France Stays in the War Alternative history of WWII
June 10th:
Italy declares War on France. French troops are fighting in retreat
from German forces across Northern France.
June 14th:
Marine Nationale (MN) battle squadron under Admiral Duplat bombards
Genoa. In Bordeaux, Marshal Pétain begins talks with various Parliamentary
representatives (as in OTL). Georges Mandel, Minister of the Interior,
gets a hint of what Pétain is trying to do, so during the night
of the 14th to the 15th Mandel meets with Prime Minister Paul Reynaud and
asks him "not to surrender to the political intrigue and ambition of
an over-aged Marshal".
June 15th.
Mandel meets first with Edouard Daladier (Parti Radical) then
with Pierre Mendes-France. Both agree to back Mandel if and when needed.
In the afternoon Mandel meets Leon Blum (Socialist - SFIO). In spite of
political animosity the SFIO also agrees. Blum points out to Mandel the
fact that the new "secrétaire d'Etat à la guerre" General
Charles de Gaulle would back them if only because an old feud with his previous
patron Petain.
June 16th.
The French government meets. Petain delivers his speech stating
that France has lost the war and that it's time now to ask for an honourable
Armistice. Mandel answers sharply that it is treason, and that war can
go on in the French Empire. Petain derides Mandel as an "ignorant civilian."
De Gaulle rises to his feet and publicly accuses Petain to have
done nothing to modernize the French Army and to have killed all attempts
to develop suitable operational doctrine for modern warfare. Then Mandel
asks Reynaud to make a decision. Reynaud then states that France has an
obligation toward GB not to leave the war, and that Marshal Petain, Minister
of War is dismissed. Petain refuses to leave the room saying that a majority
of Parliament representatives are backing him. Then Mandel, who has staged
the show, opens the door for Blum to enter and affirm that the Socialist
group (by far the largest) would back Paul Reynaud. Mandel accuses Petain
of conspiracy and high treason. Petain is put at once under arrest. De
Gaulle is appointed - temporarily - as War Minister.
THAT'S THE Point Of Departure
(POD)
From this point onward, the story evolves as if France continued to
fight. That is the purpose of the project and the research behind
it.
June 17th.
Reynaud, Mandel and Blum are broadcasting speeches. Reynaud's
is firm but dull. Mandel is flamboyant and he makes the point of bringing
the legacy his of own mentor, Georges Clémenceau, (the Tiger) back
to life. Blum surprises everyone with a short but strong speech in which
he states that the war is not between France and Germany but between Liberty
and the worst Tyranny ever seen in Europe.
The Government is reorganized:
President du Conseil (prime minister) and Minister of Foreign
Affairs Paul Reynaud (center-right)
Minister of the Interior and vice-prime minister (Ministre d’Etat),
Georges Mandel (center-right)
Minister of Justice and vice-Prime Minister (Ministre d’Etat)
Edouard Daladier (Parti Radical)
Minister of Labour and social Affairs, vice-Prime Minister (Ministre
d’Etat), Leon Blum (Socialist party - SFIO).
First deputy (Secretaire d’Etat) in charge of workforce mobilization:
Edmond Jouhaud (Socialist party-SFIO)
Minister of the economy and war mobilization: Pierre Mendès-France.
(Parti radical)
First deputy, in charge of procurements: Pierre Cot (parti radical).
Minister of War : General Charles de Gaulle.
Minister of transportation and naval affairs (including colonies):
Henry de Kerilis (nationalist right).
Minister of National Education : Jules Moch (Socialist Party-SFIO)
The government meets in the night and de Gaulle gives a short
lecture on the military situation. He leaves no doubt that the battle
in Continental France is lost. He advocates fighting delaying actions
with forces which could be spared, to gain time in which more modern
units and equipment could be evacuated to North-Africa. Forces left in
Continental France would fight as long has they can and then surrender.
Mandel, Daladier and Mendes-France back De Gaulle.
When this strategic plan is broken to the "Generalissime" Weygand,
he protests that he would never surrender the Army. Reynaud answers by
telling him get killed or go to the Devil. Weygand, who never would have
resigned, then goes to the nearest field unit he can find, takes direct
command, and gets honourably killed some days later at Saumur where the cavalry
school has in OTL fought a gallant but hopeless little battle.
De Gaulle's comment: he died like he lived, as a cavalry captain.
June 18th:
De Gaulle makes a broadcast speech where, as Minister of War,
he asks all French ground forces in contact with the enemy to delay the
German advance by whatever means available. He states: "France can lose
a battle. But, backed by the Empire, France will win the war".
