Jack Posted May 27, 2009 Posted May 27, 2009 OK - don't go nuts over this! Degsy calm down dear!!!!! France's equivalent of BBC1 plans blanket coverage in a day-long programme called Barack Obama On The Invasion Beaches. Publicity for it makes no mention of British or Canadian troops. All on the front page folks and click on the HMVF logo to get there!! Quote
Richard Farrant Posted May 27, 2009 Posted May 27, 2009 Words fail me.........:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad: as "politics" are no allowed on here, I will say no more :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: Quote
Degsy Posted May 27, 2009 Posted May 27, 2009 OK - don't go nuts over this! Degsy calm down dear!!!!! France's equivalent of BBC1 plans blanket coverage in a day-long programme called Barack Obama On The Invasion Beaches. Publicity for it makes no mention of British or Canadian troops. All on the front page folks and click on the HMVF logo to get there!! :angry:angry:angry:argh::argh::argh: Quote
ferretfixer Posted May 27, 2009 Posted May 27, 2009 Words fail me.........:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad: as "politics" are no allowed on here, I will say no more :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: Fully in agreemant with Richard on this one! We cannot possibly say what we really feel & mean on the forum as it definately would breech the policies! :banghead: it would seem the frenchies have forgotten who helped them out from under the heel of the Jackboot a few years ago! Disgusting!!! :mad::mad::mad: Quote
croc Posted May 27, 2009 Posted May 27, 2009 We should make more of the 200th annivesary of kicking that little toad Napoleon from Portugal to Waterloo. That could keep us going over the next few years. Quote
Redcap Posted May 27, 2009 Posted May 27, 2009 Fine. I say we ban the import of Snails, then. That'll hurt their economy :evil: Quote
Marmite!! Posted May 27, 2009 Posted May 27, 2009 We must be carefull not to tar everyone with the same brush... it is French Government that is doing this... remember we have many French members on the forum who are entitled to the same respect as everyone else here... they are probably just as disgusted as us... Quote
Tony B Posted May 27, 2009 Posted May 27, 2009 Fortunatley the people of Normandy aren't baised. They like the British over there. As safariswing says, let the poloticians play their games. I'm going over to se friends and enjoy the place and the people. Quote
retriever Posted May 27, 2009 Posted May 27, 2009 Good job we did not wait for an invitation 65 years ago Quote
Great War truck Posted May 27, 2009 Posted May 27, 2009 Why am i not suprised by this news? I am so mad with so many people i am unable to say what i really feel without being banned. Dont get me wrong. I like France. I like just about every French person i meet. But i hate politicians (as in fact so do most people i meet). Anyway, to avoid getting banned, i will say no more and let De Gaulles words speak for themself. This is what he said on the liberation of Paris. "Paris! Paris humiliated! Paris broken! Paris martyrised! But Paris Liberated! Freed by herself, freed by her people with the support of the Armies of France, with the backing and assistance of the whole of France, of fighting France, of the only France, of the true France, of eternal France". A little over two months earlier, on June the sixth, the greatest invasion force ever assembled had hit the beaches of Normandy. Four thousand, six hundred allied troops had been killed on that day alone, of whom two thousand five hundred were American and nineteen French. Two decades later, as President of France, General de Gaulle would telephone his American counterpart, President Lyndon Johnson to tell him that France had decided to withdraw from NATO. "My intention" the General told him, "is that all American servicemen should leave French soil" to which Johnson is said to have replied "Does that include those buried in it?" This, being the 65th anniversary of D-Day will hopefully be the last political and media scrum. Good job too. I hope the politicians never come back again. I am really sorry for the veterans though. With this probably being their last journey, what a shameful and sad end to it all. Tim (too) Quote
N.O.S. Posted May 27, 2009 Posted May 27, 2009 Monday's C4 documentary about Churchill's dilema on whether to destroy the French fleet after France had been overyun by Germany was fascinating, if not the best timing! Not something I was aware of till now. It must have been a big shock to the French population. The decision seemed to hinge around on how reliable was the French Government's 'undertaking not to permit Germany to take over their fleet and use the ships to help them invade Britain'. Hmmm. Whatever, the day belongs to the VETERANS :tup:: , not the politicians. Quote
