Using the WT tech tree maker, I created a hypothetical French faction tech tree and the BR. Beware that this an early version (before I got tired making this for hours and doing research) therefore it’s incomplete and only include interwar to 1940 Battle of France equipment. I will expand more to the Free French Forces once I have more time. Also I have no experience putting BR to the equipment since BR in Enlisted is nonexistence as of now and I couldn’t draw from any real example except for the vehicle from WT so feel free to criticize if you feel something is incorrectly placed and add something down in the comment.
Link to the WT tech tree maker: WT Tech-Tree Maker
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Ok that is hilarious 
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Really want to drive Char B1.
Hopefully we get new maps, such as Dunkirk, where the French army valiantly sacrificed itself to save my commonwealth colleagues ass…
Maginot line would be really cool as well.
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There were Free French troops fighting in Italy so there was French combat mid war. They did use mostly
British and American gear in that period though.
I support adding France as a faction, but after the Commonwealth and Italy get seperated. There are other nations that would be good additions too, like the Czechs.
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So… the entire french tech tree, more than that and we will have pacific axis and german armor levels of unicorn in the game all over again.
I really want some french squads with a battle for France maps (now that campaigns don’t really matter).
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I like the idea of adding the French.
They did not just fight the Germans of course.
They fought in Syria against the British/Commonwealth, and they fought well by all accounts.
They Also Fought the British in Madagascar, and of course briefly during operation Torch they fought the Allies.
In Mid war, the Free French used a mixed bag of kit, even in late 44/45 they were still using a lot of French kit, as there simply was not enough American kit to go around, and their was some American reluctance to supply the French past a certain point given the perceived unreliable nature of the French ever whiting Army in NW Europe in 44/45 given the influx of new soldiers was from former terrorist formations, aka Partisans/Marque/Resistance groups, or varied political backgrounds (Communists and other undesirables in some cases). The US trusted the colonial forces more given there experience and proven battle worthiness.
Most French Units were, when Supplied with Kit from the Allies given almost entirely US equipment in NW Europe, but Prior to that they could be found with a mix of British and US kit, in addition to Original French Kit.
French Tanks and Aircraft would be highly competitive.
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hardly if we add a Dunkirk theater it would be in reverse where the french have all the tanks that germany cant pen
but mosat of the maps should be farming fields, water logged hedgerows, citys with castles walls in them and with rivers though some of them, napoleon era fortification and forts
but for the sake of dunkirk there was alot of british air support (much more then french)
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So by playing the French faction, you agree to fight on both sides randomly…
Quinky
Erennin : hehe so Free french / Vichy French ? hehe… hmm… could be mixed in with some resistence fighters hehe
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and Poland and Romania (axis) maybe… just brainstorming . They have more or less enough firearms to choose from…maybe not the strongest armor choices…
There are quite a few additions that can be made for light weapons. Handguns, for starters, with old revolvers like the Mle. 1892, Ruby Pistols, but also PA. 1935.
For longer weapons, from WW1, winchester 1894 french contracts; Remington model 8; The MAS 40 prototype, and MAS 44 which was produced and issued from 1944 on but didn’t see combat.
The VB grenade launcher can be put on Berthiers as well.
And for the Mas 36, they also had rifle grenades, though not using the VB. One version was a HEAT rifle grenade ( Mle 1941 ).
Submachineguns, the french army also tested Thompsons alongside the british, but if they’re included within the allied tree, it’s of course redundant; Though all sorts of prototypes, like in the russian tree, could be considered. Anyway.
As for heavy weapons, the Hotchkiss machine gun emplacement, in 8mm for light and 13.2 for heavy/AA ( twin tubes ).
And the 37mm Mle 1916 light squad gun can provide AT fire.
For mortars, the french Brandt 60mm & 81 mm were copied by virtually every power involved in the war, there’s little reason for the french not to have them.
Truck, for instance a Laffly S15; There was even a quite successful TD version, with a 47mm AT gun at the rear.
