This post has been promised for several weeks now. My apologies for the delay in writing it, I’ve been a bit busy with courses at university.
Trier was under the French zone of influence after the war ended, much to the chagrin of the Germans who lived there. Although the British and the people of the Commonwealth Dominions along with the Americans had fought valiantly against the evils of Nazi Germany, they generally showed little ill will to the conquered German people. They ensured that the Germans would be well treated and would have their basic dignity respected. The French did not. They would often brutally beat German civilians who had nothing to do with the war and could not have said anything without risking their own lives. Even decades after the way, the French were still there and behaving themselves dismally.
My mother, born in the early 1960s, was keenly aware of the French military presence.
At that point they had begun to behave decently toward the Germans, but she was horrified by the way they treated each other. One day she was riding her bicycle in the state of semi-detachment she had perfected. (A trait which we share) She only noticed a group of French soldiers undergoing their morning exercises a minute late and nearly ploughed into them. She felt horrible about it, but they just laughed it off and helped her up. Their commanding officer, however, saw things in a different way. Despite the fact that it had been accidental and that his men had behaved themselves with absolute grace, he saw the need to penalise them for not moving out of the way sooner. In front of her he had them all stand in position and beat each one repeatedly on the back of their knees with his cane. If they winced or moved, he would beat them more. She felt bad enough about nearly ploughing them over, but this experience sickened her. She’s never forgotten it and it always makes her wince whenever she talks about it.
My father was in the US Army stationed in Germany and often had encounters with his French counterparts. Americans are generally pleasant people who are easy to get along with. Those in the military are usually the same. French soldiers, in order to prove how bold they were, would often go to pubs frequented by Americans. They would seek out the largest, most muscular soldiers. Many were farmers’ sons from the Midwest or South and had been used to hard work from an early age. Most were very mellow, pleasant men who would have preferred to buy the amphibian a beer and exchange stories. The French wouldn’t accept this. They would shove, scream, and insult the American victim of their choice. They would not give up until they were in the scuffle they wanted, something they would inevitable lose. Within a few days the same frog would be back and would seek out the same Septic and start the process again. After a couple times the Americans would just completely ignore the French, at most swatting them away like flies.
These are two stories, one from each of my parents. Both are depressing enough so I’ll not continue unless there is interest and I have my parents tell me more stories.
Boadicea's Chariot 
Very interesting Christopher – I would certainly like to hear more. I spotted a book in a bookshop about Germany and people’s experiences in the immediate aftermath of the war, but didn’t have time to stop, I must go back and find it.
Please do keep writing. Whenever people talk the situation ‘after the war’ one sort of imagines the late forties early fifties. But I suppose if your mum was only born in the early 60s, you are talking about events that occurred in the 70s and 80s, which for some of us, is quite recent! Still I think it is very interesting to hear how German people felt about having foreign armies occupying their country.
I am indeed interested, christopher. Your parents’ stories bear out everything I have read about the behaviour of the French occupying forces, unfortunately. You would think that, France having been occupied, the French would have known how not to behave. Their inferiority complex is very large.
Christopher – Despite recent exchanges, I am none the wiser as to how/why they were there in the first place. Please do tell more.
Worse, in some parts of the world they are still there. I have visited on business French Polynesia, New Caledonia and Vanuatu, the latter being an Anglo-French Condominium (or ‘Pandemonium’ as it was known) until 1980. The first two are officialy designated ‘French Overseas Territories’, but I prefer the original term ‘colony’. Alighting from a flight to Papeete or Noumea the first things you will see are a gendarme, a Renault and the amphibians’ ‘effin’ flag. If you are (un)lucky enough to get to the Marquesas you will also find al the above plus a sullen and oppressed local population watching their history and traditions going down the gurgler.
OZ
Time spent on ‘the dark side’ brought me into contact with its resident obsequious and sycophantic francophile, to whom I should really be grateful for having made me take an interest in French affairs. While I have to admire their ‘nationalism for France right or wrong’, emotionally I am now drawn more towards the following web site (especially its ‘Must Read Topics’ and the comments).
http://www.fuckfrance.com/
A very interesting site PB. Thank you for bringing it to our attention.
Your welcome Tocino – I have been giving particular attention to French post colonial Africa (not a pleasant tale).
PB – The faux frog is presently slimiing over on the Dark Side. Perhaps you could nip over for a moment and poke a stick through his cage. It behoves every gentleman to do this once in a while. 🙂
OZ
I know OZ – looked in earlier – I initially thought perhaps he held views peculiar to himself but I now think that they are not uncommon. As he is constantly irritating, I try to avoid opening his posts – although today he actually made a comment with some degree of honesty. Perhaps his AS/Scots (?) character coming out. But no more of Mad in Orleans. The French EU agenda remains Napoleonic, we should have given Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher free rein.
