US Army veteran and the son of a French Army veteran and I appreciate the sincerity of this video. France entered the war very unprepared and saddled with the wrong doctrine but everyone learned. By 1918, the pre-war French Army was gone. Shout out to France- Even in 1940, the French Army proved that it could hold it's own and even win( if given the chance
The strategic and Tactical analysis of this series is outstanding. Not only of great use to any History student but for anyone wishing to understand military technique and development during the 20th century. I hope this series goes on to be shown and recommended at schools and colleges. Fantastic work. Thank you Great War team.
I dont know about you, but I think we're going to keep hearing more of those, because I predict after November 11th, the carnage is going to keep raging until the only people left on the Isonzo river are Haig, Cadorna, Hotzendorf, Neville, Enver Pasha, and then the ultimate Rumble will commence!
First time I have seen this kind of detailed examination of Frances contribution to WW1. So much of the focus seems to be on Britai8and Germany. I definitely did not know about France having one of the most advanced armies by 1918. Thanks for video.
You know I rarely just listen to The Great War, you chaps do such a great job of locating and editing together film and imagery from the period. However this particular special is really a masterpiece. It flows very well and really carries home the subject.
The French seldom get the credit they deserve for learning from the mistakes of 1914-15. While the German Stosstruppen are well known, the French also developed "fire and maneuver" tactics using small assault units based around Chauchat light machineguns and grenadiers. To some extent these units were also equipped with the RSC Model 1917 semi-automatic rifle.
Unfortunately a recurring issue in most narratives (and not just in relation to the French army - the Austrians, Italians and the like are also woefully under analysed in English). The flashy German tactics and language issues etc play a part.
Michéal Ó hAodha True. People like to gloss over german stormtroopers but forget about French innovations that were much more important: rotary turrets on tanks, assault unit tactics...
To be fair, they also gloss over the fact that the British were also making innovatiuons along the same or similar lines. The modern Mortar for example was a British invention, and is, in essence basically the same as when it was introduced as the Stokes Mortar in 1916. All the nations learned Assault Unit tactics, infiltration by the leading waves, mop up by the followup troops, combined arms, infantry/artillery coordination, the list goes on. I think why people are so fascinated by the Storm Troopers is because they were formed into their own specialised units, in essence they were treated as Elites. To form these elites the Germans took all their best men and officers from the Line Infantry, seriously degrading the performance of the latter because they just lost their best men, NCO's and company level officers... In contrast the British and French decided to train ALL their infantry in the new tactics, while you could definately argue that the Storm Troopers were better trained in the role, they also suffered disproportionately high casualties during an assault, and these were troops Germany simply could not replace by that period of the war.
@@alganhar1 without the British (involvement in World War 1), the French, and the Russians would have been defeated (by Germany, and Austria-Hungary) before the end of spring, 1915!
Maréchal Joffre thought planes and tanks were just "nice toys for ingeneers", and the russian imperial army refused to use armored cars because "horses were afraid of it". No one was prepared, everyone f*cked up during this conflict ! ;)
They fought Germany valiantly. They sacrificed much but the brittish we're the real fighters and brittish colony troops. The French watched and used altilary well
plumbherhub not really, most of the important victories won by the allies was achieved by the French, both Marnes and Verdun, but the British were also vital, the Somme, while inconclusive, was a key drain of German resources, and the British blockade was the deciding factor.
THANKS Indy ! As a proud Frenchman who have family members that fought in WW1 (like almost all French), I thank you for breaking a myth which sadly is still going on today. France, the French soldiers, and even French officers weren't completly incompetents jerks. Joffre or Nivelle, who are even in today's France, seen as indirect mass murderers did adapt to the war (in some degree). I have some little facts : -1,600 artillery guns carried by motorized vehicules in the French army -French industrial production exceeded Germany's one in 1918 (the myth of Fance as a country which relies on its allies for supplies is false) -French Air force destroyed 637 ennemy aircrafts, and 125 balloons in 1918 alone. That's all the facts I could get, it's not many but they are exemples of the strengh of the French army in 1918. Finally, I would like to pay my respects to the British Army of WW1 : the British assembled a remarkably deadly force, starting from scratch in 1914. This small army became undoubtedly the 2nd most powerful army in the world, and captured in 1918 more ground and Germans than the French ! You should do a video on its evolution, Indy.
Added to the fact that the French covered 400 miles of trenches on the western front out of 480, and took the burden of the war for a long time, waiting for the British to mobilise enough men to catch up The French lost more soldiers in ww1 than the British Empire (so canada and co comprised) and the US together France also had more tanks than any other country in 1918, and by very far
Zando Zando! That's silly, he is just saying that the French had to make sacrifices no other country was willing to make, all the while bearing the brunt of the most brutal conflict at the time while most countries in the Entente took too long to participate and help them repel the Germans.
"War can not be improvised." A lesson that constantly has to be re-taught to many senior officers and political leaders. Expecting yesterdays superiority to matter next year is folly, yet we keep doing it anyway despite supposedly knowing better.
Sometimes, when i see hard bashing about my country, i feel sad for soldiers who died to defend it. Actually, it's an insult for every man in every army who fought/died in this war.
The French were the Warrior Race of the Continent, and one of the best things about this series is that it tells the story of the grit and determination the French Army during the Great War
@@fynnoleianson8802 which wars? Ok for 2WW, but during 1WW we were the main army standing firm when Russia stopped to fight. England gave a big help, but has never been a continental power, and would have been absolutely unable to beat germany without French Army. Not talking about americans that came when Germany was already beaten. I am sick of ignorants that think 1WW history is the same as 2WW. France was the decisive army of 1WW Soviets were the decisive army of 2WW
The french fought very brave in this war... best tanks ft 17, even the americans bought our tanks, braveness along 10 month at the battle of verdun, counter attack like lions after retreating 1 month at the marne... holding 720 km / 980 of trenches in 1918...
It is true America had to buy weapons from France, as its industry was not fully developed. We had to buy tanks, those great SPAD airplanes, and of course, artillery pieces-75MM. One advantage being that we did not have to ship all of that gear across the ocean, which was infested with German U-boats.
We also got saddled with the POS Chauchats after the French army realized they were not suited for the rigors of trench warfare. But the tanks and planes and artillery were mostly excellent designs.
