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Last post 21 years ago by plabonte. 24 replies replies.
The Complete Military History of France
cwilhelmi Offline
#1 Posted:
Joined: 07-24-2001
Posts: 2,739
thought you'd all enjoy this....

Gallic Wars (against Rome)-- Lost. In a war whose ending foreshadows the next 2000 years of French history, France is conquered by, of all things, an Italian. --
Hundred Years War -- Mostly lost, but saved at the last moment by a schizophrenic teenaged girl who inadvertently creates the First Rule of French Warfare: "France's armies are victorious only when not led by a Frenchman."
Italian Wars-- Lost. France becomes the first and only country to ever lose two wars against the Italians.
Wars of Religion-- France goes 0-5-4 against the Huguenots.
Thirty Years War-- France is technically not a participant, but manages to get invaded anyway. Claims a tie on the basis that eventually the other participants started ignoring her.
War of Devolution-- Tied. Frenchmen take to wearing flowerpots as chapeaux.
The Dutch War -- Tied.
War of the Augsburg League/King William's War/French and Indian War -- Lost, but claimed as a tie. Three ties in a row induces deluded Francophiles the world over to label this period as the height of French military power.
War of the Spanish Succession -- Lost. This war also gave the French their first taste of a Marlborough, which they have loved ever since.
American Revolution -- In a move that will become quite familiar to future Americans, France claims a win even though the English colonists saw far more action. This is later known as the "de Gaulle Syndrome", and leads to the Second Rule of French Warfare: "France only wins when America does most of the fighting."
French Revolution -- Won, primarily due to the fact that the opponent was also French.
The Napoleonic Wars -- Lost. Temporary victories due to leadership of a Corsican (remember the First Rule!), who ended up being no match for a British footwear designer.

The Franco-Prussian War -- Lost. Germany plays the role of a drunk frat boy to France's ugly-girl-home-alone-on-a-Saturday-night.
World War I -- Tied and on the way to losing, France is saved by the United States. Thousands of French women find out what it's like to not only sleep with a winner, but with one who doesn't call her "Fraulein." Sadly, widespread use of condoms by American forces forestalls any improvement in the French bloodline.

World War II -- Lost. Conquered French liberated by the United States and Britain just as they finish learning the Horst Wessel song. --
War in Indochina -- Lost. French forces plead sickness, and take to bed with the Dien Bien Flu.
Algerian Rebellion -- Lost. This marks the first defeat of a western army by a non-Turkic Muslim force since the Crusades, and produces the First Rule of Muslim Warfare: "We can always beat the French." This rule is identical to the First Rules of the Italians, Russians, Germans, English, Dutch, Spanish, Vietnamese, and Eskimo.
War on Terrorism -- France, keeping in mind its history, surrenders to German and Muslim groups just to play it safe. Attempts to surrender to Vietnamese ambassador fail after he takes refuge in a McDonald's.
Spiny Norman Offline
#2 Posted:
Joined: 09-04-2002
Posts: 899
Funny stuff cw!
RICKAMAVEN Offline
#3 Posted:
Joined: 10-01-2000
Posts: 33,248
worth repeating this

how many frenchmen does it take to defend paris?










no one knows, it's never been tried.
xrundog Offline
#4 Posted:
Joined: 01-17-2002
Posts: 2,212
That tells you all you need to know about France!
Charlie Offline
#5 Posted:
Joined: 06-16-2002
Posts: 39,751
Like I said elsewhere, the most famous and noble feat the French have contributed to Military History would be that "The Spirit of St Louis" piloted by Charlie Lindbergh landed in Paris!

Charlie
tailgater Offline
#6 Posted:
Joined: 06-01-2000
Posts: 26,185
mmmmm....french fries...
digdug77 Offline
#7 Posted:
Joined: 11-22-2002
Posts: 56
Tailgater,

You mean "freedom Fries"???

http://www.wral.com/news/1982181/detail.html

JJ - The Imposter
plabonte Offline
#8 Posted:
Joined: 09-11-2000
Posts: 2,131
You are right Charlie. The fact that the French invented the parachute has probably had no effect on military history.
Charlie Offline
#9 Posted:
Joined: 06-16-2002
Posts: 39,751
Well, let us give the French one mark for invention of the parachute.........they had to come up with something to save a few of their pilots who kept losing dogfights in the finest French tradition!

The French salute? Both hands extended above your head pointing straight to Heaven...."viva la surrender"!

Charlie
Spiny Norman Offline
#10 Posted:
Joined: 09-04-2002
Posts: 899
A few of the French contributions to warfare.

Montgolfier (Joseph and Etienne): the hot-air balloon (1783) (The beginning of aerial warfare.)

