History UsefulNotes / GaulsWithGrenades

* Numerous works about the UsefulNotes/{{Napoleon|Bonaparte}}ic [[UsefulNotes/TheNapoleonicWars Wars]], naturally. An exhaustive list can be found [[UsefulNotes/NapoleonBonaparteAndTheNapoleonicWarsInFiction here]], but some on film and television are particularly worth mentioning such as 1927's ''[[Film/Napoleon1927 Napoléon]]'', 1960's ''Film/{{Austerlitz}}'', 1970's ''Film/{{Waterloo}}'', 2002's ''[[Series/Napoleon2002 Napoléon]]'' and 2023's ''Film/{{Napoleon|2023}}''.

* The novel ''Literature/TheThreeMusketeers'' by Creator/AlexandreDumas and its various sequels, [[DerivativeWorks/TheThreeMusketeers adaptations and derivative works]], set in the first half of the [[TheCavalierYears 17th century]]. Athos, Porthos, Aramis and D'Artagnan were loosely based on real Musketeers. The [[Film/TheThreeMusketeers2023 2023 version]] notably features TheSiege of La Rochelle, which is oftentimes ignored by adaptations.

The French Armed Forces, one of the world's oldest and finest.

'''Rifles Of Revolutionaries'''

'''French military vehicles and nukes'''

'''Other notes'''

!! Service Branches
The Armed Forces are the direct responsility of the President of France, who serves as commander-in-chief, through the offices of the Minister of Defence with operational responsibility under the Chief of the Defence Staff, divided into 5 service brances plus the service support commands under the direct responsibility of the Armed Forces and the Ministry of Defence.

'''The French military in fiction'''

* The novel ''Literature/TheThreeMusketeers'' by Creator/AlexandreDumas and its various sequels, [[DerivativeWorks/TheThreeMusketeers adaptations and derivative works]], set in the first half of the [[TheCavalierYears 17th century]]. Athos, Porthos, Aramis and D'Artagnan were loosely based on real Musketeers.

* The novel ''Literature/TheThreeMusketeers'' by Creator/AlexandreDumas and its various sequels, adaptations and spin-offs, set in the first half od the 17th century. D'Artagnan is loosely based on a real officer of the royal Musketeers.
* The play ''Theatre/CyranoDeBergerac'' by Rostand and its [[Film/CyranoDeBergerac film versions]] (17th century). Also based on a real soldier.

* Numerous works about the UsefulNotes/{{Napoleon|Bonaparte}}ic [[UsefulNotes/TheNapoleonicWars Wars]], naturally. An exhaustive list can be found [[UsefulNotes/NapoleonBonaparteAndTheNapoleonicWarsInFiction here]], but some on film and television are particularly worth mentioning such as 1927's ''[[Film/Napoleon1927 Napoléon]]'', 1960's ''Film/{{Austerlitz}}'', 1970's ''Film/{{Waterloo}}'', 2002's ''[[Series/Napoleon Napoléon]]'' and 2023's ''Film/{{Napoleon|2023}}''.

* Jean Renoir's movie ''La Marseillaise''.

** ''VideoGame/Battlefield1942'': The World War II Free French were playable in some maps of the ''Road to Rome'' ExpansionPack.
** ''VideoGame/Battlefield1'': The World War I French army was infamously absent from the basic game and eventually showed up with the ''They Shall Not Pass'' DLC.

For decades, the iconic assault rifle of the French military was the FAMAS. Dubbed "the bugle" for a while on account of its appearance, it's a CoolGun and is forever remembered as the weapon of [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid Solid Snake]].

More recent versions lessened some of its problems, but as it definitely showed its age (and due to budget cuts the most improved version only drew a small order from the French Navy), the French Army officialy switched to the German [=HK416=] in 2017, with a complete replacement of the FAMAS planned for 2020.

Despite the CheeseEatingSurrenderMonkeys stereotype, France actually has a pretty good war record up until the 20th century. Whether ultimately winning UsefulNotes/TheHundredYearsWar against England, fighting and winning against large coalitions under UsefulNotes/LouisXIV, providing naval aid and essential supplies to the colonial forces during UsefulNotes/TheAmericanRevolution, defeating the rest of Europe in the French Revolutionary Wars, nearly ''conquering'' the rest of the continent in the Napoleonic Wars, or fighting toe to toe with the UsefulNotes/GermanEmpire during UsefulNotes/WorldWarI, France has a remarkable military history that's only taken a beating due to the Franco-Prussian War of 1870 (or so), their eventual close and hard-fought defeat against massive coalition forces (often disingenuously presented as only or mainly British) in the Napoleonic Era, UsefulNotes/WorldWarII and subsequent colonial defeats at the hands of countries like Algeria[[note]]sort of : after learning from their Indochinese mistakes in counter-insurgency, they were actually very effective against the FLN, which was crushed at the end of the war. But for that, they had to use [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone unsavoury tactics]], made even worse by the fact that many of the elite troops were former résistants. At the end, the military announced its victory to UsefulNotes/CharlesDeGaulle, but added that if there wasn't a political solution, there would be a new war ten years later. So De Gaulle decided to [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere pull back the Army and give Algeria independence]]. Which was followed by massacres between Algerians and against French residents that made the entire war pale in comparison. So pretty much everyone considers it at least a total moral defeat.[[/note]] and [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indochina Indochina]] (Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos). It should be noted that France is the only other country besides the Mongol Empire and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth to have actually captured Moscow in an invasion of Russia; the only difference being the Russians burned it to the ground rather than let the French take it. In the First World War, 1.5 million young French men were killed in battle. The Battle of France wasn't lost because of any lack of badass on the part of the French and British. It was lost due to serious strategic blunders, hubris and HeadInTheSandManagement on the part of the French generals.

Then of course, there is the legendary French Resistance and the counterattack under Leclerc (not the tank, the man) to retake France in the Allies Normandy Campaign and its follow-up through Germany ; and the fierce combats in North Africa where the [[LesserStar lesser-known]] general Konig, assisted by the British, managed to beat Rommel's Afrika Korps. This is an often forgotten chapter outside France but one they were heavily involved in and just as deserving of credit for as the Americans and British.