Ferveur Patriotique Française et Républicaine The first at time the Americans created a major army which is their army in the 19th century is practically a translation of Napoleons army doctrine into English. Even the uniforms are based off the French
@Tim Kiseljak You can say both "Le poilu" and "Les poilus" to talk about them. But yes the most of the time "les poilus" is better and more used, while "le poilu" can be used to describe them for example.
Remarquable analyse. Merci. Je vous conseille la lecture des «Vainqueurs», du colonel Goya (éditions Tallandier), qui exprime à peu près les mêmes idées. On ne peut que regretter la sclérose qui a gagné en très peu de temps, dans l'entre-deux-guerres, le superbe instrument qu'était devenue l'armée française.
After all the reading I've done on WW1 I've never quite understood where the theory of a "weak' French army came from. All of the entente forces vastly underestimated the German strength at the beginning of the war. All entente forces had to drastically overhaul their practices to last out the war. My only theory is that it's the Americanisation of history yet again - where US forces "saved" the world of the Germans. But then as they say, history is written by the victors (I'd add "with the loudest voices"...)
Sir Monkeyboy French suffered horrendous casualties during the war . Only stupid ignorant idiots insult France . Btw France is politically the oldest nation of Europe .
I would agree with the casualties, 1.3 million French dead speaks for itself. As for France being politically the oldest country in Europe, no. England was unified under one leader before France was.
An American historian who knows detailled topics about the French military History ? I have found gold with your channel, sir., congrats ! Thanks for your video which is very instructive, even for me as a Frenchman. I am about to watch more !
@@Garrett1240 I invite you to visit all kind of military history videos about France in UA-cam and you'll read the thousands of comments of US teens who strongly believed that "they saved our sorry arses twice". I have to engage in long disputes to explain them.
Well if ever there were a medium to represent a scholarly consensus it'd be UA-cam. American teens commenting on UA-cam videos are about as poor a population sample as you get, so pay no mind to that as it appears it has already colored your perception. American historians are firmly of the view regarding our nation's involvement in WWI as say their British contemporaries are.
@@Garrett1240 Of course. I am not talking about historians and educated people. I have nothing to teach to American historians, they know certainly even more than I do, I am not crazy. But still I have been reading many books and watching many documentaries made by US/British TV channels or UA-cam channels and there have been, for the majority of them, downsizing the role of French military in WW1, or have been carrying on spreading stereotypes which have been shown as untrue by Historians.
It was Australia though that developed the tactic of Combined Arms that was used to breakthrough the German lines to bring on the Armistice. The first battle using combined arms was Hamel in 1918, and it changed everything.
I'm going to Cry when this series finally ends. Quality Information about a War that's commonly brushed over. Thank you Indi and your team of dedicated people who have brought five years of the beat, entertaining information on the The Great War!
Excellent episode ! Cheers Indy ! Thank you for telling me about it before anybody else during the previous fan meeting in Gallipoli-Turkey hurrayyy !!! ;)
The information in this video is probably the most important of the series and it moved at breakneck speed. I love this channel but this information should have been conveyed in at least 3 videos of the same amount of time. In any case well done! This was an awesome overview
Could you, after July 28, make a summary for the major improvements in weapons and vehicle technology, battles and political events which you consider to be turning points and generally what you think nations did wrong/right in the war? I would love an opinion piece from you
"my men are more interested in dying than working." That just feels like a very french statement 😅 All credits to the French armies of the 20th century. They were constantly dealing with a muddled mess of doctrine and logistical nightmares
On the contrary French logistics was the best on the western front, especially in 1918, Ludendorff even called the allied victory of 1918 "the victory of French trucks over German railways”
Indy, how can I get in touch with you. I have some interesting things to add to your coming Gallipoli specials. It might be of interest. My family fought each other in Gallipoli in opposing sides!
Jacob Gur He said at the end to get in touch with Flo (one of their producers and social media managers) on social media. I hope you manage to get through to them :)
My grandfather and his brother were in the Ottoman 12th infantry division during the August offensive. My Engish great uncle was with the 7th Manchesters. William Edward Horrock died on the early morning of 7th August. His name is on the cape Helles monument as one of the "missing". My Turkish grandfather was in Suvla at the "W" hills while his brother was at the foothills of Cunuckbair on the 9-10 August. The both survided. Their decedents, my mother on the Turkish side and my father on the British met and married in Turkey in the Late 50s.
I made it my goal three years ago to watch every single video on this channel. Every few months I come by and binge a ton of videos in a row. One day I will be done hahah
L’Armée Française was the anvil to the BEF’s hammer on which the German army was smashed. I’m convinced that even without the BEF’s 100 Days offensive or the arrival of the Americans, France would have won in 1919. They would have swarmed the Germans with thousands of FT-Renaults tanks and armoured cars to which the Central Powers had no real answer. We would have seen a reverse Dunkirk with the mass of the German army surrounded and destroyed in Belgium.
Honestly with the Mauser 1918 anti tank rifle I wouldn't really say the central powers had no answer. But regardless even if the Germans hadn't left the Hindenburg line in 1918 to go on the offensive they probably would have collapsed into revolution by early 1919 at the latest anyway. A starving populace is the most surefire way to bring a country to it's knees
I don’t agree with the “French bashing”, but I don’t think that the French could have gone the distance alone. The mutiny’s of 1917 may have proved fatal if the British were not able to apply pressure and keep the Germans busy while the French sorted out their discipline issues. Furthermore; if the attrition that was absorbed over five years by their allies was concentrated on the French army only it would likely have been a spent force by 1919.
@@robertshiell887 If what you say is true, the British would have been overwhelmed, and would have experienced a "Dunkirk" thirty years earlier than expected, since the French hold the majority of the Western Front on land. The Mutinies did not stop the fighting for the French, it did not prevent them from maintaining their positions. Overall, the soldiers just asked for fewer unnecessary attacks, but never sought to evade the defense of the nation. In fact, contrary to popular belief, all nations experienced mutinies, but in France they were quickly settled, and before the end of 1917 the French were already ready for the Spring Offensive. This is where the Germans lost the initiative of the offensive, especially from the Second Battle of the Marne. After that, they were only on the defensive. They bet everything on Artillery and shock troops, but they were never able to catch up with the mass motorization of the French army, as well as its Turn-Over system. Of course with British support, the Germans would have been well and truly overwhelmed if the war had continued.
