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Le Chevreuil(Minesweeper Aviso Chamois Class)

Après plusieurs missions dans l'Atlantique, il se rend en Angleterre lors de la débacle. Il est saisi par la Royal Navy le 3 juillet 1940 à Portsmouth.
Réarmé F.N.F.L. son armement est modifié : le vieux canon de 100 mm modèle 1897 est débarqué et remplacé par une pièce de 100 mm (modèle 1932) provenant de La Flore. Par ailleurs une pièce de 11 livres Mark II est installée à l'avant. Enfin, il est équipé d'un ASDIC et d'une ceinture d'immunisation.
La cession eut lieu le 3 septembre 1940, et le lieutenant de vaisseau Fourlinnie en prend le commandement. Il participe à des protection de convois le long des côtes anglaises (au sud vers Spitshead). Avarié, il est indisponible d'octobre 1940 à avril 1941.
Avril - août 1941 : affecté à Dundee sous les ordres du commandant de la 5ème Flotille de Sous-Marins comme "Submarine-tender" (ravitailleur de Sous-Marins)
Août - octobre 1941 : Rejoint Papeete (Tahiti) rallié à la France libre
Fin 1941 : Gagne Nouméa (Nouvelle-Calédonie)
Janvier - février 1942 : Missions dans les îles Cook.
Mai 1942 : Participe au ralliement de Wallis et Futuna à la France libre.
Juin 1942 - mars 1943 : Reste basé à Papeete.
Avril - mai 1943 : Escortes entre Sydney et Nouméa.
14 mai 1943 : Enseigne de vaisseau Kerez prend le commandement par Intérim.
Juin - juillet 1943 : Basé à Nouméa.
Juillet - Août 1943 : Arrive en Californie.
10 août 1943 : Lieutenent de vaisseau Villebois prend le commandement du navire.
Il fini la guerre en A.O.F. à partir de 1944 et il est cédé à la Tunisie en octobre 1959

L'Annamite(Minesweeper Aviso Chamois Class)

De retour en A.O.F. (mai 1941), elle effectuera des missions en Atlantique puis en Indochine juste avant la capitulation du Japon.

ORIGINAL: Terminus

Now, now... Not nice speaking French on an English-speaking forum...[:'(]

Det er bare totalt meget imod reglerne...[:D]

ORIGINAL: Beezle

Sure, I can translate French. I took a year of it in college.

Le Chevreuil(Minesweeper Aviso Chamois Class)

Après plusieurs missions dans l'Atlantique, il se rend en Angleterre lors de la débacle. Il est saisi par la Royal Navy le 3 juillet 1940 à Portsmouth.
Réarmé F.N.F.L. son armement est modifié : le vieux canon de 100 mm modèle 1897 est débarqué et remplacé par une pièce de 100 mm (modèle 1932) provenant de La Flore. Par ailleurs une pièce de 11 livres Mark II est installée à l'avant. Enfin, il est équipé d'un ASDIC et d'une ceinture d'immunisation.
La cession eut lieu le 3 septembre 1940, et le lieutenant de vaisseau Fourlinnie en prend le commandement. Il participe à des protection de convois le long des côtes anglaises (au sud vers Spitshead). Avarié, il est indisponible d'octobre 1940 à avril 1941.
Avril - août 1941 : affecté à Dundee sous les ordres du commandant de la 5ème Flotille de Sous-Marins comme "Submarine-tender" (ravitailleur de Sous-Marins)
Août - octobre 1941 : Rejoint Papeete (Tahiti) rallié à la France libre
Fin 1941 : Gagne Nouméa (Nouvelle-Calédonie)
Janvier - février 1942 : Missions dans les îles Cook.
Mai 1942 : Participe au ralliement de Wallis et Futuna à la France libre.
Juin 1942 - mars 1943 : Reste basé à Papeete.
Avril - mai 1943 : Escortes entre Sydney et Nouméa.
14 mai 1943 : Enseigne de vaisseau Kerez prend le commandement par Intérim.
Juin - juillet 1943 : Basé à Nouméa.
Juillet - Août 1943 : Arrive en Californie.
10 août 1943 : Lieutenent de vaisseau Villebois prend le commandement du navire.
Il fini la guerre en A.O.F. à partir de 1944 et il est cédé à la Tunisie en octobre 1959

"The Goat Cheese" (a minesweeper that you advised to clean with a Chamois if you have any class)

