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France in WW2
The French participation in World War 2, in both the European and Pacific theaters of the war. Questions regarding the Vichy government are also welcome here.
3,918 Questions
How would you justify France and Great Britain's action to follow a policy of appeasement?
Fear, blindness and isolation.
Fear: Great Britain and France wished at all costs to avoid a bloodbath like WW1 (which they called the Great War).
Blindness: They did not see that Hitler's final aim was complete domination of Europe and then the world.
Isolation: The US and the USSR did not provide any support to Great Britain and France in confronting Hitler. And these two huge countries had been necessary to defeat Germany in WW1.
They also know that economically, industrially, and militarily, they were unprepared for war, and Germany had been rearming since Hitler became Chancellor.
What happened to french colonies during World War 2?
During WW2, France experienced not only an invasion by a foreign power, but also an internal conflict not unlike that in the contemporary Spain. A large part of the French had never been able to accept a republican, liberal and secular France, though surely not all of them believed German occupation to be the best way to overcome it. The Nazis forced on France a satellite regime let by Marshal Vichy, a WW1 hero and prominent conservative.
In colonies however proportion of the conservative French was much higher than in metropolitan France. The colonists had traditionally disliked not only liberal ways, but also other European colonial powers, especially the British, who were more obviously a threat to them in the colonies, than to their cousins in European France. Also, French colonists experienced no Nazi occupation and therefore did not face a hard choice between being disloyal to their political beliefs and being instrumental to a foreign occupation.
Therefore the French colonies did not, in general, side with the Allies though their position varied much. Some of them, as Indochina, were simply occupied by an Axis power, local French colonists being treated rather unfriendly. Others kept quite and tried to not get involved in military conflict. Further others actively resisted to the Allies and had to be overtaken by force. During those operations Free French (pro-Allies) soldiers had sometimes to fight their colonial compatriots. By the end of the WW2 all French colonies accepted Free French government though the colonists remained more traditionalist politically compared to the European French.
What is a reason that eastern Germany has a poorer economy than western Germany?
The Primary reason was that East Germany was controlled by a communist government in Germany and by the Soviet Union, whereas West Germany had a democratically elected government that allowed a free market economy that traded with the rest of western Europe and was protected by the NATO military alliance. Also the western areas of Germany had historically more developed industries than the eastern areas which were more agricultural.
What were the reasons that Britain and France forced Czechoslovakia to accept German demands?
The Czechs were victims of the British and French policy of appeasement to keep the Nazis away from them. They had a German section in Czechoslovakia already. They basically hard balled the Czechs into conceding. The President of Czechoslovakia ended up in London and ruled many Czechs there. The policy of appeasement did not work because the French and Brits did not understand the Nazis and their ways.
In what french city did Germans set up a puppet state?
After the fall of France to the Germans in 1940, Vichy, South of Paris. continue to administer the government there, but under German control, from July 1940 to November 1942, when the German took full control of all of France....
Why is the operation desert storm important?
Only that it was a quick and clean victory and elated the American people that had only known defeat (Vietnam) for so many years. DS finally united (Vietnam had divided the nation) the American people again (According to the press and President Bush Sr...e.g. his speech during the parades for returning US servicemembers). DS also allowed, FOR THE FIRST TIME, the combat testing of the M1 Abrams MBT (Main Battle Tank), some Stealth aircraft, cruise missiles, and associated smart weapons.
When did the d-day start and end?
D-Day itself lasted basically the entire 24 hours of June 6, 1944. Paratroopers and glider-borne troops began landing around midnight, as June 6 arrived. The seaborne component started landing on the beaches at dawn. The five landing beaches were spread out over more than fifty miles of French coastline, in Normandy. Fighting somewhere or other in the beachhead went on all day.
The campaign in Normandy lasted about another nine weeks. The Germans brought up troops from all over to contain the Allies, who continued to pour in more men over the beaches. Eventually the Germans had committed practically all their forces in France south of the Seine River. The Germans continued to believe that the Normandy landings were just a gigantic diversionary attack, and that the REAL landings would soon come north of the Seine River, and so kept very large forces out of the fight for Normandy, north of the Seine, awaiting this attack which never came. US forces "broke out" of the beachhead in late July, through the town of St Lo, with General George Patton's newly activated Third Army leading. Part of Patton's command turned right and headed west to liberate the Brittany peninsula; the rest went left - east - and hooked around behind the Germans still in line facing the British and Canadians. This last move created the "Falaise Pocket", as the Germans facing the British and Canadians began to try to flee eastward on the only road available, which ran through the town of Falaise. Allied fighter-bombers ravaged the German vehicles attempting to avoid being surrounded (if the pocket were closed) by fleeing down this road. Some German soldiers did get away, but mostly on foot, without their tanks, without their trucks, and without their artillery. The "failure" of the Allies to "close the Falaise Pocket" and bag all these Germans is still controversial. The Germans who got away were in no way equipped to make another strong stand anywhere in France, and within a few more weeks basically all of France was liberated, with Paris being freed around August 25.
