This is proving a great read! 
So is France head of the Axis? (i.e.,modded into such)
Vivé L'Empereur!
So is France head of the Axis? (i.e.,modded into such)
Vivé L'Empereur!
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fretter-pico: Thank you! Yes you're right, France is the leader of the Paris - Rome axis (with ties to Imperial Japan who might or might not become a member) and it's a slightly modded scenario.
Update later tonight.
Yes you're right, France is the leader of the Paris - Rome axis (with ties to Imperial Japan who might or might not become a member) and it's a slightly modded scenario.Update later tonight.
Operation 'Turenne'
One of the many contingency plans prepared for an invasion of Belgium, operation 'Turenne' was the option considered best suited to the present deployment of French forces; the only obvious risk was the relative weakness of Juin's 1st Army. The plan called for the third, sixth and eight army to take Arlon and specifically to take the fortress of Eben - Emael in a rapid assault. General Le Gentilhomme's 2nd army was to feign an attack on Brussels and hopefully draw away some of the units defending Arlon. Juin's 1st army would unceremoniously ram into the defenses around Antwerp, try to overwhelm them and take the city. The first fleet would blockade Belgium's harbors and support the ground forces when possible. If the initial stages of the plan went as expected, Brussels would be surrounded and it would be fairly easy to break the defenses of the city.
The French OOB
Army Group North, under Marshal Charles de Gaulle
- 1ère Armée with 5 infantry divisions under Field Marshal Juin in Lille
- 2ème Armée with 4 infantry divisions under General Le Gentilhomme in Sedan
- 3ème Armée with 4 infantry divisions under General Giraud in Metz
- 6ème Armée with 2 Armored and 3 motorized infantry divisions under Marshal de Gaulle in Metz
- 8ème Armée with 3 infantry divisions under General Koenig in Luxembourg
Air Support
- 1ère Groupe de Bombardement under Air Marshal Vuillemin, based in Sedan
The Belgian Forces
French military intelligence estimated the Belgian army to around 15 divisions of regular infantry, 1 – 2 divisions of motorized infantry and 1 cavalry division. The standard of the equipment, weapons and training of these troops were known to be far below the French level. Their Air Force was considered almost non-existent, perhaps ten to twenty obsolete fighters.
Outbreak of hostilities
French forces crossed into Belgium along their entire southern border on 01:20 AM on the 20th November. Initially they met with little resistance as most Belgian forces had been withdrawn according to the now rejected handover plan. The ships of the 1ère escadre de combat sailed from Cherbourg at 02:00 AM, steaming towards the Belgian coast to blockade its harbors.
Failed Diplomacy and Resistance
The British government immediately tried to convince France to agree to a seize fire when its Ambassador met with Foreign Minister Maret at noon. Paris declared that it had no intentions to negotiate and that the Belgian state had chosen to solve its problems with force and now it would reap the consequences of that decision. The French forces continued to advance into Belgium but met with bitter and stiffening resistance since first light. Tactical bombers flew several sorties during the day and pounded the fortress of Eben – Emael.
Antwerp
Juin’s 1ère Armée reached the outskirts of Antwerp on the morning of the 23rd November. General Strydonck de Burckel defended the city and the road southward with 4 infantry divisions. The French managed to capture most of the western suburbs during the day’s heavy fighting but suffered considerable casualties. On the 24th, Juin wanted to launch another attack southeast to encircle the city, but had to stop further attacks to reorganize his exhausted troops. He angrily reprimanded the French High Command for the lack of air support. But none were coming the Field Marshal’s way the nearest days as the Air Force was busy with the job of breaking down the defenders of Eben – Emael. The 1ère Armée was finally ready to go on the offensive again, on the morning of the 25th, after a day of recuperation. They opened up with a fearful artillery bombardment that lasted an hour before launching a ferocious assault southeastward to try to reach the main road south and cut off the railroad line and river traffic. The Belgians were determined to keep the road open and fought the invaders hard and bravely. Juin’s men made few gains and as the sun sank that day, one motorized and one regular infantry division arrived from Brussels, to help the defenders.