After plunging across the Atlantic in ripped into England in the fog, causing a debacle. Then the ship behaved sassily towards the Royal Navy on the 3rd of July at Portsmouth.
"My Rear" ("FNRL" or Fanny, Naughtybits, Fat-ass, Lard-but) had a modification (plastic surgery, I think). The old priest, born in 1897, debarques and paid 100 Old Francs to a "piece" (woman of the town at Porstmouth), who had been a model as recently at 1932. Her work name was "La Flore". The others paid their "pieces" 11 pounds for Mark II girls and were allowed in the front room. At the end they all were "equipped" with a case of ASDIC (no translation needed) and had to to get immunizations.
This session lasted until 3 September 1940, leaving a mere lieutenant in command of the vessel. Then the crew got "protection" for their "long convoys" and continued their escapades on the coast of England as far as Spithead. Some girl named Avarie was an indispensable help in this from October 1940 to April 1041.
From April to August 1941 they were affected with Dundee, and sued because of the orders of their commander telling them to sail 5 times under the see, to look like they tended submarines and to eat ratattouille underwater.
Between August and October 1941 they had a reunion in Papeete (Tahiti), and their spirits were rallied because the French birds were free.
Bet a Fiver (or fin) in 1941 that Noumea would win the New Caledonia derby
January to February 1942: Visited the Mission and prayed for a new cook for the ship
Mai 1942: Participated in rallying again because Wallis and Futuna, also from France, were free
June 1942 - March 1943: Rested at the base in Papeete
Avril-May 1943: Hired an Escort service working out of Sydney and Noumea
14 May 1943: The Ensign of the vessel, Kerez, grabbed hold of the commander of the "Interim"
June-July 1943: Restricted to base at Noumea (I think this was punishment for laying hands on the Interim's commander)
July-august 1943: California here we come!
10 August 1943: The lieutenant of the vessle, Villebois, grabbed the commander of the navy (they don't say if this was the commander of the French navy or the California navy)
Finished the war "in AOF" (a stockade I presume. Laying hands on the commander of any navy, even California's, has to be a serious ofence), released in 1944 and exiled to Tunisia until 1959.

L'Annamite(Minesweeper Aviso Chamois Class)

De retour en A.O.F. (mai 1941), elle effectuera des missions en Atlantique puis en Indochine juste avant la capitulation du Japon.

"The Annimated" (also a mineweeper you are advised to clean with a chamois to show you have class)

Released from the AOF may 1941 (they don't say who he grabbed, though), had an effect on the missions in the Atlantic and said "Pooie" to Indochina just before Indochina capitulated to Japan.

ORIGINAL: Skyland

ORIGINAL: JWE

Built 1935 in Denmark, lpp 330’, loa 350’, 15k, 3000 gross tons, 2000 net tons. Not all that big. Was basically a SoPac packet/banana boat making round trips from Noumea to Sydney, at the time.
“Le troisième était le Cap des Palmes, un cargo fruitier de 108 mètres converti en croiseur auxiliaire. Il fut essentiellement affecté dès 1941 au transport de matériel militaire et de passagers (dont les prisonniers japonais) entre Nouméa et Sydney puis, à partir de 1943, à l’escorte des sous-marins américains vers les eaux japonaises.”

Couldn’t find Skyland’s Dec 19, ‘41 trip, but Aus sources list another similar one on Jan ’42, so it seems the Noumea/Sydney route was a routine. It’s very likely she was either at Noumea, or Sydney, or somewhere right between, on Dec 7, ’41.

The info on the december trip is in a book about New Caledonia history. No info about the situation on dec 7th but he should be around Noumea. Here is the infos i have about the ship :

Tonnage 3.082 gross 2.068 net, 1.950 dwt., dim. 100.38 x 13.41 x 5.23m. (draught)
One 9-cyl.Burmeister & Wain 2SA. diesel engine 4.500hp. speed 17.7 knots.

2 90 mm guns modele 1877
after 7 jan 1943 (refit in SF) :
2 152 mm guns in repl. of 90 mm
1 76 mm
12 Oerlikons 20 mm AA
6 (2x3) 533 mm torpedo tubes
2 152 mm mortar
2 Thornycroft mortar
Asdic and surface radar

ORIGINAL: doc smith

The French-Thai War of 1941 was like two little, fat 11 yr olds, with crossed eyes and coke-bottle glasses, fighting it out in the schoolyard. Oh, and one had a tire iron.

The Vichy forces in France were :

Land: about 40 inf. bns, 2 art rgts, and 1 eng bn (about 50,000 men; 80% locally-recruited personnel with Fr. officers). Units included Tirailleurs Tonkinese, Annamese Tirailleurs, 11th Colonial Inf. Most were fighting insurgents in Cochin China (called the Mekong Delta in the 1960s and 70s), 12 bns in Cambodia, a few in Laos. Barely able to hold the place against the Viet Minh and local bandits. However, they also had the 5th Bn of the Foreign Legion (with an armored element of 40 Renault FT-17 tanks).