The 8-strong unit that was in test knocked out 23 panzers and got only one casualty, from breakdown while relocating with the front. Car, Laffly W15 or for variety Simca 5.
Aicraft, the Bréguet 693 for CAS can be added, the LeO 451 for tactical bomber, and the Ms 406 as fighter.
Now, it’s not the first topic on the subject, and i’ve seen a lot of ignorance on the topic, which isn’t surprising. With the capital at 3 hours on truck from the border, and a Luftwaffe twice as numerous as the french Air Force, and only 2 british fighter squadrons sent for instance, the battle of France was lost but it certainly wasn’t by lack of valour nor combat by the french troops; Troops which managed thousands of german prisoners in counterattacks despite retreating when the front was breached elsewhere.
So, some of the heavy fights, large or small scale, where the french ground troops were involved:
On the allied side:
-Norway.
-Saarland, though limited
-Benelux 1940. Hannut & Gembloux gap, apart from the british meeting a handful of german tanks in ww1, first and biggest battle of armored vehicles ever, then after Kursk until Desert Storm in 1991.
-Battle of France: Sedan, where the german broke through; Stonne, taken and retaken 17 times in 3 days.
Amiens outskirts, where two french infantry divisions ( 40k men & 32 tanks ) beat back a german armored corps ( 40k men and 960 tanks ). The french lost 20k men and all their tanks, the germans 22k and 360 tanks, they retreated.
Lille, where a rag tag of exhausted troops assembling into 3 divisions held against 7 led by rommel to deny the germans the city as a hub to attack Dunkerque for as long as they had ammo.
Dunkerque, where the french were 80%, then 100% of the defense during the last 3 days; a heroic defense allowing for the evacuation to succeed despite overwhelming forces thrown at them.
A quote to sum up: “Despite our overwhelming superiority in men and matériel numbers, the french counter-attack in several places. I don’t manage to understand how those soldiers, fighting at 1 to 10, (sometimes 1 to 30 !), still find the strength to launch any assault: this is astonishing ! I see in those french soldiers the same energy than with the veterans of Verdun in 1916. For several days now, hundreds of bombers and guns are pounding the french defence. But, it’s always the same thing: our infantry and panzers can’t break through, despite some local and ephemeral successes. The french high command has very smartly set up his troops and artillery. I fear that the Dunkirk operation could be a failure for all of us: almost all the BEC and the biggest part of the french 1st Army will escape, because a few thousands of braves block the path to the sea. That’s shocking, but that’s how it is !” Gl Von Küchler, in charge of reducing the pocket.
Saumur, where the cadets of the cavalry school and a few more units held at 1 vs 10, against german troops flabbergasted that they were not facing an entire division and more.
To be noted, the surviving defenders of Saumur were the only troops the axis forces, during the entire war, granted the honors of war to, and allowed to walk with their colours, free, to the french zone.
The Maginot Line proper. If at Sedan, it was unfinished and held by a traitor, an entire army group attacked the Line to the East.
Despite being manned only by skeleton crews ( 100.000 men of interval forces being sent to reinforce the Somme front, so only reduced bunker crews and no counterattacks ), the line held virtually until the armistice.
Arras: allied attack on the german advance. Attack sent by the british mostly for the show, and without warning the french units around they were going in, which might have had better results then.
The british withdrew quickly, and the french covered their retreat, causing 60% of the german casualties in the area; an attack that worried the germans.
Montcornet; Attack by the french, quite worrying and damaging for the germans, but stopped by the very high concentration of 88mm guns in the area: Guderian had set up his hq there. The french reached 300m from his position.
Boulogne. An attack to break through the german encirclement of Dunkerque that did more than worry the germans, as even the 88s failed to stop the B1 bis attacking. two german battallions ran for their lives, though a lack of efficient communications prevented the break through from being properly exploited.
Sidenote, when the french and german armored divisions met in battle, the germans usually took 50% more casualties, despite the french units being at 50% strength.
