# Who is the Crying Frenchman? (Take 2) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 7, 2011, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-crying-frenchman-take-2/570487 "2011-02-07T04:11:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2011, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-crying-frenchman-take-2/570487/1 "2011-02-07T04:11:54Z")
It’s been four and a half years since [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=384882) was posted. The subject is the famous photo of the [crying Frenchman](http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a147/Soulwater/crying-frenchman500x393.gif) in WWII, and whether he was ever identified. I’ve noticed that Dopers have gotten even better at finding out such obscure things, so I thought I’d ask again. (Actually, I didn’t ask last time. But you know what I mean.) Has this man ever been identified? ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2011, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-crying-frenchman-take-2/570487/2 "2011-02-07T04:31:58Z")
I doubt we’ll ever know. Wikipedia has [this](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Reference_desk/Archives/Humanities/2009_January_6#Crying_Frenchman_after_Nazi_victory) to say about him, down toward the bottom of the page. ---
**Author:** ![fumster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9c0ed/32.png) [@fumster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fumster)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2011, 9:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-crying-frenchman-take-2/570487/3 "2011-02-07T09:13:54Z")
Boehner? ---
**Author:** ![Capitaine\_Zombie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@Capitaine\_Zombie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capitaine_Zombie)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2011, 9:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-crying-frenchman-take-2/570487/4 "2011-02-07T09:20:08Z")
André Maginot? ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2011, 9:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-crying-frenchman-take-2/570487/5 "2011-02-07T09:33:07Z")
[The Fall of France](http://iconicphotos.wordpress.com/2010/07/23/fall-of-france/). According to this article, nobody seems to know the answer. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2011, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-crying-frenchman-take-2/570487/6 "2011-02-07T17:42:57Z")
No idea who he is. It appears to be a still from a movie, or else there was a still photographer shooting the same man from the same angle at the same time. See a snippet of video from [YouTube](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4vVnt23bBI). The section about the removal of the battle colors starts at about 4:43. The crying Frenchman is onscreen from about 4:49 to 4:51. ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2011, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-crying-frenchman-take-2/570487/7 "2011-02-08T00:28:26Z")
> [@bibliophage](#): > > See a snippet of video from [YouTube](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4vVnt23bBI). . Can’t watch it from France (wanted to see if I could tell where it was taken). I assume it isn’t a copyright issue, since the copyright holder seems to be american. If the whole video isn’t nazi propaganda, I guess it’s an overzealous youtube censoring due to the presence of nazi symbols or somesuch… ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2011, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-crying-frenchman-take-2/570487/8 "2011-02-08T01:01:34Z")
If you look at the still in **GuanoLad** ’s link, you’ll recognize it. If not, then the YouTube link won’t help. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2011, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-crying-frenchman-take-2/570487/9 "2011-02-08T01:51:35Z")
I didn’t know Prince Charles wore hats. Best wishes, hh ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2011, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-crying-frenchman-take-2/570487/10 "2011-02-08T01:58:20Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > If you look at the still in **GuanoLad** ’s link, you’ll recognize it. If not, then the YouTube link won’t help. OK. I thought that maybe there was more of the scene in the video.