The Trial of the Third Republic

[Innocent]

The Trial of the Third Republic
An After Action Report

"It is not enough to know the past. It is necessary to understand it"
-Paul Claudel

Preface: This is my first attempt at an After Action Report, so please bear with me. I have always been interested in the French war effort, and the collapse of the Third Republic. It is my intention to try to tell the story of France, as it could have been, and therefore will play a strongly history-based game, rather than simply trying to win the game as France. I shall be writing about many things which do not have game effects per se, but were very important to France's real-world situation as well. In addition I will be drawing heavily from William L. Shirer's The Collapse of the Third Republic for background information. Of course, it shall not be my only source.

The pace of the game is likely to be rather slow, and I may not have time to continue throughout the entire school-year, only time shall tell. I ask that comments on this board please be kept to a minimum. Please post anything that you believe everyone reading the board should read, but other comments can be PMed to me. Please feel free to make suggestions or comments via PM, I hope that I can improve in any areas I prove to be lacking.

ADDENDUM: Looking over the technical issues for this AAR, I have realized that there is one issue which I must bring up before continuing. The bug which causes fortresses to be destroyed when air combat takes place can be very destructive to France. Due to this threat, once war does break out, I shall save often, but if this bug strikes I shall reload the game from the last save. Every instance where this is necessary, if it is, shall be clearly noted to avoid any possible confusion.

Difficulty: Hard
Aggressiveness: Normal
Version: 1.05b
Mod: C.O.R.E 0.531

[Innocent]

Prelude

“Whatever form the final triumph may take, it will be many years before the stain of 1940 can be effaced. …It was the most terrible collapse in all the long story of our national life.”
-Marc Bloch, before his execution by the Germans in 1944

Following the Great War France emerged as one of the most dominant Empires in the world. Her shaky Republican government had managed to rally together in order to defeat the Hun. Never had the doubters of Republican government had a more difficult time, but this could not wash away the inherit instability built into the Third Republic.

Politics of the Third Republic: Crisis and Strife

“[The Third Republic] lived in a state of permanent political crisis”
-William L. Shirer, The collapse of the Third Republic

In its very foundation the Republic had appeared an unlikely beast. With the fall of Napoleon III in 1871 the French convened a national assembly to write the next constitution. Monarchists held the vast majority of seats, and had the greatest support amongst the French populace. But there were two competing factions among them, one supported the legitimate Bourbon heir and the other the Orleanist pretender, still a few others wished another Bonaparte.

After 6 years of wrangling, and perhaps without realizing what they were doing, the deputies chose to create a Republic, the only way the two parties could prevent the outbreak of civil strife. The President of the Republic was envisioned as a position, which could easily be turned into a throne once agreement was be reached amongst the Orleanist and Bourbon factions. Invested with a great deal of power the President held a strong executive hand over the rest of the government.

The legislature was divided into two houses: the Senate which was elected indirectly and three-fourths of which served 9 year terms, the rest for life, and the Chamber of Deputies which was popularly elected by universal manhood suffrage every four years. All legislation would have to be approved by both halves of the legislature. The Senate would serve the role of a Conservative check against the Chamber, and would also form the highest court of the land when called upon to do so. The Chamber would elect the cabinet, which would have to be approved by the President. The President, with Senate approval, could dissolve the Chamber and call for another election. The President himself was elected by the majority of both the Senate and the Chamber to seven year terms.

Patrice MacMahon, duc de Magenta, President of France 1873-1879

This was the Third Republic, in theory, but theory would not match reality. The first elections returned a rather liberal Chamber, which appointed a conservative Republican, Jules Simon, as Premier. President Patrice MacMahon did not find him conservative enough, and wrote a letter of severe reprimand, which left Simon no alternative but to resign. MacMahon then named the Duc de Broglie as Premier, but the Chamber refused to approve him. The President’s reaction was to dissolve the Chamber. The following elections replaced the original Chamber with an even more liberal one. The President struggled trying to force a more conservative hand in the government, but when two years later a partial election gave the Republicans the majority in the Senate he resigned his post.