Voreppe. As german armor are rushing down the Rhone valley towards Grenoble, and no french units in the area, confirmed by constant air recon, they inexpectedly witness their vanguard being blown up at Voreppe gullet.
Turns out, the Cartier battlegroup, seeing the rest of the Alps army was holding well against the italian forces, had crossed the alps in forced march, at night, lights out, and had deployed, fortified and measured ranges with the last lights of the day. At dawn, the german panzers appeared in the valley under them.
Speaking of italians, Menton: city half italian, half french, the italians ended up taking the city, but all the french positions were still holding.
Pont St Louis: 9 french soldiers in a pillbox with a ludicrously advantageous position, covered by two artillery batteries, held an italian infantry brigade, an armored reconnaissance unit, and an amored train, with a 37mm gun ( that they didn’t get to use ), and a 24/29 that did all the work. They made the italian emissaries wait for a week before letting them pass for the armistice negociations.
Col de l’Anglade: an infantry section of Chasseurs Alpins ambushes an italian Alpini company. The unit uses VBs with their berthier carbines to improvise an artillery barrage, forcing the italians to rush for protection against a cliff wall…Where the Lt Bulle, who had climbed and repelled with a rope to an advantageous position, aligned them with a 24/29.
The Chaberton fort, an italian position with 8x149mm artillery towers, attacked by Alpin conscripts whom carried on their backs four 280mm mortars in the mountains. The artillery fight, at 3000m of altitude, didn’t have any ballistics table adapted for it.
North Africa: Gazala, 1942. The entire line fell in two days, Rommel rushes to encircle the british by the south. Then realises he has no fuel, because his supply convoys are getting destroyed. Turns out, there’s one allied outpost still standing, and attacking his rear. Bir hakeim, 1st and 2nd free french brigades, with french equipment from the Norway expedition that was in the UK when the country fell.
“I must have Bir Hakeim ! the fate of my entire army depends on it !” Rommel wrote.
When he got it, 15 days later, the british army had retreated to El Alamein, where two divisions arrived at forced march…A few hours before he did.
Kufra, italian fort, taken with a single howitzer and some infantry by french forces under air attacks and the treat of a german column arriving, and which fell by bluff from Leclerc. ( out of ammo for the howitzer which moved around, made believe they had an entire battery, he drove to the gates, demanded to speak to the officer in charge, and shouted at him that he was out of patience, and unless they surrendered what was his fort now, he was blow it down to rubble. The italians, unaware of reinforcements and of the state of the french troops, surrendered the fort, leading the german column to turn back.
The base will then become a hub for the critically important SAS…Which, having lost 55 of their 60 picked men in their unsuccessful first operation, replaced them…With 50 free french paratroopers that were eager to go behind enemy lines and blow everything up.
Sidenote, it’s on that theater that HJ Marseille, famous german ace, was shot down three times. Two of those three, it was by J. Denis, free french pilot, with other free french veterans of the battle of France, in a hurricane, that had considerably bolstered the british air forces in the area with the arrival of their squadron.
Battle of Tunisia, Leclerc’s 2nd DB took heavy casualties, with their S35s facing pzIV Fs at long range without being able to fight back. They’ll be refitted with shermans and m10s for the next battles.
Italy: for 9 months, the americans and british take unsustainable thousands of daily casualties in the Liri Valley, attacking with their mechanised infantry and tanks amongst the wrecks of the previous ones.
The air force not able to really damage the german dispositive, they held well.
The french, ordered to do the same, refused, demechanised, bought mules, and attacked on peaks and cliffs.
The Line fell under 48 hours. Took a bit long, as to support the french attack, the americans ordered artillery on every sector. Since the french had not used any, Kesselring, not stupid, realised what was happening, and the start of the attack met more resistance.
