MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Battle of coins re-edits the Battle of Waterloo 200 years later
Belgium finally has managed to circumvent French resistance to the introduction of Euro coins to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Napoleon's defeat in Waterloo (18th June 1815). It has done so by invoking a little-known European Union rule that allows countries to issue Euro coins of their choice, provided they are in an irregular denomination. Read full article
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Disclaimer & comment rulesWell, whether or not it was designed to annoy the French, it is going to do so.
Jun 11th, 2015 - 10:08 am - Link - Report abuse 0Was it really necessary?
Peace
“You can easily get along with the French if you visualize heaven.
Jun 11th, 2015 - 01:52 pm - Link - Report abuse 0God sits on a golden throne and just slightly below him sit the French.”
Napoleon is a forbidden subject for we foreigners to discuss in their presence.
If it annoys the French then yes it was necessary.
Jun 11th, 2015 - 06:34 pm - Link - Report abuse 0They could've put “surrender monkeys” on there
Jun 11th, 2015 - 08:12 pm - Link - Report abuse 0@ 4 yankeeboy
Jun 11th, 2015 - 09:00 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Wasn't the exact phrase “cheese eating surrender monkeys”?
Each 25th October I remember the battle of Agincourt where the rump of Henry’s English and Welsh Army, Knights, men-at-arms and of course the English longbow men, all just some 5,000 strong, took on and defeated the Frogs whose numbers have been estimated at anywhere between 30,000 to as many as 100,000.
Who knows the actual number? Any Frog at the battle would never admit to being there and having escaped alive: the shame of it would surely kill him? Probably not as they are a bunch of worthless cowards and have been for centuries, even up to modern times.
Who can stifle a laugh when the arms auctioneer's sales claim “a MAS-36 rifle in excellent condition” was followed by a wag in the audience shouting “only thrown down in the mud once, never fired”?
Things were different at Agincourt. Longbow men armed with bodkin tipped arrows (think of a 3/16 in square x 6 in hard nail, sharply pointed) killed virtually all the Frog Knights attacking them when the arrows cleaved their way through the heavy armour of their breastplates whilst bobbing around on their war-horses. Unless the bodkin pierced the heart (which many did) death was not instantaneous but assured nevertheless as their lungs filled with blood and their body temperature fell as death crept slowly to envelope them.
No death from a English Knight as “they deserved” but butchered by a common man and his wooden bow that was used with supreme ability. I love the very thought of it.
Why do I love the thought? I was born in 1946 and three of what would have been my uncles died in France, my own father suffered a rifle wound in the leg and walked with a limp the rest of his life, all for a bunch of cowards who sided with the Nazis to save their skin.
Things have not improved with modern day France as far as I am concerned so who GAF whether the Frogs are upset by a coin?
Well into the twentieth century misbehaving British children were threatened with the stern reproach “If you don't behave Bony will get you”. Despite his vertically challenged status Napoleon sure cast a long shadow. It's about time the French got over it. They were well rid of him, as well as the rest of the world.
Jun 12th, 2015 - 08:02 am - Link - Report abuse 0Some years back, I was assigned as a reserve officer at Bedford and personally witnessed the French Navy falsifying SIGINT to NATO. I love the language, people, cuisine and wine, but the French cannot be relied upon.
Jun 12th, 2015 - 10:26 am - Link - Report abuse 0After the defeat of Napoleon borders of France were re-drawn areas that were settled by the French became parts of other countries, the French were no longer welcome. They also had no place in France and so fled to other Countries including England, but because of the wars and mistrust of the French in a lot of cases they changed the pronunciation of their surname....
Jun 12th, 2015 - 02:13 pm - Link - Report abuse 0My grandmother and her family all had an English sounding French surname....
So thanks Napoleon for my existence.....in part.....
I attended a British School for 12 years and later educated in a naval academy. The history I learned about the Napoleon was completely opposite. The world still has not come to a unified opinion of him, but he certainly was amazing.
Jun 12th, 2015 - 03:08 pm - Link - Report abuse 0We can thank Napoleon for authorizing the introduction of the Metric System & for taking scholars to Egypt who discovered the Rosetta Stone that led to the decipherment of Egyptian hieroglyphics.
Jun 12th, 2015 - 09:48 pm - Link - Report abuse 0No doubt other accomplishments but thats all l can think of now.
I'm often amazed about why people think Napoleon was such a great tactician and strategist. Admittedly he did start out that way and his tactics basically overran most of the Armies in Europe...that is until the British came up with a better strategy and tactics to defeat him.
Jun 13th, 2015 - 09:51 am - Link - Report abuse 0Napoleons tactics were to send in large columns of men, kettle drummers mixed in making a whole lot of noise to frighten the opposing army, who would then either run, or get smashed by the large column.
This worked great until the British generals, mostly Wellington, realised that in a large column only the front row of soldiers could shoot. And once they'd fired their musket they couldn't reload it very quickly, especially on the move.
So the British tactics were to form the 'thin red line', and basically fire volley after volley into the French column. The British could keep up a continuous rate of fire by having 3 ranks (you've all seen Zulu - front rank FIRE, second rank FIRE, third rank FIRE) and this gave the British soldiers chance to reload their muskets and rifles.
The psychological affect on the French soldiers was considerable, as they had to step over the bodies of their dead comrades only to get shot themselves. By the time the 8th row of French had fallen they were usually turning tail and running.
Yet despite the fact that the British could overcome his tactics, Napoleon still employed them at Waterloo. This lead to the famous statement the Duke of Wellington made after the battle: “They came on in the same old way, and we defeated them in the same old way.”
Napoleon wasn't brilliant, he was arrogant. He lost. The French lost. It's about time they got over it.
If Brussels wants to commemorate the defeat of a murdering despotic dictator by producing coins, having street parties then it is NO business of France's.
In fact I believe we British are also going to have a bit of a shindig. After all we gave Napoleon a damned good thrashing...twice!
Napoleon promoted hundreds on innovations including the few that Isolde mentioned. The Napoleonic Code is the foundation of Chilean law. The is an obscure book titled Napoleon's Buttons that explains that in part the French lost their Russian campaign because of Napoleon insisting on the French army using zinc instead of brass buttons on soldier uniforms. In the extremely low temperatures of the Russian winter, the zinc buttons easily broke and the poor French soldiers had to hold their pants up as well as struggle to keep their jackets closed. As a young man, I loved reading the Hornblower and Sharp's Rifle series.
Jun 13th, 2015 - 06:21 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Commenting for this story is now closed.
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