What a nice episode. In the end, it is logistics that wins a war. The same was true for WW2. Germany's invasion of USSR was doomed from the beginning due to total lack of logistical support.
lamo lambda No,in WW1 it wasn’t during most of 1915-16-17 combined Entente had just 30-40 more divisions than the Germans on Western Front,but by 1918 with Russia’s out of the war that advantage was in German hands until Americans were came in large numbers to counterbalance German superiority in divisions and men.
Not really, modern warfare was BORN in the mud and blood of the WWI battlefields. WWII was simply using a continuation and refinements of the tactics and doctrines that they learned and first applied during the Great War. The reality is that 1914 - 1918 saw quite possibly the most significant shift in weapons, technology and tactics in the history of warfare.
Many people often forget the sheer numerical and economic advantage of the Germans during the war. The French themselves were motivated soldiers, however the Germans had more men they could muster with a population nearly twice as large as the French.
That was how they were able to fight a two front war. Though Russia's problem wasn't the size of their army, but how many troops they can transport to the front at a time. Their logistics were terrible. Soviet Union went on a huge modernization program in the 1930's to prevent this from happening again. Saved their lives by The Second World War.
The first phase of The Winter War was a disaster because of that idiot Voroshilov was given command. He disregarded opening the offensive with a massive artillery barrage because he deemed it ""too pessimistic" He was replaced by Timoshenko who reorganized he attacking army and eventually smashed through the Mannerheim Line. The war ended in victory for The Soviet Union.
Wrong. The war wasn't just France vs. Germany. In reality the allies had numerical superiority on all fronts virtually for the duration of the war. Also, the French did a much better job of harnessing their manpower. Draft dodging was much easier in Germany (keyword: Ersatzreserve), meaning that France (pop: 40m) had an army strength of 4 million and Germany (pop: 67m) had a total strength of only 4.5m at the outbreak of the war. Remember, that they were only able to field part of that army in the west as they also had to defend against the Russians in the East. The material and economic story is a similar one. Germany may have been the second largest economy in the world (behind the USA, which even before joining was mainly producing for the allies), but the blockade meant that Germany lacked the resources (rubber, various metals, food, fuel, etc.) to fully harness it's economy. Also having to spend a lot of resources synthesizing replacements to resources stopped by the blockade (eg. Ammonia Synthesis). Furthermore it had to compromise between keeping men in the factories or sending them to the front (they had to demobilize a significant portion of their army to keep the factories going). tl;dr: The allies had the industrial and manpower advantage for the duration of the war. In a war of attrition, time was on the side of the entente.
To be fair, they were catching up in 1940. Most of the French arm industry was developping new weapons and materials on par with other nations of the time and some old doctrines were replaced. But alas it came too late. If the French had managed to stop the breakthrough at Sedan, History would have been different.
It is this type of old (very old in this case) phrasing when you can't really tell the reason, seems like it is a cut version of a longer sentence (which could be "Que vive la France"--> may France live) but it could be understood as "hurray for France" and is a very common sentence. Our presidents for example always conclude their speeches with it. The thing is that, in French, when you refer to France as a subject, or any country, you use the pronoun "Le" or "La" (France --> feminine).
I'd really like to hear you discuss about the importance of the Franco Prussian war and what would have happened if the Prussians had decided not to return Paris. Great great channel.
Napoleon (at a time when muskets could fire three shots per minute at a maximum effective range of 70 yards): "The moral is to the physical as three to one!" Germany (when machine guns were capable of firing 300 rounds a minute effectively up to 300 yards): "Come at me, bro!"
And when the french started to enter Germany, the British and the Americans immediatly forced them to stop. They were scared that France, Belgium, Holland and a part of Germany could unify again like 100 years before under Napoléon.
@Robert of Flanders correction, this was the decision of some French politicians and rightists that believed changing uniform was "unpatriotic". The French military itself was on the process of testing new uniforms in 1911 and they were very satisfied with them... but then Politic came in. They rejected those uniforms because the "bleack" color looked like the German uniform, the enemy uniform... forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=51270 www.alternatehistory.com/forum/attachments/reforme-uniforme-3-jpg.313986/ 78.media.tumblr.com/2e488592f07d20322471712c7470d768/tumblr_ou3o6eQpRa1tevf1do3_500.jpg
I wouldn't give it any real thought. Seriously, it's more of a meme now more than anything. Anyone who knows anything about history knows that the French have some of the best victories and leaders under their belt.
You Americans are silly sometimes, how did you even came up with that 5% number? You're just American, sorry pal, we still love you tho. :) Are you somehow related to the confederate General P.G. Beauregard?
The problem was that the french leadership dndn't change. In 1940 most of the french general (De Lattre de Tassigny, Juin, Mangin) were ww1 veterant who didn't saw that war has change. The only french officer who wanted to make tactic evolved was the colonel De Gaulle.
#thegreatwar ik this is a old video but i was just wondering if yall are gonna start making new vids on other wars like WWII or amy war idc just miss the vids Indy si love history and explain & break everything down so well and they are just so well put together amazingly, love the work that the you and the staff put out. Ive been going back & watching all the WW1 vids in order again for like the 3rd time lol. Just miss the content hope to see you guys back at it soon. Much Love & Respect from North Carolina. -A long time loyal fan and subscriber!!! P.S FLO 😂
Funny some of the dichotomies that turn up in history... France ended up preparing for the opposite in both world wars... They trained and believed in a war of movement before 1914, and ended up with the stalemate of the trenches, then relied on the fortifications of the Maginot Line for defense in 1940, and got a war of movement that made entrenched fortifications mostly obsolete... Learned all the wrong lessons from history. Of course politics and finances and the state of the country had a lot to do with it too, particularly in the run-up to World War 2... But lessons learned and military doctrine and planning could have changed the conclusions and direction of preparations in both cases, had the correct conclusions been drawn beforehand... Later! OL J R
All doctrines were theorized and well thought by french officers. However the officers that were right didn't win the war of influence among their kind.
at bir hakeim the french were outnumbered 1 to 10 and still held the germans and italians 4 weeks, it was all a question of would they manage to pass through at the beginning...
hi florian. just read your tweed on the visit to Belgium in August. Is it an idea to make a "special" about the all the explosives that are still fond from the WW1. I know that this is beyond the normal scope of your show, but it would be interesting to learn a little more about it. Maybe you can arrange some interviews with some farmers who are still finding explosive in former battlefields or possible the army on what they do.
