War Crimes
On boasting rights, the French could point out that Agincourt - although a notable victory - was just one battle in a hundred years of war - which the French finally won. For two countries to go at it for 100 years, says a lot about the martial spirit of both.
On WW2, I don’t think the French can question British motives – I doubt most do. We may have left, but we paid heavily in blood and treasure to return and hand them their country back. Even the arch awkward squad De Gaulle recognised this. His radio broadcast to France on D Day is particularly poignant.
On Dresden – area bombing was a blunt tool – but it was all we had at the time. I think this quote sums it up perfectly:
“All sides bombed each other's cities during the war. Half a million Soviet citizens, for example, died from German bombing during the invasion and occupation of Russia. That's roughly equivalent to the number of German citizens who died from Allied raids. But the Allied bombing campaign was attached to military operations and ceased as soon as military operations ceased. But the Holocaust and the murder of all those millions would not have ceased if the Germans had won the war. Bombing is ruthless war making, but to use the word Holocaust to describe ruthless war making is to confuse two entirely different things.”