Frank Matthews

London, 24 December 1941

How nice to be talking to you, children, on Christmas Eve ! Of course I
know life is not very gay for you these days ; still, I want to tell you
a tale you can be proud of, a tale of our country's glory and the great
future that will be hers...

Once upon a time, there was a country called France. Nations, you know,
are like great ladies. They vary in beauty, goodness, and bravery. Well,
children, of all these lady-nations, none was more beautiful, better, or
braver than our Lady France. But she had a cruel neighbour, crafty and
jealous, called Germany. Now one day Germany, crazy with vanity and
wickedness, decided to turn all her neighbours into slaves. In August
1914 she started to attack them. But France managed to stop her, first
on the Marne and then at Verdun, so that other great nations like
England and America had time to come to the rescue. Then Germany, whose
territory had not been invaded at all, suddenly collapsed. She
surrendered to Marshal Foch ; she begged to be forgiven, and sobbed that
she would never do it again. She still had great armies intact, but
there was not a single German ? not one ? to fire a shot once his
country had surrendered.

After that, the nations who won the war separated, each going about her
own business. That was just what Germany was waiting for. Taking
advantage of their simplicity, she prepared to invade anew. Soon she
hurled herself once more against France, and this time she won the
battle...

The enemy and his friends say that France deserved to be beaten. But the
French nation is made up of your Daddies and Mummies, your brothers and
sisters, and you, children, know very well they were not to blame. If
our army was beaten, it was certainly not because our soldiers were
lacking in courage or discipline. It was just because we had too few
tanks and aeroplanes, for nowadays everything is done by machinery and
the only way to win victories is with tanks and aeroplanes and ships,
for they are the machines of war. Yet, in spite of this defeat, there
are still French troops, warships, merchant vessels, and air squadrons
in the fight. Indeed, I can tell you there are more and more of them,
and people are talking all over the world about what these French forces
are doing for the glory of France.

Think of them, and remember them in your prayers, for, believe me, they
are very fine, brave soldiers, sailors, and airmen, who will have
wonderful tales to tell you when they come home again. And they are sure
to return in triumph, since, apart from the growing strength of our
American Allies, the British and the Russians now have mighty armies
which the Germans cannot hope to destroy, because huge reinforcements of
tanks, aeroplanes, and ships are being built in England, in Russia, and
in America. One day, you will see these war machines crushing the
despairing Germans and, as the invader retreats on our soil, you will
see a great French army rising again.

Dear children of France, you go hungry because the enemy is eating our
bread and our meat ; you are cold because the enemy is stealing our coal
and our logs ; you are unhappy because the enemy tells you, and gets
other people to tell you, that you are the sons and daughters of
conquered men. Now 1 am going to make you a solemn promise this
Christmas. You will have a visit soon, dear children of France, a visit
from a lady called Victory . . . and then you will see how beautiful she
is !

Ddb

"Frank Matthews" <> wrote in message
news:3fddcd44$...
    > London, 24 December 1941
    > How nice to be talking to you, children, on Christmas Eve ! Of course I
    > know life is not very gay for you these days ; still, I want to tell you
    > a tale you can be proud of, a tale of our country's glory and the great
    > future that will be hers...
    > Once upon a time, there was a country called France. Nations, you know,
    > are like great ladies. They vary in beauty, goodness, and bravery. Well,
    > children, of all these lady-nations, none was more beautiful, better, or
    > braver than our Lady France. But she had a cruel neighbour, crafty and
    > jealous, called Germany. Now one day Germany, crazy with vanity and
    > wickedness, decided to turn all her neighbours into slaves. In August
    > 1914 she started to attack them. But France managed to stop her, first
    > on the Marne and then at Verdun, so that other great nations like
    > England and America had time to come to the rescue. Then Germany, whose
    > territory had not been invaded at all, suddenly collapsed. She
    > surrendered to Marshal Foch ; she begged to be forgiven, and sobbed that
    > she would never do it again. She still had great armies intact, but
    > there was not a single German ? not one ? to fire a shot once his
    > country had surrendered.
    > After that, the nations who won the war separated, each going about her
    > own business. That was just what Germany was waiting for. Taking
    > advantage of their simplicity, she prepared to invade anew. Soon she
    > hurled herself once more against France, and this time she won the
    > battle...
    > The enemy and his friends say that France deserved to be beaten. But the
    > French nation is made up of your Daddies and Mummies, your brothers and
    > sisters, and you, children, know very well they were not to blame. If
    > our army was beaten, it was certainly not because our soldiers were
    > lacking in courage or discipline. It was just because we had too few
    > tanks and aeroplanes, for nowadays everything is done by machinery and
    > the only way to win victories is with tanks and aeroplanes and ships,
    > for they are the machines of war. Yet, in spite of this defeat, there
    > are still French troops, warships, merchant vessels, and air squadrons
    > in the fight. Indeed, I can tell you there are more and more of them,
    > and people are talking all over the world about what these French forces
    > are doing for the glory of France.
    > Think of them, and remember them in your prayers, for, believe me, they
    > are very fine, brave soldiers, sailors, and airmen, who will have
    > wonderful tales to tell you when they come home again. And they are sure
    > to return in triumph, since, apart from the growing strength of our
    > American Allies, the British and the Russians now have mighty armies
    > which the Germans cannot hope to destroy, because huge reinforcements of
    > tanks, aeroplanes, and ships are being built in England, in Russia, and
    > in America. One day, you will see these war machines crushing the
    > despairing Germans and, as the invader retreats on our soil, you will
    > see a great French army rising again.

