Post by LouisXIV on Feb 10, 2010 15:45:48 GMT 1
The Turning Point
June 15th, 1940: 3:00 p.m. Bordeaux, France. Five men confront each other in the office of Premier Reynaud of France. Reynaud , the Premier of France, is seated behind his desk. Standing to the right of his desk is the tall Assistant Secretary for Defence, a Brigadier General named de Gaulle. Reynaud's confronters are Admiral of the Fleet Darlan and two members of his cabinet, Bouthillier and Baudouin.
“Paris is lost,” accused Darlan. “German troops are parading through it as we speak.” He pause for effect. “France is lost.” Baudouin added, “We must seen an armistice with the Germans. It is our only course.”
Reynaud looked up at him with tired eyes. “You too, Baudouin? A week ago you were saying we should fight on from wherever we could. And you.” He glared at Darlan. “This morning you declared you were going to take the fleet to Algeria. What has changed your mind?”
A clatter at the door interrupted them. In burst General of the Armies Maxime Weygand, closely followed by Petain. “Excuse me for interrupting,” said Weygand in a loud voice that ill fit his small frame. “I have just come from Briare. The army – what there is left of it – is beginning to fall apart. They cannot take much more. We must have an armistice.”
Reynaud slumped further into his chair. “And you, Petain? I suppose you are with them in this?”
Petain, after a second’s hesitation, gave a curt nod.
Reynaud slumped further into his chair. An uneasy silence settled on the room.
Weygand stepped forward, his boots clumping on the carpet. “We must do something. What are your suggestions.”
After a short pause, the tall Brigadier General in the corner spoke in a soft voice. “The Government does not make suggestions, but only gives orders.”
The five before the door ignored him. Reynaud glanced over, then back at the five standing in a dominating position close to the front of his desk. He took in a deep breath and blew it out in a gusty sigh. His shoulders straightened and he sat up. “Quite right, quite right. Weygand, you will go back to Briare. Take charge of the army. Ask the Boche for a ceasefire. Tell them you will treat for an armistice. Delay as long as you can. Meanwhile retire the army further. Send what units you can to Toulon.”
“I will do no such thing,” declared Weygand, pushing forward against the edge of the desk. “The government has started this war. You can ask the Boche for an armistice.”
Reynaud glared at him, then glanced over at de Gaulle. He returned his gaze to Weygand, and his face had lost some tension. “I cannot do that. If the government surrenders the army, then the government must surrender too. But no, the government must go to Africa, to continue this war. For this to happen, the head of the army in France must surrender the army. But only when as much as possible have gotten away. You must do this for me.”
“I will not!” declared Weygand.
Reynaud glanced at de Gaulle again, just a brief look. “Then you are dismissed,” he said, glaring at Weygand. “I do not need a general who will not do as I say.” He jumped up and began pacing to the left of his desk. “M. Darlan, I want you to notify the fleet to be ready to depart. You are going to Algers.”
“No, Sir,” replied Darlan quietly, “it is over. Ask for an armistice.”
“It is not over,” declared Reynaud. “France may be lost. Beautiful France is lost, yes. But the Empire still stands. With the navy, and with the help of Britain...”
“The British,” interrupted Weygand, “will be asking for an armistice two weeks after we do.”
“They you don’t know their Premier,” snapped Reynaud. “As I was saying, With the navy, and with the help of Britain and the United States of America, the Empire will survive. In time, the Empire will be there to win back beautiful France.”
“Pipe dreams,” declared Weygand.
Reynaud rounded on him. “Are you still here? I said, you are dismissed.”
Weygand glared back at him for a second, then made a crisp about-face and stomped off to the exit. As he left he was heard to mutter what sounded like, “You will regret this.”
Reynaud turned to the others. “As for you, if you do not support the government, then you cannot remain part of the Cabinet. Will you support me in this?”
The three glared back at him.
“Very well. I will have your resignations in one hour, no more. You may leave.” He turned to Darlan. “And you. Will you give the orders I require? If not, you can send in your second in command.”
Darlan paused, his face impassive. “Very well. I will do as the government orders.” He made no move to leave.
