The Third Empire - An Imperial France AAR

[Black_Rattler]

chtulu i love this AAR already. keep up the good work!

[cthulhu]

The Spanish Civil War of 1936 – French Intervention

19th July, Montpellier

Lt. General Gonzalez de Linares, commander of the Army Of The Alps receives the order he has been waiting for: his three divisions of mountain troops are to enter Spain and secure Barcelona for the Nationalist cause. The march order is given immediately and the HQ is taken down in a hurry.

22nd July, Barcelona

The Army Of The Alps enters the capital of Catalonia. Silent crowds greet the French soldiers although the province is formally in Nationalist hands before their entry. Lt. General de Linares confers with Nationalist General Mola who arrives by airplane and it is decided that the French will attack an armor formation of perhaps up to division strength defending the neighboring city of Tortosa.

21st – 26th August, Battle of Tortosa

First contact with the Republicans is made in the suburbs of the city and fierce combat ensues. Republican Mj. General Alvarez - Alegria staunchly defends the city but his Renault FT 17 tanks are no match for the superior French firepower. By nightfall on the 26th his troops are retreating southward in disarray with the de Linares in hot pursuit. If Valencia falls Madrid will be surrounded!

These Renault FT17 tanks could do nothing to halt the French advance

4th September, A “new” nation

The Republican cause has fared better along the Spanish northwestern coast and subsequently the local Basque’s declare independence and the nation of Euskadi is born.

5th September, Valenica

The Army Of The Alps slams into the hastily erected defenses of the city. Despite the fact that Alvarez - Alegria has ordered the city to be held at all costs, the morale of the defenders crumbles fast under the relentless French artillery barrage and the pounding of the German Condor Legion’s dive-bombers. At noon the day after the heavily damaged city is firmly in French hands. Madrid is now effectively surrounded.

8th September, Valencia

General de Linares receives a request from General Franco to march north to help defeat the fledging nation of Euskadi. The Army Of the Alps departs Valencia the day after.

1st October, Moscow

The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics recognizes the nation of Euskadi.

2nd October, Invasion of Euskadi

Two regular infantry and two militia divisions led by J.M. Anzola defend the Basque nation. The defenders that have already endured two weeks of pounding by German air power defend themselves admirably against their French foes.

The French government rejoices at the news of Belgium leaving the allies and declaring strict neutrality. Plans are set in motion to end the constructed state’s life.

3rd October, Euskadi

The Republican’s infantry division that has been helping the defenders of Euskadi decides it has had enough and its commander Galán Rodriguez surrenders to Lt. General de Linares. One Nationalist infantry division joins the fight against the rebels.

5th October, Euskadi

Despite their valiant fight the Basque divisions are forced to surrender and with that ends the short lifespan of the Euskadi nation.

7th October, Euskadi

The Army Of The Alps is ordered to march south to help in the siege of Madrid, the last stronghold of the Republican government.

25th October, Madrid

French troops fight their way slowly into the city with close support from German dive-bombers. The local French army and German Luftwaffe officers have by now a great working relationship and the coordination of air support works beautifully. The staunch Field Marshal Vicente Rojo Lluch defends Madrid with 3 infantry, 1 militia and 1 armored division.

The Trubia A4, used by the defenders of Madrid

26th October, Madrid

Nationalist forces join the assault on the Spanish capital: 2 infantry and 1 cavalry division.

30th October, Madrid

Crammed into an impossibly small area in the city center and hammered with artillery shells and bombs the defenders are forced to surrender after just 5 days of heavy house to house fighting.

1st November, Madrid

General Franco and Mola arrives and declares victory, the Spanish civil war is over after just three and a half months. French and German support proved decisive and important lessons in the art of warfare were made. Lt. General Gonzalez de Linares receives the Order of the Golden Fleece from Franco, Spain’s highest honor.

[Zuckergußgebäck]

That Euskadi flag, isn´t that the fleg of Kolchaks russians during the russian revolution?


