History UsefulNotes / GaulsWithGrenades

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 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.

Its role changed from CannonFodder to a [[EliteArmy small, elite force]], with its own light armor regiment, as well as [[UpToEleven its own elite regiment]], the 2e REP.

* They are featured in a couple of missions in ''Videogame/WorldinConflict''. In the flashback chapter of the main storyline they, along with the Americans and other NATO forces, are attempting to drive back a Soviet invasion of southern France. A French officer, Commandant Sabatier, serves as one of your allies for the first of these missions (his forces are off-screen in the second, but the troops you command are still part of the French Army).

The Foreign Legion is also known for its [[TheSpartanWay especially brutal training methods]]. It was considered normal for a certain percentage of Legion recruits to die during training, though now they simply won't recruit those judged physically unable to complete it, let alone die. The Naval Commandos (think French SAS) have an even harsher training , considered one of the harshest in any military.

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 the 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 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.

Its latest product is the [[CoolPlane Rafale]], which is ultimately going to [[JackOfAllStats replace seven current aircraft]] types in French service. The most expensive variant of the Rafale comes with a 90 million Euro price tag, which is still cheaper than the cost of an American F-22 Raptor while also being multi-use as an "omnirole" fighter with both air force and naval versions, able to take nearly any role including [[UsefulNotes/TheUltimateResistance nuclear strikes]]. On the other hand, its approach to stealth is different from the F-22 : instead of aiming for [[InvisibilityCloak Very Low Observable]], it is Low Observable but with a few tricks, such as SPECTRA, an ECM system to hide from long-range radars and distant enemy planes by spoofing their signals to "pretend" it's not there. It is of particular note for the speed of its development on an industrial level, starting behind its greatest rival (The Eurofighter Typhoon) and yet got into service first without compromising its ability in the haste... But also for the [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere reasons]] that caused France to leave the Eurofighter project[[note]]The main reaons were the insistence of France to develop a carrier-based variant of the plane to replace their outdated naval plane fleet, something the Brits refused since they had Harriers; the fear that French companies such as [=SNECMA=] (plane reactors manufacturers) and Thomson (electronics) wouldn't survive if Rolls-Royce and BAE Systems handled the production; and general complaints that France would allegedly have to carry the brunt of R&D costs.[[/note]]

It has seen plenty of flying hours, thoroughly proving itself in Afghanistan, Libya and then Mali. It has also performed recon over Nigeria to help search for missing hostages and regularly makes dramatic demonstrations at airshows, more than once becoming the favourite on show.

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 the 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 thrashing from the 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 Indochinan 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 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.

* Scottish Music/IndiePop band Music/CameraObscura's "French Navy" (the lead single from their 2009 album ''My Maudlin Career'') appears to be a love song by a British woman who's fallen hopelessly in love with a [[TitleDrop French Navy]] officer to her Gallic boyfriend.

* The CIA campaign of ''VideoGame/PhantomDoctrine'' starts in 1983 in Beirut (during the Lebanese Civil War) and occasionally features French soldiers as hostile mooks (who wield [=AKs=] instead of FAMAS).

* The novel ''Literature/TheThreeMusketeers'' by Creator/AlexandreDumas and its various sequels, adaptations and spin-offs. D'Artagnan is loosely based on a real officer of the royal Musketeers.
* The play ''Theatre/CyranoDeBergerac'' by Rostand and its film versions. Also based on a real soldier.
* The two versions of ''Film/FanfanLaTulipe''.

* The two versions of ''Fanfan la Tulipe''.

The current assault rifle of the French military is 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]].
Its early bullpup design gave it a compact design, making it handier in close-quarter combat, while retaining great precision at longer range, at the price of a time of adaptation for those not accustomed to bullpup rifles. It is also one of the first assault rifles with both right-handed and left-handed settings for case ejection, though one needs to disassemble it to change it. However, despite clever design and great performances during tests for its time, it is also a maintenance hog, and is prone to jam on the field - partially due to some highly constraining norms some ObstructiveBureaucrat imposed on its slack (such as optimizing it for a different type of 5.56x45mm ammunition than ''either'' the original American M193 or the current NATO standard [=SS109=], and adopting a disposable magazine not intended for reuse...but then reusing them anyway to save money).

More recent versions lessened some of its problems, but as it is now definitely showing 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.