French physicist Jean Foucault: the gyroscope (1852) (Can't stabilize rockets, torpedo's etc without it.)

Henri Deville: invented electrolysis to refine aluminum from bauxite (1852) (Lots of jets are made from that stuff)

Raymond Gaston Planté: the lead-acid battery (1860) (known to get that Hummer hummin.)

Jean J.E. Lenoir (1822-1900): the first practical internal combustion engine (The Humm in that Hummer)

Paul Cornu (1907): short flight of first helicopter prototype (Blackhawk up)

George de Mestral: the hook and loop fabric fastener system, Velcro (1941 (What all the flight suits are wearing this war.)

Emile Gagnan and Captain Jacques-Yves Cousteau: "Aqua Lung" for scuba diving (1943) (Has the US Navy "SEALS" of approval.)
DrMaddVibe Offline
#11 Posted:
Joined: 10-21-2000
Posts: 55,448
Uh...Leonardo Da Vinci invented the parachute guys.
usahog Offline
#12 Posted:
Joined: 12-06-1999
Posts: 22,691
lets go back and look at Per Capita and how many french solders lost there lives during WW1 and WW2
hell for that matter... how many per capita they commited to both wars....

Hog
DrMaddVibe Offline
#13 Posted:
Joined: 10-21-2000
Posts: 55,448
Might as well throw in Vietnam too!
plabonte Offline
#14 Posted:
Joined: 09-11-2000
Posts: 2,131
The idea of using a parachute to fall gently to the ground was written about by Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519). The first parachute was demonstrated by Louis-Sébastien Lenormand in 1783 of France
DrMaddVibe Offline
#15 Posted:
Joined: 10-21-2000
Posts: 55,448
No frog here!

http://www.parachutehistory.com/eng/drs.html
plabonte Offline
#16 Posted:
Joined: 09-11-2000
Posts: 2,131
Check here

http://www.uh.edu/engines/epi44.htm

DrMaddVibe Offline
#17 Posted:
Joined: 10-21-2000
Posts: 55,448
That's LAME!
plabonte Offline
#18 Posted:
Joined: 09-11-2000
Posts: 2,131
Lame because you were wrong?

Just because someone has an idea about an item (as it appears Leonardo did about the parachute) doesn't mean they are the inventor. You actually have to come up with a working model.

If you think otherwise please tell me who invented time travel, teleport machines, photon torpedos, and light speed space travel. After all these are all ideas that someone has come up with.
DrMaddVibe Offline
#19 Posted:
Joined: 10-21-2000
Posts: 55,448
Lame becuse it shunts HISTORY! Look at the site I posted, and not some student's webpage!
plabonte Offline
#20 Posted:
Joined: 09-11-2000
Posts: 2,131
I suggest that YOU read the website you posted.

Quote from your posted website "During the same year Sebastian Lenormand jumped from a tower using a 14-foot diameter parachute."

Which backs up my point, "The first parachute was demonstrated by Louis-Sébastien Lenormand in 1783 of France".

Like I said. It isn't an invention until it works. Until then it is just an idea.
DrMaddVibe Offline
#21 Posted:
Joined: 10-21-2000
Posts: 55,448
I can file with the patent office without ever building a thing. Next, I suppose you're gonna say that that the Wright Brothers invented the airplane?

Do you make this stuff up, or is your little brother logged on with your ID?
DrMaddVibe Offline
#22 Posted:
Joined: 10-21-2000
Posts: 55,448
Fauste Veranzio constructed a device similar to da Vinci's drawing and jumped from a tower in Venice in 1617.

That my friend is a little before 1783!

PS: That was on the website I posted!
tailgater Offline
#23 Posted:
Joined: 06-01-2000
Posts: 26,185
The French invented the parachute:
They needed something to do with their white flags when they were not at war...
Spiny Norman Offline
#24 Posted:
Joined: 09-04-2002
Posts: 899
"I can file with the patent office without ever building a thing"

A patent is not an invention. It is simply a registry that gives the person submitting the exclusive right to market an invention or idea for a set period of time. (Presuming that the idea or invention is unique enough from other similar inventions.) You may still have to demonstrate in court if challanged that you were able to put forth a working model. You don't have to produce a model, you just have to prove that your design would work.

I now return you to your regularly scheduled debate.
plabonte Offline
#25 Posted:
Joined: 09-11-2000
Posts: 2,131
You are right Dr. it does say that. I've done a search on parachutes and their history and some mention Fauste Veranzio and some don't. The majority of the sites credit the French with its invention. And I found one that states they found drawings of a parachute design that predated De Vinchi (although they weren't from France).

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