flyingp Posted May 27, 2009 Posted May 27, 2009 once the empire now just england. we saved europe .its an insult to those fine men and women who laid down there lives. so why dont we do something about it... all we do is moan. do what the french lorry drivers do. or the fishermen do...action speeks lowder than words.. come on gents there must be something we can do . Quote
Guest catweazle (Banned Member) Posted May 27, 2009 Posted May 27, 2009 Monday's C4 documentary about Churchill's dilema on whether to destroy the French fleet after France had been overyun by Germany was fascinating, if not the best timing! Not something I was aware of till now. It must have been a big shock to the French population. The decision seemed to hinge around on how reliable was the French Government's 'undertaking not to permit Germany to take over their fleet and use the ships to help them invade Britain'. Hmmm. Whatever, the day belongs to the VETERANS :tup:: , not the politicians. I am assured by a free french fighter who i know who was in the Navy i believe in Dakar when we blockaded the port sabataged one vessel tied up in dock,where he watched his comrades faces at the portholes as they drowned.They caused some damage to the royal navy.He says the French had no problems turning there ships over to the RN but only under a french Captain which Churchill refused.Why was he there they were transporting french gold to Canada.why was we there,obvious really. He was arrested by the Vichy and transported to a saharan fort ,he became ill and was rescued by a french doctor and sent to a west african collony.the ship was attacked and ran aground on a sand bank.he escaped to England and joined the Free French Forces,he was in the invasion and survived.Whilst in England he met an italian lady and they went to the pictures he couldnt speak italian,she couldnt speak french.He came back to her at the end of hostilities,our government rewarded him by doing everything possible to send him back to France.Dont tell me about Poloticians or the like,People dont make wars ,Governments make wars. I know we have an interest in all this and i hope by keeping it alive we never find ourselves in such a situation again,My fear is there is no certainty in that,i can see things happening in England now that were happening in Germany leading up to the hostilities.enough said. Quote
daz76 Posted May 27, 2009 Posted May 27, 2009 What a sorry state of affairs, although I'm not surprised given the state of society and the general lack of respect for those who fought for us in the past. I have worked with many wonderful French people and been in touch with more via this forum and I agree that they will be embarrassed about this political stunt. This should be a time of reflection, celebration and thanks to those who remain and those who perished in preserving freedom for our nations, regardless of nationality. Not a happy chappy. :argh::argh::argh::argh::argh: Quote
Jack Posted May 27, 2009 Author Posted May 27, 2009 Why am i not suprised by this news? I am so mad with so many people i am unable to say what i really feel without being banned. Dont get me wrong. I like France. I like just about every French person i meet. But i hate politicians (as in fact so do most people i meet). Anyway, to avoid getting banned, i will say no more and let De Gaulles words speak for themself. This is what he said on the liberation of Paris. "Paris! Paris humiliated! Paris broken! Paris martyrised! But Paris Liberated! Freed by herself, freed by her people with the support of the Armies of France, with the backing and assistance of the whole of France, of fighting France, of the only France, of the true France, of eternal France". A little over two months earlier, on June the sixth, the greatest invasion force ever assembled had hit the beaches of Normandy. Four thousand, six hundred allied troops had been killed on that day alone, of whom two thousand five hundred were American and nineteen French. Two decades later, as President of France, General de Gaulle would telephone his American counterpart, President Lyndon Johnson to tell him that France had decided to withdraw from NATO. "My intention" the General told him, "is that all American servicemen should leave French soil" to which Johnson is said to have replied "Does that include those buried in it?" This, being the 65th anniversary of D-Day will hopefully be the last political and media scrum. Good job too. I hope the politicians never come back again. I am really sorry for the veterans though. With this probably being their last journey, what a shameful and sad end to it all. Tim (too) Wonderful words Tim. Quote
Jack Posted May 27, 2009 Author Posted May 27, 2009 This is why the World At One phoned us this morning - they were in complete shock...... The world is a changing place at the moment with a lot of upset going on. I think power is or I should say 'could' come back to the people. This whole NVA and now this French stance truely is a bridge too far - how have we allowed this. More honour has come from HMVF than the whole of the goverment. PS. Basically - goverment is latin for mind control. Interesting thought. Quote
