An Alternate to Linda's list of historically significant conflicts. [Archive] - Ceramic Tile Advice Forums - John Bridge Ceramic Tile

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jjwq8
04-25-2004, 11:36 AM
Please note that the author is not American and blaming the author for America's history is illogical. Though you may critisize this oversimplified French history all you wish, blaming or threatening the author is not nice.


- Gallic Wars
- Lost. In a war whose ending foreshadows the next 2000 years of French history, France is conquered by of all things, an Italian.

- Hundred Years War
- Mostly lost, saved at last by female schizophrenic who inadvertently creates The First Rule of French Warfare; "France's armies are victorious only when not led by a Frenchman." Sainted.

- Italian Wars
- Lost. France becomes the first and only country to ever lose two wars when fighting Italians.

- Wars of Religion
- France goes 0-5-4 against the Huguenots

- Thirty Years War
- France is technically not a participant, but manages to get invaded anyway. Claims a tie on the basis that eventually the other participants started ignoring her.

- War of Revolution
- Tied. Frenchmen take to wearing red flowerpots as chapeaux.

- The Dutch War
- Tied

- War of the Augsburg League/King William's War/French and Indian War
- Lost, but claimed as a tie. Three ties in a row induces deluded Frogophiles the world over to label the period as the height of French military power.

- War of the Spanish Succession
- Lost. The War also gave the French their first taste of a Marlborough, which they have loved every since.

- American Revolution
- In a move that will become quite familiar to future Americans, France claims a win even though the English colonists saw far more action. This is later known as "de Gaulle Syndrome", and leads to the Second Rule of French Warfare; "France only wins when America does most of the fighting."

- French Revolution
- Won, primarily due the fact that the opponent was also French.

- The Napoleonic Wars
- Lost. Temporary victories (remember the First Rule!) due to leadership of a Corsican, who ended up being no match for a British footwear designer.

- The Franco-Prus sian War
- Lost. Germany first plays the role of drunk Frat boy to France's ugly girl home alone on a Saturday night.

- World War I
- Tied and on the way to losing, France is saved by the United States. Thousands of French women find out what it's like to not only sleep with a winner, but one who doesn't call her "Fraulein." Sadly, widespread use of condoms by American forces forestalls any improvement in the French bloodline.

- World War II
- Lost. Conquered French liberated by the United States and Britain just as they finish learning the Horst Wessel Song.

- War in Indochina
- Lost. French forces plead sickness; take to bed with the Dien Bien Flu

- Algerian Rebellion
- Lost. Loss marks the first defeat of a western army by a Non-Turkic Muslim force since the Crusades, and produces the First Rule of Muslim Warfare; "We can always beat the French." This rule is identical to the First Rules of the Ita lians, Russians, Germans, English, Dutch, Spanish, Vietnamese and Esquimaux.

- War on Terrorism
- France, keeping in mind its recent history, surrenders to Germans and Muslims just to be safe. Attempts to surrender to Vietnamese ambassador fail after he takes refuge in a McDonald's.

The question for any country silly enough to count on the French should not be "Can we count on the French?", but rather "How long until France collapses?"

"Going to war without France is like going deer hunting without an accordion. All you do is leave behind a lot of noisy baggage."

Or, better still, the quote from last week's Wall Street Journal: "They're there when they need you."

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davem
04-25-2004, 12:57 PM
:rofl:

Derek & Jacqui
04-25-2004, 02:08 PM
Now, now, now, the french have one victory - that of the war of the lambs. They surrounded the trucks of live lambs being transported and cunningly roasted them before they could get to market. Admittedly the perpetrators were farmers, but they were french.
French 1 - lambs 0
(This took place when the french farmers objected to the importation of foreign meats and therefore being undersubsidized by the EEC)

John Bridge
04-25-2004, 02:34 PM
Well, I suppose it's all a matter of where you're standing, and it depends on whether Normans are considered French. In any case, one William of Normandy kicked the ever livin' crap out of the "English" in 1066. No equivocation there. It was a win. ;)


and what is this doing here? It needs to be in the History Forum.

jjwq8
04-26-2004, 12:27 AM
John, no denying 1066, but Harald wasn't really English, so we can overlook that minor hiccup:D

Besides I guess the benefits actually outweighed the shame of being beaten by the French, besides every team has one bad game.

As to posting it in the Mud box I figured that given it's lighthearted nature, it deserved a broader airing than posts in the history forum appear to get. I am not the author by the way, and I do not know who is.

