An AF France defeats Hitler

France has been governed by Charles Maurras and his Naziesque Action Francaise since the 6 February 1934 coup. Since then, France has been building up its forces.

France openly sided with Italy during the Ethiopian War, prompting a break with London and the preservation of a Franco-Italian "Alliance of the Latin peoples".

It is March of 1936 - the Rhineland Crisis. Hitler, seeing a division between London and Paris, believes it is time to remilitarize the Rhineland. When he puts this into action, it prompts an immediate declaration of War by France and Italy, followed by Belgium and perhaps Poland.

What now? I doubt this coalition could reach reach Berlin. Action Francaise had some fairly radical notions of what to do with Germany after WWI.
 
German army was in terrible shape in 1936 so France alone could probably reach Berlin. Also Belgium and Poland will probably not join any offensive war , but Poland will probably be given Silesia anyway. Germany gets dismantled and Britain freaks out over a strong Fascist alliance controlling most of Europe. The Fascist Alliance would redraw Europe as they see fit to comply with their new order. They probably invade The Soviets at some point and might be successful, if they are then a bunch of puppet governments are set up, if they lose then the Soviets will be greeted as liberators by the Germans, so strong Communist Germany and Russia controls Europe. No matter what happens Britain now faces a nightmare scenario of someone being hegemon of Europe.
 
While I agree that the German Army of 1936 is about as powerful as a wet paper bag, I highly doubt that France would, by itself at least, have what it takes to wipe the floor with the Nazis as cleanly as you say, even if given the two years it'd need to prepare. Though I will agree that it will end it a victory for Action Francaise.

As far as what would happen should they beat the Nazis, without a shadow of a doubt they would be gaining that left bank of the Rhine that had eluded France (from their point of view) for the past two centuries up to this point. Since I believe France isn't going to reach Berlin, I also think that Germany isn't going to get broken up as per AF's wishes (since there is no realistic way they can maintain something like that.
 
While I agree that the German Army of 1936 is about as powerful as a wet paper bag, I highly doubt that France would, by itself at least, have what it takes to wipe the floor with the Nazis as cleanly as you say, even if given the two years it'd need to prepare. Though I will agree that it will end it a victory for Action Francaise.

As far as what would happen should they beat the Nazis, without a shadow of a doubt they would be gaining that left bank of the Rhine that had eluded France (from their point of view) for the past two centuries up to this point. Since I believe France isn't going to reach Berlin, I also think that Germany isn't going to get broken up as per AF's wishes (since there is no realistic way they can maintain something like that.

My impression is, France could seize the Rhineland plausibly.

I don't think they can completely gut Germany, but perhaps France and Italy march through the Danube Valley - France from the West and Italy from the east through Austria. From there, they detach south Germany from the country.

If Poland joins in, a loss of Masuria, Upper Silesia, Gdansk (not Germany, but close enough), maybe Eastern Pomerania or all of East Prussia are in the cards.



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Southern Germany would be a bit of a stretch, but feasible, more so to Austria's benefit (it would intervene against Germany since it is already an Italian client state.

Of course what would they do with such territory for one, and for another, could they even take that territory?
 
From a Bavarian or Wurtemberg point of view Austria, post Empire, is as German as they and more Catholic. They might prefer a union with Austria to a union with North Germany?
 
From a Bavarian or Wurtemberg point of view Austria, post Empire, is as German as they and more Catholic. They might prefer a union with Austria to a union with North Germany?

A South German Federation? Yeah, I could see that, especially if it's still in the back pocket of Fascist Italy.
 
Southern Germany would be a bit of a stretch, but feasible, more so to Austria's benefit (it would intervene against Germany since it is already an Italian client state.

Of course what would they do with such territory for one, and for another, could they even take that territory?

"Liberating" German Catholics from Protestant Prussia is certainly more feasible than marching all the way to Berlin, I would think.

Perhaps they move along the Autobahn, the Danube, and the Mein River Valleys.

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