WI the whole of the French Navy went Free French

June 1940 the French navy leaves its ports and heads to the United states to be inturned And Arrives in the US ports just as the French goverment Surrenders .
In late sept 1940 the Leaders of the Navy Form a Goverment in Exile .
FDR recognize the Free French Goverment of the Naval Leaders in late Sept of 1940 .
The Free French Then takes over the French Colonies in the Americas and the
Pacific as well as most of her Colonies in Southern Africa .
The Free French Still recive her orders of Aircraft from the US that she ordered before France Fell .

How would this change the War .
 
Well it would mean less politiking in French North Africa with the Vichyists, if the Free French already have a larger and more powerful chip to play and with the support of the Americans.

Given FDRs attitude towards the likes of De Gaulle, having someone different become dominant with the Free French is a likely PoD for better American support.
 
I'd think that if the whole Navy went into exile and became Free French most of the colonies would also flip pretty quickly once the FF fleet appeared off the coast. FF colonies and navy could be quite a force by the end of 1940, limiting Italian ambitions severely. This could keep the British focused on the continent itself.

I don't know if the continental situation would be cleared up enough to allow the heavy ships to head to Indochina in late 1941.
 
If the fleet goes to the British then the colonies probably do soon enough, which gives the Free French several hundred thousand garrison troops and, with British help, probably two corps of infantry with modest armor support.

This also means the huge stockpile of gold shipped to North Africa is available for use by the Free French.

By the time the US enters the war North Africa may be in Allied hands and the landings, most likely on Sicily, already underway or even completed.



Sadly, it also means all of France is occupied within weeks of the fleet going to the Allies.:(
 
A stronger Free French, with no Japanese occupation of IndoChina means no Oil Embargo, and no need for the Japanese to attack south.

Also having all the French Destroyers available - means a shorter Battle of the Atlantic.
 
Indo-China would be completely indefensible and expendable for the Free French. Not even the British could hold on to their Asian Empire. Resources expended in Indo-China would be nonrecoverable and better used in North Africa.
 
I don't think the idea is for the Free French to hold Indochina- just that the Japanese will actually have to attack it rather than essentially get it without a fight from the French administrators.
 
We know that all the french colony would have fight on if the navy did.

It's actually because the french navy (Amiral Darlan) finally decide to obey vichy that the généra Noguès give up.
But at the time he had all the French Colony's governors and army behind him.

What a shame it didn't happen.
 
Japan is obliged to take French Indochina by force ensures the oil embargo and perhaps even sterner measures as this is an open invasion without the fig leaf Japan had OTL.


Incidentally France considered Algeria to be part of France itself, not a colony, so technically part of France remains free in this situation.
 
Would France keep the old WWI Battleships active ?
And Would the US Finish the Jean Bart for the French ?
 
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