Air: 100 aircraft, incl 40 old Potez fighter bombers, 10 modern Morane 406 fighters, 8 Loire 130 naval scout amphibs, and some odds and sods.

Naval: CL Lanotte-Pickett (8k t., 8x6" w/ range of 28000 yds, 4K mile cruising range, top speed of 30 knots, comm. in 1924), two modern sloops, Dumont D'Urville and Admiral Charner (2k t., 3x5", 9K mile cruising range, comm. in 1931), two PBs, Tahure (700 t., 2x5", speed 20kts, 3K mile cruising range, comm. 1919) and Marne (600 t., 4x4", speed 20 kts, 4K mile cruising range, comm. 1916), and 10 river and harbor patrol boats.

The Thai forces (or Siamese) forces were:

Land: organized into 4 regions, each with several "divisions" (60K men). Best described as militia bdes. Also there was an armored regt with 60 Carden-Lloyd tankettes, 30 Vickers mediums), 2 mot. cav bns, an art. bn with how. and field guns, plus signal and eng units.

Air: 140 a/c with some 35 Mitsubishi bombers (don't ask; I don't know which ones, but the house bets on Ki-30 bombers), 25 Curtis Hawk fighters, 50 Chance-Vought biplanes (again, don't ask), and other obsolete types.

Sea: 2 coast defense ships, described and shown above, the Ayuthia and the Dhonburi (2.5K t., 4x8", 15 kts top speed, comm. 1938), 2 older CD ships (1K t., 2x6" + 4x3", top speed of 12 kts, comm in 1925), 1 ex-Brit WWI era DD, and assorted small craft.

Cross-border clashes began in Oct 1940 (reminds me of the Italians attacking France after Germany had them on the ropes, eh?), and air ops beginning in Jan 41. Also in Jan. 41, the Thai Army struck in Cambodia and Laos but had almost no opposition. Two Lao provinces on the west bank of the Mekong were taken. The Thais advanced into Battembang Province in Cambodia.

The French counterattacked at Yang Dam Koun on 16 Jan 41, spearheaded by the lads in kepi blancs, who stopped the Thais cold. The Thai armor, however, managed to push back the Legionnaires. Very light casualties on each side. Only a few thousand men from each side were in the battle, but all arms, armor, infantry, artillery were in play.

The naval "battle" of Koh Chang was offshore near the land battle. The Thais wanted to use the CD ships as naval gun platforms. Fr. Governor General, Adm Jean Decoux created a TF in Dec 1940 under Cpt de Vaisseau Regis Berenger (not related to Tom Berenger, of Platoon fame), consisting of the CL and the 4 sloops. They trained as a unit during the run-up to the war, and were well ready for combat. The slower sloops left Cam Rahn Bay on the 13th of Jan, the cruiser a day later, and all units rendesvoused on the 15th.

Acting on intel gained by Loire rcn flights, Berenger caught the two large CDs, 3 torpedo boats, and some log. ships off the island of Koh Chang. Attacking at dawn, Berenger fought like a, well, a Nelson (ironic, eh?). He split his force into 3 teams (CL, fast sloops, slow sloops) to block escape routs and charge the Thai fleet. After 30 minutes, all the Thai ships were sunk or floating junk. Thus endeth France's only successful naval battle in all of WW II.

In the air, both sides made "pinprick" raids on each other - some fighter furballs, bombing of Saigon and Bangkok, but the whole thing lasted only 2 months. The Japanese brokered a treaty that gave Thailand chunks of Cambodia and Laos.

Don't know what happened to the Fr. "fleet" after Japan occupied Indochina. Basically, there WAS NO Thai navy by 7 Dec 41. Only the 5th Legion bn. would be worthy of creating, and maybe the Thai armored force. Casualties during the war were in the hundreds (real scrappers, those two), so I imagine most of ground and air forces were available in December, but IMHO, not worth worrying about. French would be concerned most with not pissing off the Japanese and getting after the rebels (so all would be ready when the French won the war and came back to the colony, no doubt). Thai stuff was probably not able to stand up against the stuff the Japanese faced. Anyway, after the B-29s in India hit Bangkok a few times in '44, Thai strongman Marshal Pibul Songkram was replaced by a civilian government and Thais began sucking up to the Brits and French.

End of lesson.

Peace.

NOW LET'S GET BACK TO YEARNING FOR A RELEASE DATE!!!!