History Analysis / CheeseEatingSurrenderMonkeys

** While there's much to be said about Vichy France and its collaboration with Nazi Germany, on the Vichy military side there was the scuttling of the French fleet in Toulon in November 1942, when Germans invaded the Free Zone. It was not a battle, but the French Navy still stood by its promise not to surrender the fleet to any other power.
** As controversial as they can be due to the regime they served, French volunteers who fought in German uniforms generally did not shy away from combat, [[UsefulNotes/NazisWithGnarlyWeapons in the Wehrmacht first then in the Waffen SS]], from the outskirts of UsefulNotes/{{Moscow}} in late 1941 all the way to UsefulNotes/{{Berlin}} in spring 1945. Between 250 and 350 French Waffen SS of the ''Sturmbataillon'' Charlemagne were among the last defenders of Berlin in April 1945, destroying dozens of Red Army tanks in bitter and vicious [[UrbanWarfare street battles]].

* The French have a reputation for revolutions and insurrections. From the Jacquerie during the Middle Ages, over to the French Revolution, the Communards and Mai 1968.
* As for unambiguous French defeats, the two most serious before 1940 are certainly the Seven Years War (1756-1763), in which they lost all of their North American domains (some of which Napoleon later recovered and sold to the United States), and the Franco-Prussian War (1870-71), during which Emperor Napoleon III was captured in battle. The Prussians then forced the French to cede Alsace-Lorraine, pay a five billion franc indemnity, and allow the coronation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor at Versailles, UsefulNotes/LouisXIV's palace. Far from cowing the French, however, the latter event just made them all the more eager to take bloody-minded vengeance, which significantly contributed to the powder keg situation that led to World War I.

* As for unambiguous French defeats, the two most serious are certainly the Seven Years War (1756-1763), in which they lost all of their North American domains (some of which Napoleon later recovered and sold to the United States), and the Franco-Prussian War (1870-71), during which Emperor Napoleon III was captured in battle. The Prussians then forced the French to cede Alsace-Lorraine, pay a five billion franc indemnity, and allow the coronation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor at Versailles, UsefulNotes/LouisXIV's palace. Far from cowing the French, however, the latter event just made them all the more eager to take bloody-minded vengeance, which significantly contributed to the powder keg situation that led to World War I.

*** The ''bitter'' defenses of both Lille and the Dunkirk perimeter in May 1940 (still sadly overlooked or outright ignored, look no further than what's featured -- or not -- of them in ''Film/{{Dunkirk}}'') were as crucial as the mobilization of the Royal Navy for the success of Operation Dynamo, which allowed hundreds of thousands of retreating British troops to come home and fight another day. Seven German divisions were still closing in on the city after the so-called "miracle" order of UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler to stop his troops, some German generals compared the French defenders' resolve to World War I's Verdun. UsefulNotes/WinstonChurchill saluted their bravery and sacrifice in his memoirs.

*** The Maginot Line itself, much maligned after the invasion and later becoming a byword for misspent and wasted effort. The legend is that the French spent all this effort building a massive series of fortifications, only to be astonished when the Germans simply went around it. In fact, the Maginot Line did exactly what it was meant to do: divert the main German offensive northwards so that it must come through Belgium, the violation of whose neutrality would guarantee both its entry and the entry of the United Kingdom on France's side into the war. Furthermore, it would have been politically impossible to extend the Maginot Line all the way to the coast as this would be a signal that the Allies intended to abandon Belgium in case of war, leading Belgium to likely not resist any German invasion. At first everything went to plan, with Germany invading the Low Countries and the Allies duly sending their forces north. The issue was not the Maginot Line, but the undefended Ardennes Forest. The French considered the forest highly difficult terrain, and calculated any German attack through the forest would take 15 days to pass through it, if the Germans attempted such a risky move at all. In the event, the Germans managed it in just two days, cutting off the Allied forces in the north and leading to disaster.

In fact, the perception of the French as people who have no appetite for war could not be further from the truth. France is one of the largest and most powerful countries in Europe, and like every other large country in history it didn't get that way by being timid. For most of the last millennium, France was the military terror of Europe, and her people were renowned for an [[BloodKnight almost idiotic bloodthirstiness]] and willingness to expend lives and treasure for seemingly barren objectives. This is no hyperbole: since the French Kingdom formed [[TheLowMiddleAges as of 987 AD]] she had fought and mostly won ''five times more battles [[{{UsefulNotes/ChineseWithChopperSupport}} than China]]'', whose history as a unified culture dates from the Bronze Age. It's no coincidence that in most European languages, military terms are mostly derived from or are wholly ''French'': "Artillery", "Battalion", "Regiment", "Defense", "Officer" -- even the word "Attack" itself is French. France was also the first nation to move to a {{conscription}}-based national army during UsefulNotes/TheFrenchRevolution when in the span of [[ReignOfTerror a single year]], France became the most advanced and modern army on the planet, giving careers to many great generals, including UsefulNotes/NapoleonBonaparte himself.