Yep just as expected as the german armies retreated and the hard lifting was
over the French army was seen rising again! SMIRK

    > Dear children of France, you go hungry because the enemy is eating our
    > bread and our meat ; you are cold because the enemy is stealing our coal
    > and our logs ; you are unhappy because the enemy tells you, and gets
    > other people to tell you, that you are the sons and daughters of
    > conquered men. Now 1 am going to make you a solemn promise this
    > Christmas. You will have a visit soon, dear children of France, a visit
    > from a lady called Victory . . . and then you will see how beautiful she
    > is !
    > --
    > L.Frank Matthews
    > Systems Analyst
    > Technology Support Services
    > University of Tennessee Health Science Center
    > mailto:

Domi

Frank Matthews <> wrote in
news:3fddcd44$:

    > In August
    > 1914 she started to attack them. But France managed to stop her, first
    > on the Marne and then at Verdun, so that other great nations like
    > England and America had time to come to the rescue.
Thank you to show us your great ignorance .France and british empire
started the ww1 together in 1914 .Maybe you should take some geography
lessons to , england was a part of the empire , and there was plenty of
scottish , welsh , irish , australian , canadian , south african , indian ,
neo zelander , african from the british african colonies regiments in ww1 .
Of course france sent many of its empire troups to the front like
senegalese , indochinese etc.
domi

Domi

Frank Matthews <> wrote in
news:3fddcd44$:

    >
    > our army was beaten, it was certainly not because our soldiers were
    > lacking in courage or discipline. It was just because we had too few
    > tanks and aeroplanes,

The german won just because they used for the first time a new way of
fighting called combinated attack.they used tanks and airplanes together
against infantry .they won because they did not invade france in first but
a neutral nation called belgium , and french politician were not clever
enough to built fortification along the border between france and a neutral
country .
It's not france who lost the battle but france and british .british were
coward enough to send their armies home and let their fellow french
camarades on the dunkerque beaches .

domi

Domi

Frank Matthews <> wrote in
news:3fddcd44$:

    > You will have a visit soon, dear children of France, a visit
    > from a lady called Victory . . . and then you will see how beautiful she
    > is !
    >

We had already a greater lady who came to visit us .she is called peace .

domi

Domi

Frank Matthews <> wrote in
news:3fddcd44$:

    > Of course I
    > know life is not very gay for you these days ;

Why ? we are the new women handball world champion .We just finish to
built the greatest ship ever made.