Petain, Bouthillier and Baudouin had not moved either. Petain stepped forward. “Your government does not support you in this. I think it is you who should offer your resignation. You will avoid the ignominy of being the Premier who surrendered to the Germans.”
Reynaud advanced toward him. “Instead, I will face the ignominy of being the Premier who could not control his Cabinet. And you, Petain. I brought you into this government to support me. Have you done so? I think not. Begone! Bring me your resignations, or form your own government. Just leave me!”
Baudouin shrugged and looked away. Petain cleared his throat. “Let us leave this madman. Perhaps he will see reason later.” At the door, the last man, Petain, turned back before he left. “Cabinet meeting in one hour. We shall bring our resignations in case they are required. I suggest you draft yours as well.” Then he was gone.
Reynaud turned to Darlan. Darlan gave him a wan smile and said, “I will send my orders to the fleet.”
“Have the two battleships leave right away. As soon as they can, with a minimal escort. Have the others stand by, ready to transport any troops we can get there. Maybe just the local garrison.”
“Very well,” said Darlan, and exited with a glance back.
Reynaud turned to de Gaulle. “Do you think he will follow my orders?”
De Gaulle nodded. “He will. As long as you remain in power.”
“There is that. Perhaps I have only an hour. Do you think any of my Cabinet will support me?”
“I will. Others will.”
Reynaud headed back for his chair. “But the majority do not.”
“Many of them do not because they have seen you wavering over the past few days. They elected you to lead them, and they do not see leadership. Petain and Baudouin, they stick to their guns while you do not. They may be great men, but they need someone to lead them. Lead, and they will follow.”
“You think so?”
“You just faced down five men who were prepared to impeach you. If you go into the Cabinet meeting with the same attitude, you will win.”
Reynaud sat, but his posture was still erect. “You’re just what I need. Someone to stick a ramrod up my backside. Now, what shall we do about the army? I certainly can’t hand it over to Georges.”
“Huntzinger.”
“The commander of the 2nd Army? Will the army accept him? Will the Cabinet?”
“Huntinger is a good man, and he will do what you say. He is, after all, here to surrender to the enemy. Who else would do that for you?”
“But he fell back. He opened the way for the Germans.”
“He did his best under a difficult situation. With no orders from higher command, he did what had been laid down in the war plans before the war. He follows orders, unlike some.”
“Right, then, Huntzinger it is, and we go to Algeria.” He looked at de Gaulle, still standing off to one side. “It seems there is an opening or two in my Cabinet. How would you like to drop the word ‘assistant’ from your title?”
Then Reynaud jumped up. “What has to be done?” He began pacing out in front of his desk, his head bowed. “What units can we order to Toulon? The reserves. Except there are no reserves.”
“Garrison units. The garrison in Toulon. If nothing else, they will be a basis for training new recruits.”
“The air force. The planes can fly there.”
“They will need ground crews, spare parts, ammunition.”
“There is an artillery depot at Toulon....”
“And a repair shop in, what, Lyons?”
“Very well," said Reynaud, waving an arm. "See to it. Give the orders as Minister of Defence.”
“Yes, Sir,” responded de Gaulle, the suggestion of a smile finally showing on his face. He headed for the door.
Reynaud turned to follow him. “But I want you to be at that Cabinet meeting in one hour. I want you behind me.”
“Right behind you, Sir.”
* * *
What if Reynaud had shown an ounce of backbone during the major crisis of France being overrun? Several times he agreed with de Gaulle that the French government should evacuate to Algeria, but when de Gaulle wasn‘t around, he bowed to the next pressure group.
So the French government and some of the army – and all of the Navy – evacuate to North Africa. Would it have made any difference?
The French Empire was the second largest empire in the world after that of the British. There were over 200,000 armed and trained soldiers in northern Africa and the Middle East alone, as well as “hundreds” of aircraft already. This did not include whatever soldiers could be gotten away from mainland France, as well as the hundreds more of modern aircraft that France had been holding in reserve for the “big battle."
What would the Italians in Libya have done with an angry British Egypt to one side and an angry French Tunisia on the other? How long would they have stood up to a concerted attack from both sides? If Libya fell, how long would the rest of the Italian African Empire have remained?
