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Asalto

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Algiers, 2 March 2003

Charles Dassault, President of 5th French Republic, stood by the window of his cabinet in presidental palace, and starred at last remaints of the sun that was sinking into the sea. As the night finally fell on the Bay of Algiers, city on edge of the sea was reborn in the shine of countless lights.

Beatiful...thoughts of admiration were quickly overrun by thoughts of bitterness. It's beatiful...but nothing can compare with the City of the Light...God, we're dwelling here in Africa for more than 80 years now...

Born in 1945, Dassault didn't experience exodus of French Nationalists from French mainland after the Great War. But the dreams of his ancestors about return to their beloved homeland were passed to new generations.

For more than 80 years, exiled French were holding this piece of Africa, as this was everything that was left from the Third French Republic after disastrous defeat in the Great War and Socialist revolution in the mainland. In all those years, we were not able to revenge, to take back what is ours...

He nervously stepped away from the window. On the other side of the sea, there she is...our native homeland. But we were to weak to retake it, we were to slow to be the first there...Old Marechal Pétain offered his friendship to Kaiser, if Germans would give us what was always ours...But Germans never wanted friendly France, the only good France for them is destroyed France...They have hurt our deepest national feelings, humiliated France in most barbaric way...But France still lives in the millions of hearts in Algeria, Tunisia and West Africa. The day of return will come, it must come, because this is our destiny. One day, we will not be exiles any more.
 
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Subscribed, of course!
Let's bring back the Greatness of France.
 
Superb start. Can't wait to see how you align yourself in this new MDS/KR AAR :)
 
A few words about this story

Well, here it is, my second KR-MDS AAR. I respected will of the readers at the end of previous AAR of this type, so there is the story of National France. I will play custom scenario, which is not designed as a mod, so please don't ask me if you can get this ''mod''.

Just as my previous AAR of this type, Heirs of Weltkrieg, this one is also designed as mix of the two mods, Modern Day Scenario 2, and Kaiserreich: Legacy of Weltkrieg. Both excellent mods can be found in Hoi2 - Scenarios and modifications section.

Just as scenario itself is a mix, such mix will also be the style of the story, which will span from gameplay to narrative, being spiced with descriptions of various nations, presentations of history, and some funny references. I learned a lot on mistakes from previous KR-MDS AAR, and I will try not to repeat those mistakes.

This story is not meant to be a serious history book, and main purpose is to deliver some fun to the readers, altough this won't be really a comedy AAR. There will also be some interaction, so readers will be able to take part in important decisions about the path that National France should take in this crazy world. I invite you to follow my story, and I hope you will enjoy it.
 
The KR is the perfect universe, because there are two France. So, it doubles the options to see France defeated and annihilated. :D

Too bad you choose them. I'll go with the other side.
 
History of French Fourth Republic


Algiers1920-1.jpg


Algiers in 1920s, when the city became the capital of Nationalist French State.

After defeat in French Civil War, most of leading staff of French military, together with entire Nationalist political and administrative apparatus, gathered in port of Marseille. French Navy managed to transport them to Algiers, thus saving them from the rage of the newly created Commune of France. When the peace treaty was finally signed with Germany, the French exiled elites decided to start from scratch again. French Fourth Republic was proclaimed in exile in Africa. As the exiled leading politicians were mainly authoritarian Nationalists, military was allowed to seize the executive powers, under the leadership of Marshal Ferdinand Foch.


Ferdinand_Foch.jpg


Marshal Ferdinand Foch, first leader of exiled French State. Because parliamentary system was not re-eastablished due to special circumstances, French Fourth Republic was in fact state led by military junta. Due to special position of French republic, Foch didn't claim title President of Republic, since his executive power was not confirmed in a way that was demanded by constitution of 4th Republic. He used title Chef de l'Etat Français, Leader of French State. This title was later used by Marshal Pétain also. 4th Republic was often referred as French State instead of Republic, because of provisional and authoritarian style of it's goverment.

After death of popular marshal in 1929, the hero of Verdun, Marshal Philippe Pétain, came in power with support of his loyal officers. Pétain continued legacy of Foch, his politics were even more authoritarian. French Nationalists stayed loyal to the alliance with exiled British Royalists in Canada. Alliance was preserved mostly because of hatred against common Syndicalist enemy. Apart from British Canada and remaints of French Africa, members of Entente alliance were also Carribean Federation, union of former French and British Carribean possessions, and Australasian Confederation, unstable common project of Australia and New Zeland.