And as for the princess illness, I sence a conspiracy, and I have an explanation for her wierd illnessed and recoveries...

[cthulhu]

Black_Rattler: Thank you! Much appreciated.

Zuckergußgebäck: I know near to nothing about Basque flags etc. Sorry. Regarding the princess: Conspiracy eh? Well you might be right...

[Zuckergußgebäck]

Cthulhu, I am sorry, just discovered that it was the true Basque flag after all If you want the flag displayed at the beginning to be used in-game, it can be downloaded here

[cthulhu]

Zuckergußgebäck: No problem. Thanks for the link. I have a flag I need some help to create, what's owner of the site's user name here on the forum? Do you think he'd like to help. I have the flag, I just need to get the right shadow pattern on it.

[cthulhu]

The French foreign ministry's Bloch MB220 on its way to Berlin

2nd November 1936, Berlin

Imperial Foreign Minister Alexander Maret was enjoying himself. The flight from Paris had been uneventful but pleasant. The skies had been clear almost all the way to the German capital and he enjoyed looking down on rivers, valleys and towns, although he was a little bit afraid of flying. His reception on Tempelhof airport had been splendid: a military brass band playing the “La Marseillaise”, a red carpet and an honor guard. The German foreign minister Ulrich von Hassel had met him all smiling and palm pressing. It was obvious the Germans wanted a deal and France could give it to them. This meeting was not much more than a formality; most topics had been discussed the previous month on a lower level.

They had just returned from their first stop; a visit to the Reich Chancellery on Wilhelmstrasse, where they had had lunch and a polite chat with Goerdeler. Von Hassel and Maret sat in two large leather armchairs in front of a lit gothic style fireplace. Between them on a simpler chair sat the interpreter and behind them 3 foreign ministry officials keeping protocols and having documents and maps ready. It was very amiable; they were both sipping on cognac and enjoying the warmth from the fireplace. They were talking about the events in Germany in 1934.

“Himmler, Goebbels, Göring and rest of that gang of thugs are all in prison for life. God knows what they would’ve done to this country.” Von Hassel said.

“Hmm, yes but Göring seems decent enough, he has quite the war record…” Maret mused.

“That opportunist bastard just wormed his way into leading von Richthofen’s squadron and then he wormed his way to the top of the National Socialists. He was just a decent pilot, nothing more.”

“I guess you are right…maybe it had been more honorable of him to shoot himself like Hitler…anyway lets get down to business shall we?” Maret eased the knot of his tie a bit.

“Certainly my friend, as I understand your government’s proposal, it is that we give you not only free hands but also our active support to add the territories that make up Belgium to the French Empire; and in exchange you will recognize our right to unite all Germans in a Greater German Reich?”

“That’s right. It’s time to right the wrongs that Britain has imposed on this continent for the last 200 years for their ridiculous notion of balance of power. The British are weak and afraid of conflict and both our countries made the greatest sacrifices during the Great War and should be compensated.” Maret took a sip from his cognac and continued. “But let us speak bluntly, Belgium for Austria, right? That’s what all Germans means, no?”

Ulrich von Hassel turned away and gazed into the dancing flames in the fireplace and said: “No, Austria is not enough. All Germans must be united in one Reich; we must be compensated for the sufferings our people have endured during and after the war. The prize for our support for your legitimate claims on Belgium can not be less than Austria, The Sudetenland and Danzig.” Von Hassel looked nervous and almost embarrassed for the demands.

Maret knew that this was Reich President Ludwig Beck’s demands and they would be hard to change. Fortunately his master’s instructions were clear and precise so they could cut to the chase. “You are asking for a lot, but the French Empire is of course aware that your claims are just. However, we must compromise. My government is prepared to support your demands on Austria and the Sudetenland. As for Danzig, that is more sensitive and we can only give you our word that we will not oppose you, whatever way you will see fit to solve that situation. But you cannot count on our active support.” And there it was, thought Maret and held his breath…

Von Hassel turned and looked at Maret with an expression of relief, “that will be quite satisfactory my dear Minister Maret.” He then turned to one of the aides, “Horst, würden Sie bitte die notwendigen Dokumente schreiben?”