France has never been shy of war; far from it, France is one of the most warlike countries ever to exist. However, this never translated into France becoming a normal, continent-spanning Empire (like the Qin, Han, Tang, Ming, Qing, Mughal, Persian, Mongol, Ottoman, or Roman Empires); it instead remained a small, European-style state that was largely ethnically homogenous[[note]] This is basically because of the generally low population and poverty of Europe, which resulted in just ''one'' continent-spanning Empire ever dominating the region (Rome), and even ''that'' Empire was too poor to conquer the entire thing [[/note]] until the late 20th century.

* As for unambiguous French defeats, the two most serious are certainly the Seven Years War (1756-1763), in which they lost all of their North American domains (some of which Napoleon later recovered and sold to the United States), and the Franco-Prussian War (1870-71), during which Emperor Napoleon III was captured in battle. The Prussians then forced the French to cede Alsace-Lorraine, pay a five billion franc indemnity, and allow the coronation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor at Versailles, UsefulNotes/LouisXIV's palace.

** Although the wisdom of this design is questionable, it's noteworthy that French battleship designs immediately before the war, the ''Dunkerque'' and ''Richelieu'' class, were quite unique among major world navies: [[AttackAttackAttack all their main guns were arranged to fire forward]].

*** The three major tank battles between Germans and French during the spring of 1940, Hannut, Gembloux and Stonne, were either French tactical victories (the first two) or highly indecisive (Stonne). They did not prevent Germany's eventual breakthrough, but showed that, had the French army created armored divisions much earlier than it did and produced more tanks, there would have been serious chances to hamper the German ''Blitzkrieg''.

* As for unambiguous French defeats, the two most serious are certainly the Seven Years War (1756-1763), in which they lost all of their North American domains (some of which Napoleon later recovered and sold to the United States), and the Franco-Prussian War (1870-71), during which Emperor Napoleon III was captured in battle. The Prussians then forced the French to cede Alsace-Lorraine, pay a five billion franc indemnity, and allow the coronation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor at Versailles, Louis XIV's palace. The most famous modern defeat is of course the battle of France, the collapse of the UsefulNotes/MaginotLine and the occupation by Germany, after which the trope is name. Another traumatic defeat is the loss of the Battle of Dien Bien Phu to North Vietnam. Even within France, this is part of its ShockingDefeatLegacy.
* The one thing that needs to be taken account is the advantage of geography. Great Britain is separated from Continental Europe by water and the last person to conquer England, a Norman by the name of William the Conqueror (who is ''technically'' French), did so nearly 1,000 years ago. For most of modern English history, the British did not have to live in constant fear of being overrun on all sides like Continental nations with their interconnected land borders. The main target for English invasion is from the Channel and Dover, whereas France, being Hexagonal in shape, constantly fears EverythingTryingToKillYou thanks to its thin land and water borders. Spain on its South with the mountain pass of Pyrenees being a single buffer, in the North it has England across the narrow channel with Germany, Netherlands, Italy on its sides and the Mediterranean coast that leaves it open from invasion from Africa, Italy and other regions there. As such it has greater vulnerability than both the United States and England. No nation can do anything about its geographical advantages or lack thereof and based on what France has, its achievements are pretty good.

France has never been shy of war; far from it, France is one of the most warlike countries ever to exist. However, this never translated into France becoming a normal, continent-spanning Empire (like the Qin, Han, Tang, Ming, Qing, Mughal, Persian, Mongol, Ottoman, or Roman Empires) but remaining a small, European-style state that was largely ethnically homogenous[[note]] This is basically because of the generally low population and poverty of Europe, which resulted in just ''one'' continent-spanning Empire ever dominating the region (Rome), and even ''that'' Empire was too poor to conquer the entire thing [[/note]] until the late 20th century.

France has never been shy of war; far from it, France is one of the most warlike countries ever to exist. However, this never translated into France becoming a normal, continent-spanning Empire (like the Qin, Han, Tang, Ming, Qing, Mughal, Persian, Mongol, Ottoman, or Roman Empires) but remaining a small, European-style state that was largely ethnically homogenous[[note]] This is basically because of the generally low population and poverty of Europe, which resulted in just ''one'' continent-spanning Empire ever dominating the region (Rome), and even ''that'' Empire was too poor to conquer the entire thing [[/note]] until the late 20th century. At any rate, in a millenia of warfare France's incredibly bloody record has more than a few bright spots:

*** Although the wisdom of this design is questionable, it's noteworthy that French battleship designs immediately before the war were unique among major world powers: [[AttackAttackAttack all their main guns were arranged to fire forward]].