Eben – Emael
The feared Belgian fort Eben – Emael proved no match to French air power. The garrison was in complete disorder after 5 days of continuous bombing and they offered only a token of resistance when the French forces attacked, and the broken Belgians surrendered a mere three hours after the battle had begun. Marshal de Gaulles rearranged his troops in a hurry and marched east.
The aged French tactical bomber Bloch MB. 210 was decisive
in the capture of Eben - Emael
How to cut off a severed hand
The High Command finally informed Juin on the 26th that he could have his air support now that the fortress had been conquered. The Field Marshal seemed to have a much longer fight before him than expected so he requested air strikes to cripple the railway line to Brussels, to cut off supplies. He then launched yet another attack southeast but his men could not manage to dislodge the Belgians and only gained a couple of hundred yards at a heavy price in wounded and dead. He was grieved to receive reports that yet another infantry division had reinforced the enemy and decided that he had to try something else.
A new plan was devised and Juin regrouped his troops, but the weather grew bad and he could not count on a very effective air support. He decided to act anyway and on the morning of the 27th and made a feigned
attack straight eastward into the city while the French navy shelled the city center. The Belgians were fooled and weakened their defenses to the southeast to strengthen the east. Juin struck lightning fast and his brave soldiers finally broke through the defenses and swung north and managed to have the city surrounded by the next morning. The weather was still bad but the Field Marshal could count on support from Admiral Darlan’s 1ère escadre de combat. The day was spent in preperation and planning and the repositioning of forces before next day's attack.
The weather cleared up on the 29th and the combination of the infantry’s relentless pressure, the bombardment of the fleet and air force wore down the Belgians fast. It was a day of very hard combat and the French had several incidents of friendly fire in the western sector while advancing in the hail of shells and bombs. General Strydonck de Burckel realized that the situation would grow impossible in a couple of days, so he decided to try to fight his way out of the encirclement. The Belgians threw everything they had on the French lines to the south at 06:00 AM on the 30th; the exhausted French were surprised and were routed after an hour of fighting. Strydonck de Burckel poured his troops out of the city while conducting successful rear guard fighting. Field Marshal Juin knew his forces needed to reorganize and to rest so he decided to let the Belgians get away. After all, he had captured his objective and central Belgium was surrounded with de Gaulle closing in from the southeast.
Brussels
The entire Belgian army was now crammed into a kettle with its capital in the middle. The French attacked from the east with 16 divisions versus the defenders 15 divisions. The battle began on December 3rd, de Gaulle’s superior forces gradually ground down the brave Belgians, pushing them backward, and finally linked up with other French forces northeast and south of the city on the 5th.
A long day of artillery shelling, air strikes and incessant infantry attacks broke down Brussels' outer defenses on the 6th December and the French entered the suburbs to the north and east of the city. The Belgians continued to fight hard but they were starting to run out of ammunition and supplies, their situation turning grimmer by the minute. The brave but hopeless defense continued until the 9th, when Strydonck de Burckel decided that it was pointless to continue the struggle; the Belgian army capitulated at 11:00 AM. The Belgian campaign was over!
French Hotchkiss H-35 tanks entering Brussels
One of the many contingency plans prepared for an invasion of Belgium, operation 'Turenne' was the option considered best suited to the present deployment of French forces; the only obvious risk was the relative weakness of Juin's 1st Army. The plan called for the third, sixth and eight army to take Arlon and specifically to take the fortress of Eben - Emael in a rapid assault. General Le Gentilhomme's 2nd army was to feign an attack on Brussels and hopefully draw away some of the units defending Arlon. Juin's 1st army would unceremoniously ram into the defenses around Antwerp, try to overwhelm them and take the city. The first fleet would blockade Belgium's harbors and support the ground forces when possible. If the initial stages of the plan went as expected, Brussels would be surrounded and it would be fairly easy to break the defenses of the city.