[cthulhu]

Catherine Monvoisin, aka "La Voisin"

3rd November 1936, midnight, Paris - Part I

A flash of lightning lit up the black sky over Paris for a second and the gray, crumbling façade of the old apartment building on the Rue Morgue was revealed, terrible and old, like the face of some horrid creature of the night. Then a loud thunder rolled over the city as if to protest against the exposure of that cursed place. The locals claimed that the house was haunted and no one had lived there for decades; at least until a late night last year when that fat Englishman had arrived in an expensive foreign car and with two trucks with furniture and strange artifacts. The neighbors had watched through their windows as his hired workmen unloaded the trucks and had even seen them enter the building with what could only be an Egyptian sarcophagus.

But although he was arrogant and haughty the new resident seemed normal enough. He ate out often, conversed with locals in excellent French no less, and received decent looking folks as his guests. In fact most of them looked quite wealthy. But unknown to the grownups, the children of the area had seen other, eerie things. They had witnessed strange lights and had heard unearthly chanting from the top floor and shady characters visited the old building frequently. This they had seen while playing on the adjacent building’s roof, which they did quite often. But their parents would have been very upset if they knew about their dangerous games, so they kept the Englishman’s secrets.

This night, as so often, only two windows was lit on the top floor of the building, and inside, in a large room, sat Oliver Haddo on a splendid old chair, obviously inspired by a throne and of outrageously lavish design. In front of him stood a large mahogany desk. The room had been beautiful once, as had the rest of the spacious apartment. A variety of stuffed African animal heads adorned the ancient, worn-down; dark oak panels and they all faced the double doors into the room so anyone entering was faced with the heads’ ferocious eyes staring at them. Lining the walls beside the doors were bookshelves reaching up to the ceiling, stuffed with books. Most of them seemed very old and worn, some barely holding together. Haddo had just read the last sentences on the last page of a huge pile of documents, and sat back in his chair just as the sky was lit by another flash. The thunder roared when he rose from the chair and walked over to one of the windows and started to laugh like a madman.

What a night! He was finished, or as “finished” one could be with that terrible tome. Contrary emotions ran through him, mainly he felt exhilarated, but he was also plagued by a feeling of dread…that he was utterly damned in the truest sense of the word. He had broken the last seal, signed the ultimate pact, given away the last sane part of him…that last tiny light in his soul had flickered and died. At least he hadn’t become insane as the others…or had…was he? But what did it matter?! No one could stand in his way! No one would laugh at him again! He had thought himself powerful before. His travels around the world, the secrets he had uncovered, the knowledge gained…but now…even the books that he had prided himself most of obtaining and studying didn’t seem much anymore. The Unausprechlichen Kulten by von Juntz, De Vermiis Mysteriis…even the mighty Seven Cryptical Books Of Hsan was not much compared to that black book.

But he must think clearly as not to lose control. He must recount what had happened. Yes that was it…that would put his mind in order. Think…think. Yes he had heard about that old dark, forbidden place, the country residence of Catherine Deshayes, later married to an untalented jeweler named Monvoisin. She practiced chiromancy and face-reading to retrieve the fortunes of the “noble” ladies of Paris. Reputedly she gradually added the practice of witchcraft and became an organizer of Black Masses. She became known as “La Voisin” and her clients apparently made her very wealthy, so she had the mansion built. In the end she was burnt alive in 1680 together with other “commoners” involved in a blasphemous mass, which allegedly included human sacrifice. This had not been a very intriguing case to Haddo and he seriously doubted that the so-called “witch” had wielded any real power. But his intuition had told him to dig deeper and in the end he had learnt about the Manor and that its owner had been a middleman for clients seeking forbidden books and documents. As he learnt more he had realized that Sophia was the only person that could help him…

[Zuckergußgebäck]

You can always take your flag to the victoria flag request thread and specify that you want it 'HOI' style, perhaps it will work...