What's a critical moment in the liberation of France?
France had the largest army in western Europe. It had the "geat" Maginot line which turned out to be obselete due to the new "blitzkrieg" method of warfare.
Who secretly helped the Allies with the invasion of the Western front?
If the question refers to the French resistance at Normandy in 1944, yes, they helped a great deal. Eisenhower credited them with saving a division's worth of Allies through their sabotage against the Germans and the information they provided.
Who was the leader of China during WW2?
a Chinese dued
Generalissimo Chiang Kai-Shek
During World War 2, there were two main armies of two different political parties fighting Japanese in China, but nominally one army called National Revolutionary Army (of Republic of China).
- One was Chinese Communist Party, of which the leader was Mao Zedong.
- The other one is Chinese Nationalist Party [Kuomingtang (KMT)], of which the leader was Chiang Kai-shek.
The official government of China before 1949 was of KMT. So nominally the highest leader was Chiang. But the main part fighting Japanese in China was under the command of Mao Zedong, so the most significant guerrilla warfare was commanded by Mao and CCP.
Chiang Kai-shek
During the Second Sino-Japanese war (considered part of WWII, though it began in 1937) the Communist and Nationalist factions ceased their civil war, so as to focus on the Japanese invader. The Nationalist leader was Chiang Kai-shek, while the Communist leader was Mao Zedong.
Which china? "free china" Mao Tse Tung (sp?)
How is France and Germany similar?
These countries are not much similar. Both are in Europe, and north-eastern French corner does touch Germany's south western cornet, but said that they belong to different part of Europe. Germany belongs to the group of the Germanic nations of northern Europe while France is part of latin Europe and does border the mediterranean sea in southern Europe. Their languages arr completly different, french being similar to Italian and Spanish while German is in the same linguistic group as Dutch, English and Scandinavian languages. The climates are different, being further south, most of France has warmer climates than most of Germany (mainly oceanic in the west and mediterranean in the south while Germany is more continental or semi-continental) Like Spain and Italy, France has a wine-drinking culture while Germany has a beer-drinking culture, like Netherlands or UK. The main traditional religion in France is catholicism while Germany is protestant mixed with catholism in the south.
How was d day a victory for the allies?
one of the main things is the Germans didn't know were the attack was going to be, the allies tricked them to think they were going to attack Calais's, but they attacked Normandy, operation overlord was a big success and was one of the main battled that won the war.
How did the French Revolution affect The Monarchy?
He believed that a government should be founded on order and liberty. Thus, he opposed the Revolution on the basis that it created disorder in the name of abstract ideals. He predicted that order would be restored by a military dictatorship, which came to be with Napoleon's coup d'etat.
Why did France occupy Germany's Ruhr Valley in 1923-?
Coal is valuable and it was especially so back then. And it was a hit to Germany that everyone wanted.
What did France want during World War 2?
Their initial plan was to assume a defensive posture behind the Maginot Line and let Germany wear out her strength attacking it while France and Britain built theirs up. Then they would go on the offensive. When Germany attacked though they outflanked the Maginot Line and made such unexpected and revolutionary use of tanks and air power that the French never had a chance to adapt and develop new plans. Their armies were completely beaten before they knew what to do. Michael Montagne
France is the country, french is the language
France is a noun. French is an adjective in most useage. "I like French fries".
What was the outcome of the battle of Dunkirk?
The evacuation from Dunkirk saved 338,226 soldiers [British & French]. Although a massive amount of equipment was lost, Dunkirk was probably Hitler's greatest mistake next to attacking Russia because if he had pressed home his attack he would have as good as wiped-out the army and destroyed moral. The saving of so many soldiers, against all the odds, gave a massive boost to moral in Britain - a boost that was never to be lowered, even during the blitz.
How do you say 'il n'y a que moi qui aie toujours raison'?
It means: It's just me that have always reason.
Which part of France did Germany take over?
The North half of the country, for the most part. I'll leave a Related Link with an image of the French territory Hitler acquired.
Normandy lies on the northern coast of France, along the English Channel south east of Great Britain. Normandy includes territory in northern France and the Channel Islands.
Where was the site of the Allied evacuation of France during world war 2?
The scene of the evacuation of Allied (mainly British) forces from France during World War II in 1940 was the Channel Coast of France at a port called Dunkirk. Having been pushed back then surrounded by advancing German ground-troops, the majority of the British and French forces trapped at Dunkirk escaped to sea in a daring and largely successful series of day- and night-evacuations.