The French OOB
Army Group North, under Marshal Charles de Gaulle
- 1ère Armée with 5 infantry divisions under Field Marshal Juin in Lille
- 2ème Armée with 4 infantry divisions under General Le Gentilhomme in Sedan
- 3ème Armée with 4 infantry divisions under General Giraud in Metz
- 6ème Armée with 2 Armored and 3 motorized infantry divisions under Marshal de Gaulle in Metz
- 8ème Armée with 3 infantry divisions under General Koenig in Luxembourg
Air Support
- 1ère Groupe de Bombardement under Air Marshal Vuillemin, based in Sedan
The Belgian Forces
French military intelligence estimated the Belgian army to around 15 divisions of regular infantry, 1 – 2 divisions of motorized infantry and 1 cavalry division. The standard of the equipment, weapons and training of these troops were known to be far below the French level. Their Air Force was considered almost non-existent, perhaps ten to twenty obsolete fighters.
Outbreak of hostilities
French forces crossed into Belgium along their entire southern border on 01:20 AM on the 20th November. Initially they met with little resistance as most Belgian forces had been withdrawn according to the now rejected handover plan. The ships of the 1ère escadre de combat sailed from Cherbourg at 02:00 AM, steaming towards the Belgian coast to blockade its harbors.
Failed Diplomacy and Resistance
The British government immediately tried to convince France to agree to a seize fire when its Ambassador met with Foreign Minister Maret at noon. Paris declared that it had no intentions to negotiate and that the Belgian state had chosen to solve its problems with force and now it would reap the consequences of that decision. The French forces continued to advance into Belgium but met with bitter and stiffening resistance since first light. Tactical bombers flew several sorties during the day and pounded the fortress of Eben – Emael.
Antwerp
Juin’s 1ère Armée reached the outskirts of Antwerp on the morning of the 23rd November. General Strydonck de Burckel defended the city and the road southward with 4 infantry divisions. The French managed to capture most of the western suburbs during the day’s heavy fighting but suffered considerable casualties. On the 24th, Juin wanted to launch another attack southeast to encircle the city, but had to stop further attacks to reorganize his exhausted troops. He angrily reprimanded the French High Command for the lack of air support. But none were coming the Field Marshal’s way the nearest days as the Air Force was busy with the job of breaking down the defenders of Eben – Emael. The 1ère Armée was finally ready to go on the offensive again, on the morning of the 25th, after a day of recuperation. They opened up with a fearful artillery bombardment that lasted an hour before launching a ferocious assault southeastward to try to reach the main road south and cut off the railroad line and river traffic. The Belgians were determined to keep the road open and fought the invaders hard and bravely. Juin’s men made few gains and as the sun sank that day, one motorized and one regular infantry division arrived from Brussels, to help the defenders.
Eben – Emael
The feared Belgian fort Eben – Emael proved no match to French air power. The garrison was in complete disorder after 5 days of continuous bombing and they offered only a token of resistance when the French forces attacked, and the broken Belgians surrendered a mere three hours after the battle had begun. Marshal de Gaulles rearranged his troops in a hurry and marched east.
The aged French tactical bomber Bloch MB. 210 was decisive
in the capture of Eben - Emael
How to cut off a severed hand
The High Command finally informed Juin on the 26th that he could have his air support now that the fortress had been conquered. The Field Marshal seemed to have a much longer fight before him than expected so he requested air strikes to cripple the railway line to Brussels, to cut off supplies. He then launched yet another attack southeast but his men could not manage to dislodge the Belgians and only gained a couple of hundred yards at a heavy price in wounded and dead. He was grieved to receive reports that yet another infantry division had reinforced the enemy and decided that he had to try something else.