[cthulhu]

Zuckergußgebäck: Ok, good idea, thanks!

[cthulhu]

3rd November 1936, midnight, Paris - Part II

In the end she had given him that rusty old key and a document authorizing him to enter the Monvoisin Manor. The chance of getting caught was minor and the most common thief in Paris could pick the lock, but he was not sure if forces haunted that place, ready for any intruder entering without the proper key. Also, all governments after the revolution had upheld the royal decree that stated that anyone caught on the Manor grounds without permission would be put to death. Most likely it wouldn't have come to that but he wasn't in the mood or had the time to risk a lengthy prison sentence. He smiled to himself as another flash streaked across the city's sky.

His thoughts went back to that night three months ago…the Monvoisin manor had looked very foreboding in the moonlight as he parked the car outside the gate to the property. The metal was rusty and weak and the gate squeaked as he opened it, he chose his steps carefully in the completely overgrown garden. He almost fell two times on his way, despite his precautions. He swore silently, turned on his flashlight and walked up the stairs to the house, the lock could be a problem, but he had foreseen this and pulled out a bottle of lock oil from his coat pocket. He put in a good amount of oil into the lock and on the key and inserted it. The lock clicked open surprisingly easy and he opened the door; put away the key and the bottle and drew a Mauser MOD 1910 pistol.

His excitement gave away to disappointment when he entered the Manor; much of the roof and the upper floor had collapsed into the ground floor and rubble covered most of the flooring. Haddo moved around directing the light on the floor to avoid apparent weak spots in the foundation. After a while he found decrepit stairway leading down into what had to be the cellar. He was a heavy man and could not risk the stairs without some insurance so he carefully walked back to the car and got a rope but realized it was much too short. Haddo abandoned the plan and walked back to the stairway. He hesitated for a second or two before he started to walk down to the cellar in a slow pace. He arrived down safely and searched the room with his flashlight; he found old whine racks, kegs and debris. It looked innocent enough but the cellar was the classic hiding place, it would take hours to search the place and he was no expert on concealed doors. He put away his gun and then reached into his inner coat pocket and produced a red satin bag; he opened it and poured some of its content out into his right palm, it was a strange gleaming powder. He then inhaled air heavily and blew the dust all over the north wall.

The powder spread out, covering much of the wall before falling down, strangely enough the powder trickled much to slow towards the floor than what should have been normal. He repeated the same maneuver on the west wall to no avail, he cursed, the Powder of Ibn Ghazi was both expensive and time-consuming to make. Haddo tried again on the east wall, the air shimmered in front of the wall and then suddenly a stone door was revealed! He put away the small bag and pulled open the door, it was heavy and it was fortunate that he was a strong man. He flashed the light inside and found at very small room, the walls were covered with crumbling bookshelves that were full with decaying books. He looked at the floor and roof, looking for signs of traps, and then entered and started browsing through the books. Haddo had a hard time moving around because he was almost too big for the room. A majority of the tomes were in an unreadable condition and fell apart in his hands. He found a few that would be very valuable to collectors and put them aside, but is heart sank, there was nothing new here. But wait; was what that wrapped in gray cloth? He unwrapped the manuscript and could not believe his eyes …his heart started to beat faster as he carefully eyed the ancient pages, no it was not a fake, it was a genuine edition of the grand prize itself: The Kitab Al Azif! The Arab Abd al-Azrad wrote it around the year 720 AD in Damascus, no publicly known copy existed. He put the manuscript together with the other books he had deemed worthy and hasted up the stairs after slamming shut the secret door. He drove home like a madman that night, not believing his luck!