domi

Exo7

Mon, 15 Dec 2003 09:01:15 -0600
    >
    > London, 24 December 1941
    >
    > How nice to be talking to you, children, on Christmas Eve ! Of course I
    > know life is not very gay for you these days ; still, I want to tell you
    > a tale you can be proud of, a tale of our country's glory and the great
    > future that will be hers...
    >
    > Once upon a time, there was a country called France. Nations, you know,
    > are like great ladies. They vary in beauty, goodness, and bravery. Well,
    > children, of all these lady-nations, none was more beautiful, better, or
    > braver than our Lady France. But she had a cruel neighbour, crafty and
    > jealous, called Germany. Now one day Germany, crazy with vanity and
    > wickedness, decided to turn all her neighbours into slaves. In August
    > 1914 she started to attack them. But France managed to stop her, first
    > on the Marne and then at Verdun, so that other great nations like
    > England and America had time to come to the rescue. Then Germany, whose
    > territory had not been invaded at all, suddenly collapsed. She
    > surrendered to Marshal Foch ; she begged to be forgiven, and sobbed that
    > she would never do it again. She still had great armies intact, but
    > there was not a single German ? not one ? to fire a shot once his
    > country had surrendered.
    >
    > After that, the nations who won the war separated, each going about her
    > own business. That was just what Germany was waiting for. Taking
    > advantage of their simplicity, she prepared to invade anew. Soon she
    > hurled herself once more against France, and this time she won the
    > battle...
    >
    > The enemy and his friends say that France deserved to be beaten. But the
    > French nation is made up of your Daddies and Mummies, your brothers and
    > sisters, and you, children, know very well they were not to blame. If
    > our army was beaten, it was certainly not because our soldiers were
    > lacking in courage or discipline. It was just because we had too few
    > tanks and aeroplanes, for nowadays everything is done by machinery and
    > the only way to win victories is with tanks and aeroplanes and ships,
    > for they are the machines of war. Yet, in spite of this defeat, there
    > are still French troops, warships, merchant vessels, and air squadrons
    > in the fight. Indeed, I can tell you there are more and more of them,
    > and people are talking all over the world about what these French forces
    > are doing for the glory of France.
    >
    > Think of them, and remember them in your prayers, for, believe me, they
    > are very fine, brave soldiers, sailors, and airmen, who will have
    > wonderful tales to tell you when they come home again. And they are sure
    > to return in triumph, since, apart from the growing strength of our
    > American Allies, the British and the Russians now have mighty armies
    > which the Germans cannot hope to destroy, because huge reinforcements of
    > tanks, aeroplanes, and ships are being built in England, in Russia, and
    > in America. One day, you will see these war machines crushing the
    > despairing Germans and, as the invader retreats on our soil, you will
    > see a great French army rising again.
    >
    > Dear children of France, you go hungry because the enemy is eating our
    > bread and our meat ; you are cold because the enemy is stealing our coal
    > and our logs ; you are unhappy because the enemy tells you, and gets
    > other people to tell you, that you are the sons and daughters of
    > conquered men. Now 1 am going to make you a solemn promise this
    > Christmas. You will have a visit soon, dear children of France, a visit
    > from a lady called Victory . . . and then you will see how beautiful she
    > is !

Go Fig

In article <brktb4$d5r$>,
"Donna Evleth" <> wrote:

    >
    > Dans l'article <brkn76$3bj$>, domi <> a
    > écrit :
    >
    >
    > > The german won just because they used for the first time a new way of
    > > fighting called combinated attack.they used tanks and airplanes together
    > > against infantry .they won because they did not invade france in first but
    > > a neutral nation called belgium , and french politician were not clever
    > > enough to built fortification along the border between france and a neutral
    > > country .
    >
    > The French politicians committed a multitude of sins, but lack of cleverness
    > regarding the fortification was not really one of them. They did not
    > fortify in that area because of Belgian protest. Belgium was neutral at
    > that time (we are talking circa 1936), they looked upon fortifications as a
    > violation of that neutrality. The French respected their position, and did
    > not act unilaterally to fortify. One can say that the French were too
    > polite, but this is not the same as not being clever.
    >
    > Donna Evleth

"The Horse before the cart"

Germany wasn't even allowed to have these weapons. There was an
inspections program that France failed to enforce.

They built a very nice wall, but with horses and buggies, while Germany
was using modern mechanized machinery... cleaver ??

jay
Mon, Dec 15, 2003
mailto:

Donna Evleth

Dans l'article <brkn76$3bj$>, domi <> a
écrit :


    > The german won just because they used for the first time a new way of
    > fighting called combinated attack.they used tanks and airplanes together
    > against infantry .they won because they did not invade france in first but
    > a neutral nation called belgium , and french politician were not clever
    > enough to built fortification along the border between france and a neutral
    > country .

The French politicians committed a multitude of sins, but lack of cleverness
regarding the fortification was not really one of them. They did not
fortify in that area because of Belgian protest. Belgium was neutral at
that time (we are talking circa 1936), they looked upon fortifications as a
violation of that neutrality. The French respected their position, and did
not act unilaterally to fortify. One can say that the French were too
polite, but this is not the same as not being clever.

Donna Evleth

Donna Evleth

Dans l'article <PKOdnW2qpO-_U0CiRVn->, "DDB"
<> a écrit :


    > Yep just as expected as the german armies retreated and the hard lifting was
    > over the French army was seen rising again! SMIRK

What was your point in spoiling a really nice post?

Donna Evleth