With Libya overrun. Rommel would never have been sent to North Africa. No dash to the wire. No siege of Tobruck. No el Alamein. The Suez Canal and the Persian oil fields would never have been under threat. More than 200,000 British troops would have been available in 1941 and after for other possibilities. With as many French soldiers to fight alongside them, what might they have accomplished? The Invasion of Sicily in 1941? How long would Italy have stayed in the war? Would Germany have considered invading the USSR with her southern flank – and oil supply – threatened? With her shores threatened in January 1941, would Italy have even considered invading Greece, an action which eventually resulted in the overrunning of Yugoslavia, Greece and Crete?
More importantly, the Royal Navy would not have had to face the German and Italian navies alone. In fact, the British and French could have made an agreement similar to that of World War I, where the Royal Navy concentrated in the Atlantic and the French in the Mediterranean.
The French Navy consisted of seven reasonably modern battleships, eight modern heavy cruisers, over 20 good light cruisers, and approximately 40 modern destroyers with many older “torpedo boats” to back them up. They also had an efficient and numerous fleet of submarines. As such the French fleet was larger than the Italian. The Royal Navy, concentrated in the Atlantic, would have had considerably less trouble with the few units of the Kriegsmarine. Imagine the Bismarck encountering squadrons of battleships instead of just the Hood and Prince of Wales.
Even without the French Navy to help, the use of the French North African bases would have been of great assistance to the Royal Navy. Their units in the Mediterranean could have been stationed in Oran, Algiers, Bone and Tunis to support their main strategic base in Malta, instead of just Alexandria and Gibraltar, at either end of the Inland Sea. They would not have been required to stage whole fleet sorties risking their aircraft carriers just to get replacement fighters to Malta; they could have flown them over from Tunis.
Lastly, with the German and Italian navies likely destroyed or controlled by 1941, Royal Navy units would have been available for other employment. One of the main reasons for the Japanese aggression was the weakness of the colonial powers in the Pacific. As the political situation simmered in the Pacific, how aggressive would the Japanese have been if they had seen a major British fleet in Indian waters, instead of just two battleships in poor shape supported by no more than four WWI destroyers?
We will never know what might have happened if the French had fought on from her colonies. However, it is quite possible that the course of the war might have been radically different, and possibly much shorter.
June 15th, 1940: 3:00 p.m. Bordeaux, France. Five men confront each other in the office of Premier Reynaud of France. Reynaud , the Premier of France, is seated behind his desk. Standing to the right of his desk is the tall Assistant Secretary for Defence, a Brigadier General named de Gaulle. Reynaud's confronters are Admiral of the Fleet Darlan and two members of his cabinet, Bouthillier and Baudouin.
“Paris is lost,” accused Darlan. “German troops are parading through it as we speak.” He pause for effect. “France is lost.” Baudouin added, “We must seen an armistice with the Germans. It is our only course.”
Reynaud looked up at him with tired eyes. “You too, Baudouin? A week ago you were saying we should fight on from wherever we could. And you.” He glared at Darlan. “This morning you declared you were going to take the fleet to Algeria. What has changed your mind?”
A clatter at the door interrupted them. In burst General of the Armies Maxime Weygand, closely followed by Petain. “Excuse me for interrupting,” said Weygand in a loud voice that ill fit his small frame. “I have just come from Briare. The army – what there is left of it – is beginning to fall apart. They cannot take much more. We must have an armistice.”
Reynaud slumped further into his chair. “And you, Petain? I suppose you are with them in this?”
Petain, after a second’s hesitation, gave a curt nod.
Reynaud slumped further into his chair. An uneasy silence settled on the room.
Weygand stepped forward, his boots clumping on the carpet. “We must do something. What are your suggestions.”
After a short pause, the tall Brigadier General in the corner spoke in a soft voice. “The Government does not make suggestions, but only gives orders.”
The five before the door ignored him. Reynaud glanced over, then back at the five standing in a dominating position close to the front of his desk. He took in a deep breath and blew it out in a gusty sigh. His shoulders straightened and he sat up. “Quite right, quite right. Weygand, you will go back to Briare. Take charge of the army. Ask the Boche for a ceasefire. Tell them you will treat for an armistice. Delay as long as you can. Meanwhile retire the army further. Send what units you can to Toulon.”
