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Post by velodya on Oct 29, 2009 12:00:07 GMT -5
Anyone do a Free French, or better yet a Vichy impression?
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Post by vsahdneek on Oct 30, 2009 22:48:13 GMT -5
There is a French Foreign Legion (free french... they don't charge for sex! LOL!) unit out in Californication that does desert battles out there. They have a website that is linked to At The Front (www.atthefront.com)...
There used to be a couple guys that did 1940 early war French... not sure they are still around... schipperfabrik I think makes ww1 uniforms for the ww1 French units that do ww1 at Newville... they might know of any ww2 units or have links on their site.
Volodymyr
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Post by velodya on Oct 30, 2009 23:51:55 GMT -5
Yes, I've seen that FFL unit. But since the one qualification for the legion was not being French...
I'll see if that ww1 unit has a site. Might be fun for my own edification.
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Post by vsahdneek on Oct 31, 2009 23:34:40 GMT -5
If I were going to do something French other than pooching a madmoiselle I think I would do ww1 as their role in ww2 was mostly to get stuck in Panzer treads and then piss and moan alot while being occupied. In North Afrika however, the Vichy Forces actually put up a fight against Patton for some time until he got towards Tunisia I think. That was brought to my attention in the Patton 360 series that was on the History channel.
Or you could do the SS Charlemagne Division which has the distinction of being the last unit to surrender in the Battle for Berlin.
So they were not all boobs or lay-down-sally's... some of them showed some grit in ww2.
But as far as French reenacting here in the US goes, I think the ww1 guys get out more regularily at the Newville site other than the odd French partisan that shows up to a western front event. The chicks in ww2 like to do French Partisan so they can carry guns and wear a beret... some are hot too and worth the KY I think! LOL!
Volodymyr
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Post by velodya on Nov 1, 2009 9:44:10 GMT -5
French resistance is sounding pretty nice, if oxymoronic.
I've actually been studying about Vichy, so a Vichy French impression would be pretty cool. What was interesting is how Vichy walked the line. They fought in North Africa to defend their colonies, but when Germany tried to take their fleet in '42 Petain ordered it scuttled.
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Post by dixieflyer on Nov 1, 2009 11:16:23 GMT -5
Velodya, if memory serves, the RN sunk a good many of their ships, furthering bad feelings between the two countries. During Operation Torch, the USN took care of the rest.
If I was going to do a French impression, and was anywhere near Newville, I'd do WWI in a minute! If interested, I have a horizon blue kepi from Schipperfabrik that I've never worn and am thinking about selling.
FWIW,
Yuri
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Post by velodya on Nov 1, 2009 12:13:09 GMT -5
The French fleet had been largely uninvolved, and it was still large enough in 1942 that if the Germans captured it they could have challenged Britain.
Maybe I'll take up WW1 French some day. Might be very fun.
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Post by dixieflyer on Nov 1, 2009 15:47:48 GMT -5
Exactly why the USN blasted them full of holes from 16" guns and bombs from Dauntless dive bombers during Torch.  Yuri |
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Post by velodya on Nov 1, 2009 19:02:37 GMT -5
Which was a completely unnecessary move. 10 warships at Casablanca sunk, others elsewhere.
And I gather most of the losses were from aircraft rather than naval guns, that would have been a more equal fight.
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Post by vsahdneek on Nov 2, 2009 4:02:48 GMT -5
The Brits killed over 1000 French sailors when they salvoed them as anchored in the harbor, and I have footage later of Italians raising some of the sunk vessels to refurb them and others to cut up as scrap for the war effort.
Volodymyr
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