Feel the Bearn - A Timeline of France's Only Carrier in WWII and Beyond
- Thread starter Seafort
- Start date
True. But the stakes weren't so high. If this goes south, it's going to go south horrifically. Being that deep in debt to the Soviet Union will end about as badly as you would think
Remember what this thread is all about. The Béarn will simply sail all the way up to Moscow and Cousteau will single-handedly defeat Zhukov in hand-to-hand combat on top of the Kremlin.
Still lacks Robo Mecha Hitler
Needs to be ghost of Mecha Hitler. After all, ol' Adolph already got his ash kicked.
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France has a very large and loyal (to Stalin) Communist Party. They were a significant part of the resistance, and possibly the best organized group. This sort of cozying with the Soviets could end up with Le Grand Charles preceding Masryk in reintroducing "defenestration" to the modern political science vocabulary.
And what exactly do you think de Gaulle’s Evangelion will be doing at that time?
I suspect France will dearly pay for trying to play both sides of the Cold War. The title, "France's only Carrier in WW2 and Beyond" implies that France will not be able to build any more carriers, further implying a poor economic situation.
FasterThanRaito
Kicked
I disagree, the subject of the sentence is the carrier, meaning the story of the carrier and its involvement in WW2 (in which it happened to be the only one) and in history beyond (a different time, where it is not necessarily the only carrier)
You know what happens when you play in the middle of the street - you get hit from two directions....
I don't get the outrage de Gaulle played both side against each other during the cold war otl. That's why France got it's homemade nuclear progamme because it saw it's allies as unreliable.
I find him a bit too extreme in this story but he'll probably get what he want, the US can't afford a soviet alligned France and killing him would probably push France into soviet arms.
I find him a bit too extreme in this story but he'll probably get what he want, the US can't afford a soviet alligned France and killing him would probably push France into soviet arms.
This. Playing both sides was pretty profitable overall for everyone.
1) For France, because it gave it a position that was really enjoyable of a relatively independent political player and an arms provider that could be chosen by anyone who didn't want to stand clearly on one side or the other. See: Mirage jets.
2) For the US and USSR, France's position led to increased uncertainty for the both of them. It had a fully independent nuclear deterrent, unlike UK, with a hair-trigger psychotic counter-value first strike policy. That meant attacking it was a suicide, even if you destroyed it entirely, their strike would maul any of the two superpowers enough to give victory to the other. So, attacking it on its own being too expensive, you had to deal with it, and it was geographically in an absolutely critical position. If the US could get it to side with the West during a hot war, then came the bestest best logistical area ever, with ports on the Atlantic and the Med pretty safe from most Soviet attacks, unlike British ones exposed to the North Sea. If the Soviets could get France to remain neutral in a hot war, the US logistics would be fucked beyond all recognition without firing a shot, with all supplies, reinforcements and stuff having to come through Belgium and Netherlands, AKA fishes in a barrel in tactical range of East Germany.
That uncertainty for both sides, a true third player, however weak compared to the other two, made it really hard to plan for a war, and they both knew it, so in a way, it made things safer by making the game so complex noone would really believe the other could be setting their pieces for a sure shot, and given the firepower of the Cold War, most leaders would have balked at anything but a sure shot. Long story short, during the Cold War, France was a suicide kingmaker. It would probably not survive its move, but said move would also most likely determine who'd be the winner in a hot war.
Chapter 6 - Best Laid Plans
June 13, 1945
Churchill and Bevins declare new wartime ministry - The Times headline
Election Postponed! Bevins joins Tories as arrests continue - Evening Standard headline
Police raid offices of Daily Worker - Daily Telegraph headline
Labour in disarray; More links established to Nazi Assassins - Daily Express headline
De Gaulle Gives Extension; Germans have one year to vacate territories - Daily Mirror headline
US agrees to $250M aid package to France - New York Times headline
Hunt for German subs continue; Bearn remains afloat - Washington Times-Herald headline
June 14, 1945 (3:30 PM EST)
The Reporter sat in a corner within the pub waiting for his guest to arrive. And while the lights were quite dim this night within The Prospect of Whitby, the tone around him even dimmer. Although the noise of the patrons in total was a cacophony, as he concentrated he could discern snippets of conversations. Whispers of panicked questioning as to what other Labour politicians might be involved in the conspiracy with the German werwolves. Arguments against the involvement of Herbert Morrison and the others. Irritation to the postponement of the general election, and wonderings of how long the new Wartime Ministry would be necessary. And other conversations, not related to any war but just the ebb and flow of daily life, romance, and courtship.
He took another sip of his beer and blanched. He would have preferred a martini, but of course it was after cocktail hour. This would have to do. Certainly the Reporter would have preferred Dukes, but his contact had insisted on The Prospect. And perhaps it was all for the better. He had been out of the military and on the staff of The Times for only a month, and he was more than aware of the need for discretion.
