Fun fact, in the 1920s and 30s Charles De Gaulle proposed a modernization of doctrine, military structure, and tactics that would put tanks at the fore and revolutionize the overall French military. He was scoffed at by his conservative traditionalist superiors and ended up even getting demoted for making to much noise about it all. At one point he wrote a book about his theories which sold only a few dozen copies in France but 10,000 in Germany, who ended up implanting many similar things in subsequent years. When the Battle For France happened, De Gaulle was the only French tank commander to defeat and drive back German armor in the field. I'm very different from him politically but I have some real respect for the man. When he heard of the surrender he was so pissed that he immediately rolled up on the French treasury in Paris with his forces and took a bunch of gold, then jetted off to Britain to start an active government and military in exile with it. Also a 6'5 chad. Even in old age retirement he awed people like Nixon with his presence. During the middle of WWII on a visit to the US he decided he wanted to pay Black Jack Pershing a visit and see if he had some council on the present situation. The US government had somehow lost track of his whereabouts after leaving the military but was finally found in an Appalachian nursing home, unfortunately suffering from dementia and very despondent. However as soon as he saw De Gaulle's French uniform he immediately perked up like the years had temporarily melted off and they were able to have a decent conversation. At the end though he asked how his old friend Petain was doing... De Gaulle tactfully replied that the last time he had seen the general, he was in good health.
Petain wasn't selected by mr shitler, Petain was given ermengency powers by Pierre Lavalle, Petain wasn't a full friend of allies or hitler, he sent labourers to germany and deported french jews and heavily cracked down on The Maquis but Petain also didn't let the french fleet toulon fall to the germans, if it did the germans would have had the Jean Bart and various very powerful battlecruisers and battleships and he didn't send a lot of armies to fight the soviets and let Algeria fall, really a goob man.
If you ask me, Napoleon failed in Russia cuz he was a micromanager and tried to literally run a country and a massive campaign at the same time. His ability to make any decisions was completely shot.
Pétain was given emergency powers by the French government after the best of French troops were encircled in Belgium and Northern France, and in an attempt to prevent WW1-levels of bloodshed, chose to surrender. The Vichy government was too eager to cooperate, absolutely, but it's not that Pétain was Hitler's man for the job (in fact, Pierre Laval was far more eager to collaborate than him) ADDENDUM: Claiming the butcher of the Somme (Haig) to be a better leader than the Lion of Verdun is just putting the cart in front of the horse. Pétain in World War One was a damn good commander and I *will* break a spear in his favour. In World War One he inherited a near-broken army with morale at an all-time low (thank you, general Nivelle, very cool) and implemented reforms meant to save his soldiers' lives. Artillery superiority, battalion level mortar units, platoon level autonomy to take initiative, better life conditions, longer leave time, better food. They went on the offensive with the reformed army in the Verdun sector in August 1917 and in less than a month the troops retook territory they couldn't retake in a whole year (including a hill that provided a better defensive position). In World War Two he, a tired, old, scarred from the previous war man, was put in charge by the French Government when the country no longer stood any chance. His options were to either surrender and try negotiate so that French lives might be spared (which makes sense considering just how many men France lost in World War One, a fifth of the adult male population), or "fight" (more like flail angrily with what little army France had left) and just accept whatever collaterals might come. He chose to surrender. He didn't betray his country by surrendering to a much more powerful winning force (I doubt anyone claims the Italian government betrayed the country by surrendering to the Allies in 1943, or the Romanian government doing the same in 1944, or the Hungarians attempting to do so), he betrayed his country by cooperating far too eagerly even when not requested by the Germans. *That* is what we should remember as his failure. Not an inevitable surrender.
grats to 4k man, you deserved it the first time i heard about the FCM F1 were same fake pics from World of Tanks and the tank was also featured as a prototype tank in the RTS game "R.U.S.E"
What do you think about Putin's big OOOF of a VIctory Day Parade? ONE T-34 tank, a handful of trucks and missiles, and a bunch of troops that looked and marched like sh*t...
More accurately THE Roosevelts are the reason... Teddy's antics caused people to worry... but he at least wouldnt have served consecutive terms, and he ultimately lost... FDR getting 3 terms and looking at trying for a fourth before he died was what really caused people to panic
