Good reading. I hope my english isn't too bad.
Franco-Belgian Union
Since the beginning of the Twilight War, Belgium and France have done more than their share, sending troops and units whenever it was needed. In fact, by 2003, after three years of a sustained conflict, the “Red Devils” Brigade, a Belgian parachutist formation, has become the most decorated unit among NATO.
The French are fighting both in Europe and in the Middle-East but, as for every NATO member, the strain of war is increasingly high. Human losses have been important but conscripts are soon supplemented by volunteers. The national territory has been subjected to a number of conventional strikes by the Warsaw Pact while Padanian artillery regularly shells the border region. Destructions are there to be seen but damages are not that important and the production network is now fully working to produce more weapons. Most AMX-30s have been upgraded to the “Brenus” standard, more Leclerc and Rafale are delivered every month, and the Richelieu was commissioned a year ago. This ship was welcome especially after the important damages sustained by the fleet in 2000-2001 : the “Foch” and “Colbert” had been sunk while the “Charles de Gaulle” and the “Clemenceau” had needed extensive repairs, leaving the French navy with the Jeanne d’Arc as its sole major unit for a full year.
Whatever, by mid-2003, NATO finds itself in an increasingly bad situation and its forces are outnumbered everywhere. Faced with the eventuality of defeat, Central Command decides upon the use of tactical nuclear strikes but this is refused by Belgium and France. After a week of hard talk in the heat of early august, both countries withdraw from the alliance and within ten days they sign a separate peace with the Warsaw Pact, Padania and China. Immediately after, both ask NATO to leave their respective soils while their troops are quickly withdrawn from the front line. Then, as the first nuclear strikes are carried out, France, Belgium and Luxembourg open their borders to refugees.
It changes again in the early summer of 2004 when the Exchange that has been escalating for month enters into its last phase. True to its word, Moscow doesn’t target the two countries but Washington, considering that both France and Belgium could chose to supply the Pact, does so and two missiles are targeted at these countries. They wreak havoc to Lille, Le Havre and the northern industrial region (8x100kt) and to several other targets (each hit by a 475kt MIRV): Anvers, Bordeaux, Brest, Brussel, Lorient, Nice, Strasbourg and Toulouse. Paris has been spared, however, and the French retaliates immediately, ordering one of their SSBN to target Canada, the UK and the US. That submarine had not been constantly tracked by NATO and launches ten of its sixteen missiles before being sunk: 2 missiles have been targeted to Canada, 1 has hit the UK while the last 7 penetrate the US defenses. The effects are devastating while human losses are minimal: NATO has lost 15% of its remaining production network.
Still an active member of the alliance only a few months before, with knowledge of things that remain foreign to the Kremlin, France proved a much immediate threat. The lesson is hard learnt and no more missiles are targeted at it or at Belgium. Nevertheless the effects of that sole action leave a deep mark.
Belgium is in turmoil, its central government has vanished with Brussel and civil unrest is quickly turning to ethnic fighting between Flemish and Walloon. France is experiencing a situation that is almost as hard with more than half of its production capability down, power supplies shortage, several millions dead and wounded. Civil unrest is spreading fast and, on several occasions, crowds turn on refugee camps. Knowing that it won’t have a second chance, the government issues a martial law order that remains in effect to these days, suspends the constitution, grants full judicial power to army court and deploys large security forces: CRS, Gendarmerie and even the Army.
Before year’s end, the situation improves in France and civil unrest is now bleeding memory. The damages remain huge, nevertheless, and the country fails to bring back its production level to what it was. People are leaving the cities and much of the economy slowly turns toward cottage industry and farming. Fields that had not been exploited for half a century are now back in production. Power supply is enough but there are cuts daily and it is rationed as it has been ordered to the population to limit its electricity consumption. Anyone not taking care of that order sees its electricity supply shot down while the requirement of additional supply is answered only after the introduction of a motivated demand. Army troops and security forces are everywhere and movements outside of a given “Département” are only allowed with a special permit. Still, life is more than bearable.