Nah if it War was just between Germany and France,France would be collapse in 1915 due to German Fleet will simply blockade every Side of their ports and then German Army could crush them.
Bruce Tucker İt would be in 1914 too but you know that war was Germany VS The World!German Army in 1914 was pretty strong compare with French one in everything with 2 times more artillery and machine guns but there’s a huge Russian bear and BEF and Royal Navy to help France.
4 years and I still click on your videos the second I see them :D
ditto
US Army veteran and the son of a French Army veteran and I appreciate the sincerity of this video. France entered the war very unprepared and saddled with the wrong doctrine but everyone learned. By 1918, the pre-war French Army was gone. Shout out to France- Even in 1940, the French Army proved that it could hold it's own and even win( if given the chance
France: great soldiers, terrible politicians...
Your dad was french or from the Foreign Legion?
Bolchevik duck French Foreign Legion
In which paralel universe did France have actually chance to win in 1940?
And after ww1 they kinda let go of themselves
6:33 a wheeled field kitchen is probably the most french thing of the war
Steve Kaczynski
...who borrowed the idea from the russians
Fredder 1132 What of an ignorant and stupid person you are . Get educated .
Really hard to tell someone to "Get educated" when you say "What of an ignorant"
vincent Lefebvre take a joke
vincent Lefebvre Dude.... humor
The strategic and Tactical analysis of this series is outstanding. Not only of great use to any History student but for anyone wishing to understand military technique and development during the 20th century. I hope this series goes on to be shown and recommended at schools and colleges. Fantastic work. Thank you Great War team.
Will you guys do a video about
planned offensives of the warring nations for 1919?
Or/and prototype of technology like weapons or vechiles that would have been used.
Has that War ever really ended? Or has the ebb and flow of history only given us brief respites from active battle?
I dont know about you, but I think we're going to keep hearing more of those, because I predict after November 11th, the carnage is going to keep raging until the only people left on the Isonzo river are Haig, Cadorna, Hotzendorf, Neville, Enver Pasha, and then the ultimate Rumble will commence!
+Colin Wolf
Marshall Haig, Lady Haig and their Turtoise "Alan"
The 97th Battle of the Isonzo will be a chutes and ladders cage match, I'm pretty sure.
First time I have seen this kind of detailed examination of Frances contribution to WW1. So much of the focus seems to be on Britai8and Germany. I definitely did not know about France having one of the most advanced armies by 1918. Thanks for video.
You know I rarely just listen to The Great War, you chaps do such a great job of locating and editing together film and imagery from the period. However this particular special is really a masterpiece. It flows very well and really carries home the subject.
The French seldom get the credit they deserve for learning from the mistakes of 1914-15. While the German Stosstruppen are well known, the French also developed "fire and maneuver" tactics using small assault units based around Chauchat light machineguns and grenadiers. To some extent these units were also equipped with the RSC Model 1917 semi-automatic rifle.
Unfortunately a recurring issue in most narratives (and not just in relation to the French army - the Austrians, Italians and the like are also woefully under analysed in English). The flashy German tactics and language issues etc play a part.
Michéal Ó hAodha True. People like to gloss over german stormtroopers but forget about French innovations that were much more important: rotary turrets on tanks, assault unit tactics...
To be fair, they also gloss over the fact that the British were also making innovatiuons along the same or similar lines. The modern Mortar for example was a British invention, and is, in essence basically the same as when it was introduced as the Stokes Mortar in 1916. All the nations learned Assault Unit tactics, infiltration by the leading waves, mop up by the followup troops, combined arms, infantry/artillery coordination, the list goes on.
I think why people are so fascinated by the Storm Troopers is because they were formed into their own specialised units, in essence they were treated as Elites. To form these elites the Germans took all their best men and officers from the Line Infantry, seriously degrading the performance of the latter because they just lost their best men, NCO's and company level officers... In contrast the British and French decided to train ALL their infantry in the new tactics, while you could definately argue that the Storm Troopers were better trained in the role, they also suffered disproportionately high casualties during an assault, and these were troops Germany simply could not replace by that period of the war.
You didn't much need to go around Chauchat machine guns. Just wait for some mud to fall on it and jammed for an hour
@@alganhar1 without the British (involvement in World War 1), the French, and the Russians would have been defeated (by Germany, and Austria-Hungary) before the end of spring, 1915!
"even though the french leadership had realised that firepower kills"
Still much much better than Conrad
Duke of Lorraine can't argue with that, though, you forgot Cadorna.
Duke of Lorraine hows your crusade😅
ivan valenzuela Jerusalem has been taken at the end of last year so I'd say quite well.
Cadorna believed in firepower... the firepower of firing squads. Shoot enough soldiers and they'll be more afraid of you than the enemy!
Maréchal Joffre thought planes and tanks were just "nice toys for ingeneers", and the russian imperial army refused to use armored cars because "horses were afraid of it". No one was prepared, everyone f*cked up during this conflict ! ;)
Elan: 20% morale for armies.
Darling!
Ah, a man of EU4 culture!
Scipio Africanus prussia 150% discipline
Scipio Africanus actually I'd say a bit of extra morale/organisation has nothing on a lot of fire damage/hard attack
ger du Prussian ideas +100% chance to lose a World War
Much respect for the French Army.
naaaaah...still not really...
French armed forces are and always[*] have been magnificent.
[*]: Against third world countries and states.
They fought Germany valiantly. They sacrificed much but the brittish we're the real fighters and brittish colony troops. The French watched and used altilary well
plumbherhub not really, most of the important victories won by the allies was achieved by the French, both Marnes and Verdun, but the British were also vital, the Somme, while inconclusive, was a key drain of German resources, and the British blockade was the deciding factor.
Rostislav Svoboda Did you ever read a book ?
THANKS Indy !