Haddo’s thoughts returned to the present; his mind felt a little bit calmer. He had still a lot of work to do; the powerful formulae’s in the manuscript would have to be studied more in depth… any error would prove fatal or worse… But the lesser powers he had at his disposal would be quite sufficient for the plans he had for the near future…

Abd al - Azrad, student of magic, astronomer,
poet, philosopher and scientist. Said to have been
devoured in broad daylight by an invisible demon.

[cthulhu]

Luxembourg Palace, home of The Imperial French Senate

Belgium in Trouble

Foreign Minister Alexander Maret addressed the Imperial Senate late afternoon on the 4th of November; the event was broadcasted on radio in all of the French Empire. He started by reminding the senators of how France had been unjustly deprived of the territories that today make up Belgium, by primarily Great Britain at the congress of Vienna. He continued to say that now that France had finally recovered from the long decline since the forced abdication of Napoleon III; it was time for the Empire to stand up for its brothers and sisters living in oppression in that “grotesque state-construct” called Belgium. France would not exercise its “right” to the entirety of that country in the interest of peace, but the rights of the Walloon minority had to be restored immediately. Maret called on Britain “to make amends” and join France in an effort to solve this question peacefully and satisfactory for all time to come. If not, the Imperial government would be forced to take extreme unilateral action against Belgium. The senators rose and applauded for a long time and the session ended with all senators and Minister Maret fanatical screaming "Vive l’ Empéreur! Vive l’ France!" while standing and extending their arms in roman salute. This went on for several minutes.

Is France bluffing?

British Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin and Foreign Minister Anthony Eden met at the foreign ministry two hours after Maret’s speech. The situation was dire, the French government seemed completely reckless and something had to be done. Eden suggested that it was time for Britain to accept that France was no longer a friendly nation and that a closer relationship and eventually even an alliance with Beck’s ascendant Germany was the only option. Baldwin was skeptical and was still convinced that the French could be negotiated with. He proposed that Britain should suggest a conference as soon as possible including all the great powers of Europe: Britain, France, Germany and Italy, to solve the situation. The Prime Minister was sure that Germany would oppose France and that Mussolini would do everything he could to prevent a war for France’s sake. Eden was skeptical and warned that the window of opportunity for an Anglo – German partnership was closing fast, there were reports of intense low level communication between the French and Germans. Baldwin scoffed at this, France lost almost six million people because of Germany and they would never be able to cooperate because of this. He instructed Eden to approach the French and suggest the conference. This was carried out by Britain’s deputy Ambassador in Paris on the day after and the French agreed immediately, so did Germany and Italy, it was decided that the meeting should take place on the 12th of November in Lyon.

[cthulhu]

The Lyon Conference

Emperor Napoleon V of France arrived to Lyon on the evening of the 11th November, his aide-de-camp Mannfred von Habsburg who had hastily organized the conference stood on the station platform as his master’s train “The Charlemagne” entered the station. A detachment of the Imperial Guard protected the building and huge crowds of enthusiastic citizens awaited his Majesty’s arrival outside. Napoleon, his staff and Foreign Minister Maret exited the train and received a report from von Habsburg on the platform; everything was ready for the day after. The crowd roared, cheering as the Emperor came out of the station building where he was received by the Archbishop, the Mayor and other local dignitaries, he spent half an hour greeting his subjects, receiving flowers and held proud parent’s children for photographs. The entourage then left for the Hotel de Ville in large black open cars passing the cheering crowds, escorted by Imperial Guard horsemen. After dinner, Napoleon and his staff worked late into the night, planning the strategy for the next day.

Reich President Ludwig Beck’s Junkers JU 52/3M was the first plane to land on Lyon’s airfield on the morning of the 12th. Emperor Napoleon and Foreign Minister Maret warmly greeted the military dictator of Germany. Both Prime Minister Baldwin and the Italian Dictator Benito Mussolini arrived shortly afterwards. They all exchanged pleasantries and then left for Hotel de Ville. Mussolini rode in the same car as Napoleon and Maret and complained heavily that his plane had been forced to wait for its in-flight while Baldwin’s plane landed. Maret assured the Duce that it would never happen again; but Mussolini was obviously still annoyed when they arrived at the Hotel de Ville.