A new plan was devised and Juin regrouped his troops, but the weather grew bad and he could not count on a very effective air support. He decided to act anyway and on the morning of the 27th and made a feigned
attack straight eastward into the city while the French navy shelled the city center. The Belgians were fooled and weakened their defenses to the southeast to strengthen the east. Juin struck lightning fast and his brave soldiers finally broke through the defenses and swung north and managed to have the city surrounded by the next morning. The weather was still bad but the Field Marshal could count on support from Admiral Darlan’s 1ère escadre de combat. The day was spent in preperation and planning and the repositioning of forces before next day's attack.
The weather cleared up on the 29th and the combination of the infantry’s relentless pressure, the bombardment of the fleet and air force wore down the Belgians fast. It was a day of very hard combat and the French had several incidents of friendly fire in the western sector while advancing in the hail of shells and bombs. General Strydonck de Burckel realized that the situation would grow impossible in a couple of days, so he decided to try to fight his way out of the encirclement. The Belgians threw everything they had on the French lines to the south at 06:00 AM on the 30th; the exhausted French were surprised and were routed after an hour of fighting. Strydonck de Burckel poured his troops out of the city while conducting successful rear guard fighting. Field Marshal Juin knew his forces needed to reorganize and to rest so he decided to let the Belgians get away. After all, he had captured his objective and central Belgium was surrounded with de Gaulle closing in from the southeast.
Brussels
The entire Belgian army was now crammed into a kettle with its capital in the middle. The French attacked from the east with 16 divisions versus the defenders 15 divisions. The battle began on December 3rd, de Gaulle’s superior forces gradually ground down the brave Belgians, pushing them backward, and finally linked up with other French forces northeast and south of the city on the 5th.
A long day of artillery shelling, air strikes and incessant infantry attacks broke down Brussels' outer defenses on the 6th December and the French entered the suburbs to the north and east of the city. The Belgians continued to fight hard but they were starting to run out of ammunition and supplies, their situation turning grimmer by the minute. The brave but hopeless defense continued until the 9th, when Strydonck de Burckel decided that it was pointless to continue the struggle; the Belgian army capitulated at 11:00 AM. The Belgian campaign was over!
French Hotchkiss H-35 tanks entering Brussels
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Zuckergußgebäck: Thanks. The Netherlands are part of the allies and is not included in the Berlin Agreement between FRA and GER. Accordingly, it seem unlikely that the French would invade Holland in any near future.
This berlin agreement, is that a CORE event? For I haven´t seen it when I am playing CORE.
Hmm. I wonder where the next attack will be. You're allied to Spain and Italy, Luxembourg and Belgium are gone, so where could you possibly expand next?
Zuckergußgebäck: The Berlin Agreement was featured at the top of this page, its not an event in CORE but a creation of my own.
Vincent Julien: Spain has yet to become a member of the Axis, but it is a foreign policy goal of France to convince them to join. As for the future it seems probable that the actions of especially Germany but also Britain and the Soviet Union will shape the events to come. France is not even close to be ready for a major war at the moment, and probably needs at least two years before it will be.
Vincent Julien: Spain has yet to become a member of the Axis, but it is a foreign policy goal of France to convince them to join. As for the future it seems probable that the actions of especially Germany but also Britain and the Soviet Union will shape the events to come. France is not even close to be ready for a major war at the moment, and probably needs at least two years before it will be.
So, did you also took over the Belguian Congo?
Too bad you won't advance into Holland, I was expecting a full annexation of Flanders.
Too bad you won't advance into Holland, I was expecting a full annexation of Flanders.
Vincent Julien: That remains to be seen.
elbasto: The Belgian Congo was previously occupied by France.
elbasto: The Belgian Congo was previously occupied by France.
Why not divide Switzerland up with Germany and Italy?
That way, you acquire the last remaining large bloc of French speakers outside of France, and you get to placate Germany and please Italy.
That's what I'd do. But then again, I am only Napoléon II, not Napoléon V.
That way, you acquire the last remaining large bloc of French speakers outside of France, and you get to placate Germany and please Italy.
That's what I'd do. But then again, I am only Napoléon II, not Napoléon V.