As a proud Frenchman who have family members that fought in WW1 (like almost all French), I thank you for breaking a myth which sadly is still going on today. France, the French soldiers, and even French officers weren't completly incompetents jerks. Joffre or Nivelle, who are even in today's France, seen as indirect mass murderers did adapt to the war (in some degree).
I have some little facts :
-1,600 artillery guns carried by motorized vehicules in the French army
-French industrial production exceeded Germany's one in 1918 (the myth of Fance as a country which relies on its allies for supplies is false)
-French Air force destroyed 637 ennemy aircrafts, and 125 balloons in 1918 alone.
That's all the facts I could get, it's not many but they are exemples of the strengh of the French army in 1918.
Finally, I would like to pay my respects to the British Army of WW1 : the British assembled a remarkably deadly force, starting from scratch in 1914. This small army became undoubtedly the 2nd most powerful army in the world, and captured in 1918 more ground and Germans than the French ! You should do a video on its evolution, Indy.
Added to the fact that the French covered 400 miles of trenches on the western front out of 480, and took the burden of the war for a long time, waiting for the British to mobilise enough men to catch up
The French lost more soldiers in ww1 than the British Empire (so canada and co comprised) and the US together
France also had more tanks than any other country in 1918, and by very far
You are acting like it's an achievement that France lost more soldiers than the other Entente nations.
Zando Zando! That's silly, he is just saying that the French had to make sacrifices no other country was willing to make, all the while bearing the brunt of the most brutal conflict at the time while most countries in the Entente took too long to participate and help them repel the Germans.
Now, now dont let your logic disrupt his prejudice :)
Djoumine: French army failed at protecting its own citizens and country. Big times.
"War can not be improvised."
A lesson that constantly has to be re-taught to many senior officers and political leaders. Expecting yesterdays superiority to matter next year is folly, yet we keep doing it anyway despite supposedly knowing better.
Thank you very much for this episode, it really helped me create a better understanding of the army and most importantly the allied victory in 1918
The French Army had the coolest uniforms (mid/late war) of WW1 in my humble opinion.
It also made them a big target to the enemy.
Their early uniforms did. I am referring to the mid/late war uniforms.
Italian uniforms, IMO. Similar in design, made of cardboard, but quite cool as well.
Among our chief weapon, Fear, Surprise, Tanks, and nice blue uniforms.
NO ONE expects the French Inquisition!!!!
Respect to the french, even from a german. They fought like lions in ww1, to take their revange of 1871.
Respect to all nations of war. No matter the side, millions of men died to help their people.
Respect to you !
And respect for the valor and the discipline of germans, coming from a french from who his great grandfather fought in he WWI.
Don't you mean avenge?
@@HamSaladtv revenge
4:06 I love how the Frenchman on the left waves
Makes me wonder if he survived the war.
@@batozorange Even if he did survive. I doubt he came back the same man.
This was one of the best special episodes. Thanks.
A magnificent recap of the french army ! Thx for that :)
Excellent video, i really enjoyed it
The footage at 10:40 is really cool
France is really cool
PAvel Solochiny Footage combined with music made it majestic
ReAlLy CoOl.
Sometimes, when i see hard bashing about my country, i feel sad for soldiers who died to defend it. Actually, it's an insult for every man in every army who fought/died in this war.
I would like to see those idiots who lough and joke in same kind of combat . They will change mind in instant.
Every time I see it, I fight it. Greetings from Poland.
Yep, the French stereotypes. "hon hon, baguette croissant oui oui I surrender!" It's bugging me out smh
The French were the Warrior Race of the Continent, and one of the best things about this series is that it tells the story of the grit and determination the French Army during the Great War
@@Nietabs The French army, statistically in the most successful mainland European army
The French are actually pretty badass.
"Their business is war, and they do their business" -Rudyard Kipling
@Сёма Маликов So they do it better
Сёма Маликов to master their craft
and they do their bussines well*
@@fynnoleianson8802 What is 3 Wars compared to 1000 years of history?
@@fynnoleianson8802 which wars? Ok for 2WW, but during 1WW we were the main army standing firm when Russia stopped to fight. England gave a big help, but has never been a continental power, and would have been absolutely unable to beat germany without French Army. Not talking about americans that came when Germany was already beaten. I am sick of ignorants that think 1WW history is the same as 2WW.
France was the decisive army of 1WW
Soviets were the decisive army of 2WW
The french fought very brave in this war... best tanks ft 17, even the americans bought our tanks, braveness along 10 month at the battle of verdun, counter attack like lions after retreating 1 month at the marne... holding 720 km / 980 of trenches in 1918...
It is true America had to buy weapons from France, as its industry was not fully developed. We had to buy tanks, those great SPAD airplanes, and of course, artillery pieces-75MM. One advantage being that we did not have to ship all of that gear across the ocean, which was infested with German U-boats.
We also got saddled with the POS Chauchats after the French army realized they were not suited for the rigors of trench warfare. But the tanks and planes and artillery were mostly excellent designs.
Ferveur Patriotique Française et Républicaine The first at time the Americans created a major army which is their army in the 19th century is practically a translation of Napoleons army doctrine into English. Even the uniforms are based off the French
A superb, succinct, little short. The French army is so often overlooked. Thank you.
Vive la Poilu! Vive la France! Greetings from your friendly rivals, with emphasis on the friend, Britain
resqwec hello of the other side of the 'la manche' Friends. It's 'le' poilus 😉
Thomas Brigliadori Merci for the grammar help
@Tim Kiseljak You can say both "Le poilu" and "Les poilus" to talk about them. But yes the most of the time "les poilus" is better and more used, while "le poilu" can be used to describe them for example.
Remarquable analyse. Merci. Je vous conseille la lecture des «Vainqueurs», du colonel Goya (éditions Tallandier), qui exprime à peu près les mêmes idées. On ne peut que regretter la sclérose qui a gagné en très peu de temps, dans l'entre-deux-guerres, le superbe instrument qu'était devenue l'armée française.
After all the reading I've done on WW1 I've never quite understood where the theory of a "weak' French army came from. All of the entente forces vastly underestimated the German strength at the beginning of the war. All entente forces had to drastically overhaul their practices to last out the war. My only theory is that it's the Americanisation of history yet again - where US forces "saved" the world of the Germans. But then as they say, history is written by the victors (I'd add "with the loudest voices"...)
