French armor reference!

If you really want info on WWII French armor, ask the Germans.

Do the french have armour ? Maybe they should have used it in 1940 !
What do you call 100,000 frenchmen with their hands in the air ?

The Army !
Ha Ha Ha

The book "American tank destroyers in combat 1941-1945" has some pics of French operated equipment in SE Asia.

Issah and Gulfstream,

Let me remind you that this forum is also visited by French modelers and that they might take offence to your comments... and jokes. If you want to make such jokes, why don't you visit websites such as Aircraft Resource Centre..?

I'd like to remind you both that France developed the first true, modern tank in the form of the Renault FT, back during the first world war. Other than that, the Char B1bis was probably the most formidable tank at the outbreak of the second world war, far superior to whatever even the Germans could take in the battle with them. Granted, their 2-man crew was not suited for the Blitzkrieg and was a main factor in their eventual demise. In the air, the Dewatine D520 was probably as good as anything else in the air in 1940. And French airmen fought bravely, often to defend my country, Belgium. Politics have certainly way too much to do with war and the way weapons and men are used (check what happened in Viet-Nam??!), and nothing to do here on the FSM Forums.

QUOTE: Originally posted by lssah If you really want info on WWII French armor, ask the Germans.

What exactly did Issah type that is a joke, political or offensive?
The fact is the Germans captured, used and altered thousands of French vehicles during WWII. One could debate that they ended up with more knowledge of these vehicles than the French themselves.
And why bring up Vietnam if this forum is no place for offensive political statements.

A Renault FT-17 was recently found in Afghanistan and is being sent to the museum at Ft. Knox. There was some discussion of this tank on rec.models.scale and I believe www.missing-lynx.com

QUOTE: Originally posted by kaleu A Renault FT-17 was recently found in Afghanistan and is being sent to the museum at Ft. Knox.

Wow! That's somewhat amazing. Any speculation as to when and how it got there? Where in Afghanistan did they find it?

Charles, the fact is that my idea when I posted this message and included that link was to give interested modelers the opportunity to visit a website that is a mine of information on French armor, from WWI to present. If one is not interested in French armor, so be it, but please let's refrain from making 'debatable' comments. The way I took Issah's comment was maybe the wrong way, but 'ask the Germans' is far from being as productive as the link and the website I'm reffering to.

As to my 'Viet-Nam', it was a comment on the fact that the French lost the war in '40 for reasons beyond the courage and sacrifice of countless French soldiers. It was to do with the politics of the time and organisation of their army. The French (and later, others) faced the same kind of problems in Indo-China.

Now, can we get back to modeling???! I've got Revell's 1/72 Leclerc on the table! And it is a beauty!

Alrighty...

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