I think it’d be cool to have the French Foreign Legion introduced as a premium squad for Allies Tunisia, as they served in the North Africa campaign. The photo above is of the 13th Demi-Brigade of the French Foreign Legion during the Battle of Bir Hakeim, 1942.
I propose having the famous French Foreign Legion Pioneers as a squad, who are the engineers/sappers of the French Foreign legion. It would be a 4 man engineer squad (the Pioneers are the FFL’s engineers/sappers), armed with the MAS-36, which we all know is not an OP weapon. An FFL soldier with a MAS-36 in North Africa can be pictured below. Alternatively the Lebel (same as Axis Berlin premium weapon) could be used, as it was widely used by French forces in WW2.
I really want to see this squad in-game as a premium since it’s mainly for historical/aesthetic reasons, and I don’t see it fitting in anywhere on the free campaign tree without just being annoying filler to grind through for people who don’t care about it. It would not in any way be P2W or OP (free engineer squads + weapons are substantially better). The MAS-36 is available for free in-game, so F2P players wouldn’t be missing out on anything. It’d be easy to come up with an axis premium counterpart if needed (just a 4 man engineer squad with bolt action’s).
This squad seems like an easy way for the dev’s to make money off mostly existing assets already in-game. The MAS-36 (or Lebel) is already in-game, the uniform is already in-game (French in North Africa seemed to just use British uniforms), French voices are already in-game (with the Moroccan squad). All that would need to be modelled is the white kepi and the French Foreign Legion combat knife (pictured below).
If the developers were really bothered they could also model the Pistole modèle 1935A to be used as a sidearm for the squad. It was the main French sidearm produced for the war. Here it is pictured below:
Having met and worked with FFL members, I would love to see them in game. But let’s add them as a 9 man infantry squad with an engineer and radio man integrated into them.
I think I’d personally prefer them as line infantry vs sappers.
I think this would be a good idea, the French are definitely underrepresented, I’m not entirely sure why they added those extremely Rappy Moroccans, although they are certainly colorful.
The French did have a lot of interesting kit, the FM 24/29 would be an interesting adaption.
There are many other opportunities to include the French though, outside of France 194o of course.
The SBD that we have in game, has the wrong paint job for the time and place, the French did fly those but I believe they started using them operationally a bit later on, I know they use them in northwest Europe with French colors.
And a campaign in Syria against commonwealth forces would be an interesting game, the French did fight very well in Syria against the allies again they had some interesting equipment.
And of course they did fight during operation torch.
I just looked it up, the SBD thing, the French stated to receive the SBD/A-24 from the US in 43, but they did not use them operational until 44 as CAS platforms, and then afik over Southern France.