*** The Maginot Line itself, much maligned after the invasion and later becoming a byword for misspent and wasted effort. The legend is that the French spent all this effort building a massive series of fortifications, only to be astonished when the Germans simply went around it. In fact, the Maginot Line did exactly what it was meant to do: divert the main German offensive northwards so that it must come through Belgium, the violation of whose neutrality would guarantee the entry of the United Kingdom into the war. Furthermore, it would have been politically impossible to extend the Maginot Line all the way to the coast as this would be a signal that the Allies intended to abandon Belgium in case of war, leading Belgium to likely not resist any German invasion. At first everything went to plan, with Germany invading the Low Countries and the Allies duly sending their forces north. The issue was not the Maginot Line, but the undefended Ardennes Forest. The French considered the forest highly difficult terrain, and calculated any German attack through the forest would take 15 days to pass through it, if the Germans attempted such a risky move at all. In the event, the Germans managed it in just two days, cutting off the Allied forces in the north and leading to disaster.

* As for unambiguous French defeats, the two most serious are certainly the Seven Years War (1756-1763), in which they lost all of their North American domains (some of which Napoleon later recovered and sold to the United States), and the Franco-Prussian War (1870-71), during which Emperor Napoleon III was captured in battle. The Prussians then forced the French to cede Alsace-Lorraine, pay a five billion franc indemnity, and allow the coronation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor at Versailles, Louis XIV's palace. The most famous modern defeat is of course the battle of France, the collapse of the UsefulNotes/MaginotLine and the occupation by Germany, after which the trope is name. Another traumatic defeat is the loss of the Battle of Dien Ben Phu to North Vietnam. Even within France, this is part of its ShockingDefeatLegacy.

*** The Maginot Line itself, much maligned after the invasion and later becoming a byword for misspent and wasted effort. The legend is that the French spent all this effort building a massive series of fortifications, only to be astonished when the Germans simply went around it. In fact, the Maginot Line did exactly what it was meant to do: divert the main German offensive northwards so that it must come through Belgium, the violation of whose neutrality would guarantee the entry of the United Kingdom into the war. Furthermore, it would have been politically impossible to extend the Maginot Line all the way to the coast as this would be a signal that the Allies intended to abandon Belgium if there was war with Germany, leading Belgium to likely not resist any German invasion. At first everything went to plan, with Germany invading the Low Countries and the Allies duly sending their forces north. The issue was not the Maginot Line, but the undefended Ardennes Forest. The French considered the forest highly difficult terrain, and calculated any German attack through the forest would take 15 days to pass through it, if the Germans attempted such a risky move at all. In the event, the Germans managed it in just two days, cutting off the Allied forces in the north and leading to disaster.

*** The Maginot Line itself, much maligned after the invasion and later becoming a byword for misspent and wasted effort. The legend is that the French spent all this effort building a massive series of fortifications, only to be astonished when the Germans simply went around it. In fact, the Maginot Line did exactly what it was meant to do: divert the main German offensive northwards so that it must come through Belgium, the violation of whose neutrality would guarantee the entry of the United Kingdom into the war. Furthermore, it would have been politically impossible to extend the Maginot Line all the way to the coast as this would be a signal that the Allies intended to abandon Belgium if there was war with Germany, leading Belgium to likely not resist any German invasion. At first everything went to plan, with Germany invading the Low Countries and the Allies duly sending their forces north. The issue was not the Maginot Line, but the undefended Ardennes Forest. The French considered the forest highly difficult terrain, and calculated any German attack through the forest would take 15 days to pass through it, if the Germans attempted such a risky move at all. In the event, the Germans managed it in just two days, cutting off the Allies forces in the north and leading to disaster.

*** The Maginot Line itself, much maligned after the invasion and later becoming a byword for misspent and wasted effort, proved how well made it was during some of the final parts of the Battle of France. The Germans hadn't so much as broke through the line as sidestepped it, [[TakeAThirdOption something that the Allies didn't think the Axis would even attempt.]] When it came time for the Germans to take the line on the 15th of June, they found themselves in a grueling battle where they had to take each of the fortifications, manned by some of the best the French military had to offer, one-by-one. This greatly slowed the Germans and completely stymied the Italians, and while they were able to break through the outlying lines, they had little progress in taking the central fortifications. French soldiers fought on despite being encircled and cut off from aid, and planned to continue their resistance regardless, until the Armistice was signed on the 22nd. The fighting was so ferocious that of the fifty-eight fortifications that formed the line, only ten were captured intact.

