Unit Descriptions: Air, Naval, Land

[grisouille_slith]

I try to describe the French Unit. I have some trouble with one armor corps called "Chevalier". Anyone knows who is this "Chevalier"?

Moreover, I have also some difficulties with the militia units (Lyon, Metz, Paris, Bordeaux, and Marseille). Has somebody some information on the units form to defend these cities (I have some for Lyon, and Metz).

Thank you for your help

[mldtchdog]

Sorry I can't help with "Chevalier".
 
As for the militia look at previous posts in this thread (56-58 on page 2 and 68-78 on page 3) for guidelines. The militia are tough because the represent more in the game than just home guard troops. As a general rule if you can't find anything else look for some interesting facts about the city. Did they have an important or significant role during the war?

[michaelbaldur]

and remember army reserve .... did france hold back a reserve around paris ????? the metz militz can be a free magnoiet line unit ..... the lyon unit can be some kind of alpine reserve ..... did that help ....

[jesperpehrson]

Good news! Grisouille has sent me a boatload of french writeups! I have just had a chance to glance them over but they seem great! Kudos to Grisouille! I will give you an example as soon as get my computer hooked up on the world wide intraweb!
 
- Capitan

[composer99]

Thinking of the Chevalier armoured corps:
 
Did France maintain any sort of independent armoured forces? I know the main problem with their allocation of armour was that they spread them out in the manner of the First World War.
 
If they did have any kind of armoured reserves, perhaps the Chevalier represents that.

[Jimm]

ORIGINAL: composer99

Thinking of the Chevalier armoured corps:

Did France maintain any sort of independent armoured forces? I know the main problem with their allocation of armour was that they spread them out in the manner of the First World War.

If they did have any kind of armoured reserves, perhaps the Chevalier represents that.

I think this is a historical fault which Wif has, no-one except the Germans should really start the war with Armoured Corps- the best description of what everyone else had was basically Mech- at very best using divisions of armour with other units but for the most part interspersing companies and regiments of armour with infantry and failing to get any of the mobility bonus of armoured warfare.

[Mziln]

ORIGINAL: Jimm

ORIGINAL: composer99

Thinking of the Chevalier armoured corps:

Did France maintain any sort of independent armoured forces? I know the main problem with their allocation of armour was that they spread them out in the manner of the First World War.

If they did have any kind of armoured reserves, perhaps the Chevalier represents that.

I think this is a historical fault which Wif has, no-one except the Germans should really start the war with Armoured Corps- the best description of what everyone else had was basically Mech- at very best using divisions of armour with other units but for the most part interspersing companies and regiments of armour with infantry and failing to get any of the mobility bonus of armoured warfare.

In the "World in Flames: Global war" scenario no major power starts with an Armored corps except Germany.

The "Chevalier" corps is a Mar/Apr French reinforcement. [:D]

I would like to bring to your attention to "The battle of Hannut (12th-14th May) the first big tank battle of World War 2: 411 French tanks (3e DLM and 2e DLM) facing 674 German tanks (4.PzD and 3.PzD)". At the following link ~ The French Cavalry Corps in 1940. General Prioux had the actual command of a real French tank corps facing a German tank corps.

[jesperpehrson]

Just read up a bit on the Yugoslavian campaign, and it strikes me as odd why Harry chose to have Prince Paul to lead the Yugoslav forces. Should it not be changed to King Peter instead? [:)]

[Mziln]

ORIGINAL: capitan

Just read up a bit on the Yugoslavian campaign, and it strikes me as odd why Harry chose to have Prince Paul to lead the Yugoslav forces. Should it not be changed to King Peter instead? [:)]

King Peter II was to young.

Prince Paul of Yugoslavia (April 27, 1893, Saint Petersburg, Russia – September 11, 1976, Paris, France) of the Serbian ,later Yugoslav Royal House of Karadjordjevic was regent of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia for King Peter II.