ferretfixer Posted May 28, 2009 Posted May 28, 2009 We must be carefull not to tar everyone with the same brush... it is French Government that is doing this... remember we have many French members on the forum who are entitled to the same respect as everyone else here... they are probably just as disgusted as us... LEE, EXCELLENTLY, & DIPLOMATICALY PUT SIR! :saluting: Quote
ford 369 Posted May 28, 2009 Posted May 28, 2009 I think people will realise this misaprehension that the Americans alone saved France is not a belief held by the average Frenchman by the reaction we get in Normandy ,I feel sure the vets will get the welcome respect and gratitude they truly deserve and hopefully the politicians will get the feeling they may not be really required this time Nigel Quote
Stefano Posted May 28, 2009 Posted May 28, 2009 Believe me, it's the same disgusting situation in Italy. The 25th of April celebrations out here are an orgy of back slapping politicians and union leaders ranting on about how the partisans liberated the country, and anyone who dares to mention that the Americans or (perish the very thought) the British Empire might have played a teeny weeny role in the proceedings get branded as fascists. Funny, but I thought that it was us that kicked the b******s out back in '45. Obviously my fathers battalion was basically wiped out somewhere other than Anzio, Colchester probably..... Quote
Enigma Posted May 28, 2009 Posted May 28, 2009 Well, all Allied veterans are wellcome in the Netherlands. We know and acknowladge we were liberated by the Brits, Canadians, Americans, Poles, French, Belgians, Tzechs, Norwegians and many many more Nationalities including our own troop contingent. They all took part and are honoured for it. We remember with respect to the sacrifices of so many!!! Look at the difference in D-Day or Market Garden commemorations.... Quote
FV1604A Posted May 28, 2009 Posted May 28, 2009 Hi guys, We, too, are horrified by this lack of respect for our Queen. We live in France and love the French people. They are very sympathetic, warm-hearted and amazingly honest. This is, above all, about that other race of people, called politicians, and you know all about them in the UK at the moment.. ‘Our chappie’ here certainly seems to have a knack of upsetting everyone at the moment. Someone correct me if I am wrong, but didn’t the American forces have to ‘hang around’ outside Paris in August ’44 while they scrabbled around trying to find their main man so that a Frenchman could be seen to liberate the city and didn’t I read on the news section of this site, that despite the phenomenal efforts of the ‘southern states’ troops of America ( Red Ball express, etc) in particular, none were allowed to be seen in the liberation of Paris! Bizarre! Paris liberation made 'whites only' Written by Administrator Tuesday, 07 April 2009 14:40 Black colonial soldiers - who made up around two-thirds of Free French forces - were deliberately removed from the unit that led the Allied advance into the French capital. Papers unearthed by the BBC reveal that British and American commanders ensured that the liberation of Paris on 25 August 1944 was seen as a "whites only" victory. Many who fought Nazi Germany during World War II did so to defeat the vicious racism that left millions of Jews dead. Yet the BBC's Document programme has seen evidence that black colonial soldiers - who made up around two-thirds of Free French forces - were deliberately removed from the unit that led the Allied advance into the French capital. By the time France fell in June 1940, 17,000 of its black, mainly West African colonial troops, known as the Tirailleurs Senegalais, lay dead. Many of them were simply shot where they stood soon after surrendering to German troops who often regarded them as sub-human savages. Their chance for revenge came in August 1944 as Allied troops prepared to retake Paris. But despite their overwhelming numbers, they were not to get it. I think ‘Retriever’ put it in a nutshell Good job we did not wait for an invitation 65 years ago. All you guys who are going for the celebrations have a great time! Quote
Adam Elsdon Posted May 29, 2009 Posted May 29, 2009 If you are going over to Normandy for the D-Day memorials, just remember, fly the flag, quite literally, put the biggest Union flag on your vehicle you can find, how dare they use it as a self important political staging event. Here is an interesting set of figures from the battle for Normandy: Twenty-seven war cemeteries hold the remains of over 110,000 dead from both sides: 77,866 German 17,769 British 9386 American 5002 Canadian 650 Polish. All the countries involved, and that includes the Germans should have a mechanism for a proper memorial on 6th of June. Unfortunately the Hollywood effect is rewriting history. Quote
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