In January of 2005, answering a call for help by the Walloon authorities, France move north to Belgium and its army cross the border. In the French speaking area, the soldiers are welcome as saviors but the situation is entirely different in Flanders. A good portion of the population there is openly hostile and several skirmishes end up with civilian casualties. Nevertheless, because of the nukes they Walloon are more numerous again and their support gives an apparent legitimacy to the French rule. A month later, Belgium, Luxembourg and France unite and form the Franco-Belgian Union (FBU for short). Military forces are reorganized under French command and before June, several countries outside of Europe apply for membership to the new state: Cameroon, Djibouti, Gabon, Oman, Senegal, Tunisia and UAE. In return for economical exclusivity an expansion treaty is signed, military support is granted to every one of these states and French units are deployed or reinforced abroad.
In the meantime, the internal situation over Europe changes again. Order is effectively enforced but corruption and black market is growing. Energy delivery is granted only in exchange for bribery and, if the countryside doesn’t suffer much, cities soon find themselves in a situation that can compare to that they had experienced during the German occupation of World War II. In addition, more refugees are trying to come in everyday and that weight proves unbearable for the government. As a result, on May 4th, the acting president issues what is now referred to “
l'Ordre du Mois Sanglant”, an order giving instruction to the army to turn down refugees by all means.
This is immediately carried out and refugees are turned down at gunpoint. Thousands are killed, other are directed toward concentration camps, but this is not enough and despair still brings more to the gate. Aware of the danger, FBU military command makes a swift proposal: a security zone has to be established on and outside of the borders. Of course, this looks nice on paper but it also means that fighting with NATO will have to be resumed again and the acting president is more than aware that this time, France could be obliterated. As a result, military command is advised to come up with a more detailed plan while negotiations are conducted with the various US authorities. On the outcome, FBU agrees to support and supply US troops whenever possible in exchange for US neutrality in the limited conflict to come. Badly in need of supplies, the Joint Chief of Staff reluctantly agrees provided that the French don’t try to cross the Rhine River.
As soon as this secret agreement is reached, French units move north and to the various borders. Within days, the borders with Padania, Spain and Switzerland are closed while French military units are quickly pushing north to the Rhine in Netherlands and Germany. Both of these countries try to resist but what units they have available are no match for the French Army. Germany and Netherlands call for US intervention but, despite verbal support, US troops remain in place. At last, after some heroic fighting on the part of isolated Dutch and German units, the French secure the Rhine River within two weeks and establish a 50km deep free fire zone now called “
La Zone Morte”.
Saarland is simply annexed by the FBU as its population mostly welcomes the French soldiers. Elsewhere, the region is emptied of its population by force and those who try to resist are gunned down. Military positions are established everywhere and patrols are conducted daily.
Finally, when the EMP attack is launched toward the end of 2005, FBU is taken by surprise as the rest of the world. Power supplies industries are shot down, communications are disrupted and civil unrest start to grow again. The martial law remains into effect but crowds gather to several city centers and face the security forces. However, still disciplined, most security forces don’t give in to panic and the situation is back under control by early 2006. In the meantime, the government manages to bring back a good part of the power supply in line and industries are put back to work. Nevertheless, production rates have been reduced again, non-strategic productions have ceased and civil rights are shrinking. As a result, anyone contesting the State is immediately brought to court and prosecuted under the charge of treason.
France which once claimed to be a “
Land of Freedom and Human Rights” doesn’t care anymore and the government has become a dictatorship.
Nowadays, in 2009, the situation hasn’t changed much. Rationing is still in place, industrial output remains low, public liberties are long gone memories and several terrorist groups (freedom fighter depending on your point of view) are operating on the national soil. Several harbors are active to a limited level with the main one being Marseille on the Mediterranean. On the Atlantic, major harbors have all been destroyed but smaller ones are functional and see some commerce: Cherbourg, La Rochelle, Saint Malo and Saint Nazaire... They are also home to the few French privateers that now operate on all seas. The “
Zone Morte” is still in place and the borders are still mostly closed but this is not entirely the case anymore. Two checkpoints are permanently open with Switzerland, an additional checkpoint is occasionally open with Padania and a thriving black market exists with Germany and Spain. Basically, bribery will get you in. In addition, negotiations are currently taking place with Catalonia in order to get that Spanish region to join, at least as an ally, with the FBU.