The AMX-56 Leclerc is France's current main battle tank, made by Nexter of France, formerly GIAT. Developed in 1991, it replaced the AMX 30 from the Cold War. The Leclerc uses non-explosive reactive armor, as opposed to the explosive reactive armor found on most tanks. It carries a 120mm smoothbore cannon that can theoretically fire any NATO standard ammunition, but typically carries French-made ammo. While not having been combat proven yet, it is already well known for having ''excellent'' mobility (its unique armor gives it a weight a full 12 tons lighter than the [=M1A2=] Abrams and 5 tons lighter than the Leopard 2A6, the most advanced iterations of its American and German counterparts, and allows for the best power-to-weight ratio of any main battle tank), but is the second most expensive tank manufactured (it was dethroned by the South Koren K-2 Black Panther), with each unit costing ''three times as much'' as an [=M1A2=] Abrams. France and Germany are currently working together to create the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Ground_Combat_System EMBT]], a new generation tank scheduled to replace both French Leclercs and German Leopards.

Its latest product is the [[CoolPlane Rafale]], which is ultimately going to [[JackOfAllStats replace seven current aircraft]] types in French service. The most expensive variant of the Rafale comes with a 90 million Euro price tag, which is still cheaper than the cost of an American F-22 Raptor while also being multi-use as an "omnirole" fighter with both air force and naval versions, able to take nearly any role including [[UsefulNotes/TheUltimateResistance nuclear strikes]]. On the other hand, its approach to stealth is different from the F-22 : instead of aiming for [[InvisibilityCloak Very Low Observable]], it is Low Observable but with a few tricks, such as SPECTRA, an ECM system to hide from long-range radars and distant enemy planes by spoofing their signals to "pretend" it's not there. It is of particular note for the speed of its development on an industrial level, starting behind its greatest rival (The Eurofighter Typhoon) and yet got into service first without compromising its ability in the haste... But also for the [[ScremThisImOuttaHere reasons]] that caused France to leave the Eurofighter project[[note]]The main reaons were the insistence of France to develop a carrier-based variant of the plane to replace their outdated naval plane fleet, something the Brits refused since they had Harriers; the fear that French companies such as [=SNECMA=] (plane reactors manufacturers) and Thomson (electronics) wouldn't survive if Rolls-Royce and BAE Systems handled the production; and general complaints that France would allegedly have to carry the brunt of R&D costs.[[/note]]

France has a pretty notable military, with a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier (appropriately named the ''UsefulNotes/CharlesDeGaulle''). A conventional one was on order, but has since been cancelled due to the ever-present budget limits.

Its latest product is the [[CoolPlane Rafale]], which is ultimately going to [[JackOfAllStats replace seven current aircraft]] types in French service. The most expensive variant of the Rafale comes with a 90 million Euro price tag, which is still cheaper than the cost of an American F-22 Raptor while also being multi-use as an "omnirole" fighter with both air force and naval versions, able to take nearly any role including [[UsefulNotes/TheUltimateResistance nuclear strikes]]. On the other hand, its approach to stealth is different from the F-22 : instead of aiming for [[InvisibilityCloak Very Low Observable]], it is Low Observable but with a few tricks, such as SPECTRA, an ECM system to hide from long-range radars and distant enemy planes by spoofing their signals to "pretend" it's not there. It is of particular note for the speed of its development on an industrial level, starting behind its greatest rival (The Eurofighter Typhoon) and yet got into service first without compromising its ability in the haste.

The AMX-56 Leclerc is France's current main battle tank, made by Nexter of France, formerly GIAT. Developed in 1991, it replaced the AMX 30 from the Cold War. The Leclerc uses non-explosive reactive armor, as opposed to the explosive reactive armor found on most tanks. It carries a 120mm smoothbore cannon that can theoretically fire any NATO standard ammunition, but typically carries French-made ammo. While not having been combat proven yet, it is already well known for having ''excellent'' mobility (its unique armor gives it a weight a full 12 tons lighter than the [=M1A2=] Abrams and 5 tons lighter than the Leopard 2A6, the most advanced iterations of its American and German counterparts, and allows for the best power-to-weight ratio of any main battle tank), but is the most expensive tank manufactured, with each unit costing ''three times as much'' as an [=M1A2=] Abrams.

However, France tend to use light armor like the wheeled VBCI when they don't expect to meet anything heavier than a T-62, as those [[FragileSpeedster are faster, better on rough or mountainous terrain]], and [[BoringButPractical way cheaper]].

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 the 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 thrashing from the 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 Indochinan 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 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 on the part of the French generals.

