Cappy

Joacim and the rest of friends.

It´s a pity, really. Visited Cappy in april -00 and didn´t see anything telling about MvR.
It´s the same at St Colette.

It cant´t be hate. Time will be a healer and there must be moments when you can see the man in history - MvR. Maybee it´s time for people who think that MvR is deserving something for rememberance to create memorialials at Cappy and St Colette(like Frank Luke)?

Peter Norell

Steve,
When I say England has not been invaded for a thousand year, I am actually thinking of the Norman invasion of 1066 as the last time.
The French suffering during European conflicts are the civilians. Napoleons belligerence, his, 'Continental System' led to a war that caused hardship for the French people in a way that did not occur for the English (unless you count Pitt's introduction of Income Tax, Window tax etc etc).
As for the Bruces banditry, well I suspect from your name you may be a Scot, so you should be aware of the protection rackets maintained by Scottish forces during the reign of Edward II on English communities as far south as Yorkshire. After Bannockburn, Bruce turned his attentions west in an attempt to unite Celtic peoples and moved into Ireland with a ferocity that would make Oliver Cromwell blush. Finally David being killed just outside Dublin put an end to the enterprise.
As for French aircraft; I can only say French technology has to be admired, from the earliest types right through to Mirage and Concorde.
Regards, John.

well...
First of all, to "poor old frogs!..." I have to add "pauvres amerloques bouffis d'orgueuil!!"

If you want to find graves or any other monuments of great war heroes, you have lots of cemeteries with white cross kissing the ground for ever, you have lots of trenches such as those of the "col de la Schlucht" looking the at the Munster valley in Alsace.
Sincerly I don't think that the greatests heroes were in the air but there were in the trenches, and most are still today in the trenches resting there for eternity. I'm sure that all the great war air fighters have the same idea, they were fighting over the clouds for supporting the poor guys usually sacrified in the front lines, falling on the lunar ground, dying because of the lack of water as the enemy bullets, etc...
The only grave for a pilot is the entire sky as the one which could be saw by a people standing on earth. A pilot, and more for those of the great war, there is never death but an eternal fly.
There are too many places which must have some indicative words... there are books for that, and now there are web sites like the present one,

Xavier Jouve, an "poor old frenchie"

[Ginger.]

I don't think you could call 1066 a Frog invasion.They were Normans from Normandie,not proper Frogs but Vikings on an away day.My in depth studies reveal that they called in at London on the way back to Vikingland,liked it so much they stayed.
You history revisionist wallahs must learn to take a notch off.
ps 'La Garde Recule'is a bit of French,they all shouted it at Waterloo then did a runner.

Dear poor Observer,
"to the Frogs, the Boche are dogs. Would you be likely to advertise the conquests of a hated enemy?"
Are you sure, do you really beleive in what you've wrote?

I hope not...

best regards from France

Xavier Jouve, a french cat (we hate dogs!!... lol!!)

John,
I apologise for misinterpreting your previous contribution.Yes,I am a Scot and from your last reply you know alot more than I gave you credit for. Regards,Steve

Steve,
You don't need to apologise! If you're interested, I can recommend, 'The Fourteenth Century' by May McKisack. An excellent book with a superb bibliography and signposts for further study.
Xavier, we're, 'les rosbifs' and you're, 'frogs'. It doesn't mean I don't like or even admire French culture. I have to say, since I've lived in Germany, I have been amazed by how, touchy feely, let's all get on now, we all are!
Regards, John.

You'll always find people like that but I wouldn't condemn every Frenchman. When I met the mayor of Murvaux in 1996, I asked him, if he could speak english. He said no, but that he could speak German. I then asked why, since the Germans gave the French hard times in three wars, and he simply told me: La guerre est fini. The war is over. WHen I went to the American cemetery at Romagne to pay my respects to Frank Luke, I stopped at a German military cemetery nearby. It was as neatly tended as was our cemetery. Further, I understand that the Germans and the French have sister-city relations with the Germans, much the same as we do.

John: Aren't you forgetting that the British invaded the UNited States in the War of 1812; and further, when the soutthern states separated from the United States that General Lee invaded us two times, but was turned back at Antietam and at Gettysburg?
And aren't you forgetting the 47 times that poor little Germany was invaded by the French from the times of Louis XIVth through the Thirty Years War through the Napoleonic Wars. War was the sport of kings and those Europeans fought with and against each other for centuries. Old hatreds die and new ones are born. It's human nature.

Greetings Bob Philios: I don't believe the Europeans mark up their battlefields the way Americans do, especially the places a battle was lost at. Even Napolean's tomb did not list the battles, and campaigns he lost, only the ones he won.