No President would ever again dare to dissolve the chamber, and as time passed the President became nothing more than a figure-head. The power of the Republic came to rest virtually entirely with the Chamber of Deputies, and the cabinet that they elected. But protected by their four-year term, and with no threat of being dissolved, the Chamber busied itself with political intrigue and governments rarely lasted more than a year before the Chamber would form a new one. The French became accustomed to this constant change, the only stability being found in the “endurance of ministers” who would often serve in one post or another throughout several contiguous governments, some for as many as 17 years straight.

France entered the 1920’s as the greatest military and political power in Europe, victorious from in the Great World War she was intent upon preventing a second one like it. But by 1930, wracked by political conflict between the far-right and far-left, and soon to be assaulted by the Great Depression, France had become greatly weakened. Internal strife played perhaps the greatest role in this steady disintegration, the structure of the government left many among the urban proletariat feeling outside the system and lead them to support the communists and other far-left parties. Likewise many on the far-right, especially among the industrialist and military class, felt that the Republic was not doing enough to prevent a revolution among the workers.

In 1934 this political dissent broke out into anti-Republican violence in response to the latest political corruption scandal. Far-Right leagues, mostly street thugs similar to the Italian Black Shirts and German Brown Shirts, poured into the streets responding to the call of their allies in the press. On February 6th they attacked the government, marching on the Chamber they met the Police on the Place de La Concorde across the Seine from the Chamber whose members could hear them chanting, “hang the Deputies!” A battle ensued lasting for the entire night, with many injuries and several deaths suffered on both sides, but neither could gain the advantage until the Police finally broke the rioters late in the morning.

The Croix de Feu, a veteran’s organization become far-right league, had marched 4,000 strong against the Foreign Office, and broken through the police line there. They were only a block away from the Chamber, with nothing to protect it. But Colonel de La Rocque, the group’s leader, timidly broke up his own storm troops and ordered them to return home. The Third Republic had barely survived the night of February 6th 1934.

The following years have not seen a repeat of this level of violence, but the strife between left and right has not ceased. Large fractions of the population wish to see the end of the Republic itself and to replace it with either a Socialist state similar to the Soviet Union, or else with a Fascist State similar to Mussolini’s regime in Italy. Especially unnerving is the great deal of support the far-right has amongst the military, especially the General Staff. Even the most Republican of Generals, Marshal Petain, is suspected by many to have monarchist sympathies.

Foreign Policy of the Third Republic: Never Again!

In this weakened state France was forced to face a resurgent Germany, which under Adolf Hitler, since 1933, it was trying to break free of the shackles of the Versailles Treaty. The French government had to face the unnerving reality that it could not face Germany alone and must seek allies elsewhere. The most obvious choices were France’s Great War allies, Great Britain, Belgium, Italy, and Russia. The British and Belgians were already members of the Locarno Treaty and could be counted on to support France should Germany launch an unprovoked war.

Foreign Minister Barthou believed that a pact with Russia was absolutely necessary for the survival of France in a war against Germany. Despite the concerns of Poland, which had adopted a pro-German policy out of fear of Russian aggression, he pushed forward with plans for an “Eastern Locarno” involving Russia, Poland, Romania, and Czechoslovakia. But the smaller powers refused to have anything to do with a pact involving Russia, and the “Eastern Locarno” collapsed. Barthou pushed forward with a planned military-pact with Russia, which they had in essence agreed to. It was an assassin’s bullet that brought an end to his work. He was killed on October 9th 1934, by Croat terrorists, while riding at the side of King Alexander of Yugoslavia.

Pierre Laval

His successor, Pierre Laval, detested and distrusted the Russians and would later brag about how, “I’ve extracted the most dangerous things from [the Franco-Soviet Accords]. I don’t trust the Russians.” This effectively brought an end to any real Franco-Soviet cooperation, as every effort by the Soviets for real military cooperation was rebuffed by Laval’s foreign office. What he, and his conservative allies, wanted was a military pact with Fascist Italy, as weak as it was. Here they were quite successful.

