Tomatolake
Tyro
Death to the Japanese, Pagan, Yorkshireman
Posts: 27 
|
Post by Tomatolake on Sept 14, 2019 18:43:41 GMT -5
Paris was famously saved from destruction twice in WWII.
The mayor of Paris declared it an open city in 1940, to prevent the city from being destroyed by fighting.
Then in 1944 Hitler ordered the city destroyed as the Allies advanced on it. Famously General Dietrich von Choltitz the "Saviour of Paris" prevented its destruction. Choltitz later asserted that his defiance of Hitler's direct order stemmed from its obvious military futility, his affection for the French capital's history and culture, and his belief that Hitler had by then become insane.
But what if this hadn't happened???
What if the French had made a stand in Paris in 1940??? I believe that although large casualties would be taken, and huge swathes of the city destroyed; but this may give the Germans experience in urban warfare for later in the war when they would fight in Stalingrad. I can't see this making much of a difference in the long term though.
Destruction in 1944??? Would've made the French really mad and I think this would have big difference in the Potsdam peace talks maybe with the French unwilling to vacate their areas of control.
|
|
generalpl4gue
Initiate
I'm about to cross the Rubicon. But i don't have an only legion!
Posts: 60
|
Post by generalpl4gue on Sept 17, 2019 21:13:06 GMT -5
I will show you some of my ideas:
I dont really know, but I think that France during the WWII had a low national unity. They weren't in saving their national spirit or something like, since they lost a major national symbol. They had a low military draft and, when ocuppied, they had less riots and uprisings than smaller countries, like Neederlands or Poland. So, i think French aren't really involved in the war.
My favorite point: During French revolution and Napoleon Empire France lost millions and milions of manpower. They literally burned tons of infantry and reduced their man populations to really low levels. It rebounds until now, because France has somethig like a third of manpower that they would have if 1789-1815 wars had not happened. You probably know that during Poland invasion by German France broke into German territory, passing to Maginot line and conquering some cities. But they decided to retreat, fearing a German overpowered reaction. It would had changed the war. If France and U.K had invaded Poland right after Poland invasion, the war would have ended ealier.
Finally, I think that this union of factors moved France to not fight for its liberty very well. A parisian battle would had killed a lot of French troops, and probably some amounts of they weren't decided to really fight for it. Some parisians heard about the war only when they went to buy food and saw Wermacht marching in Champ Elysees. I cant think other answer why French kept up the war for so little time.
|
|