Sir Monkeyboy French suffered horrendous casualties during the war . Only stupid ignorant idiots insult France . Btw France is politically the oldest nation of Europe .
Sir Monkeyboy The Sammies mostly used French equipment and French doctrine anyways.
Underestimating the strength of the enemy is much worse than being weak. Much much worse.
Vincent: Casualties happen in wars. Quelle surprise!
I would agree with the casualties, 1.3 million French dead speaks for itself.
As for France being politically the oldest country in Europe, no. England was unified under one leader before France was.
An American historian who knows detailled topics about the French military History ? I have found gold with your channel, sir., congrats ! Thanks for your video which is very instructive, even for me as a Frenchman. I am about to watch more !
The notion that Americans believe they saved Western Europe in WWI is a European myth.
@@Garrett1240 I invite you to visit all kind of military history videos about France in UA-cam and you'll read the thousands of comments of US teens who strongly believed that "they saved our sorry arses twice". I have to engage in long disputes to explain them.
Well if ever there were a medium to represent a scholarly consensus it'd be UA-cam. American teens commenting on UA-cam videos are about as poor a population sample as you get, so pay no mind to that as it appears it has already colored your perception. American historians are firmly of the view regarding our nation's involvement in WWI as say their British contemporaries are.
@@Garrett1240 Of course. I am not talking about historians and educated people. I have nothing to teach to American historians, they know certainly even more than I do, I am not crazy.
But still I have been reading many books and watching many documentaries made by US/British TV channels or UA-cam channels and there have been, for the majority of them, downsizing the role of French military in WW1, or have been carrying on spreading stereotypes which have been shown as untrue by Historians.
A friend of mine made a documentary video, which I translated in English, to fight off these stereotypes. Enjoy:
#AskIndie Please do a video about the soldiers from the French Empire. I really love this channel. Thank you.
there are some incredible footage and audio in this episode! really well done :)
VIVE LE FRANCE! From America! 🇺🇸 🇫🇷
Thanks Brother.
Vive LA France no Le France
VIVE LA FRANCE! also from america :D
La France !!!!!! Compris
It was Australia though that developed the tactic of Combined Arms that was used to breakthrough the German lines to bring on the Armistice. The first battle using combined arms was Hamel in 1918, and it changed everything.
You should do a video on the Foreign Legion.
I'm going to Cry when this series finally ends. Quality Information about a War that's commonly brushed over. Thank you Indi and your team of dedicated people who have brought five years of the beat, entertaining information on the The Great War!
3:40 I guess aiming is overrated?
this is why some wars last so long ! think about some african conflicts and middle east ! they still shoot like that !
Who needs aiming when you have Espirit d' Corps and a firm offensive spirit!
Noscope pro
Suppressive fire!
Jokester The Mighty I noticed that too. 😂
Excellent episode ! Cheers Indy ! Thank you for telling me about it before anybody else during the previous fan meeting in Gallipoli-Turkey hurrayyy !!! ;)
Yyyyyy do people dislike these fantastic, informative videos!!!?????
The information in this video is probably the most important of the series and it moved at breakneck speed. I love this channel but this information should have been conveyed in at least 3 videos of the same amount of time. In any case well done! This was an awesome overview
Could you, after July 28, make a summary for the major improvements in weapons and vehicle technology, battles and political events which you consider to be turning points and generally what you think nations did wrong/right in the war?
I would love an opinion piece from you
Great episode, thank you Fabian Theveneaux!
"my men are more interested in dying than working." That just feels like a very french statement 😅
All credits to the French armies of the 20th century. They were constantly dealing with a muddled mess of doctrine and logistical nightmares
On the contrary French logistics was the best on the western front, especially in 1918, Ludendorff even called the allied victory of 1918 "the victory of French trucks over German railways”
I was not expecting this video to go into as much detail as it did. Amazing work.
Indy, how can I get in touch with you. I have some interesting things to add to your coming Gallipoli specials. It might be of interest. My family fought each other in Gallipoli in opposing sides!
That's cool, are you of Turkish and British descent or something?
that does sound interesting, having family on both sides of that fight
+Estellise Well, this was a rather common thing for Poles who have been drafted to both German and Russian armies.
Jacob Gur He said at the end to get in touch with Flo (one of their producers and social media managers) on social media. I hope you manage to get through to them :)
My grandfather and his brother were in the Ottoman 12th infantry division during the August offensive. My Engish great uncle was with the 7th Manchesters. William Edward Horrock died on the early morning of 7th August. His name is on the cape Helles monument as one of the "missing". My Turkish grandfather was in Suvla at the "W" hills while his brother was at the foothills of Cunuckbair on the 9-10 August. The both survided.
Their decedents, my mother on the Turkish side and my father on the British met and married in Turkey in the Late 50s.
I made it my goal three years ago to watch every single video on this channel. Every few months I come by and binge a ton of videos in a row. One day I will be done hahah
Hon hon hon 🇫🇷🇫🇷🇫🇷🇫🇷🇫🇷🇫🇷🇫🇷🇫🇷🇫🇷🇫🇷
Great respect to France!!!!
cemo1999 thank you,we respect you too!
Thank you pal, the se for you
Robert Balding poor Guy who self like him comment
That was a tough war for France, and an impressive turn around. Great respect indeed.
Till WW2 came. France didn't last a year.
Great work yall.
The french gas doctrine would have been nice to mention in this episode, too :)
Weapon Z progam on wikipedia
Thanks so much for these amazing post!! Watched all of them several times
You are, absolutely, the reason I passed my History exam in High School.
That was one epic ending! Thanks for the great content!
L’Armée Française was the anvil to the BEF’s hammer on which the German army was smashed.
I’m convinced that even without the BEF’s 100 Days offensive or the arrival of the Americans, France would have won in 1919. They would have swarmed the Germans with thousands of FT-Renaults tanks and armoured cars to which the Central Powers had no real answer. We would have seen a reverse Dunkirk with the mass of the German army surrounded and destroyed in Belgium.