* American victory in UsefulNotes/TheAmericanRevolution was achieved chiefly through French force of arms and money. The most pivotal role was arguably played by the French Navy, assisted by the Spanish, which kept the British from being able to reinforce or supply their forces in North America. The United States' Continental Army was led, trained, and equipped by and to the standards of the French Royal Army, though a German impostor did much of the 'training' bit. The tremendous cost of that endeavour however would play a part in some [[UsefulNotes/TheFrenchRevolution big troubles]] for France...

* During UsefulNotes/TheFrenchRevolution, France radically came BackFromTheBrink after the above mentioned weak military performance. After the early part of the military campaign was facing several setbacks and the nascent government was facing a crisis, the new formed Committee of Public Safety under the direction of engineer Lazare Carnot modernized France's army via {{Conscription}}, and in a space of a few months in late 1793-early 1794, France became the pre-eminent land army of Europe. The newly formed French army gave careers to several future legends of UsefulNotes/TheNapoleonicWars, namely Napoleon himself. Lazare Carnot was called "the Organizer of Victory" and he would go on to inspire UsefulNotes/LeonTrotsky (who was called "Red Carnot" by his comrades) and be cited as a hero and inspiration by UsefulNotes/CharlesDeGaulle.

* During UsefulNotes/TheFrenchRevolution France radically came BackFromTheBrink after the above mentioned weak military performance. After the early part of the military campaign was facing several setbacks and the nascent government was facing a crisis, the new formed Committee of Public Safety under the direction of engineer Lazare Carnot modernized France's army via {{Conscription}}, and in a space of a few months in late 1793-early 1794, France became the pre-eminent land army of Europe. The newly formed French army gave careers to several future legends of UsefulNotes/TheNapoleonicWars, namely Napoleon himself. Lazare Carnot was called "the Organizer of Victory" and he would go on to inspire UsefulNotes/LeonTrotsky (who was called "Red Carnot" by his comrades) and be cited as a hero and inspiration by UsefulNotes/CharlesDeGaulle.

* During UsefulNotes/TheFrenchRevolution radically came BackFromTheBrink after the above mentioned weak military performance. After the early part of the military campaign was facing several setbacks and the nascent government was facing a crisis, the new formed Committee of Public Safety under the direction of engineer Lazare Carnot modernized France's army via {{Conscription}}, and in a space of a few months in late 1793-early 1794, France became the pre-eminent land army of Europe. The newly formed French army gave careers to several future legends of UsefulNotes/TheNapoleonicWars, namely Napoleon himself. Lazare Carnot was called "the Organizer of Victory" and he would go on to inspire UsefulNotes/LeonTrotsky (who was called "Red Carnot" by his comrades) and be cited as a hero and inspiration by UsefulNotes/CharlesDeGaulle.

** If any one battle could be picked to show the tenacity of the French defense during the war, the battle in and around Fort Vaux would be an excellent choice, itself a microcosm of the already horrific Battle of Verdun. Surrounded by the German army in an outdated and undermanned fortification, which had been [[MadeOfExplodium primed with live explosive ordinance]] in expectation of a detonation to deny the fort to the Germans that never happened, the French defenders of Fort Vaux nevertheless fought against the invading Germans both from both within and without. Pounded by artillery from the outside and forced to fight in cramped tunnels and passageways on the inside, the defenders of Fort Vaux fought with rifles, machine guns, grenades and in vicious hand-to-hand fighting, often from hastily improvised positions, even as the fort at times literally began to cave in around them. They fought for seven days, with no relief or resupply, their commander, Colonel Sylvain Eugène Raynal, was finally forced to surrender when the men around him began dying of thirst. His resistance [[WorthyOpponent so impressed the Germans]] that when he surrendered to the enemy commander, Crown Prince Wilhelm, gave Raynal his own sword to replace the one he had lost in the fighting, and the fort he had fought so doggedly in was so battered that the Germans saw no point in garrisoning it.

*** French alpine troops were vastly outnumbered by the invading Italian army, but they managed to hold them off in key passage points in the Alps until they had to surrender due to the armistice. UsefulNotes/BenitoMussolini thought he would have it easy to declare war to France and invade it after Germans shattered the best French armies and the BEF in the North, but he was wrong, and was initially not able to occupy large chunks of French land as a result.