How can you form a EU as France. Even if i play on nonhistorical focuses, and britain goes undemocratic, i win with Reich, Britain, and USSR, I cant declare war on Benelux countries
I think the idea is to play with historical focus on but never join the allies so you won't liberate benelux countries and will be able to annex everything with the peace conference .
Perhaps you can form the little entente (but don't help Czechoslovakia ) to have some allies but i'm not sure about it .
You want to build nothing but infantry equipment fighters and CAS. You may want to build some fortifications to hold Italy in the Alps and a minimal amount on the German border as you want them to bleed against your border.
You should take those lands first in a peace deal as they are expensive because they are not controlled by you and the allies can cheaply create a puppet there. The rest of the land will be occupied by you and thus too expensive for the allies to take.
Eh, I've found if you just go hard on the industry focuses you have plenty of industry for ~48 divisions of 7/2s with motorised recon, engineers, field hospitals and support artillery and enough fighters to at least have yellow air. All by the time to reject the Munich agreement (which is when I usually go in as France).
would it not be better to puppet them first and then annex them after, keep their fleets and stops the Allies sniping the land with puppets
Can you swap to fascist and swap back or is that locked by tree?