Domestic policy of Pétain's regime was based on exploitation of African resources and industrialisation of North African coast. In 1930s French goverment showed interest for Sahara region. French officials in those parts were reporting about potential new incomes from taxation of caravans and local population. Possible extraction of oil reserves in Sahara was also great wish of goverment in Algiers. When officials finished with census on Sahara region and Central Africa, military advised that manpower in region could be also used for conscription to increase number of troops.

Those steps were not accepted well by local population. In March 1937, party of tax collectors had been murdered near the city of Tamaghasset in the Sahara. Goverment suspected Tuaregs which were strongly against taxation of their caravan trade. French had performed several retaliations and this angered Tuaregs even more. Their revolt shocked the French. Tuareg tribes aligned with other desert people into resistance network called Tuareg Confederation. Minor skirmishes at the start were soon followed by massive revolt of all native people that were living South of Atlas. French administration fleed from most of towns in West Africa which were taken by local revolters. Due to inability of regime in Algiers to control it's territories, rebels even established their own states. Confederation of Tuaregs and Desert Nations was established in southern parts of Algeria and Central Africa, while independent state of Guinea dominated part of the coast of West Africa. Liberia, which requested French protection during American Civil War because of American inability to further protect small African nation, stayed loyal to French despite all odds.

After some months, Pétain managed to gather enough French forces for offensive against rebels. Bigger part of the forces, armed with armored cars, pushed trough Atlas towards the South, while smaller part was shiped by Marine Nationale to Monrovia, where they started offensive against Guinea. In Spring of 1939, Tuaregs and their allies were defeated, and First Tuareg Revolt came to an end. Philippe Pétain was satisfied to see that his armies are strong enough to preserve control over French part of Africa. He died in 1945, too early to see that Africa can't be controlled only by use of armed force. Admiral Darlan, his successor, had later experienced that such strategy couldn't preserve permanent peace.
 
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Interesting, hopefully the government of Algiers will understand that something needs to be done for the African Colonial Population.
Without a serious reform, the 4th Republic is bound to failure.
 
Brief history of Europe

After their victory in Great War, Germans had redrawn map of Europe. Main German objective was to secure their enlarged influence in Central and East Europe, and to isolate dangerous Commune of France, Syndicalist regime that emerged in France after defeat of Entente alliance. Pro-German kingdoms of Ukraine and White Ruthenia were established in East Europe, accompanied by heavily German influenced United Baltic Duchy and Lithuania. Former Russian Poland was made independent, but weak nation, that struggled to survive with export of agrarian goods to Germany. In the West, Belgium ceded to exist as nation. German parts were anexed into German Empire, and remaining lands of former Belgium were organized into federation named Flanders-Wallonia. Adalbert von Hohenzollern, Kaiser’s third son, became the first king of Flanders-Vallonia. Most of other German client states are also ruled by nobles from various German dynasties.

Once mighty Austria-Hungary almost collapsed in years after the war. Despite being one of victors of Weltkrieg, things got worse for dual monarchy in years after the war. Vienna was forced to abandon system from 1867 as Ausgleich in 1927 brought broad self-governance to Bohemia, Galicia, Bosnia and Croatia, and even more rights to Hungary. Instead of strong dual federation as before, Austria-Hungary became loose monarchic union, with constituent parts acting like semi-independent nations. In Balkans, independent Serbia was established after withdrawal of weakened Austria-Hungary. Romania was taken over by radical Iron Guard and Greece waited for better times to come. Bulgaria became powerhouse of the Balkans, struggling to keep down jealous neighbours. Albania was Ottoman vassal state, ruled by king of German origin. Austria-Hungary also couldn't keep it's influence in Italy, leaving reactionary Kingdom of Sicilies to be overthrown by Syndicalist revolution. In northern Italy, divided Italian states that were set up by Austrians after Italian defeat, united into Italian Federation under rule of Pope.

However, Austria-Hungary was shaken again by events in 1937. Ausgleich negotiations in this year broke down, throwing Danubian region into bloody war. Hungarians declared full independence, what was not acceptable for Vienna. Semi-independent parts of empire chosed their destiny, with Bohemia declaring full independence and wowing for unification of Czechs and Slovaks. Croatia took Bosnia and fought both Austrians and Hungarians for independence. Galicia used this mess to join with Poland. Germans off course couldn't allow such conflict to be happening in their neighbourhood. Kaiser intervened in favour of Austria and combined Austro-German forces put down all resistance. With help of German mediation, Austrians and Hungarians agreed to return to system from 1867, and strong dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary was restored. Poland was allowed to keep Galicia, since Austria-Hungary was too exhausted to rule one more region. Poland later even signed Treaty of Lomza, accepting proposed unification with Lithuania.

