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I can see 3 main strategical objective while France is alive but pursuing one means not the other:

1) STRONG FRANCE: keeping France alive the max time to reduce Axis free time between fall of France and Barbarossa.

2) SUICIDE FRANCE: use of french fleet and eventually some french troops against Italy.

3) Diplo France: using France to diplo USSR, USA or Spain.

What tips do you have to accomplish any of those stratégies?

a) In pratical gameplay, research seems pointless fo France since there is very little chance you live to see the benefit of it.
b) Only in diplo and tank, french mpp expenditure seems to equal german points. However, diplo is quite irregular and diplo chit disapear when France does... German chits don't! About the Tank, by the time you can finance it... well it might no see fighting if Germany blitz you right. So what to buy, how to spent points?
c) What to do with French fleet?
d) What to do with the troops in The Empire? IS it better to call them back and if so when?
e) France has a few decision to make like polish corps or outloawing commies. What path to take?

Of course, I mean all this by pbem standard and not against AI.

I'm inexperienced so my advice is not much help. However STRONG FRANCE seems to make some sense. Delaying Germany from taking up whatever plans it has after France and taking Germany's MPP's by fighting seems worthwhile.

However I'm not sure what is the best way to accomplish this. Build a tank army? tank corp? AA? Something else?

Build the engineer? By the time it walks up to Paris it doesn't really have much time to build fortifications anyway so I guess don't build it?

I'd appreciate any/all advice on how to handle France from 1939 until May 40.

If you go for the Engineer, you have to pay to operate it as well.

From my experience, it`s not much of a difference, if France prevails longer or shorter, and there are not many usefull units to build. The engineer could support the survivung of the tank by building a fortress in the woods northeast of paris, an ideal place for a blockage. Usually he won't be able to attack with significant predictions. AA aren't worth to build, the predictions won't be higher than 0:0 without HQ-Support, especially if the opponent cares for gaining xp.

Most usefull are the diplo chits imho. Usually it's best to invest into Spain asap, and even if no hits can be achieved before Italy joins, they will in any case prevent the Axis chits from firing. A significantly higher risk is to invest into USA or SU, since they'll be completely wasted in case of not firing.

In any case it`s very important to secure the italian border by 3 corps at min. Even if Italy sends all of its armies and HQs to Libya, there are still 4 corps or 3 corps and 1 garrison left over. 2 corps will be able to destroy a garrison, therefore the southern route should have 1 corps, and Grenoble can easily be bypassed. Thereby the strategic city of Lyon, the valuable mine, and Marseille could get lost.

I will continue with DEs after my next turn.

DEs: banning communists is reducing russian war readiness. Not good.
Sending expedition to support the Finns: very dangerous, in case of a "success" russian war readiness also falls, and the border stays at Leningrad. Should you plan an attack on the vulnerable Finns in the first possible turn, they'll be too far away. Usually that means to lose all the defending units on low supply, in case Leningrad falls.

Sending B.E.F.: I can't see any reason to not send support to France. Depending on my opponent, I'm also ready to counterattack together with some carriers and all available aircraft. Perhaps I'm able destroy an experienced tank, mot. army or para. In any case I'd try to get most of the troops out of France in time and send them to NA.

I'd keep the aircraft near Britain, and tried to place them there. Any french unit has a 20% chance to survive after the fall of France.

Thanks Sugar, so you build no new French units, merely reinforce those that begin the game and come in as reinforcement? Do you build up both French HQ to 10?

Diplo Spain seems like a good option.

Do you recommend UK and France try to invade Norway? I've seen that done and it worked.

I can say that free french air force units (if you get them on the 20% chance) aren't that great. This might or might not be a bug, but you can not attach them to UK HQs. Additionally, they will loose any promtions you give them when France is liberated and rejoins (and Free French units become French units) the Allies.

so you build no new French units, merely reinforce those that begin the game and come in as reinforcement?

Yes, and I also reinforce pointwise, this way you can save some MPPs. HQs double their influence by reinforcing up to full strength, not to speak of their survivability. I'm replacing the armies in the Maginot-Line by corps, but they should have at least strength 8, otherwise they might be beaten. Sadly never had the luck to receive surviving french units, so I can't commend Taxman's view.

In case of Norway it's questionable, if it's worth the effort, since you'll have to conquer all the towns. Thts taking huge amounts of time, and the troops are better used elsewhere imho.

ORIGINAL: Taxman66

I can say that free french air force units (if you get them on the 20% chance) aren't that great. This might or might not be a bug, but you can not attach them to UK HQs. Additionally, they will loose any promtions you give them when France is liberated and rejoins (and Free French units become French units) the Allies.

I had this happen to me. It's very surprsing and quite illogical. France should reappear with UK thec, the y both get materials from US anyway.

I got the TAC as free french in a game vs. AI once. I'd rather have a corps to use either as a port defender in the UK or perhaps to act as the 2nd unit to quell Iraq. Maybe the fighter as a passive defender too would be better. The TAC became nothing more than short range scout and interceptor provoker.

As for the loss of promos that happens to all french units on liberation. It makes you want to not liberate France as the MPPs belong to France, and are thus useless.

You can transport the Algerian Corps back to France, but it is a gamble on Italy not attempting an invasion. Best to keep some naval assets to protect the port from a naked (i.e. unescorted) invasion. If Italy brings the fleet you'll loose Algeria, but exchange French navy losses for Italian ones.

Also, on the turn before you expect to loose Paris, move the Syrian Corps to Palestine and transport the Tunis corps to Egypt. That's another 2 units you get a 20% shot at keeping. Same goes if you happen to have any units near ports that were bypassed.