Honestly with the Mauser 1918 anti tank rifle I wouldn't really say the central powers had no answer. But regardless even if the Germans hadn't left the Hindenburg line in 1918 to go on the offensive they probably would have collapsed into revolution by early 1919 at the latest anyway. A starving populace is the most surefire way to bring a country to it's knees
Yeah no
I don’t agree with the “French bashing”, but I don’t think that the French could have gone the distance alone. The mutiny’s of 1917 may have proved fatal if the British were not able to apply pressure and keep the Germans busy while the French sorted out their discipline issues. Furthermore; if the attrition that was absorbed over five years by their allies was concentrated on the French army only it would likely have been a spent force by 1919.
@@timebomb45
There were answers to Tanks but these early AT rifles werent it.
@@robertshiell887 If what you say is true, the British would have been overwhelmed, and would have experienced a "Dunkirk" thirty years earlier than expected, since the French hold the majority of the Western Front on land. The Mutinies did not stop the fighting for the French, it did not prevent them from maintaining their positions.
Overall, the soldiers just asked for fewer unnecessary attacks, but never sought to evade the defense of the nation.
In fact, contrary to popular belief, all nations experienced mutinies, but in France they were quickly settled, and before the end of 1917 the French were already ready for the Spring Offensive. This is where the Germans lost the initiative of the offensive, especially from the Second Battle of the Marne. After that, they were only on the defensive.
They bet everything on Artillery and shock troops, but they were never able to catch up with the mass motorization of the French army, as well as its Turn-Over system.
Of course with British support, the Germans would have been well and truly overwhelmed if the war had continued.
A great special, thank you!
post-1870: overemphasize morale and offense, underemphasize material and defense
post-1918: underemphasize morale and offense, overemphasize defense
Great vid. Really enjoyed that.
What a nice episode. In the end, it is logistics that wins a war. The same was true for WW2. Germany's invasion of USSR was doomed from the beginning due to total lack of logistical support.
Or you know being outbumbered in every way by enemies all around you
lamo lambda No,in WW1 it wasn’t during most of 1915-16-17 combined Entente had just 30-40 more divisions than the Germans on Western Front,but by 1918 with Russia’s out of the war that advantage was in German hands until Americans were came in large numbers to counterbalance German superiority in divisions and men.
@@lamolambda8349
In the first stage of Barbarossa the Wehrmacht had numerical Superiority.
Great episode! Thanks indi!!
I really wish you guys would do a similar thing but with WW2. Maybe on a seperate channel. As i think it's the biggest advancement in warfare to date.
Not really, modern warfare was BORN in the mud and blood of the WWI battlefields. WWII was simply using a continuation and refinements of the tactics and doctrines that they learned and first applied during the Great War. The reality is that 1914 - 1918 saw quite possibly the most significant shift in weapons, technology and tactics in the history of warfare.
Excellent episode!
Isn't incompetent officers sending thousands and thousands of soldier to their grave the thing you always say?
Almost as much as "heavy casulties for little or no gain"
Karl Eriksson "true story"
Karl Eriksson he does say that a lot
They did, however the war still evolved most of the armies beyond the old way of thinking.
But not as much as "this was modern war"
Im so excited for this Friday, my school is hosting a history conference for the 100 year anniversary of the Great War. HYPE!!!
Many people often forget the sheer numerical and economic advantage of the Germans during the war. The French themselves were motivated soldiers, however the Germans had more men they could muster with a population nearly twice as large as the French.
That was how they were able to fight a two front war. Though Russia's problem wasn't the size of their army, but how many troops they can transport to the front at a time. Their logistics were terrible. Soviet Union went on a huge modernization program in the 1930's to prevent this from happening again. Saved their lives by The Second World War.
The first phase of The Winter War was a disaster because of that idiot Voroshilov was given command. He disregarded opening the offensive with a massive artillery barrage because he deemed it ""too pessimistic" He was replaced by Timoshenko who reorganized he attacking army and eventually smashed through the Mannerheim Line. The war ended in victory for The Soviet Union.
Wrong. The war wasn't just France vs. Germany. In reality the allies had numerical superiority on all fronts virtually for the duration of the war. Also, the French did a much better job of harnessing their manpower. Draft dodging was much easier in Germany (keyword: Ersatzreserve), meaning that France (pop: 40m) had an army strength of 4 million and Germany (pop: 67m) had a total strength of only 4.5m at the outbreak of the war. Remember, that they were only able to field part of that army in the west as they also had to defend against the Russians in the East.
The material and economic story is a similar one. Germany may have been the second largest economy in the world (behind the USA, which even before joining was mainly producing for the allies), but the blockade meant that Germany lacked the resources (rubber, various metals, food, fuel, etc.) to fully harness it's economy. Also having to spend a lot of resources synthesizing replacements to resources stopped by the blockade (eg. Ammonia Synthesis). Furthermore it had to compromise between keeping men in the factories or sending them to the front (they had to demobilize a significant portion of their army to keep the factories going).
tl;dr: The allies had the industrial and manpower advantage for the duration of the war. In a war of attrition, time was on the side of the entente.
In 1914 the Germans had more heavy artillery but by 1918, French heavy artillery was unmatched.
DawnOfTheDead991 You may want to look at this beauty
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canon_de_75_mod%C3%A8le_1897
Excellente vidéo, well documented, well narated, thanks
Echt informatives video
Loving this channel!
Do you have something on the "export" of french military doctrin to the est front ? Like general Berthelot in Romania ?
Nice video ! Thank you sir
Vive la france😃
Awesome video!
It's interesting to see how quickly the French adapted in WWI given how they refused to do so during WW2. Truly there is no teacher like defeat.
To be fair, they were catching up in 1940. Most of the French arm industry was developping new weapons and materials on par with other nations of the time and some old doctrines were replaced. But alas it came too late.
If the French had managed to stop the breakthrough at Sedan, History would have been different.
great episode!
Vive La France !!!
king oreos that translates to live the France which is horrible grammar you could say viva France which translates to live France
That's actually what we French say: "Vive la France", Viva does not exist
It is this type of old (very old in this case) phrasing when you can't really tell the reason, seems like it is a cut version of a longer sentence (which could be "Que vive la France"--> may France live) but it could be understood as "hurray for France" and is a very common sentence. Our presidents for example always conclude their speeches with it. The thing is that, in French, when you refer to France as a subject, or any country, you use the pronoun "Le" or "La" (France --> feminine).
i love france!!! gonna be in verdun 11 of november this year.
