Have the French ever won a war?

Question

Remember Napoleon was Italian. Joan of Ark was a woman. Have French men got any, you know, nerve?

Answer 1

They were amonst the victors in the first world war. Also the free french forces under De Gaulle were among the victors in the second world war. Althought Napoleon was indeed of Italian decent he was only the leader in what was known as the Napoleonic Wars(PLURAL). Of his 26 marshals only one was not a frenchman. Pontiwosky- a polish count. Another was McDonald whoes father was scot and his mother was french. The french won the wars against Austria, Prussia and Russia. Amost all of the marshals were french and pretty much all of his troops in his victorious wars were french. The only reasons why Napoleon lost Waterloo, a battle against two armies, was that he collasped in the middle of the battle and Marshal Ney led attacks with cavalry unsupported by infrantry and visa versa, the weather had made the mud delay the start of the battle re his artillery being moved up and Marshal Grouchey's failure to either keep Blutcher away or come back into the battle . If Grouchey had either kept Blutcher away or come back Napoleon would have won a huge victory. Also the French were considered the best soldiers at the time and it was only with the technical and tactical superiority of the British was the French soldier superceded.
The French also won the Hundred Years War AFTER JOAN OF ARC-WITHOUT HER.
If you were to read "March of the Twenty Six" which is the story of Napoleon's marshals, you would find a very good account of Marshal Ney and his men's retreat from Moscow and how against tremendous odds they managed to get throught the Russian lines and to safety. There is so much in history. So I would suggest before you begin slurring another nation you at least spend some time studying their history. And as for Joan of Arc being A WOMAN. I'll leave you to half the earth.

Answer 2

Well, you've obviously got some nerve to ask that. ;)

Napoleon was Corsican, not Italian. The French conquered Corsica long ago, and they still own it (there are separatists, but they're not Italian). But Napoleon was a loser anyway.

The French beat the English out of France on a few occasions (Joan of Arc was more of a martyr than a winner). And they gained a few colonies around the world through bloodshed.

They lost most of their colonies eventually, but every empire eventually crumbles (France still has more theirs intact than Britain does).

1066 was a kind of French invasion of Britain.

The French have had so many enemies, they had to win a few wars just to stay intact.

The only country I can think of that hasn't lost any wars is Switzerland.

Answer 3

The did help us beat back the British during the American Revolution. Although that was probably because they were expecting the U.S. to fail miserably and fall apart, leaving land for the taking.

And Napoleon was born on Corsica about 3 months after it was taken by the French. His father was loyal to the French. He went to school in France. He may have hated the French for a long time, but eventually he came around to the fact that 1) with the right propaganda, they would love him, and 2) there were plenty of French soldiers willing to die for him. He basically rode the aftermath of the Rein of Terror to gain power and eventually become a French hero.

Yeah, they've got some nerve. Maybe not the best leadership, but you can't judge an entire country by who's in power. Cough, George Bush, cough.

Answer 4

As a matter of fact (and I'm no "fan" of the French), I learned in American History in 5th, 8th and 11th grades that without France's participation in the American Revolutionary War against the British, the British probably would have won the war over the Americans.

Answer 5

God, you're ignorant. Napoleon was not Italian. The French lost a whole generation of their men in the first world war, and their country was occupied in WWII by one of the most brutal armies in history, but they kept fighting, both inside France and with the Free French under de Gaulle. And Germany did not win WWII. A lot of French men and women died horribly as a result of their resistance in WWII. All you Yanks did was come in and blast the hell out of their already damaged country.
I think you're just trying to cause trouble with your ridiculous question.

Answer 6

Some of the Napoleonic wars and world war one.

Answer 7

William of Normandy did pretty well in 1066, as did Charles Martel at Tours.

Answer 8

Yes, but not many. The French did save Europe from the Muslim invasion at the Battle of Tours.

Answer 9

The Franco-Prussian war of 1870
The Hundred Years war where the Brits were finally kicked out of France

Answer 10

yes the poor cut the heads off the rich, it was called the french revolution, war against rich oppressors, the world could do with it again perhaps!