The French Prepare —

1. "Their hearts were in the right place after the victory against Germany in The War to End All Wars."

   It has been argued, an argument with which I mostly agree, that if the French had not been so vindictive with the treaty ending the first great European war of the 20th century, then Hitler may not have been able to rise to power. Your last sentence is completely correct, but I disagree with the " hearts in the right place bit in the first sentence. But then, I am not overly fond of the French, as a people or as a culture.

   Thanks for the post.
   Paul L. Quandt

2. What a handy little half-track.

3. The "hearts were in the right place" comment was very tongue-in-cheek.

4. It would be good at the compound for you, driving out to the range in the mud and all.

5. Sorry, I missed that. I don't seem to grasp subtly very well.

   Paul

6. Most of the time I'm as subtle as a 2×4 upside the head.

   Paul

7. My only experience with the French was as a slightly inebriated soldier. I can say, from personal knowledge, the French cops are a tough bunch. Also, there is s seemly inexhaustible supply.

8. I get on well with the French. Seriously, and I've worked with their intelligence service. They're solid. But it doesn't mean that I can't rib them from time to time. They certainly never miss an opportunity to reciprocate.

9. It's not where their heart was.
   It's where their head was.

10. There's also a strong argument – plausible to me – that if American hadn't intervened, France and Germany would have exhausted each other, and one or the other would have sued for peace, resulting in a much less vindictive treaty with the resulting consequences 20 years later.

11. I have spoken with a French woman who tends our graves in Normandy.
    She has raised her sons to honor our dead.
    Speaking of the French , and courage, I have one word.
    Verdun.

12. The Somme – Verdun Campaign was absolutely the most horrible of the last century – maybe ever.

13. The first war broke things that weren't fixed by the time the second came around. And I think that to fully understand it, you'd have had to be there in the trenches.

14. There are very similar Ford Model T 'snow mobiles' around, which had a neat little conversion kit to add an idler wheel in between the front seat and the rear axles, and then slip on a connecting rubber track and mount skis on the front hubs, pretty slick ( hemmings.com/classifieds/cars-for-sale/ford/model-t/2282213.html).

    Citroen: these were the people who also came up with the idea of a CV2, or 'Duck' as the Germans would call it. A serious piece of , uh, poo.

15. That would be traumatic.
    I am influenced by Paths of Glory.

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