Alsace–Lorraine (German: Elsaß–Lothringen), officially the Imperial Territory of Alsace–Lorraine (German: Reichsland Elsaß–Lothringen), was a territory of the German Empire, located in modern-day France.
Even though Alsace is part of France, it is sometimes perceived as a cultural exception, in part due to its long periods spent under German influence. In 1871, Alsace was annexed to the new German Empire following its victory in the Franco-Prussian War.
Germany occupied three-fifths of mainland France: the areas with the most economic potential and the Atlantic and Northern coasts. The Militärbefehlshaber in Frankreich (MBF) (the German Military Command in France) was set up in to administer this “occupied zone.” Otto von Stülpnagel took control of it in October 1940.
Do people in Strasbourg consider themselves German?
After changing nationalities five times in the last four centuries, it's no wonder why Strasbourg's German influence still echoes in local slang, pastry shops, and even its name—whose Germanic root, Straßburg, translates to “town (at the crossing) of roads.” Caught as it is between two nations, Strasbourg refuses to ...
The modern French are the descendants of mixtures including Romans, Celts, Iberians, Ligurians and Greeks in southern France, Germanic peoples arriving at the end of the Roman Empire such as the Franks and the Burgundians, and some Vikings who mixed with the Normans and settled mostly in Normandy in the 9th century.
How did Germany defeat France in 1940? Part 1 (Historigraph 1)
Was Strasbourg originally German or French?
Strasbourg (or, indeed, Straßburg) was, in fact, German for much of its history. Nestled on the Rhine's Western bank, the city was home to speakers of the Alsatian “Elsässerditsch” dialect of German.
Alsace–Lorraine (German: Elsaß–Lothringen), officially the Imperial Territory of Alsace–Lorraine (German: Reichsland Elsaß–Lothringen), was a territory of the German Empire, located in modern-day France.
France–Germany relations, or Franco-German relations, form a part of the wider politics of the European Union. The two countries have a long – and often contentious – relationship stretching back to the Middle Ages. After World War II, the two nations have largely reconciled.
The french military was not in a good position. The army men were less trained and motivation to fight was also less. The armaments were also not upgraded as they should have been. Moreover, during the initial start of the invasion, the French lost a good part of their air force.
The Normandy beaches were chosen by planners because they lay within range of air cover, and were less heavily defended than the obvious objective of the Pas de Calais, the shortest distance between Great Britain and the Continent.
Another minor reason might've been the fact that since France was in the West and bordered by Germany's allies, it wasn't strategically necessary to occupy the entirety of the nation, since there was nobody to protect the country from. This is why Germany took the North and Western coasts.
According to France's Culture Ministry, there are 650,000 Alsatian dialect speakers, as well as 230,000 people who speak it occasionally. It is estimated that as much as a half of the population speaks German dialect. All also speak French, and some speak High German.
As part of the armistice agreement France signed with Germany on June 22, 1940, France was divided into occupied and unoccupied zones. Germany occupied northern France and all of France's Atlantic coastline down to the border with Spain.
3% of the population speak German dialects, predominantly in the eastern provinces of Alsace-Lorraine and Moselle. Flemish is spoken by around 90,000 people in the north-east, which is 0.2% of the French population.
Strasbourg is the home of the European Parliament which is directly elected by the European Union and the seat of several international institutions. Historically, the city was German speaking but French is now the dominant language amongst a worldwide audience.
The liberation of Strasbourg took place on 23 November 1944 during the Alsace campaign (November 1944 – March 1945) in the last months of World War II.
Strasbourg is situated at the eastern border of France with Germany. This border is formed by the Rhine, which also forms the eastern border of the modern city, facing across the river to the German town Kehl.
The first people to be called "English" were the Anglo-Saxons, a group of closely related Germanic tribes that began migrating to eastern and southern Britain, from southern Denmark and northern Germany, in the 5th century AD, after the Romans had withdrawn from Britain.
It turns out that Germans have more in common with the English as they cluster with Northwestern Europeans. In contrast, the south of Germany shows a strong kinship with Austrians, while in the north, the closest ties are with the Dutch. 🇬🇧🇦🇹🇳🇱 Curious to learn more about this fascinating topic?
To this day, the Royal family still continues some of the traditions of its German ancestors in private, including exchanging gifts on Christmas Eve. So the answer to the question "how German is the Royal family" is: sehr (very). The King has a bloodline made up of roughly half German ancestors.
The FFI made major contributions, assisting Allied armies pushing the Germans east out of France and past the Rhine. The military forces involved in the liberation of France were under the command of General Dwight D. Eisenhower, commander of the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF).
France was committed to protect Czechoslovakia from aggression, but neither France nor Britain felt ready to fight a war with Germany. British policy was to place pressure on Czechoslovakia to concede to Hitler's demands and give up the Sudetenland, in order to avoid war.
From May 26 to June 4, over 338,000 British and French troops were safely evacuated from Dunkirk. Critical to this process was the British Royal Air Force, which intercepted German bombers above the beach. Together with the civilians who aided the Royal Navy, they saved countless lives.