The attempted Nazi coup of Austria in 1934 greatly worried Mussolini, who considered himself the protector of Austria. This opened up the real possibility of Franco-Italian cooperation, and the two Latin countries embarked upon the formation of a serious pact between them. This would bring Italian assistance should Germany threaten France or the Rhineland, and French assistance should Germany threaten Austria.

Thus by 1935 France had successfully isolated Germany from the rest of Europe, with the exception of Poland, and found itself with the support of Britain, Belgium, Italy, and possibly Russia should Germany threaten them. But Mussolini’s ambition would bring an end to this situation in the fall of 1935.

Italian forces in Ethiopia

The unprovoked invasion of Abyssinia by Italian forces in October sent a flurry of hostility through the British government. They felt their entire African Empire suddenly menaced by Italy, and went to the League of Nations to try to prevent the Italian conquest of the country. France, which had possibly given Mussolini its assurance of a free-hand in Abyssinia, was placed in a very difficult situation. Britain was demanding sanctions against Italy, which were called for by the League of Nations charter, but France wished to maintain its good relations with Italy. What France chose to do was to please neither by charting a middle-of-the-road course, neither immediately supporting sanctions nor in the end opposing them, they managed to alienated both of their allies. This was exacerbated by the June 18th agreement between Britain and Germany unilaterally allowing Germany to exceed the Versailles limit placed upon her navy, no one bothered to ask Paris.

It is January 1st, 1936. The French feel betrayed by the British, the British and Italians by the French. Mussolini has ripped up the Franco-Italian accords, while the conservative French government continues to stall rather than ratify the Franco-Soviet pact, and Hitler has announced the formation of a 400,000 man conscript army. Pierre Laval has been in charge of the government during the entire collapse of French foreign policy. The economy is in shambles, the deflationary policies of the French government have done nothing to alleviate the suffering of the average Frenchman despite the protection they’ve afforded to the savings accounts of the rich. The parties of the Left: the Socialists, Radical-Socialists (in reality a bourgeois party slightly left-of-center), and the Communists have formed the Popular Front, and threaten electoral victory in the April elections. The Far-right and even many less extreme among the conservatives believe that a revolution is possible, but the working class feels that they may finally see the social legislation which the rest of the western world has. The days ahead look dark indeed. Shaken by internal strife, and isolated from her allies can France face a resurgent Germany and survive? The Third Republic is about to face its greatest trial.

[Lord_VR]

Vive la Francé!

[Innocent]

The French Government- January 1st, 1936

“No more coals to Newcastle, and no more Hoares to Paris.”
-George V speaking in disgust of the infamous Hoare-Laval Pact ceding Abyssinia to Italy

President of the Republic


Albert LeBrun


Premier, and Foreign Minister


Pierre Laval


Minister of War and National Defense
Colonel Jean Fabry


Minister of the Interior
Joseph Paganon


Minister of Justice


Leon Bérard



The Administration

France is divided into a large number of departments, and larger regions. Professional bureaucrats staff the Administration, which runs the day-to-day operations of state. Mostly ignored by the government, the Administration is a separate and independent entity, which has provided continuity not only between the governments of the Third Republic, but between the regimes of France. Since the days of the last Bourbon kings very little has changed. Technology is used sparsely, even double-entry bookkeeping is an unknown innovation. Despite its backwardness, it manages to keep the country running. The most senior positions within the Administration, including the governorships, are among the most powerful in the entire country and those who staff them have a great deal of influence.

Many among the administration have come to resent the rather whimsical nature of the government, and many are active supporters of the far-right. An insignificant fraction, the synarchists, are dedicated technocrats who believe the only way to run the state is a fascist-like regime run by those who “have experience in the operations of state,” namely themselves.

[Frankie]

Whoa! This looks really impressive. Good, keep it coming!