Wait a minute... Entente victory??? WHAT???
SPOILER ALERT !!!!
What have you done Indy ?! You ruined the suspense.
No Spoiler Alert This is history NOT SOME MOVIE. Anybody with even the most basic knowledge of the First World War should know how it turns out!!!!
thx captain obvious........ read the mood.
Spoiler alert 2 it was just a truce for 22 years.
21 years. Yeah i know it's nitpicking XD
I'd really like to hear you discuss about the importance of the Franco Prussian war and what would have happened if the Prussians had decided not to return Paris. Great great channel.
Napoleon (at a time when muskets could fire three shots per minute at a maximum effective range of 70 yards):
"The moral is to the physical as three to one!"
Germany (when machine guns were capable of firing 300 rounds a minute effectively up to 300 yards):
"Come at me, bro!"
Outstanding sir. Thank you.
And when the french started to enter Germany, the British and the Americans immediatly forced them to stop. They were scared that France, Belgium, Holland and a part of Germany could unify again like 100 years before under Napoléon.
Absolute bollocks
IroV and then u wake up 😂😂😂
True. France wanted to enter Germany which was stopped by the Entente....
Lol how did this post get so many likes, dudes literally lying
It real. French want invade Berlin. British save their germans cousins ...
fantastic video. very interesting.
Rule 1A of war: Don't dress your soldiers in bright colors.
*French Military in the start of the 20th century* "Meh"
I would say the uniforms they replaced them with weren’t any better. I mean they were better then bright red and darker blue but still not the best.
"Le pantalon rouge c'est la France!"
que l'anglais
Rule 1A of *modern* war ... before that bright colors were the norm and widely used. :)
@Robert of Flanders correction, this was the decision of some French politicians and rightists that believed changing uniform was "unpatriotic".
The French military itself was on the process of testing new uniforms in 1911 and they were very satisfied with them... but then Politic came in.
They rejected those uniforms because the "bleack" color looked like the German uniform, the enemy uniform...
forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=51270
www.alternatehistory.com/forum/attachments/reforme-uniforme-3-jpg.313986/
78.media.tumblr.com/2e488592f07d20322471712c7470d768/tumblr_ou3o6eQpRa1tevf1do3_500.jpg
i find these specials about tactics to some of the most interesting :-)
I hate when people call France "weak" France is a great power and in the the Great War the French were up near the top in military powers.
I wouldn't give it any real thought. Seriously, it's more of a meme now more than anything. Anyone who knows anything about history knows that the French have some of the best victories and leaders under their belt.
Thank you I'm 5% French, it's not a huge number but it's still there. I think the family names were labeau and Beauregard.
Steffen Moore probably rather Lebeau .
Being unable to protect its own country and citizens. If this is not a sign of weakness then I don't know...
You Americans are silly sometimes, how did you even came up with that 5% number?
You're just American, sorry pal, we still love you tho. :)
Are you somehow related to the confederate General P.G. Beauregard?
Excellent video, well-researched. People tend to confuse the french armies (and general morale) of the two world wars.
Special on the blue devils!
Excellent video, very interesting
Can you guys do a special or a OOTT on the French Blue Devil's
Whenever I see those caltrops on Indy's desk I get the shivers... Those would ruin your day...
They won WWI thanks to tactical innovation, and yet lost in 1940 due to lack thereof. It's strange, what changed in the French leadership?
The problem was that the french leadership dndn't change. In 1940 most of the french general (De Lattre de Tassigny, Juin, Mangin) were ww1 veterant who didn't saw that war has change. The only french officer who wanted to make tactic evolved was the colonel De Gaulle.
#thegreatwar ik this is a old video but i was just wondering if yall are gonna start making new vids on other wars like WWII or amy war idc just miss the vids Indy si love history and explain & break everything down so well and they are just so well put together amazingly, love the work that the you and the staff put out. Ive been going back & watching all the WW1 vids in order again for like the 3rd time lol. Just miss the content hope to see you guys back at it soon. Much Love & Respect from North Carolina. -A long time loyal fan and subscriber!!! P.S FLO 😂
Please do a vid about Hungarian Prime Minister, Tisza István, please!
That was a brilliant episode.
Will you guys do a Ethiopia special?
Wonderfully done! thank you
Funny some of the dichotomies that turn up in history... France ended up preparing for the opposite in both world wars... They trained and believed in a war of movement before 1914, and ended up with the stalemate of the trenches, then relied on the fortifications of the Maginot Line for defense in 1940, and got a war of movement that made entrenched fortifications mostly obsolete... Learned all the wrong lessons from history.
Of course politics and finances and the state of the country had a lot to do with it too, particularly in the run-up to World War 2... But lessons learned and military doctrine and planning could have changed the conclusions and direction of preparations in both cases, had the correct conclusions been drawn beforehand...
Later! OL J R
All doctrines were theorized and well thought by french officers. However the officers that were right didn't win the war of influence among their kind.
at bir hakeim the french were outnumbered 1 to 10 and still held the germans and italians 4 weeks, it was all a question of would they manage to pass through at the beginning...
hi florian.
just read your tweed on the visit to Belgium in August.
Is it an idea to make a "special" about the all the explosives that are still fond from the WW1.
I know that this is beyond the normal scope of your show, but it would be interesting to learn a little more about it.
Maybe you can arrange some interviews with some farmers who are still finding explosive in former battlefields or possible the army on what they do.
Trully the end of the Napoleonic era and the beggining of modern warfare!!!
Très bonne analyse! :)
Will there be something similair to this of the Belgian army?
I binge watch this channel!
I can't wait for the 100 year anniversary of the armistice this year!
Thank you!
You can't just simply win against the French Army, they will always come back and get their victory
Yeah cause it was france vs germany no other nations involved
Well, except in 1940.
Nah if it War was just between Germany and France,France would be collapse in 1915 due to German Fleet will simply blockade every Side of their ports and then German Army could crush them.
Bruce Tucker İt would be in 1914 too but you know that war was Germany VS The World!German Army in 1914 was pretty strong compare with French one in everything with 2 times more artillery and machine guns but there’s a huge Russian bear and BEF and Royal Navy to help France.
@@lamolambda8349 France did carry the Entente war effort in the West until mid 1916 at least