The tensions in Europe were on the rise at the end of 1930s. Civil war in Spain was still raging and there was no sign that any of three sides, legitimate Royalist goverment, Anarcho-Syndicalist rebels, and radical Catholic Carlists, will prevail in short time. Direct German intervention finished the conflict, suppressing rebellions of Carlists and Syndicalists. Attempt of French Syndicalist to dominate Spain with convert support to CNT-FAI failed, but this didn't prevent Paris to lose self-confidence. In early 1940, French ultimatum came on Kaiser's desk: Alsace-Lorraine or war! Germans didn't hesitate, and their entire Mitteleuropa alliance was soon in war with Commune of France, Union of Britain and Republic of Sicilies, united in Syndicalist Internationale. Mitteleuropa was soon reinforced with Austria-Hungary and Italian Federation, which came under Habsburg influence when Vienna managed to push their pretender Josef von Österreich-Toskana on the Italian throne.

Republic of Sicilies was quickly overran by Austrian and Italian armies, but Germans were not so successful against Commune of France. This was mostly consequence of Kaiser's traditional view on military strategy. Some years before the war with Syndicalists, group of ambitious military commanders, led by Heinz Guderian, proposed radical reforms of German military strategy. Guderian and his supporters saw concentrated use of armoured units being key to swift victory. Kaiser and conservative military commanders were against such plan, saying that military strategy reached it's final point in Weltkrieg. When the war with the Commune of France started, German strategy was based on massive use of infantry, supported by superior firepower of heavy artillery. Armoured units were used only as support for infantry units, thus giving small fighting effect. German infantry was entirely motorized, well-armed, trained and equiped, but proved to be soft target when used as shock force. French couldn't break trough German lines in Alsace-Lorraine, but Germans also had very poor success in offensives against French. Reichsheer invaded France via Flanders-Vallonia, but French managed to repulse the attack. It took almost two years that might of Mitteleuropa broke furious defence of Commune. Troughout the conflict, progressive commanders managed to reform German style of warfare, after desperate Kaiser's blessing.

In early 1943, Germans were ready for invasion of British Isles. British Republican Navy and Republican Air Force were tough nut to crack, but Kriegsmarine and Luftwaffe soon cleared the way for invasion force. Despite furious resistance, British land forces couldn't stop German invaders. This was consequence of British strategy that always favoured Republican Navy and RAF over ground forces. Those were made mainly from territorial defense units and rapidly trained militia forces. Better trained and equiped regular armies led elastic defence, slowly retreating to Scotland. The war was lost for Union of Britain when Germans reached the Scapa Flow.


observer-1.jpg


Member of Republican Observer Corps scans the skies of London. During siege of London in June 1943, Luftwaffe was often attacking supply centers and instalations of British forces in attempt to break defense of the city.

Germans once again redrawed the map of Europe. France and Britain were partitioned into several states to achieve total German dominance over old foes. Some oppressed nations were liberated, and some nations were revived from the past, or simply invented by Germans, according to various regional diffrences. Respecting the old recipe, new states were ruled by German nobles and local autocrats. British Isles were occupied by three new nations: England, Scotland, and Wales. The fate of France was similar. There were secret talks with National France about exiled French joining Mitteleuropa, for exchange of French mainland being returned to them, but this proposal was rejected by Berlin. Same thing happened with proposal of local French politicians. They kindly asked Germans if new French Republic could be established, off course loyal to Germany, but people would have a right to elect their own president. Berlin refused any attempt of creation of strong French state.

France was partitioned into several states: Occitania, Normandy and Brittany. Some territory was given to Flanders-Vallonia, the rest was used to setup puppet French kingdom, loyal tool of Berlin, ruled by German noble. After death of Occitanian king Lois de Grimaldi in 1949, Occitania became very unstable, and Berlin allowed French kingdom to anex it. After all reparations were payed by new German puppets for sins of their precedesors, German economy started to heal it's wounds that were inflicted by Berlin stock market crash in 1936. Germans were sure that Europe will now live in a peace for a long time.

After destruction of Syndicalism in Europe, German position of dominant global superpower was soon challenged by Japan. Peace in Europe was preserved for quite a long time, with a few interruptions, like Third Balkan War in 1949. This war was fought between Bulgaria and nations of Belgrade Pact. Bulgarian defeat was avoided with help of Austria-Hungary, which intervened in favour of Bulgaria. Serbia, Greece and Iron Guard Romania were defeated. Serbia was occupied and partitioned between Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria. Strong resistance movement against foreign occupation was formed, while important Serbian individuals abroad established goverment in exile, located in friendly National France. Exiled liberation movement is led by Serbian royal claimant, which is often wowing that all of South Slavs must be liberated, not only Serbs. Victorious Bulgaria felt self-confident enough to press on dying Ottoman Empire for transfer of authority over Albania, which soon became Bulgarian protectorate. Bulgaria achieved access to Adriatic Sea and Ionian Sea this way.