It had been decided earlier that each of the great powers would have one vote each and that they’d all accept the outcome of the conference. As host, the French Emperor opened the proceedings with a short speech in which he declared France’s strong commitment to peace and stability in Europe. But he warned his audience that the Belgian question had to be solved immediately, France had been patient, she had waited for over one hundred years. The next speaker was Baldwin who said that Great Britain also wanted peace over anything else and France would have to prove that the Flemish majority oppressed the Walloon minority. He ended by saying that he was sure they would find a satisfactory solution for all involved. Then Mussolini started to speak, he began to describe the firm friendship that existed between the Axis powers and how their resolve had saved Spain from communism. The Duce went on to explain that Italy would show the same resolve in the case of Belgium. In short: France already had Italy’s vote. Prime Minister Baldwin was not surprised and soon Germany would put and end to this nonsense. Reich President Beck simply stated his country’s wish for peace and would vote accordingly; Baldwin smiled.

The Leaders of Europe's four Great Powers: Napoleon V, Benito Mussolini, Ludwig Beck and Stanley Baldwin.

It was then decided to break for lunch. The conference continued at 1 pm and France provided the others with a long list of grievances. These were discussed and Britain proposed that a four-power council would make recommendations to the Belgian government on improvements and monitor its progress. France on the other hand demanded an immediate Belgian withdrawal from the Walloon provinces and that France should occupy them. The rest of Belgium would be under the protection of Paris with the right to keep a token army to maintain order. The day dragged on and in the end only these two options remained on the table; they all agreed it was time to vote. France declared that only the liberation of the Walloons and a French Protectorate over the rest of Belgium was acceptable; and that French troops should enter the country no later than the 20th of November, and Italy readily agreed. Britain said no. Every one looked at the German delegation and held their breaths. Ludwig Beck explained that after having taken part of the issues at hand and deliberated with his advisors it was clear what had to be done. The French proposal was the only reasonable one and Germany felt a deep sympathy for the wishes of France to see its entire people united in one nation. Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin was flabbergasted, he couldn’t believe what he was hearing, he looked from the Reich President to the smug face of The French Emperor and then to his Foreign Minister. Anthony Eden just looked away. The French had all the documents ready and all four leaders unceremoniously signed them at six a clock; the Belgian Foreign Minister was informed two hours later by the French and British ambassadors in Brussels. The stunned Belgian government desperately discussed their few options through the night and gave their reluctant approval in the end.

[Ptolemy IV]

Great work cthulhu! I just found this AAR, and I haven't quite read it all yet (I've just finished the first page). It's been a great read so far. Keep it up!

[cthulhu]

Ptolemy IV: Thanks a bunch man! I hope you enjoyed page two as well.

I need some help from anyone of you who is French and/or know that language well (which I don't):

1st Army is 1ère Armée
2nd Army is 2ème Armée

and then it is 'ème' attached to all the army number up to twelve (which is as far as the startup situation illustrates), what is the rule for this (I plan and hope to have more than 12 armies)?

I'd like to name some of my future armor/Mech divisions 'XX Imperial Guard Armor Division' or 'Imperial Guard Mechanized Division'. How do I write this in french? Is '1ère Division Impériale D'Mechanisé De Garde' or '1ère Division Impériale Cuirassé De Garde' even remotely right?

Groupe de Chasse? Is that appropriate for say a stack of 9 fighters?

Group de Bombardement? Same question there regarding bombers.

Would Air Fleet, 'Flotte aérienne' according to Alta Vista translator, sound any good?

[JP]

For air units, "Groupe de chasse" and "Groupe de bombardement" are fine.
"Flotte aérienne" is OK too.


For tank units, you can have :
'XX Imperial Guard Armor Division' ==> XXème Division Blindée de la Garde Impériale

'Imperial Guard Mechanized Division' ==> XXème Division Cuirassée de la Garde Impériale.