[Innocent]

Report on the Status of French Defenses- January 1936

“After the war of 1914-1918, it was finished for me. My military mind was closed. When I saw the introduction of other tools, other instruments, other methods, I must say they didn’t interest me.”
-Marshal Pétain, before a Parliamentary Investigation Committee

The Chiefs of Staff



General Maurice Gamelin, Army Chief of Staff


Admiral Durand-Viel, Naval Chief of Staff


General Pujo, Air Chief of Staff

Status of the Armies of France


With the increasing European tensions, and the failure of French foreign policy to continue Germany’s isolation, Premier Pierre Laval has asked for a report from each branch of the armed services to make clear the capabilities of the French military. In addition to these basic reports, each service is to draft technical and doctrinal reports. These are not yet prepared.

The most important of the services is the Army, whose 65 year-old Chief, General Maurice Gamelin, has recently taken over from the 68 year-old General Weygand. Marshal Pétain, the hero of the First World War, remains present in the higher circles of the military but no longer serves actively. Both Gamelin and Weygand worked under him during the First World War, his influence can be felt everywhere.

Gamelin is the first to present his report before the assembled cabinet, Minister of the Army, Goubert, also takes part in the presentation.



Gamelin: “Monsieur Laval, we have assembled a report concerning each of France’s armies, their level of readiness, and capabilities in case of war.”

Laval: “Very good General, continue…”

[Lord_VR]

VIVE LA FRANCE!

[Innocent]

General Gamelin’s Report Part 1

The Commander-and-Chief of the Army begins by hanging a map of the region of Sedan, along the Belgian border.

Gamelin: “This is the area which the First Army is assigned to. They are maintained at high readiness, prepared to be shipped via rail lines to the Belgian frontier with Germany upon mobilization. They shall form the bulk of the French armies assigned to block a von Schlieffen style sweep through Belgium. Primarily Infantry they are equipped with many trucks for rapid movement of supplies, and a large number of tanks to support the infantry.”

1ère Armée
Location: Sedan

1ère Division Légère Mécanisée
12ème Division d’Infanterie Motorisée
1ère Division d’Infanterie
2ème Division d’Infanterie
1ère Division d’Infanterie Nord-Africaine

[Innocent]

General Gamelin’s Report Part 2

Gamelin: “From here we can move to the Second Army, which is based in the region near Rouen. Similar to the First Army it is to be entrained and moved to positions in central Belgium to assist the Belgian army defend the fortress of Liege, and the capitol of Brussels should Liege fall. It maintains high readiness in case of war, and would be among the first units available should mobilization be called for.”

2ème Armée
Location: Rouen

41ème Division d’Infanterie
71ème Division d’Infanterie
1ère Division d’Infanterie Coloniale
2ème Division Légère Cavalerie

[Innocent]

General Gamelin’s Report Part 3

Gamelin: “The Third Army is the primary fortress garrison along the Maginot Line. This is likely to be the primary focus of any German offensive into France proper. It is likewise maintained at a high state of readiness. These forces are also capable of occupying the Rhineland should Germany declare war, such a move would allow for France to aid Poland and Czechoslovakia. However, it must be stressed that their primary mission is one of defense, not offense.


3ème Armée
Location: Strasbourg

6ème Division d’Infanterie
8ème Division d’Infanterie
20ème Division d’Infanterie
26ème Division d’Infanterie
42ème Division d’Infanterie
2ème Division d’Infanterie Nord-Africaine
3ème Division Légère Cavalerie

[Innocent]

General Gamelin’s Report Part 4

Gamelin: “The Fourth Army is a reserve army, positioned in Orleans for deployment to whatever front appears to be threatened. It is manned by a large number of reserves, and will take two weeks to mobilize.”

4ème Armée
Location: Orleans

11ème Division d’Infanterie
45ème Division d’Infanterie
52ème Division d’Infanterie d’Afrique

Gamelin: “The Fifth Army is composed of primarily fortress infantry for the Maginot line for southernmost of the fortresses. Their role is entirely defensive. Like the other fortress garrisons, these units maintain a high level of readiness.


