Les grenouilles: "Pas ces soir, Queen Elizabeth!"

June 6th is marked indelibly in most British schoolboy's memories - it's when 'D-Day' occurred.

'D-Day' took place in the final year of World War II; an invasion of Nazi-occupied France by Allied troops, which resulted in the eventual collapse of the German war machine.

As far as military operations go, it was mind-boggling. Over 160,000 troops landed on French soil that day, while over 5,000 ships provided transportation, support and offensive fire. It was a hard fought conflict - the Allies were outnumbered two-to-one - but D-Day saw them establish a toe-hold on the continent without which, the war could have continued indefinitely.

2009 is the 65th anniversary of D-Day and, as befits such an historic date, will be marked by solemn services of remembrance. French President Nicholas Sarkozy has invited President Obama to a commemoration at Colleville-sur-Mer, site of the American military cemetery.

However, one very important person has been pointedly left off the guest list for this important occasion - Queen Elizabeth II.

The Queen - who, unlike Sarkozy or Obama, actually served in the military during World War II (the only living Head of State to have done so) - didn't even receive an invitation.

She was deliberately left off the guest list because, in the words of French spokesman Luc Chatel, "the June 6 celebration is foremost a Franco-American celebration."

Understandably, the British are upset about this. The Daily Mail ran the headline: "A diminutive egomaniac, the stain of Nazi collaboration and why the French can't forgive us for saving them in the War."

...and as much as I hate to jump in on the nationalistic zealotry, I have to admit that they do have a point. This whole situation makes me as angry as when an American sneers "You Brits would be speakin' German if it wasn't for America."

Let's just quickly examine the facts:

For a start, Britain contributed over 60,000 troops to the Normandy invasion - over 40% of all soldiers entering battle. Considering nearly half of the Allied forces were made up of British soldiers, it seems totally incomprehensible that France would blindly ignore our contribution to their liberation.

Secondly, Britain contributed more than just men. It's not jingoistic pride that inspires me to write this - just cold, hard historical fact - but without Britain, more than any other contributing nation involved in World War II, the Nazis would have won.

They'd have conquered Europe (in fact by 1940, aside from the UK, they already had) and without the UK as a final fortress to stage from, all of America's might, wealth and power would have been useless in trying to reclaim that territory.

The Nazi regime would have ruled Europe, the Jewish people would have been ruthlessly eradicated and the world as we know it would have been hurled into a darkness from which it might never have escaped.

Why was the role Britain played so important?

Well, just look at the dates. 'World War II' started either in 1938 (after the Germans annexed Austria) or 1939 (when they invaded Poland) depending on your timeline. In any event, American troops didn't touch European soil until 1942 - and didn't see action against the Nazis until 1943.

During at least three years of the war - during which every other country in Europe was occupied by, or in cahoots with, the Germans, Britain stood alone in defying them.

If Britain had fallen, there'd have been no air-base from which to bombard Germany. There'd have been no staging post from which to plan an invasion. There'd have been nothing, except a Nazi stronghold separated from their American enemy by 3,000 miles of cold, inhospitable ocean.

Don't get me wrong - without America's sheer strength, it would have been impossible to eventually eliminate the German war machine. The United States delivered the killing blow that ended the war once and for all.

But without Britain supplying the leverage - holding firm in the face of impossible odds - the Americans would never have had the opportunity to end the conflict in the first place.

So Sarkozy's decision to snub Queen Elizabeth - and, by extension, ignore Britain's contribution to D-Day - is rude, ungrateful and an insult to the 2,700 Brits who become casualties that day.

In Defence of the French...

Barack Obama was in Paris last week, wooing expatriate voters and playing 'president' opposite French head of state Nicholas Sarkozy.

Sarkozy was very diplomatic about things - stopping just short of endorsing Obama as America's next president, but admitting: "I wish Barack Obama luck — if it's him, France will be very happy."

One reporter went a little further than Sarkozy, accidentally referring to Obama as 'president' as if he'd already won the election - and forcing a rather embarrassed Barack to correct her!

Sarkozy and Obama have quite a lot in common - both being young, good looking presidential personalities who have been described as 'rock stars' rather than politicians. That goes a long way to explain why Sarkozy, although friendly with John McCain, enthusiastically supports Obama in his campaign for the White House.

France just loves Barack Obama.

I was watching this press conference during the lunch break at work - and was chatting to a colleague about how much the French seem to love Obama (snootily throwing in that my parents live in France and, therefore, I'm highly qualified to make blanket generalisations about the country.)

It was at that point that one of our bosses came in - a very senior executive. He watched the press conference for a moment or two and then said: "Do we really want a President the French love?"

He was voicing an opinion common throughout the United States - one that gained ground following 9/11, when France refused to join America and Britain in invading Iraq.

Many Americans simply hate the French.

I've always found this very curious. I mean, the level of antipathy goes beyond even the average uneducated Brit's opinion of the French - something along the lines of "Yeah, well, they all smell like garlic and don't wash, right? And the only thing France is fit to host is an invasion."

In America, people commonly accuse the French of being cowards, drearily dig up that old 'they'd all be speaking German if it wasn't for us' rubbish and I'm sure you'll remember congress renaming French Fries 'Freedom Fries' in the cafeteria.

In fact, it went so far as some people pouring boycotted French wine down the drains back in 2003! That, in my book, is the only crime worth of capital punishment.

So I say to your French-haters: 'Enough is enough!"

It's time you grew up about our friends, the French. If you'd spend less time watching American Idol and more time reading the wisdom of the great Thomas Jefferson you'd clearly see that France is America's closest ally and oldest friend.

Sure, some redneck idiots might argue 'the Frenchies would be speakin' German if it weren't for us.' But just as valid an observation is this - America would still be a British colony if it wasn't for the French.

France sent money, ships and troops to help overthrow the British rule in the thirteen colonies. In that respect, France was the midwife that helped give birth to the American nation. If it wasn't for them, an independent America would have been a long time coming - and probably along the same lines as Canada (with pictures of the Queen on their banknotes.)

France and America have certainly had their disagreements - especially recently. But to criticise and defame France, like so many American 'patriots' do, is to be utterly ignorant of that nation's long standing friendship and fraternity with America.

Go to MacDonalds this instant (or Chateau McDo as the French call it) and order yourself a jumbo serving of French Fries - and eat them with pride, mes amis!