[Khenlein]

I hate to bring this out, but sicne Kenlein won't except fact...

Are we next going to learn that the Italians had the best army of the war?



This would be like me trying to argue that the Canadians were a force to be messed with (which my history teachers and text books seem to claim).

If you are saying that taking things from school text books aren't accurate. I agree, I've no information from them. I said very little about tactics or morale or doctrines. I simply gave Din accurate numerical values that represent the production capacity of some of the belligerents during the second world war.

There is very little room for opinion or aggrandizement when it comes to factual production values.

I think though that I do not understand what your point was, perhaps you can clarify and I can respond.

Or do you actually want the low down on the Italian and Canadian OOBs?

[Din]

if it would intrest me yes.....
if it doesn't no

[MB.]

No, I'm just making a point about the battle of France. The french tanks were good- there's no way around that. By 'good' of course I mean several things, but being 'good' didn't help the french, so it doesn't matter.

What really ercked me was this line about the T-34... what did you meen by that? Were you just saying that it didn't matter since the war we are discussing was in France and not Russia?

[Khenlein]

Whats there to say, you said something about the T-34 being the best tank during the war, and I said no.

Primarily because it had no relevance in a discusion about the BoF.

Secondily because speaking in the superlative about any equipment in WW2 is usually quite tricky. Afterall when it comes to the "best" or "worst" its really just opinion,

[somua]

In fact the WWI tactics were in use in the french army of 1940. Only Three Cavalry Divisions ( Armored ) call DLM ( division légère mecanisee - Mechanized light division ) these division were well trained and equipped with Somua S35 medium tanks, H35 light tanks and motorised infantery )

the main drawback of these cavalry tanks are the lack of radio and the one seat Turret wich cause a poor rate of fire. ( like the first models of T-34 )

according the weaponary the 47mm APX was far superior to the german 37mm
the three divisions fight with other active division fought in Belgium ( Gembloux battle ) and after the Sedan outflanking they withdraw to Dunkirk.

also no less than 20 independant bataillons of light R35 tanks were included in the french army. but they where not in division and they were waste in inopperative counter attack.

4 heavy armored division equipped with B1bis à 32 tons tank with a 47mm APX anti-tank gun and a 75mm low velocity gun ( more or less the same design of the Lee ). and H39 light tanks existed but they were very new created ( nov 1939 to mau 1940 ) and they had a big lack of cohesion. They were turn to pieces and the crew had to left their tanks by lack of Gasoline.

to resume : French had better armor and weapons, Germans had mouvement, combat radius, Ergonomic tanks, not the most powerfull but the most adapted to the Blitzkrieg

About the airplanes
the kill table of the Blitzkrieg west was between 700 and 1000 airkills for the french air forces.
A third of the french Fighters came from America ( Curtiss H75 ) the new french built planes equal to german's came to late.

In june 1940 The Maginot line stay untaken by the the germans, only after the shamefull armistice of Petain they accept to surrender and to drop weapons. The maginot line was not a so big mistake if we had the political will to continue it to the north Sea.

the consequence of this war for the french was
100 000 dead in 45 days of combat ( 45 000 germans )