De Gaulle, Mendes-France and Blum organize a special committee
handling both high-tempo production till German forces reache factories
and the n their evacuation or destruction. De Gaulle, with backing of Mandel,
allows all male Spanish Republicans in internment camps (more than 250,000
of which 110,000 are former soldiers) between 18 to 40 to join the Foreign
Legion. French Citizenship is granted at the enrollment (and not as usual
after 5 years in the FL). Families are to be evacuated to North Africa (NA).
Through arms and equipment stored in South-West depots, the equivalent
of four infantry divisions (FL) are formed in less than a week, and are
used to defend a line Rochefort-Angoulème-Brives-Montpellier.
The Armée des Alpes is to delay German forces in the Rhone Valley,
while still stopping Italian forces in the Alps.
By June 20th, de Gaulle convinces the Government to extend French
Citizenship to all Arab families in NA if one member volunteers for
the French Army. This brings a quick surge of recruits for "Goumiers"
and "Tabors" units.
French Units evacuated at Dunkirk or from Norway are to be transported
as fast as possible to NA.
Pierre Cot leaves Bordeaux on June 20th for Washington to negotiate
massive acquisitions of guns, tanks, trucks and various equipment.
SITUATION by June 19th:
Note: This Order of Battle (OOB) is here to aid in
understanding of the situation, however it will be repeated in the section
on OOBs.
IMPORTANT NOTE :
Most Italian aircrafts were outdated, particularly in the fighter
sector. The Macchi MC-200, more or less equivalent to the Hawk-75 is
still not in service. All other fighters are completely outclassed by
French fighters and – even more important – by modern bombers which are
faster than Italian fighters.
Historical situation
Armée de l’Air (French Air Force)
Here are data on the French Air Force at the time of the 1940
Amistice. They can give you an idea of what could have been deployed
from North Africa would the French government had decided to fight on.
I. Fighters:
The first figure is for aircraft already in North Africa the second
one is for plane in Metropolitan France. Both are for June 20th, 1940
Total already in NA: 549. Total still in Metropolitan France:
1155
Now, if we assume that the fighting is to go on at least till
August 1940 in Metropolitan France, new planes would have been delivered
from production lines in Southwest France and probably ferried straight
to NA. By using weekly deliveries experienced late May/early June, and
assuming that production could go on till July 10th we have for the June
20th-July 10th period:
Dewoitine D-520 (Toulouse): around 200
Bloch MB 155 (Bordeaux): around 80
Arsenal VG 33: around 10.
Bloch MB155s would probably have been expended trying to delay
German forces as they didn't have the range to fly to NA. However, more
D-520 could have been ferried to NA.
One has to add also Curtiss Hawk 81 (P40C) ordered by Armée
de l'Air. Deliveries were to begin by late June 1940 and were scheduled
as:
June: 5
July: 5
August: 15
September: 36
October: 64
November: 56
December: 49.
Moreover 951 Douglas DB7 and DB7A – the US A20A - (the former
with 1200hp P&W engines, the second with 1600 Wright engines) have
been procured, with deliveries on their way for the DB7 and to begin
in September for the DB7A.
II. Bombers:
The situation for bomber and reconnaissance planes was the following
by June 1940. The first figure is for planes in North Africa and the second
one for planes still in Metropolitan France by June 20th:
II.1. Modern bombers:
Amiot 351/354 35 / 8
LeO 451
135 / 183
Breguet 691/3/5 5 / 99
Martin 167
205 / 13
Douglas DB7 95 / 0
(The Martin 167 is the "Maryland" and the Douglas DB7 the future
A20 "Boston")
Had the war went on there is no doubt that many more LeO 451 would
have been transferred to NA.
AERONAVALE (French Naval Air Service). Situation by June 20th
On CV Bearn, to arrive in NA by June 23rd :
44 Curtiss SBC-4, 5 Brewster B339, 25 Stinson liaison planes.
Shore based :
75 Late-298 torpedo floatplanes of which 63 in operational readyness.
2 flotillas converted to Martin-167 Marylands (24 planes)
One flotilla on Potez-631 LR fighter (15 planes)
Various Loire 130 on CAs, CBs and BBs.
Breguet « Bizerte », Late 502 and 552 large flying
boats.
On order : 81 Grumman F4F3 (G36A) procured, to be delivered from
September 1940 onwards (the first plane has flown in April 40).
35 B-339 of the Belgian order diverted to the Aeronavale, and
ready to be transferred from USA.