[Aedan]

Yes but for a Great number of Planes (9 or 12) you can write:

3ème flotte aérienne
Or
Flotte aérienne N°3


"Groupe de chasse" si perfect for me to 3 fighters
And
"Escadrille de chasse N°1" si perfet for 1 fighter

1 flotte aerienne de chasse (12 fighter) = 4 groupes de chasse (3) = 12 escadrilles de chasse (1)

For the army, there are no limit to write

2ème armée
15ème armée

126ème armée

XIVème armée


Aedan

[Aedan]

If you want for the fleet:

"flotte Atlantique": big number of boat in différent fleet but on the same coast or Océan:; "Flotte Atantique", "Flotte de méditérranée", "flotte d'extreme orient", etc.

"1ère escadre de combat" for a large fleet of BB and CA (9 or 12): ex: 3ème escadre de combat de l'amiral Darlan.

Exemple : the flotte de l'Atlantique was based at Brest, Lorient and Cherbourg but la 1ere escadre de combat de l'amiral Darlan is at Brest's Harbor


"Groupe aeronaval" for a large fleet with an CV or more

"flottille" for little boat or smal size (1-3 boat)

[cthulhu]

JP & Aedan: Thank you.

[cthulhu]

Long Live The King!

On the evening of the 19th November the Belgian Government met to oversee the handover of their country’s sovereignty to France. The conference room’s large table was overloaded with documents, ledgers, ashtrays and maps. The ministers and officers looked haggard. The Belgian armed forces had been ordered to stand down and let themselves be disarmed as soon as the French moved in, they were expected to cross the border at midnight, some 5 hours from now. It was all according to a plan that had hastily been put together by French and Belgian officers under the watchful eyes of British military observers. Prime Minister Paul van Zeeland sighed and lit another cigarette, some birthday present he thought and pondered the irony that his beloved country had been sold to the French on the same day as his birthday. He had no illusions about them; Belgium would remain nominally independent until a time in the near future when its existence would be blotted out. Suddenly there were sounds of some commotion outside in the courtyard in front the Ministry Of Defense. “What is that Edouard?” asked van Zeeland, directing the question to the country’s Chief of Staff, General van der Bergen who sat near the windows. The General rose slowly, finishing his cigarette and looked out casually; he was stunned, “its…. soldiers…but who?”

“What was that?” snapped van Zeeland; van der Bergen turned around and was just about to speak when the door to the room was smashed open and five Belgian soldiers armed with submachine-guns entered the room. They quickly surrounded the men, while a young Lieutenant armed with a handgun entered the room and said “remain calm gentlemen.” “What is the meaning of this!” van Zeeland demanded, his face was red and he was clearly more angry than afraid; “Its quite simple Paul” said Air General Wouters and rose from his chair, “we are arresting you all in the name of King Leopold III.”

“What are you talking about General?” van Zeeland inquired although he already knew what was happening and a part of him was relieved. Wouters walked out of the room and didn’t even look at the Prime Minister as he said, “Take them away Lieutenant.”

The Marshal Of France

“It's Paris on the phone for you Sir.” Charles de Gaulle looked at his aide and said, “Very Well, I’ll be right there.” He rose from his armchair, drained the last of the glass of scotch he had been drinking and looked at his watch. Five past ten, what kind of last minute change to the plan did they want him to make now? He had spent eight days at his “field” command post outside Maubeuge and he was constantly receiving alterations to the occupation plan. He buttoned up his uniform jacket as he walked to the communications room and took the telephone receiver from his aide.

“This is de Gaulle.”

“Marshal, it’s Gamelin, I’ll get right to the point, there has been a coup in Brussels and they’re mobilizing as we speak. You are ordered to execute operation ‘Turenne’ immediately.”

De Gaulle had not expected this of all things, so the Belgians had some guts after all... “I understand Field Marshal, good night.” He gave the receiver to his aide and said to him “Get the staff officers assembled now!”