battle at critical stages of the German invasion, this, coupled with the capitulation of thousands of their troops led to their eventual defeat. Many thousands of French troops continued to fight on despite the debacle that has permitted the invasion to take place in the first place. It was French forces that formed the final perimeter around Dunkirk allowing French and British Forces to embark to safety. So not cowardice, incompetance and lack of discipline I think.

[chrisrob]

Thanks cris r. At last a sensible response.