5ème Armée
Location: Nancy

24ème Division d’Infanterie
30ème Division d’Infanterie
70ème Division d’Infanterie
31ème Division d’Infanterie

[Alikchi]

Wow. This looks VERY comprehensive. I'll be keeping my eye on this one!

[Dan Cook]

Go France!

[Innocent]

General Gamelin’s Report Part 5

Gamelin: “The 6th Army is the third of the armies slated for use in Belgium. Like the First and Second Armies it shall be entrained for Belgium, and shall take up positions in Northern Belgium. It is also available for use outside of France if this is considered necessary, possibly to strengthen the Polish war effort. Formed by two of France’s elite formations, this army is always on high preparedness, ready at a moment’s notice.

6ème Armée
Location: Lille

1ère Légère d’Infanterie
1ère/2ème de Chasseurs


Gamelin: “The 7th Army is the third of the fortress armies. When placed on alert these formations shall man the northern wing of the Maginot Line. A small detachment will also be used to guard against limited action through the Ardennes forest. As you are well aware, it is not possible for a modern army to launch a serious offensive through this forest.”

7ème Armée
Location: Chamont

4ème Division d’Infanterie
60ème Division d’Infanterie
1ère Division Légère Mécanisée
25ème Division d’Infanterie Motorisée

[Innocent]

General Gamelin’s Report Part 6

Gamelin: “The 8th and 9th Armies are reserve formations. They shall be deployed to any area of the line which appears to be threatened. Most likely these formations shall be deployed in Belgium to strengthen the 1st and 2nd Armies. Without any fortifications to protect this frontier, we shall have to rely entirely upon the strength of our infantry. Therefore, we are prepared to deploy a very large army to this frontier.”

8ème Armée
Location: Saint-Malo

13ème Division d’Infanterie
19ème Division d’Infanterie
54ème Division d’Infanterie


9ème Armée
Location: Paris

4ème Division d’Infanterie
18ème Division d’Infanterie
1ère Division Légère Cavaelrie
1ère Division d’Infanterie Motorisée

[Innocent]

General Gamelin’s Report Part 7

Gamelin: “The Alpine Army is specially trained in mountain warfare to defend against any attack launched through the Alps by the Italians. Our men are well trained, and well equipped. This army may have to be strengthened, with further formations raised, due to the increased possibility of hostilities with Italy.”

Armée des Alpes
Location: Grenoble

64ème Division d’Infanterie
65ème Division d’Infanterie

Gamelin: “These are all of the forces we have currently active in France. Additional colonial forces are present in Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Indo-China and the Levant. These forces are adequate to protect against any threat to them, but not to take any offensive action.”

“So, our overall forces in France consist of the following:

27 Divisions of Infantry
5 Divisions of Motorized Infantry
4 Divisions of Mountain Infantry
3 Divisons of Cavalry

Colonial Forces include:

7 Divisions of Infantry
1 Divison of Cavalry

And finally Levant forces:

3 Divisions of Infantry
1 Division of Motorized Infantry”


“To summarize, here is a map of the entire nation showing our basic plan for mobilization against Germany:

[Lord British]

This is a very well written and enjoyable AAR. Keep it up!

[Hotdog Fish]

Innocent, don't try to play TOO historical, or this may be a short AAR! but I digress, this AAR is well-written and well researched, so keep up the great work!

[Dan Cook]

Invade Spain!

[Innocent]

Admiral Durand-Viel’s Report: The French Navy

Laval: “Very good General, I have several questions for you after the briefing is finished. But it appears to me that the French army is prepared to handle any possible hostile actions from across the Rhine. The Maginot Line is impenetrable, and the armies of France, Britain, and Belgium shall be able to stymie any German advance through Belgium. Very good.”

“Now Admiral, let us here the Navy’s report.”