“I will do no such thing,” declared Weygand, pushing forward against the edge of the desk. “The government has started this war. You can ask the Boche for an armistice.”
Reynaud glared at him, then glanced over at de Gaulle. He returned his gaze to Weygand, and his face had lost some tension. “I cannot do that. If the government surrenders the army, then the government must surrender too. But no, the government must go to Africa, to continue this war. For this to happen, the head of the army in France must surrender the army. But only when as much as possible have gotten away. You must do this for me.”
“I will not!” declared Weygand.
Reynaud glanced at de Gaulle again, just a brief look. “Then you are dismissed,” he said, glaring at Weygand. “I do not need a general who will not do as I say.” He jumped up and began pacing to the left of his desk. “M. Darlan, I want you to notify the fleet to be ready to depart. You are going to Algers.”
“No, Sir,” replied Darlan quietly, “it is over. Ask for an armistice.”
“It is not over,” declared Reynaud. “France may be lost. Beautiful France is lost, yes. But the Empire still stands. With the navy, and with the help of Britain...”
“The British,” interrupted Weygand, “will be asking for an armistice two weeks after we do.”
“They you don’t know their Premier,” snapped Reynaud. “As I was saying, With the navy, and with the help of Britain and the United States of America, the Empire will survive. In time, the Empire will be there to win back beautiful France.”
“Pipe dreams,” declared Weygand.
Reynaud rounded on him. “Are you still here? I said, you are dismissed.”
Weygand glared back at him for a second, then made a crisp about-face and stomped off to the exit. As he left he was heard to mutter what sounded like, “You will regret this.”
Reynaud turned to the others. “As for you, if you do not support the government, then you cannot remain part of the Cabinet. Will you support me in this?”
The three glared back at him.
“Very well. I will have your resignations in one hour, no more. You may leave.” He turned to Darlan. “And you. Will you give the orders I require? If not, you can send in your second in command.”
Darlan paused, his face impassive. “Very well. I will do as the government orders.” He made no move to leave.
Petain, Bouthillier and Baudouin had not moved either. Petain stepped forward. “Your government does not support you in this. I think it is you who should offer your resignation. You will avoid the ignominy of being the Premier who surrendered to the Germans.”
Reynaud advanced toward him. “Instead, I will face the ignominy of being the Premier who could not control his Cabinet. And you, Petain. I brought you into this government to support me. Have you done so? I think not. Begone! Bring me your resignations, or form your own government. Just leave me!”
Baudouin shrugged and looked away. Petain cleared his throat. “Let us leave this madman. Perhaps he will see reason later.” At the door, the last man, Petain, turned back before he left. “Cabinet meeting in one hour. We shall bring our resignations in case they are required. I suggest you draft yours as well.” Then he was gone.
Reynaud turned to Darlan. Darlan gave him a wan smile and said, “I will send my orders to the fleet.”
“Have the two battleships leave right away. As soon as they can, with a minimal escort. Have the others stand by, ready to transport any troops we can get there. Maybe just the local garrison.”
“Very well,” said Darlan, and exited with a glance back.
Reynaud turned to de Gaulle. “Do you think he will follow my orders?”
De Gaulle nodded. “He will. As long as you remain in power.”
“There is that. Perhaps I have only an hour. Do you think any of my Cabinet will support me?”
“I will. Others will.”
Reynaud headed back for his chair. “But the majority do not.”
“Many of them do not because they have seen you wavering over the past few days. They elected you to lead them, and they do not see leadership. Petain and Baudouin, they stick to their guns while you do not. They may be great men, but they need someone to lead them. Lead, and they will follow.”
“You think so?”
“You just faced down five men who were prepared to impeach you. If you go into the Cabinet meeting with the same attitude, you will win.”
Reynaud sat, but his posture was still erect. “You’re just what I need. Someone to stick a ramrod up my backside. Now, what shall we do about the army? I certainly can’t hand it over to Georges.”
“Huntzinger.”
“The commander of the 2nd Army? Will the army accept him? Will the Cabinet?”
“Huntinger is a good man, and he will do what you say. He is, after all, here to surrender to the enemy. Who else would do that for you?”
“But he fell back. He opened the way for the Germans.”