Romania and Greece were punished by high reparations, and pushed into isolation. Those two nations were later shocked by liberal revolutions, which abolished Greek monarchy and removed Romanian Iron Guard regime. However, Greece now struggles to survive isolation by approaching German dominated Europe, but mostly in economic way, by developing tourist capacities. Romania seems very isolated, and waits for better times to come. Romanians discreetly even cooperate with nations of Entente, especially with Russian Empire.


Europe.jpg

Europe in 2003.
 
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Europe looks so cute that is asking for a war to mess things up :p
 
Brief history of Africa

Africa went trough many drastic changes since the Weltkrieg. After the Great War, Germans established giant autonomous colonial free state in great part of Central Africa and called it Mittelafrika. Iron-fisted Hermann Göring was absolute leader of this state until his death in 1960. After his death, Mittelafrika was going only down the hill. Görings heirs were not able to suppress resistance of ASC, African Syndicalist Congress, Left-Wing underground organisation that preached unification of all Africa under Syndicalist banner. Mittelafrikan security forces, assisted by Germany, fought bloody war with rebels, who were mainly supported by Combined Syndicates of America and Mexico. Constant guerilla warfare was exhausting colonial regime. In 1974 it was obvious that war is lost in the long term, and the price of conflict was getting higher than profits from Mittelafrika. In 1975, Germans signed peace treaty with ASC, leaving most of Central Africa to rebels. Small southern part of former Mittelafrika was seized by South Africa while Germans preserved three protectorates in West Africa. ASC proclaimed Union of Africa, which soon became new member of Syndicalist Internationale.

Most of German influence in Africa was now concentrated in East Africa, where Syndicalist resistance was weakest during the war in Mittelafrika. Ethiopia became German protectorate in 1939, when Germans intervened in Ethiopian civil war which was fought between various factions of imperial claimants for Ethiopian throne. Germans supported legal goverment in Central Ethiopia, but Emperor of Ethiopia had to pay this assistance by accepting German ''protection'' over his country. After fall of Mittelafrika, German organized eastern parts of former Mittelafrika, Madagascar, some surrounding islands and Ethiopia, and joined them into new semi-independent state, this time called Ostafrika. Due to good cooperation between Germans and wealthy native middle class which was not very fond of Syndicalism, new state is far more stable than Mittelafrika ever was.

Chaos that followed Weltkrieg was great opportunity for many nations, including African ones. When still being independent nation, Ethiopia grabbed Italian possessions in Somalia and Eritrea. Egypt couldn't take Suez Canal which was taken by Germany, but it managed to occupy entire Sudan. While Ethiopia now existing only as administrative region of Ostafrika, Egypt became local powerhouse in Middle East and North Africa. Libya had broken the chains of vassalage after fall of Ottoman Empire and became independent kingdom in 1950s, but military coup in 1969 brought Syndicalist regime into power. South Africa was pushed into isolation after Weltkrieg but it managed to avoid racial tensions when less radical African National Congress was accepted into goverment. Moderate ANC did not feel much sympathies with hardline Syndicalist ASC. South African regime knew Syndicalist danger could be avoided only by power sharing with moderate ANC, and South Africa managed to achieve co-existance and prosperity for all of it's citizens.

Portugal lost it's minor colonies in Asia but managed to keep Angola and Mozambique. Portugal is struggling to defend it's protectorates from influence of Union of Africa with help of both carrot and stick, rewarding native middle class with investitions while deploying large amount of local and Portugese security forces to prevent any attempt of Syndicalist revolution. Near Portugese Sao Tome, Spanish still hold Bata, small chunk of African land. Morocco is idependent state under heavy German influence. French protectorate of Morocco came under German administration after the Weltkrieg and became independent state in 1952. Independent Morocco was established after Germans joined their protectorate with Spanish Western Sahara. Kingdom of Spain accepted German suggestion to create strong state which will counter influence of National French. National France survived Second Tuareg revolt in 1950s, and 5th Republic was established by Charles de Gaulle in attempt to prevent further tensions.


Africa.jpg


Africa in 2003.​
 
Interesting the Portuguese still control Mozambique and Angola.
And that big red Union of Africa right in the middle of the continent, is threatening.