Franco-Norweigian War: Who wins?

1920: Who wins the Franco-Norwegian War?

  • France

    Votes: 66 83.5%
  • Norway

    Votes: 13 16.5%

  • Total voters
    79
Now I know what your thinking, Why would France fight a war with Norway? Why would Norway fight a war with France? Well it has to do with a Danish Civil War Timeline Im working on and I need to know who would have mostly likely won the war when it takes place, in 1920.

For reference the French have troops in Jutland, but they are also fighting against Danish Royal troops, although they also have Danish rebels on their side.

Its a sloppy mess of a beginning at the moment, but the question stands, with the state of each nations military at the time, who wins?
 
France, although thinking about Norway's landscape and the fact that OTL Norway held Nazi Germany the longest..... i start to reconsider it.

Question: Is Norway and Denmark in a sort of union in ur TL?
 

Tannhäuser

Banned
Normally, France would win hands-down. However, if WWI has just occurred in this timeline, there's a chance it might back down. If it hasn't occurred, and/or the French are willing to fight, the Norwegians are screwed. There's no way that their army or navy could pose any sort of threat to the French. The best they could hope for is a guerrilla war.
 
Assuming the UK doesn't get involved?

The French Navy blockades Norway, lands troops at key harbours, and then basically dictates terms. They have half a dozen pre-dreadnoughts and seven dreadnoughts for starters.

Norway has four small coastal defence ships (potentially six, if the UK doesn't buy the last two like OTL), four older monitors, and a few other light ships. Oscarsborg Fortress is pretty cool and might cost the French a capital ship. Other than that they have Kvarven Fort.

If the UK doesn't get involved then their merchant marine and most of their GDP would collapse in a war with the French.
 
I guess I should clarify, World War One has just ended, the French are supporting Danish Constiutionalists after an overblown Easter Crisis, and have troops in Jutland. Norway is independent from Denmark but they support King Christian and are sending aid. The French sink one of their ships and the Norwegians declare war.
 
The French win, but its a negotiated settlement not a dictating of terms.
France was exhausted by then, but if they had a good enough reason they would go to war and win. Norway would lose the big battles and be invaded, but they could probably make it hellish through raids and attacks on French soldiers.
 
The French win, but its a negotiated settlement not a dictating of terms.
France was exhausted by then, but if they had a good enough reason they would go to war and win. Norway would lose the big battles and be invaded, but they could probably make it hellish through raids and attacks on French soldiers.

The French are also fighting against the Danish Military on the other side, the Constitutionalists are mostly would be Bolsheviks, not in idealogy but in ragtag rebel mode.
 
Definitely a negotiated settlement then. The French would stick to the main ports and cities avoid the countryside and force the government to agree to stay out of the main conflict in Denmark. As soon as thats signed they move out.
France was too weak to deal with that kind of fighting so soon after WW1, but too strong to be defeated by the Norweigians.
 
Yay :) Today France, tomorrow the entire world! After beating France, we'll invade Russia and take the Kola Peninsula and the rest of Russia north of the Polar Circle. And then we'll go after Greenland, like some of our over-eager nationalists tried to do on their own in the late 20s.

Seriously though, although I am Norwegian and like nothing better than a proper Norwegian-wank in the morning, victory for Norway over France in 1920 is ASB. Victory for Norway over France anytime is ASB (even Rollo didn't really beat France. He was given Normandy as bribe to stop acting like a viking raider himself and instead use his energy on stopping other raiders. And, although Rollo was Norwegian, his troops and noblemen were mostly Danish).

Norway today is one of the richest countries in the world, per capita. With a GDP a little bit higher than Sweden (which itself is on the Top 10-list) with only half the population.

Norway has never in history been richer or more powerful than today - 2011. But no matter how proud we walk or loud we brag when we go abroad on holiday with our classy plastic viking helmets, we're only 4,5 million people. That's one-tenth of France. All the Scandinavian countries are on the top 10 or 15 list in world-GNP, but all of us taken together (Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Sweden, Iceland) have just barely higher GDP than Spain. And our population taken, all the Nordic together is only 23 million people. Half the population of Spain, 2/5 of France (?).

Now, if we were talking about a war between a rich European country with low population against a very poor, say African country with lots of people. Like f.ex. Norway against Ethiopia or something. And we were talking about the late 18th century were we could quote the British King Edward VII (whatever happens we have got, the Maxim Gun and they have not). Then I think we would have a shot.

But 1920 against France? I think not.

True, France is war-weary. But Norway is in no good shape either. Being a small neutral entirely dependent on foreign trade is no good thing when all your greater neighbours are fighting.

Militarily, we had a decent enough army and navy, and lots of people having honed their skills in Neutrality Guard-duty during the war. BUT: Both army and Navy was old. It was originally fitted out for independence war aginst Sweden in 1905. And in 1905 it was among the worlds finest little armies which would have given Sweden a run for its money.

But seeing as there never was necessary with a war to be free in 1905, we allowed our armed forces to become quite neglected. France had spent 1914-1918 honing its military skills with the foremost technologies of the day. Norway had a 1905-standard army and navy, one-tenth of the French population and absolutely no oil-riches like today. French per capita GDP in 1920 was quite a bit higher than Norway's. So even without the WWI-experience and the 10 times population, France would have been a favorite.

Now, if the war was fought entirely on our soil, I guess we could have forced a negotiated surrender (that is, we surrender to France, not the other way), as war weary French soldiers would not be in for prolonged anti-guerrilla struggle in Norwegian mountains and forests. Fighting on own soil, being a nation of outdoors-people with good general weapons skills, would make us hard to defeat.

But win we would not. And bringing the fight to France is impossible.

Unfortunately :(
 
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