Crime & Punishment

So I take it you're not on your way then

As a Brit it pains me to do this but I shall weigh in with a defense of the French,

Verdun WWI

for those who don't know:

In WWI Germany besieged the French in Verdun with the aim of inflicting massive casualties to knock the French out of the war. The resulting battle saw the French lose 600,000 men, The Germans 500,000 the French held. The Somme was planned and begun to draw German troops and relieve Verdun, again it was the French who achieved their objectives on day one while we brits took three months to achieve our initial objectives on the field. The combined casualties of Verdun and the Somme did break the French army but it never surrendered and the casualties (in excess of 1,000,000,000 Germans killed) they inflicted on Germany allowed the British with the support of the US to break through and defeat the Germans.

As for WWII the French and British misjudged the speed and direction of The German advance and it can (and indeed has) be argued that the surrender was forced upon the French as a result of the British fleeing the continent via Dunkirk. While the British fought on against Germany they did not have an occupying army on their shores and immediately after Dunkirk only one member of the cabinet opposed an immediate British surrender had German troops ever succeeded in setting foot on the British mainland it is likely Britain would have surrendered as quickly as the French.

Christ that hurts to say.

And if you go too far "He Didn't Know When To Stop" will look quite cryptic on your gravestone.

Thinking about this the cause of death imho is more likely to be the cold (absolute zero) while there would be asphyxiation to consider, the oxygen deprived brain can survive for several minutes but...

What about explosion? Lack of external pressure plus internal pressure = ?

Seems the Oxygen = lose consciousness and your blood would boil and freeze with your internal organs expanding rapidly...

http://science.howstuffworks.com/question540.htm

interesting reading really

Sadly the "France" is not even 2000 years old...

OP is probably one of those pequists that weared the "carré rouge" (red square) during last summer`s student manifestations in Montreal. If it is the case, it would explain it all !

+1

Starting at the top, the war between US states is not in fact the first conflict fought on US soil by the US. There is ofc the war of 1812 to be considered.

This war saw 2 sides of great interest at sea an initial series of US victories
Constitution vs Guerriere
United States vs. Macedonian
Constitution vs. Java
Constitution vs. Cyane and Levant (Cyanne a jackass frigate and Levant a sloop)

Prior to a switch in fortunes followning the Shannon's (Cpt. P. Brooke) defeat of Chesapeake (Cpt. Lawrence? not sure) off Boston. Still an impressive record considering the US navy's small size (19 ships at the outset) and lack of Line of Battle ships as opposed to the vast British Navy of the time.

On the land a series of British victories before a catastrophic defeat in New Orleans.

This war was vital in establishing 2 things:

a) that the US could now defend it's territory in formal battles
b) that the holding the US would prove too costly a venture both financially and in manpower for the British to consider, especially at a key time in Britain's wars with Napoleonic France.

As for American History starting during/after WWI that is of course rubbish. Although America as a major power could be argued to have begun after WWI's financial impact on the European hegemony. While they were not considered a power during WWI's peace negotiations (American protest over the punitive clause imposed by Britain and France on Germany were simply ignored). The next few decades see an increase in US power leading up to and demonstrated during WWII. Culminating in their intervention (or lack of) during the Suez crisis after WWII (effectively the end point of Great Power gunboat diplomacy.)

Don't know what I am arguing here but I guess I can claim to have read my history :)

It's only worthy foe was the Douchebag Destroyer