The french 4 divisions, exhausted by mountain combat, so advanced the canadians were shooting at them believing them to be germans, then proceeded to break through the 4 german reserve divisions sent to intercept them, including the elite H. Goering division, and prevented the german recovery on the Dora Line, a feat unique in the italian campaign. The road to Rome was opened.
Resistance attacks before DDay. On top of sabotages, german officers complained that in the countryside, every convoy of less than 8 vehicles was attacked, and, unless accompanied with armor, destroyed.
Vercors Maquis. Mountain battle between resistants and german combined arms. Resistants were wiped out despite heavy resistance.
Dday. For propaganda reasons, the french were not allowed to land in Normandy except a few dozen french commandoes with the british; But 500 free french SAS landed in Brittanny to raise local resistance and harass the german troops there, preventing them from reaching the normandy beaches.
They virtually all died, resistants included but the 2-3 german divisions in the region, which were 2 hours away on trucks from Normandy, never reached them in two weeks.
Operation Dragoon. Half of the landing forces were free french, 300.000 men at this point, half of which were colonials.
The american planners had expected a 40 days progress to take Toulon, Marseille, and advance towards the Rhone.
With the resistance uprising and guidance, it took 3 days.
Caen, reduction of the german pocket by the 2e DB as part of Patton’s forces.
Paris Uprising. Like Warsaw, except they were reinforced by the 2e DB who broke through, when tragically the polish forces on the eastern front met with too high a german force to reach the resistance forces…One funny element, the duel between a panther and a sherman at the two ends of the Champs Elysees avenue: the french tank chief gave a range of 1500m, but the gunner was a parisian, and knowing the avenue was 1,9 km long, set the range to 1750m and started shooting, and hitting. By the time they reached and rammed the german tank, the crew had long left under the continuous shelling.
Battle of the Bulge: no french there, but there was a german counterattack just south of it, for Strasbourg. at this point, alongside 1.2 million GIs in France, there were 1 million french soldiers as all resistance units had been assembled in military formations, reequiped and sent to fight with free french units.
Dompaire: a brand new, green german armored division slaughtered by less numerous veteran free french tankers supported by american p47s. An entire flanking attack blocked by two mg jeeps and an m10, a lone sherman using smoke shells to charge three panthers, knocking out two and sending the third fleeing; and lots of coloured smoke shells to designate german tanks to the air type of actions.
Colmar pocket: 12 divisions, mostly french, vs 8 german divisions. Heavy fight for the star fortified city.
As neutrals, Vichy France:
Defense against operation Torch, though didn’t last, when everyone is asking who’s the idiot who gave the order to shoot at the allies.
Defense against the german invasion of the “Free Zone”, though quickly dismantled by vichy leadership.
Defense against the japanese in Indochina.
With the Axis:
Defense of Lebanon, in which the Vichy government had illegally allowed german planes to use the airfields. French and Germans fought the invading British and Free French.
The 6.500 french fascist volunteers of the LVF ( legion of french volunteers against bolchevism ) are, after use against soviet partisans, assembled as the SS Charlemagne, and fight alongside the german troops on the eastern front. They’ll get slaughtered in Pomerania, and will end up the last defenders of the Führerbunker with other SS from the Wiking.
There you go. It’s not exhaustive of course; Nor is it detailed. We can add the pure air contributions ( Normandie squadron on the Eastern Front, Alsace in the Battle of Britain, the bombing groups, etc ), the free french fleets…The free french sailors’ M10s, using naval rangefinders scavenged on their ships’ guns; The free french shermans, with Somua plates on them…Coincidentally, with Somua engineers in exile having worked on the shermans…
But that should give you an idea of the contributions, small, or big, in large or small numbers, of the french on the battlefields of WW2, and their consequences.
Why France did have a seat at the table at the end of the war, and a place at the UN’s security council.
Most of it being glossed over in the english speaking historical content.
probably a TL:DR for most; For others, i hope it was a nice read, and an encouragement to read more.
well if you are necroing, at least necro more complete suggestion
here are some of them
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