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How great a feat was it for the German Army to attack France through the Ardennes? What would it be comparable to? People don't know France had a million men in the armed forces by the end of WWII. It's time this world gets things straight.
it was a bold initiative that was dismissed by the French as impossible to achieve successfully. The main responsible of this decision among the French Chief of State was the Marshall Henri Philippe Pétain who was the victorious soldier of Verdun. So the German attracted the best of the French army into Belgium and Luxembourg and could victoriously sneak several panzer divisions (1st, 2rd, 3rd) into France through the corridor of Sedan that General Guderian knew very wall because he was stationed there before WW1 as the region of Sedan was German since 1870. It was a total disastrous for the French and the Brits who were duped by the Germans.
By the time of the Normandy Invasion, the Free French forces numbered more than 400,000 strong. 900 Free French paratroopers in the British Special Air Service Brigade (S.A.S.), the Free French 2nd Armored Division, under General Leclerc, landed at Utah Beach in Normandy on 1 August 1944, and eventually led the drive towards Paris, whilst the divisions which had been fighting in Italy became part of the French First Army, under General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny, and joined the U.S. 7th Army in Operation Dragoon. This operation was the Allied invasion of southern France. The Allied forces advanced up the line of the Rhône River to liberate the Vosges and southern Alsace.
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Michel Cahier
Expertise
I am a French amateur historian in German history between 1918 and 1945, particularly with regard to the Nazi era, Hitler's character and the occupation of Europe.
Experience
I have worked on the subject of Nazism since college and since I retired I developed a complete site with more than 60 chapters devoted to different aspects of the Nazi era. I have developed too a special interest in Nazi Art and the treatment of art by the Nazis. My site had about 2000 hits per week and is very well considered. I would be glad to help some people who have very precise questions about Hitler and the Nazis. My site can be consulted at http://schikelgruber.net/index.html. Needless to say that I am not a supporter of the Nazis and never in this site do I attempt to justify or excuse their policies.
Organizations
I used to work for the Agence France Presse, La Tribune, TV Channel France 3 and as the Editor of the Agence Economique et Financiere. I was in position in Brussels, London and Paris.
Publications
I published a book about the entrepreneurs and the motives for creating a company in the 80s and a book about the Franco-Swiss jeweller Philippe Charriol in the 90s
Education/Credentials
I graduated in Law and Political Sciences, I have a MBA from the Paris Chamber of commerce and I have a license of massage therapy (RMT) of the State of Texas
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