“He did his best under a difficult situation. With no orders from higher command, he did what had been laid down in the war plans before the war. He follows orders, unlike some.”
“Right, then, Huntzinger it is, and we go to Algeria.” He looked at de Gaulle, still standing off to one side. “It seems there is an opening or two in my Cabinet. How would you like to drop the word ‘assistant’ from your title?”
Then Reynaud jumped up. “What has to be done?” He began pacing out in front of his desk, his head bowed. “What units can we order to Toulon? The reserves. Except there are no reserves.”
“Garrison units. The garrison in Toulon. If nothing else, they will be a basis for training new recruits.”
“The air force. The planes can fly there.”
“They will need ground crews, spare parts, ammunition.”
“There is an artillery depot at Toulon....”
“And a repair shop in, what, Lyons?”
“Very well," said Reynaud, waving an arm. "See to it. Give the orders as Minister of Defence.”
“Yes, Sir,” responded de Gaulle, the suggestion of a smile finally showing on his face. He headed for the door.
Reynaud turned to follow him. “But I want you to be at that Cabinet meeting in one hour. I want you behind me.”
“Right behind you, Sir.”
* * *
What if Reynaud had shown an ounce of backbone during the major crisis of France being overrun? Several times he agreed with de Gaulle that the French government should evacuate to Algeria, but when de Gaulle wasn‘t around, he bowed to the next pressure group.
So the French government and some of the army – and all of the Navy – evacuate to North Africa. Would it have made any difference?
The French Empire was the second largest empire in the world after that of the British. There were over 200,000 armed and trained soldiers in northern Africa and the Middle East alone, as well as “hundreds” of aircraft already. This did not include whatever soldiers could be gotten away from mainland France, as well as the hundreds more of modern aircraft that France had been holding in reserve for the “big battle."
What would the Italians in Libya have done with an angry British Egypt to one side and an angry French Tunisia on the other? How long would they have stood up to a concerted attack from both sides? If Libya fell, how long would the rest of the Italian African Empire have remained?
With Libya overrun. Rommel would never have been sent to North Africa. No dash to the wire. No siege of Tobruck. No el Alamein. The Suez Canal and the Persian oil fields would never have been under threat. More than 200,000 British troops would have been available in 1941 and after for other possibilities. With as many French soldiers to fight alongside them, what might they have accomplished? The Invasion of Sicily in 1941? How long would Italy have stayed in the war? Would Germany have considered invading the USSR with her southern flank – and oil supply – threatened? With her shores threatened in January 1941, would Italy have even considered invading Greece, an action which eventually resulted in the overrunning of Yugoslavia, Greece and Crete?
More importantly, the Royal Navy would not have had to face the German and Italian navies alone. In fact, the British and French could have made an agreement similar to that of World War I, where the Royal Navy concentrated in the Atlantic and the French in the Mediterranean.
The French Navy consisted of seven reasonably modern battleships, eight modern heavy cruisers, over 20 good light cruisers, and approximately 40 modern destroyers with many older “torpedo boats” to back them up. They also had an efficient and numerous fleet of submarines. As such the French fleet was larger than the Italian. The Royal Navy, concentrated in the Atlantic, would have had considerably less trouble with the few units of the Kriegsmarine. Imagine the Bismarck encountering squadrons of battleships instead of just the Hood and Prince of Wales.
Even without the French Navy to help, the use of the French North African bases would have been of great assistance to the Royal Navy. Their units in the Mediterranean could have been stationed in Oran, Algiers, Bone and Tunis to support their main strategic base in Malta, instead of just Alexandria and Gibraltar, at either end of the Inland Sea. They would not have been required to stage whole fleet sorties risking their aircraft carriers just to get replacement fighters to Malta; they could have flown them over from Tunis.
Lastly, with the German and Italian navies likely destroyed or controlled by 1941, Royal Navy units would have been available for other employment. One of the main reasons for the Japanese aggression was the weakness of the colonial powers in the Pacific. As the political situation simmered in the Pacific, how aggressive would the Japanese have been if they had seen a major British fleet in Indian waters, instead of just two battleships in poor shape supported by no more than four WWI destroyers?
We will never know what might have happened if the French had fought on from her colonies. However, it is quite possible that the course of the war might have been radically different, and possibly much shorter.