France's Failed 1939 Invasion of Germany | Animated History

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We all heard jokes at the expense of the French. However we must also honor the French soldiers who did fight hard such as Dunkirk. It’s not their fault their leadership was totally incompetent.

Gamelin was really one of the most incompetent generals during ww2 not only did he ruined France attack during the Saar offensive but he also f*cked up during the battle of France, resulting in having his army surrounded and blocked between Belgium and the Netherlands, sacrificing french reserves and ultimately causing the armistice. If we add to this that he was a defeatist who refused to adapt the French army to modern conflict in the use of tanks, offensive doctrines and aircraft, it's terrifying how he could be in charge of anything, he lost the war on two occasion and almost just by himself. It's really sad that french soldiers who were willing to fight and proved to be effective only to suffer from their incompetent high command.

France going into WWI: We must take the offensive at all costs! France going into WWII: Ummm...maybe a little offensive? But nothing too serious.

Napoleon must've been rolling in his grave. Honestly even one of his Marshalls probably could've done the job. Crazy how one nation that was so aggressive, lightning and energetic fighting the entirety of Europe in early 1800s a century later turned very defensive and timid.

The failed Saarland offensive is the epitome of the saying: "Better for an army of sheep led by a wolf, than an army of wolves led by a sheep."

It wasn't the individual French soldier that failed. Most were patriotic and determined. It was their leaders that failed.

The colors of the Polish flag all represent something: Red, for the bravery of her people. White, for the love of their land. And blue, for the loyalty of her allies.

“That’s a question for the alternate historians out there.” Griffen read my mind. I was thinking that Cody would have a field day with that scenario.

"Nothing is more difficult, and therefore more precious, than to be able to decide." - Napoleon Bonaparte

Makes you wonder what could have been if the French leadership chose to actually fight.

In fact, the Germans knew that the French army present at the border was designed for defense. Between 1929 and 1939, there were two opposing currents in France. Some argued that the French army must be ready at any time to undertake an incursion into Germany, others argued that the job of the French army is strictly to defend France. Public opinion and the majority of French politicians were favorable to the second point of view. Anyway, the Germans had enough spies and they knew that even after the French army entered German territory, they had nothing to fear. The French army had practically no chance to quickly advance to Ruhr because this army was not built nor trained for an agressive offensive operation. Unfortunately, the Poles did not know this aspect or, if they knew, they imagined that the mere presence of the French army on German territory would scare Hitler. In fact, Hitler knew more about the French army than many French generals.

The blue in Poland's flag stands for it's faithful allies.

To add insult to injury, the average German, for all of their supposed superiority, did have a grudging respect for the French. France had beaten them in WWI and had fought from beginning to end. The German high command knew the risk of their exposed western flank as they focused on Poland. Even a successful occupation of the Rhineland by France might have caused a coup or the fatal split up of German forces.

Oversimplified: “The French had launched a small invasion into the Saar land (Saar Offensive), but they obtained mostly defensive positions; and after a while, decided to just turn around and call it a day.” Oversimplified, WW2 Oversimplified, Pt. 1

Gamelin and Huntziger - a dream duo of French generals. One totally botched the offensive, the other the defense.

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France: Failed in invading Germany This enraged Napoleon who punished them severely

I absolutely love these latest vids you're putting up. As a kid I used to draw military soldiers in high detail, would have loved to have been a part of something like this! Keep up the great work Griff & Co.!

A great topic would be the Belgium's obsession with neutrality. The French and British wanted to integrate Belgium into the Maginot or at least station Allied troops inside their Borders. But once war had broken out in Europe the Belgian King threw out any preemtive cooperation with the Allies and took German promises of Neutrality until the very last moment. That is why the Allies were forced to race into Belgium rather than already be in place when Germany invaded.