Admiral Durand-Viel, Naval Chief of Staff, begins to set up maps and order-of-battle charts in place of those from General Gamelin’s report. Two maps are displayed, the first is one France and the Mediterranean showing the position of France’s main fleets. The second is a map of the world, clearly displaying all of France’s critical lines of communication between her and the Empire. These are color-coded to mark their priorities, and expected threats are labeled.

Durand-Viel: “Monsieurs, as you are well aware the role of the French navy is quite different from that of the army. Although our first priority is to defend the shores of France from assault, it is also our objective to protect France’s lines of communications with the Empire. This is especially critical in the case of North Africa, and our interests in the Levant. It is for this reason that the majority of our fleet is based in the Mediterranean, where the Italians are likely the greatest menace. While the French navy itself is not strong enough to defeat the Italian navy, we shall receive enough assistance from the British Mediterranean Fleet to be able to defend ourselves from any Italian naval assault. The Germans themselves do not pose such a great threat to our naval interests, though the threat they pose must be reconsidered in light of the expansion of their fleet, and British acquiescence. With these objectives in mind, let us turn to examining each fleet.”

“The First Fleet is located in the port of Brest, tip of Brittany, facing the Atlantic. This fleet provides the first line of defense against any German naval moves out of the North Sea, or into the English Channel:

First Fleet
Location: Brest

Type Name (class)
BB Lorraine (Provence)
BB Provence (Provence)
CV Béarn (Béarn)
CA Colbert (Suffren)
CA Dupleix (Foch)
CL Primauguet (Primauguet)
CL Duguay Trouin Primauguet)
CL Lamotte-Picquet (Primauguet)
CL La Galissonnière (La Galissonnière)

One Flotilla of Bourrasque Class Destroyers”

“The Second Fleet is located in the Mediterranean, and along with the Third Fleet serves the role of protecting the lines of communication between France, North Africa, and the Levant.

Second fleet
Location: Marseilles

BB Courbet (Courbet)
BB Paris (Courbet)
CA Suffren (Suffren)
CA Dusquesne (Duquesne)
CL Jean d’Arc (Jean d’Arc)

Two Flotillas of Arabe Class Destroyers”

“The Third Fleet is located in Algeria, and primarily operates out of the naval bases of Oran and Algiers.

Third Fleet
Location: Algiers

BB Jean Bart (Courbet)
BB Bretagne (Provence)
CA Foch (Foch)
CA Tourville (Duquesne)
CL Pluton (Pluton)

Two Flotillas of Bourrasque Class Destroyers”

“In addition to these forces, there are a number of Coastal Defense Submarine flotillas located along the coast of the Bay of Biscay, as well as two flotillas of ocean going submarines. And a small number of Destroyers are divided throughout the naval bases of the Empire, several dedicated to protecting the long-distance convoy routes from the Far East.”

“Lastly we come to the flotilla of small vessels based in the Levant. These vessels are capable of providing support for any necessary operations near the shore. They are not capable of maintaining a surface engagement with anything but the smallest of vessels, and only for short durations. In short, they are only capable of limited action against local forces, incapable of engagement with the naval forces of a major power.”

“Of course this only tells part of the story, I am sure that you are interested in knowing the capabilities of our vessels, rather than just their locations. We have prepared the following to highlight the capabilities of each class of vessel in the French Navy.”

Battleships

Courbet Class

The Courbet class of Post-Dreadnought Battleships were constructed shortly before the Great War. All four ships of this class survived the war, but the Paris ran aground on uncharted rock in Quiberon Bay and sunk in 1922. The Jean Bart has been demilitarized and now serves as a training ships for all new Battleship sailors and officers.

Over 550 feet in length, they each mount 12 305mm (12”) guns in 6 twin turrets, 2 forward, 2 aft, and 2 amidships. In addition they carry a secondary armament of 22 138.6mm (5.46”) guns in hull casemates. The torpedo tubes which the ships had when constructed have been removed due to their ineffectiveness.