Nowadays, while suffering from repeated budget cuts like many European armies since the Cold War ended, it still remains a very competent army. In particular, the recent operation in Mali is widely regarded as an outstanding military success, storming even the Islamist forces even in their mountains and pretty much destroying them before could reach the heart of Mali's cities.

* Creator/LaurelAndHardy: ''The Flying Deuces'', in which the duo join the Foreign Legion.

More recent versions lessened some of its problems, but as it is now definitely showing its age (and due to budget cuts the most improved version only drew a small order from the French Navy), the French Army is actively searching for a replacement.

Its early bullpup design gave it a compact design, making it handier in close-quarter combat, while retaining great precision at longer range, at the price of a time of adaptation for those not accustomed to bullpup rifles. It is also one of the first assault rifles with both right-handed and left-handed settings for case ejection, though one needs to disassemble it to change it. However, despite clever design and great performances during tests for its time, it is also a maintenance hog, and is prone to jam on the field - partially due to some highly constraining norms some ObstructiveBureaucrat imposed on its slack (such as optimizing it for a different type of 5.56x45mm ammunition than ''either'' the original American M193 or the current NATO standard SS109, and adopting a disposable magazine not intended for reuse...but then reusing them anyway to save money).

The French Armed Forces.

Its early bullpup design gave it a compact design, making it handier in close-quarter combat, while retaining great precision at longer range, at the price of a time of adaptation for those not accustomed to bullpup rifles. It is also one of the first assault rifles with both right-handed and left-handed settings for case ejection, though one needs to disassemble it to change it.
However, despite clever design and great performances during tests for its time, it is also a maintenance hog, and is prone to jam on the field - partially due to some highly constraining norms some ObstructiveBureaucrat imposed on its slack (such as optimizing it for a different type of 5.56x45mm ammunition than ''either'' the original American M193 or the current NATO standard SS109, and adopting a disposable magazine not intended for reuse...but then reusing them anyway to save money).

However, France tend to use light armor like the wheeled AMX-10 RC when they don't expect to meet anything heavier than a T-62, as those [[FragileSpeedster are faster, better on rough or mountainous terrain]], and [[BoringButPractical way cheaper]].

* French tank units are involved in the fighting against the [[HordeOfAlienLocusts Posleen]], in Creator/JohnRingo's ''[[Literature/LegacyOfTheAldenata Gust Front]]'', along with [[UsefulNotes/YanksWithTanks US]] and [[WeAreNotTheWehrmacht German]] tank units, [[HoldTheLine holding the line]] until the [[PoweredArmor ACS]] under "Mighty Mite" can break out and mangle the Posties. The French leadership in general tends to get looked down upon by Ringo in general, but he doesn't carry that over to their armed forces.

Its latest product is the [[CoolPlane Rafale]], which is ultimately going to [[JackOfAllStats replace seven current aircraft]] types in French service. The most expensive variant of the Rafale comes with a 90 million Euro price tag, which is still cheaper than the cost of an American F-22 Raptor while also being multi-use as an "omnirole" fighter with both air force and naval versions, able to take nearly any role including [[TheUltimateResistance nuclear strikes]]. On the other hand, its approach to stealth is different from the F-22 : instead of aiming for [[InvisibilityCloak Very Low Observable]], it is Low Observable but with a few tricks, such as SPECTRA, an ECM system to hide from long-range radars and distant enemy planes by spoofing their signals to "pretend" it's not there. It is of particular note for the speed of its development on an industrial level, starting behind its greatest rival (The Eurofighter Typhoon) and yet got into service first without compromising its ability in the haste.

France is a [[TheUltimateResistance nuclear weapons state]]. Most of its missiles are now carried by submarines, but it has some air-launched missiles and formerly had land-launched ones too.

Historically, the Legion's promise of a new identity attracted many criminals and other shady elements (including, in the aftermath of WorldWarII, some ''[[UsefulNotes/NaziGermany captured Waffen-SS soldiers]]'' who were given the option to enlist to avoid execution). Today the Legion is considered a highly prestigious elite combat unit, and so there are rigorous background checks, so this isn't necessarily true anymore. While they offer a new identity, you can still be pursued for [[SerialKiller blood]] or [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil "mores"]] crimes.

* This is because the mon signifies monsieur (mister) rather than the possessive mon (my). It is an honorific. Napoleon, however, had little respect for the French navy, mostly because of Trafalgar defeat, and denied them that honor.