He took the regency on 9 October 1934 after his cousin King Alexander's assassination in Marseille and ruled the country until he decided to sign the Tripartite Pact with the World War II Axis Powers in Vienna on 25 March 1941. Because of his decision, massive demonstrations took place in Belgrade and, after this, his cousin and ward, Peter II, together with a group of pro-British officers and middle class politicians, made a coup d'état on 27 March 1941. General Dušan Simoviæ became prime minister and Yugoslavia backed out of the Axis sphere in all but name.

Prince Paul of Yugoslavia was the only son of Prince Arsen Karageorgevich (a brother of Peter I) and Princess Aurora Demidov (a granddaughter of the Finnish philanthropist Aurora Karamzin). He married Princess Olga of Greece and Denmark, a sister of Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent, in 1923. George VI of the United Kingdom, as Duke of York, was best man at his wedding in Belgrade.

A Knight of the Garter, Paul was educated at the University of Oxford and his closest friends (including the American-born, naturalized British politician Chips Channon) and outlook on life were said to be British.

Although King Peter II and his new Government opposed Germany, they also feared that if Hitler attacked Yugoslavia, the United Kingdom was not in any real position to help. Germany, angered by the people’s protests against the Tripartite Pact, invaded the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in April 1941. At the advice of the Government, King Peter II was asked to lead the country from abroad and ask for Allied support. The only legal body of Yugoslavia became the Royal Yugoslav Government in exile. Yugoslavia itself was dismembered and occupied by Nazi Germany and its satellites.

For the remainder of the war, Prince Paul was kept, with his family, under house arrest by the British in South Africa.


King Peter II was the eldest son of King Alexander I of Yugoslavia and Princess Maria of Romania and Hohenzollern, his godfather was King George VI, and his godmother was Queen Elizabeth of the United Kingdom.

On March 27, 1941 Peter, then 17, was proclaimed of age, and participated in a British-supported coup d'état opposing the Tripartite Pact.

Peter was forced to leave the country with the Yugoslav Government following the Axis invasion; initially the King went with his government to Greece, and Jerusalem, then to the British Mandate of Palestine and Cairo, Egypt. He went to England in June 1941, where he joined numerous other governments in exile from Nazi-occupied Europe. The King completed his education at Cambridge University and joined the Royal Air Force.

He married Princess Alexandra of Greece and Denmark, in London on 20 March 1944. While still in exile, he was deposed by Yugoslavia's Communist Constituent Assembly on November 29, 1945. However, the King never abdicated. After the war he settled in the United States. Having had a longtime health problem, he died in Denver, Colorado on 3 November 1970 after a failed liver transplant.

He is interred at the St. Sava Monastery Church at Libertyville, Illinois, the only European monarch buried on American soil. His son, Crown Prince Alexander, is heir to the Serbian throne.

[Jimm]

ORIGINAL: Mziln

I would like to bring to your attention to "The battle of Hannut (12th-14th May) the first big tank battle of World War 2: 411 French tanks (3e DLM and 2e DLM) facing 674 German tanks (4.PzD and 3.PzD)". At the following link ~ The French Cavalry Corps in 1940. General Prioux had the actual command of a real French tank corps facing a German tank corps.

Interesting. Guderian doesn't refer to this (admittedly he was busy at Sedan on 12th May).

Does seem to be the exception which proves the rule- nonetheless a point taken as you could argue it as a valid french armoured corps-sized formation in action even if organised by commanders at the time rather than an a pre-exisiting formal armoured corps.

(edited for clarity)

[jesperpehrson]

A first example of Grisouilles work. I am really happy to have him make writeups cause they are all very good.

[Shannon V. OKeets]

ORIGINAL: capitan

A first example of Grisouilles work. I am really happy to have him make writeups cause they are all very good.

Moi aussi.[:)]

[doctormm]

ORIGINAL: capitan

A first example of Grisouilles work. I am really happy to have him make writeups cause they are all very good.

NIT PICK ALERT -

Should be "remainder of this division was".

[jesperpehrson]

ORIGINAL: doctormm
NIT PICK ALERT -

Should be "remainder of this division was".