They host belt armor of 262mm (10.3”) and 58mm (2.3”) of deck armor. The turrets are armored with 320mm (12.6”) of armor plate.

Their maximum speed is 20 knts, and their operating range is approximately 2,700 NM. Their crew complement is around 1,100 officers and crew.

Provence Class

The Provence Class was based off of the Courbet class, and was designed for the purpose of bringing France into line with the other Great Powers during the Dreadnought race before the Great War. Like the Courbet class they have been modified since the Great War.

Slightly larger than the Courbet class they carry heavier guns, 10 340mm (13.4”) guns in 5 dual turrets, 2 forward, 2 aft, and 1 amidships. One turret has been removed from the Lorraine to make way for a seaplane catapult. The secondary armaments and torpedo tubes have been removed. Armor is similar to the Courbet class, with the exception of thicker turret armor, 400mm (15.7”).

The Provence class has a maximum speed of 20 knts, but with the exception of the Lorraine have slightly less range than the Courbet class. The Lorraine is able to cruise 6,000 NM at 10 knts. The Crew complement is approximately 1,000 sailors and officers.

Carriers

Béarn

Recognizing the importance of aircraft for naval operations, an unfinished Battleship of the Normandie Class, illegal under the Washington Naval Treaty, has been converted into an experimental aircraft carrier. With a speed of just over 20 knts, and a complement of only 40 aircraft the Béarn is not an extremely capable aircraft carrier. It is used primarily in secondary roles.

Heavy Cruisers ('Croiseurs de 1ère classe')

Duquesne Class

An enlarged version of the Primauguet Light Cruiser design, these ships were designed with heavier hulls and larger guns. They have been criticized by many in the Fleet as “Washington Tin-Clads” due to their lack of armor.

Capable of achieving a speed of nearly 33 knots, these cruisers carry 8 204mm (8”) guns in four twin turrets. They are also armed two twin torpedo tubes, and a slew of anti-aircraft guns. They are capable of operating a single seaplane for reconnaissance purposes, and have a crew complement of 600. They have a cruising range of 5,500 NM.

Suffren Class

These ships are very similar to the Duquesne class, but sacrifice speed for some armored protection. In addition there has been an increase in the number of watertight bulkheads and the addition of an internal torpedo belt.

The reduced horsepower leaves these ships with a cruising speed of just over 31 knts and a reduced range of only 4,600 NM. They carry the same armament as the Duquesne class, but are capable of operating 2-3 seaplanes with catapults. The Catapults have been removed from the Suffren. The belt armor, lacking in the Duquesne Class, is 56mm (2.2”) thick.

Foch Class

Almost identical to the Suffren Class, these two ship are slightly longer and host an improved protection scheme. They are considered to be the equal of any other Heavy Cruisers in the world.

Light Cruisers ('Croiseurs de 2ème classe')

La Galissonnière Class

A very capable light Cruiser design, this class is very fast and maneuverable. While the listed maximum speed is 31 knts, it reached 36 knts during trials. It actually carries heavy armor than the Duquesne Class Heavy Cruiser, but is armed with only 6” guns, 9 of them in three triple turrets. In addition it carried two twin tube torpedo launchers.

Primauguet Class

Nearly the size of a Heavy Cruiser this class has a top speed of 33 knts, and sports 8 155mm (6.1”) guns in four double turrets, two forward and two aft. It also carries 4 75mm guns, and a sizeable anti-aircraft array, as well as several torpedo tubes. Virtually unarmored, this class is still a very effect Light Cruiser.

Jean d’Arc Class

The Jean d’Arc Class was designed as a training vessel, based off of the Primauguet class. It is not meant for battleline duty, though it could serve in a pinch.

Pluton Class

Very lightly armed and armored this Light Cruiser serves primarily as a fast mine layer. With a maximum speed of over 30 knts, it is very effective at this mission. It only carries 4 5.5” guns in 4 single mounts, and no torpedoes.