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[QUOTE="OrangeXtreme, post: 314224, member: 41"]
Was Robert E Lee a coward?
 
Or did Lee reach the conclusion that he was out-manned and out-gunned, and that it was pointless to waste more Confederate lives in a losing cause?
 
The French lost an entire generation of young men during WWI. When you lose that many men, you don't have enough manpower to fight the next war 20 years later. Knowing that they would face unsurmountable manpower shortages in the late 30's and 40's, the French did the only thing that made any sense (given the state of technology in the 20's), and adopted a military doctrine based on defense.
 
They put all their resources into static fortifications along the Franco-German border, and prepared to fight an updated version of trench warfare, because that's all their manpower and budget would allow.
 
Only the Germans didn't fight fair, and invaded through Belgium, bypassing the Maginot Line completely. The French and British troops that were cut off to the North of the German advance were lucky to escape annihilation at Dunkirk. The remaining French military was outmanned and outgunned. The French Air Force only lasted a few days, and French Armor was no match for the Panzers.
 
Even the French military, who had spend the past 20 years preparing for trench warfare, had no clue how to fight against this newfangled mechanized warfare.
 
It wasn't a fair fight, and the outcome was never in doubt. Perfect example of trying to fight the next war while using the last war's weapons and tactics. It never ends well.
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