It's amazing that one of the first allies of the U.S. revolution and one of the staunchest supporters of the U.S. both militarily and politically - since the inception of the United States - is seen by most Americans as "cowards who never fight" and are the butt of jokes.
That isn't true in the part of the US I live in. We recognize the contribution of the French. Maybe ignorant people here don't know this, but then there are a lot of those everywhere.
Under Napoleon, France had an empire that ruled over most of Europe, exceeding even Germany's later attempt at same. To describe France as a country that surrenders easily is to declare yourself ignorant of history.
France was well prepared for a war with Germany, but what they weren't prepared for was the new tactics Germany had developed. Aircraft and tanks were a revolution in combat, they'd never been used on that scale before. France was the first country to get a lesson in how difficult it can be to defend against a well coordinated assault.
It's worth noting that France's army at the opening of World War II was vastly beyond the capability of America's. It was well trained, well equipped, heavily fortified along the border, and expecting Germany to make a move.