Corrected and do not go easy on any languagefaults, I can take it! [:)] (I assume responsibility of all errors as I am the one who should correct em )

[Greyshaft]

NIT PICK 1: You capitalize some units ([font="times new roman"]"515 Tank Battalion Group", "7th Panzer division"[/font]) but not others ([font="times new roman"]"15th panzer corp[/font])

NIT PICK 2: [font="times new roman"]"...the 1st DCR was surprised while being refuelled by the 15th panzer corp near Dinant..."[/font]. Sounds like the 15th panzer corp was giving its fuel to the French Tanks? Perhaps [font="times new roman"]"...the first DCR was surprised by the 15th panzer corp while refueling near Dinant..."

[/font]NIT PICK 3: [font="times new roman"]" On the 16th May the remainders of this division..."[/font]. Should be singular [font="times new roman"]"...remainder of this division..."[/font]

Keep plodding brother [;)]

[Shannon V. OKeets]

ORIGINAL: Greyshaft

NIT PICK 1: You capitalize some units ([font="times new roman"]"515 Tank Battalion Group", "7th Panzer division"[/font]) but not others ([font="times new roman"]"15th panzer corp[/font])

NIT PICK 2: [font="times new roman"]"...the 1st DCR was surprised while being refuelled by the 15th panzer corp near Dinant..."[/font]. Sounds like the 15th panzer corp was giving its fuel to the French Tanks? Perhaps [font="times new roman"]"...the first DCR was surprised by the 15th panzer corp while refueling near Dinant..."

[/font]NIT PICK 3: [font="times new roman"]" On the 16th May the remainders of this division..."[/font]. Should be singular [font="times new roman"]"...remainder of this division..."[/font]

Keep plodding brother [;)]

Avoiding misplaced modifiers:

...the first DCR, while refueling near Dinant, was surprised by the 15th panzer corp ...

[grisouille_slith]

Hey Mziln

Thank you for the link. I've already described the French Cavalry corps. With this link, I can correct the description and use some information to describe others units.

Notice that in MWIF the DLM are considered as mechanized division and not armored division (In the game, the unit ID 2648 called "3DLM" is a mechanized division!). That is the reason why, I described the three DLM as mechanized division or corps.

But, I think that consider a DLM to be a mechanized division is a mistake even if DLM means "Light Mechanized Division" - they are the most powerful armored division of the French army.

[Mziln]

ORIGINAL: grisouille

Hey Mziln

Thank you for the link. I've already described the French Cavalry corps. With this link, I can correct the description and use some information to describe others units.

Notice that in MWIF the DLM are considered as mechanized division and not armored division (In the game, the unit ID 2648 called "3DLM" is a mechanized division!). That is the reason why, I described the three DLM as mechanized division or corps.

But, I think that consider a DLM to be a mechanized division is a mistake even if DLM means "Light Mechanized Division" - they are the most powerful armored division of the French army.

The designation of the divisions as "Light Mechanized Divisions" is not surprising considering armored warfare was still in its infancy.

Division Légère Mécanique ~ DLM

The name of the unit is most often translated with "Light Mechanized Division", but a better translation, both from a linguistical as a military point of view, would be "Mechanized Light Division". In French the adjective mécanique qualifies légère, not the other way around; and this makes also sense in a tactical way: "light" here is a synonym of "mobile". While any "mechanised" division was "light", not every "light" division was "mechanised": motorised infantry divisions without tracked vehicles would also be called "Light Divisions".

[Froonp]

ORIGINAL: Mziln
Division Légère Mécanique ~ DLM

"Division Légère Mécanisée", rather, isn't it ?

[grisouille_slith]

ORIGINAL: Froonp

ORIGINAL: Mziln
Division Légère Mécanique ~ DLM

"Division Légère Mécanisée", rather, isn't it ?

No, Mzlin is right it's "Division légère mécanique". The adjective "light" for "légère" means that this division are very mobile. They are very closed to the German's PanzerDivision.

For example the 1st DLM is equiped with :
- 94 H39 + 96 S35 tanks
- 48 P178 + 69R35ZT armored car.