Abruptly another man sat down at the table in front of him, a full pint in his hand. The reporter could barely make him out as the man took a long sip and put his pint down. "Are you certain you weren't followed?", he asked.
"Of course," replied the Reporter. "I know the game and how it works."
"Indeed," said the other man. He leaned forward. Clearly the pint at this point was overkill. He had evidently been drinking to excess for some time now. His reddish eyes and slurred speech reflected it.
"And what of you?" asked the Reporter.
"We are fine," replied the man. He extended a hand. "Commander Stuart Adams. I believe we met last year at the formation of T-Force."
The Reporter clasped it. "We did indeed. Your team did quite well at Kiel."
He let go of the hand and studied Adams. The out of uniform officer was not only intoxicated, but deeply upset. "What did you wish to discuss, Commander?"
Adams hesitated, and looked around. Confident that there was no one watching, he leaned forward and said in an agonized whisper, "The Bearn."
"The French carrier?" asked the Reporter.
Adams nodded. "I did not ask questions about the operation. I could understand the need for revenge. After all, they had killed hundreds of our men. And as for the Germans, well after all they were our enemies only weeks earlier. But when we got back home and saw what had transpired..."
His voice trailed off. The commander took another drink, and then continued his story.
As the Reporter listened his stomach began to twist. And as it went on, for the first time since leaving the war, Ian Fleming felt fear.
Churchill and Bevins declare new wartime ministry - The Times headline
Election Postponed! Bevins joins Tories as arrests continue - Evening Standard headline
Police raid offices of Daily Worker - Daily Telegraph headline
Labour in disarray; More links established to Nazi Assassins - Daily Express headline
De Gaulle Gives Extension; Germans have one year to vacate territories - Daily Mirror headline
US agrees to $250M aid package to France - New York Times headline
Hunt for German subs continue; Bearn remains afloat - Washington Times-Herald headline
June 14, 1945 (3:30 PM EST)
The Reporter sat in a corner within the pub waiting for his guest to arrive. And while the lights were quite dim this night within The Prospect of Whitby, the tone around him even dimmer. Although the noise of the patrons in total was a cacophony, as he concentrated he could discern snippets of conversations. Whispers of panicked questioning as to what other Labour politicians might be involved in the conspiracy with the German werwolves. Arguments against the involvement of Herbert Morrison and the others. Irritation to the postponement of the general election, and wonderings of how long the new Wartime Ministry would be necessary. And other conversations, not related to any war but just the ebb and flow of daily life, romance, and courtship.
He took another sip of his beer and blanched. He would have preferred a martini, but of course it was after cocktail hour. This would have to do. Certainly the Reporter would have preferred Dukes, but his contact had insisted on The Prospect. And perhaps it was all for the better. He had been out of the military and on the staff of The Times for only a month, and he was more than aware of the need for discretion.
Abruptly another man sat down at the table in front of him, a full pint in his hand. The reporter could barely make him out as the man took a long sip and put his pint down. "Are you certain you weren't followed?", he asked.
"Of course," replied the Reporter. "I know the game and how it works."
"Indeed," said the other man. He leaned forward. Clearly the pint at this point was overkill. He had evidently been drinking to excess for some time now. His reddish eyes and slurred speech reflected it.
"And what of you?" asked the Reporter.
"We are fine," replied the man. He extended a hand. "Commander Stuart Adams. I believe we met last year at the formation of T-Force."
The Reporter clasped it. "We did indeed. Your team did quite well at Kiel."
He let go of the hand and studied Adams. The out of uniform officer was not only intoxicated, but deeply upset. "What did you wish to discuss, Commander?"
Adams hesitated, and looked around. Confident that there was no one watching, he leaned forward and said in an agonized whisper, "The Bearn."
"The French carrier?" asked the Reporter.
Adams nodded. "I did not ask questions about the operation. I could understand the need for revenge. After all, they had killed hundreds of our men. And as for the Germans, well after all they were our enemies only weeks earlier. But when we got back home and saw what had transpired..."
His voice trailed off. The commander took another drink, and then continued his story.
As the Reporter listened his stomach began to twist. And as it went on, for the first time since leaving the war, Ian Fleming felt fear.
They're quite pleased with what has resulted from Project Deluge. It's beyond their wildest expectations. The only challenge has been keeping apace of events that have spiraled quickly.
We're not going in that direction. I will only say this. Two of my absolute favorite timelines here have been How Silent Fall The Cherry Blossoms and Icarus Falls.
Oh my, one of the officers involved in dealing with the submarine and the crew has developed a conscience. Very careless of the British, at a minimum those who directed the attack and got rid of the evidence needed to disappear permanently, and a cautious man would make sure those who made the first group disappear would also vanish. Of course all Fleming has is the word of this individual, and given his descent in to alcoholic fog, he is someone who is unlikely to avoid attracting the wrong sort of attention. If Fleming attempts to get his paper to publish this, I doubt his editors will print it, and even if they do it will be scotched by the Official Secrets Act before it is on paper. What to do, what to do...