1937
- * -
Part XV - A New Year
Part XVI - A Quiet Evening
Part XVII - A Monarch Without A Nation
Part XVIII - The Obsession Of Joachim Molyneux
Part XIX - The Atlantic Wall / Hypnosis / March / A Maiden Journey
Part XX - Dunkerque / The Axis Grows
Part XXI - The Escape
Part XXII - Inspector Legrasse / The Grand Duke
Part XXIII - The Case / Tennis
Part XXIV - Chamberlain / A Chinese Initiative / von Manteuffel
Part XXV - Spain Recognized / Heir To The Throne / Gangsters / A Nobel Prize
- * -
- * -
Part XV - A New Year
Part XVI - A Quiet Evening
Part XVII - A Monarch Without A Nation
Part XVIII - The Obsession Of Joachim Molyneux
Part XIX - The Atlantic Wall / Hypnosis / March / A Maiden Journey
Part XX - Dunkerque / The Axis Grows
Part XXI - The Escape
Part XXII - Inspector Legrasse / The Grand Duke
Part XXIII - The Case / Tennis
Part XXIV - Chamberlain / A Chinese Initiative / von Manteuffel
Part XXV - Spain Recognized / Heir To The Throne / Gangsters / A Nobel Prize
- * -
The Third Empire on New Year’s Day 1937
A New Year
1936 had been a dominated by intense development programs of Army and Air Force and the fruits of those investments would start to appear soon and was expected to revolutionize the nation’s offensive capabilities in the coming years. The French industry was also developing fast, and new production techniques were introduced but one major obstacle remained: the serious raw material shortages that had plagued the industrial output through most of the year. But the technological and industrial developments were overshadowed by the Empire’s aggressive, critics said reckless, foreign policy. Belgium, the Congo and Luxembourg had formally been annexed on the 3rd of January, which expectedly drew condemnations from many countries. The Congolese and Belgian adventures had paid off, but at the price of alienating Britain and most of Europe’s democracies. Germany had been slightly drawn into the Axis' orbit but how much trust could the French put in the German Reich? Its leadership had talked about revenge for the injustices of the last war as late as a month before the Berlin Agreement…
Groupe de Chasse 21 was the first fighter squadron to recieve the Morane - Saulnier MS.406 interceptor.
5th January 1937, Grenoble
It was a prefect day for flying and Major General Langer wished he could be up there with the boys, roaring by the air field at low level, instead of standing here with the boring Air Force brass. Langer was very impressed with his new toys, the MS. 406 was an awesome fighter and no other country in Europe had a plane in service that could match it. Armament Minister Henri Berthier turned from Air Marshal Vuillemin, shielding his eyes from the sun and said to Langer “I’m sure you're very pleased General?”
“Of course Sir, it’s the best plane I’ve ever flown.” Langer grinned.
“Excellent, I understand you spent time with the Condor Legion in Spain as a military observer?” Berthier inquired.
“Yes I did and I was very impressed by both their machines, doctrines and training. But my role became more of a liaison between the Armée des Alpes and the Luftwaffe in the major battles.”
“Most interesting General, would you be so kind to write up a detailed report on all that you learned about their new tactics with regard to close air support and send it to me?”
“You will have it on your desk early next week Sir.”
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Vincent Julien: Interesting idea...
Lord British: Thank you!
elbasto: You are correct, the Maginot line was never built. France regained its confidence fast under Imperial rule and the French High Command plans to be on the offensive. "We'll take the war to the Germans the next time." We'll see if that was a wise decision or not...
Lord British: Thank you!
elbasto: You are correct, the Maginot line was never built. France regained its confidence fast under Imperial rule and the French High Command plans to be on the offensive. "We'll take the war to the Germans the next time." We'll see if that was a wise decision or not...
I have to say, cthulhu, that your AAR is one of the most creative, well-written and enjoyable ones I've ever read. I sure hope you continue it as it's really helped restore the pleasure I get from reading and writing these great stories.