France and NATO
 

France and NATO: An History by Maurice Vaïsse

https://www.cairn.info/revue-politiq...5-page-139.htm

A good read, explains why France left NATO's Integrated Command Structure, but at the same time still supported NATO as an ally and remained a NATO member state.

IMC France doesn't go full neutral or gobble up poor Belgium; rather, they look at Germany's drive into Poland and then USSR and say non while still providing at least some logistical support to the NATO effort. Then when Paris, le Harvre and a few other cities buy it, they declare an internal emergency; their Algerian population basically pulls the same thing that "Free America" did and with a "continuity of Government" crisis also similar to what the US undergoes, they close their borders and focus solely on internal issues. Belgium doesn't suffer being turned into a "Zone of Death" but at the same time is so subjected to nuclear attack it would be redundant anyway.

All the French can do by 1999 is shake their heads and say bon chance to their NATO allies as they try to get back on their feet.

Is this a V1 or V2 version? As in V1 I don't think France was nuked and seems to have survived far stronger than everyone else, and the follow on 2300AD game also implies this. Also what do you mean by "their Algerian population"? Is it Algeria or Algerians in France,?

I always thought that the major reason, as IRL, France pulled out at the start of the war is that they were horrified of a Unitied Germany. IIRC, France always maintained as many combat divisions as the FRG did.......memories of two World Wars die hard. Also it is a fact that Thatcher was really not keen to have East and West Germany re-unite so fast......"keep the Americans in, the Russians out, and the Germans down"