PB – I have a dream of a world where the Brits pursue national interest with the same screw-’em-all ruthlessness as the French and where nobody feeds oxygen to the (Mc?)Thief. 😀
OZ
Interesting read Christopher, please post some more, I’m enjoying them.
No, PB, the views of Madorleans are his own and not shared by the vast majority of French people, as is usually obvious by reading comments on the French press websites. When I put some of his weird ideas to a group of French friends, the general reaction was “Il est fou, ce type.”
But I wish to reiterate that there is no proof that he is of Scottish origin. The way he writes English shows that he’s one of yours. Sorry!
Thanks Sheona ‘one of yours’ – a laugh out loud moment 🙂
PS – Jermey Paxman’s ‘The English’ makes for uncomfortable reading!
Thanks for this, Christopher. Please do write some more. 🙂
Each race has its own characteristics which can be offensive to others. After three invasions in 70 years, one can be hardly surprised by some lingering resentment.
Christopher, it’s hard for those of who have not been occupied to imagine how it was/is. Mrs J’s parents told of unpleasant experiences here in Denmark and I used to have a customer in Rotterdam who was in the local resistance as a youth. No doubt many who have been resident in colonies have felt similar resentment – I certainly met some in Cyprus while on business.
I have managed to extract three more stories from my mother. My father does not have much more to say as his experiences with the French left him with little desire to get to know them more.
Oz: it was to shut them up. The French are like loud, hopelessly spoilt children. It’s easier just to give them a biscuit or a toy to distract themselves with for a few minutes then to try to discipline them. Heaven forbid, the last time the French were actually disciplined mildly (after the Napoleonic Wars) they used it as an excuse to try to fight again and then be decidedly tetchy for the next two centuries.
PB: neither of the two deluded froggie lovers liked it when I brought the First Indochina War, the Algerian War of Independence, or the the genocide in Rwanda up. They immediately, along with their Hibernian ally, began to talk about WWII again.
Zen: are you referring to the French? If so, then let me remind you that the French invaded Germany a number of times as well. The first German invasion of France as something that they provoked, the second was tragically inevitable, and the third was created by the French and their lovely little treaty of Versailles. The British should have learnt by then that the French are simply insufferable and are best left to their own devices, so long as they are minded by their more civilised neighbours.
Janus: I will write my own perspective of the US/UK military presence and French military occupation in another post.
Not that it matters to anybody, I am sure, but for the record, I am a Francophile. If I were not British, I would be very to have been born French. The thing is, I love the different characteristics of all the European countries and their people, but it is important that they keep their identities and differences and that Europe does not become one homogeneous USE. That would be a tragedy.
Its OK to knock the French, Germans, Italians, Spanish, Portuguese, Greeks, Dutch, Scotch, Irish …… but one cannot seriously dislike them or their countries.
Sipu: there have been a few French people I liked. The country has excellent art and is, without a doubt, aesthetically stunning. It’s not without its redeeming features, but in general it is not my favourite country.
Interesting post, Christopher, and yes, more thoughts and memories of that time from your parents, please.
I’m an occasional visitor to France, but I love many things about the country; without, I must confess, seriously engaging with the inhabitants.
I would in some ways love to live in France, but I doubt that I could ever be proficient in French, and this is a big minus point at my age.
Minty: France is, without a doubt, a stunningly beautiful country blessed with excellent weather in much of it.
Were it not for the people, it would be one of my favourite countries on earth.
Having just returned, after two weeks, I smiled in recognition of your comment Ara!
I am a little surprised at you all, fellow charioteers. All too easy to pick on the French, although they do make it easy at times I grant you. I, like most of you love the country as I have spent many a happy time over there, but can’t comment on the people as a whole because they, like any country, have all sorts of personality types, political views and differing chips on their shoulders. Just like poms and aussies do, and every nation worldwide in fact.
Historically the tribes roaming around Europe have always had disagreements which makes me wonder why so many now wish there to be a unified Europe. Impossible. Find me a country, or region in Europe that can say it has never aspired to invade next door? All are guilty, maybe except the Swiss of course! That is why I do not consider myself to be a European. No such thing.
An interesting and informative view Christopher, thank you. But don’t forget there are those with very strong views of Germans too.
Why is it then that France and Germany are the main causes of this Europe experiment that is going so wrong?
PS I originally added a list of nationalities I don’t like to the above comment, but removed it as it would have caused much tutting on the site as some of you may have been from them. I also realised that within regions of the same countries caused similar feelings – I included several in the UK as well as NZ! Do we not have any Frenchies here? Shame.