John Bridge
04-26-2004, 05:11 AM
Also, the French did not win the American Revolution, but we probably would not have won without them.

I suspect the author is an American because of the reference to the French and Indian War. Everywhere but here it is referred to as the Seven Years War. Who won? Who knows? ;)

jjwq8
04-26-2004, 05:37 AM
Obviously why it is so popular with the re-enacters. Everybody gets to die without actually losing.

In truth, I would guess that history would favour a decision for the English, given the subsequent paucity of French hegemony over the North American Continent.

smee
04-26-2004, 08:24 AM
Yep, I've seen that. Very funny.

One thing - I do think Harold was English. He was Anglo Saxon. The Anglo Saxons were in England by that time for somewhere around 300 to 400 yrs. If you are comparing him to the 'indigenous' English - well - ok. That is true.
Harald on the other hand who Harold killed a short time before William killed Harold was Norweigian. Phew. did you get that?

and I guess if you want to get all technical - William was the grandson of a Viking. So there :p a french viking.




;)

jjwq8
04-26-2004, 09:28 AM
I feel better already :D

John Bridge
04-26-2004, 12:50 PM
William's people had been in Normandy for about 200 years before he decided he wanted to live in England, so that would make him a Frenchman. French was his only language, for example. I don't think he thought of himself as a Viking. :)

I don't know who won the Seven Years War, but it wasn't Spain. ;)

Airborne
05-02-2004, 07:00 AM
Very nice Jeremy! Back in '90/'91 my unit was supposed to be operating in concert with a French unit in a screening and movement to contact mission in Western Iraq....It was more like "have fun storming the castle, we'll be sure the crepes are ready when you get back." Not a real impressive show of martial prowess from my perspective, but hey, the top 10% is sadly only 10%.....

BTW, what the heck are you doing in Q8 anyway? Setting tile or, ahem, doing the other deal?

jjwq8
05-03-2004, 01:44 AM
Now happily into year 26 of my sojourn here. While you were preparing for your encounter with the French, which I am sure was far more daunting than any contact made with the opposing forces, I was having a 5 month holiday as one of many hostages. Wonderful! Wouldn't have missed a second of it:D

Airborne
05-03-2004, 06:17 AM
Sorry to hear about your little vacation....

I never had the opportunity to visit the civilized areas of the middle east (I've been told Q8 city was real nice before it was sacked); I was with a recon unit, so mostly sand, bedouins, camels and trying not to be noticed.

I suppose things are getting back to normal by now (disregarding the influx of troops and materiel). Might just have to slide by sometime if I'm in the neighborhood once things calm down to your northwest....

jjwq8
05-03-2004, 12:21 PM
Art,
The city was never sacked.
When I first returned in June 2001, I was expecting to enter somewhere resembling Beirut. I was gobsmacked at just how little damage there was. Downtown, the Sheraton was torched by the resistance, not the Iraqis, because it was a billet for Iraqi Officers. The Kuwait airways building was torched, perps unknown. It was likely the locals coz the mercedes agency accounts department was there. The places torched were those containing credit records and account details of debtors.
The Iraqis did torch the Conference Center at the Bayan Palace complex, but that was symbolic.
The SAS hotel was torched and bombed as it too was a billet.
Frankly very sad and of little surprise to those of us versed in the character of the locals.

Steven Hauser
05-03-2004, 01:24 PM
Jeremy,

Who is indigeneous to Kuwait?

:)

John Bridge
05-03-2004, 05:05 PM
What I would like to know is how your captors put up with you for five solid months. :D

Shaughnn
05-06-2004, 11:08 PM
Going back to the start of this thread, I'd like to put forward the exception to the trend which Linda outlined. Jean-Luc Picard was no mealy-mouthed wimp. Well, alright, there was that one time that the Cardassian General Gul Madred tortured him and left him hanging nekkid until he went buggy. But Picard was always the better captain that loungey J. Tiberius Kirk-meister. And *he* was French. Right?
Shaughnn

jjwq8
05-07-2004, 03:49 AM
Almost mon ami but not quite. Any steel that slaphead possessed was written into him by his American script writers and his singularly English portrayer.

jjwq8
05-07-2004, 03:58 AM
Steve,
Those indigenous to Kuwait are those who can prove it:D

Mostly Iraqis and Saudis and of Course the Shias from Arabistan.

And ME of course :yeah: