FRENCH FACTION

Some time ago I started with my first “faction concepts” here at the community. My first focus – on to be fair its still my main focus – was the Italian army. 

With CoH3 set in the Mediterranean theatre of war we are still lacking the nation that started the war in the theatre – Italy – and I’m still convinced that they are a great addition to the game and the concept Relic had presented when they talked about new stories, new ways, authenticity and diversity in the new theatre. 

With the Italians on one side there is still a question what could be done for the allied side here – and with the theatre in mind there is one candidate I want to talk about here; the French forces – or to be correct here: The Free French Forces.

So lets dive into a new topic and lets have a lot for a potential French faction. I hope u will have some fun and we all will learn new stuff. 

My Invitation

To start with I want to add a sort of invitation here.

The threat is packed with stories, details and small elements to get u into the rich history of the french armed forces in ww2. I added a lot of historical content and stuff here to get into the topic. Perhaps you know other stories or bits or pieces that could be added OR some of you guys here will have nice gameplay ideas or concepts inspired by the histories you will find here in the thread. 

So please take the thread as an invitation to work with my content and my suggestions and ideas to develop the idea for a french faction into a concept that will convince Relic that the FREE FRENCH FORCES are the next faction, we all want to see and we all want to play.

So thanks a lot for your time, reading and your participation in the discussion!

For the interested people here: U can find an italian concept HERE [click]. THX!

Faction design in Company of Heroes 

To start with I would recommend visiting my RSI thread too because some of the design principles I can see in a CoH faction will be important for the upcoming design and content ideas. 

For the guys who wont read the old post I will try to present u a short version here:

CoH is about unit balance, unit roles, timing, and planning.

CoH factions have a basic layout of weapons and units that are needed to create a working competitive game faction. The units are organised into “tiers” to get some balance for timing and unit deployment and to develop a “pressure curve” that is forcing players to act and reaction depending on their own arsenal and the arsenal of the enemy. That element is enforced by a power curve and/or strength peak. The heaviest – best – most efficient weapons will be available often in the late game. Specialised units that could cause headache by the enemy are often organised behind battlegroups/doctrines or techs that need planning and decision making. 

At the end we can summarize the needed unit pool into the following list:

• Construction unit (when there is base building)
• Base Infantry
• Light scout (fast cap/anti sniper)
• Heavy weapon – suppression
• Heavy weapon – indirect fire
• Heavy weapon – anti tank
• Infantry based anti-tank
• Supporting infantry (additional role/setup)
• Armoured car
• Armoured personal carrier
• Main battle tank (in terms of main fighting tank in the game)
• Tank killer
• Artillery weapon
• Special infantry unit
• Special armoured unit
• Support unit (bonus/modifier unit)

Optional:

• Armoured Artillery
• Heavy tank destroyer
• Elite infantry
• Flamethrower
• (sniper)
• (heavy tank)
• (rocket artillery)

Signature units – the question for easy noticeable (iconic) units

One important aspect for faction design in CoH is the “unique feature” of the faction. When I will ask u for some “iconic units or weapons of a nation in ww2” I’m pretty sure that we will get a big list soon. E.g. when I would ask for German signature units or iconic weapons the chances are high for answers like the big cat tanks, “Waffen-SS soldiers” and other “mythical stuff” (I’m tired for – No Ratte-discussion/suggestion again – Thx). When I ask for US stuff u will say Sherman tanks and GIs – when I ask for the British u will say “Black Prince” (gotcha! U are still reading! Nice!). Will I ask for Italians or French – well, we had the topic in the past…

Important note

Keep in mind that these concept threads are more of a “proof of concept” idea to show that a faction could work within the CoH mechanics and design philosophy. Furthermore, it’s a test bed to think of cool and new idea to get a faction working. Finding weapons is the easiest part but it’s the hardest part to get a working concept – a working faction design idea – that invite players and is fun to play and to master. So whatever u read here feel free to add or suggest new idea. 

[Part 1]

Free French Forces

Unlike to my other concepts we will start with the faction proposal first.

So here is the faction sheet with a number of BG concept.

Unlike to other factions the French forces are built around 2 main tiers and a support tier plus the HQ reserves. 

The Sapeur are a standard pioneer unit. Unlike to other factions the Sapeur are only slow repair units that wont be ideal to keep armor running. Furthermore, their building set is limited. Their advantage is the flamethrower and the fact that the Sapeur are cheap and available from the start. 

With the HQ the French have a first base unit to get some capping power and an anti-garrison unit. The Dodge Jeep with its cal.30 MG is a bike/Jeep like unit. The key here is the adoptability of the Dodge 4x4. When needed it’s the first French light anti vehicle unit with the 37mm gun upgrade. When the French have time and resources the Dodge can be upgraded in the needed First Aid healing and reinforcement unit. 

The biggest advantage for the late game is the foreign legion squad here. The Legionnaire are ideal for a multipurpose late game unit. When French players have pop cap left OR when they have lost vet squads in the late game they can use the Legionnaire to replace the loses and to get an adoptable and hard hitting unit. Legionnaires are the best infantry late game option for a faction to get back into the game when they had lost men in a bad situation. 

The tiers

The main choice for a French player is the first tier and the sub tier techs within the tiers and its mix into the special tier with the support weapons.

TIER 1

The 1st TIER is dominated by the Metropolitain; the French main long to mid-range cover infantry. The Metropolitain can build sandbags and throw frag grenades. The MAS rifle is tuned for long to mid-range engagements. The LMG upgrade is boosting the mid game fire power. Its advantage is fire fight from cover and more static positions. 

With the 1st sub tier tech the T1 pool is enforced by a direct fire support gun and an “armored car” like unit. The Canon d’Infanterie de 37 is a light direct fire HE gun. Because of its light weight it can retreat. With the small calibre and the small size the gun can use a rapid fire ability to suppress units. Unlike to a MG the Canon d’Infanterie de 37 is a sort of “heavy slow firing “super MG”” and no classic indirect fire gun or mortar unit. When units are pinned down the gun can be supported by the AMR 33. The MG armed “tank” is a sort of “armored car”. Based on its design the AMR 33 can cap points and spot enemies to create pressure to the enemy’s forces. Its biggest advantage is an aura effect that will boost French units nearby with better reload, damage and precision. 

With the 2nd sub tier the tier is changing from a more defensive and cover based gameplay into a more aggressive but still “slower” game design. With the Marine sniper, the Fusilier Marin, the French have access to an unique “sniper” design. In its base form it’s a standard sniper that can be compared with another sniper in the game. Its trick is the upgrade to a 2-men sniper team. I know that the 2-men sniper men team was a big problem within CoH2 but here the sniper is a midgame unit so when it will hit the field other nations could have fielded a sniper. To compensate the lack the French can upgrade to a second man that will enforce survivability of the squad. With the second men and the flare gun and the rifle nade the squad will turn into a nightmare for enemy’s heavy weapons and an ideal support unit for the Canon 37 and the new Canon 75 within the tier. The biggest point is the good old Soixant-Quinze; a French pre-ww1-oldie that served until the mid 1950s. The gun here is used in its classic field gun design by firing HE and AP rounds that can be adjusted by an ammo toggle ability. With the toggle ability it can perform in both roles but its not perfect in any role. The calibre is allowing for a sort of LeIG – heavy mortar like damage output. The AP rounds can deal with early and mid-game armor but are no “big threat” against heavy tanks. 

TIER 2

The 2nd TIER is dominated by the more aggressive French Tirailleure. They are armed with Springfield rifles that can be replaced with SMGs. In combination with nades and sprint abilities the unit is a charge in unit that is optimised for damage output and precision.  

The 1st sub tier tech is built around support weapons. The mortar and the French light AT gun are tuned for fast and hard-hitting gameplay. The French 81mm mortar is a standard mortar. The French mortar can fire incendiary rounds to fight down garrisons and fortified positions. The mortar is supported by the French light 25mm SA gun. The gun is small allowing for a retreat ability like the Puppchen in CoH2. With its calibre its no threat to heavy tanks but with its good penetration values and a rapid-fire ability it is a deadly threat to any armored light and medium target that isn’t aware of the AT gun and its rapid shell spamming. In combination with the Tirailleure the tier is built for moving warfare and position changing. 

The 2nd sub tier is bringing in a French “unique”; the Laffly S15. The “armored truck” is a French design with a single MG and an armored cabin to protect the driver and commander. With its open cargo area the S15 can transport infantry. Unlike to a classic APC the S15 is no ideal APC but it can do the job. Unlike to other APCs the S15 cant reinforce or heal infantry. Its secondary role is a “Opel Blitz ress” like upgrade. The S15 can be upgraded into a cargo transport dropping the ability to transport infantry the truck will enforce the sector income when its parked near a sector point. With its MG it can prevent any unprepared raiding party from ending the French ress advantage. The second unit within the sub tier is the first French tank. The Somua S35 is a medium tank that is optimised to fight early armor like StuGs, Marders, M tanks or Panzer III. Rapid fire (against softer targets like Marders) or precise gunnery (against better armored targets like a Pz III or StuG) will allow the S35 to fight an armored push.

Like the Italian concept the sub tier design is built around a “flexible price” that is influenced by the factors of how many tiers were already build and what sub tiers are already unlocked. The base tiers have a fixed prize. The first sub tiers are cheaper compared to the second sub tiers but the second sub tiers don’t need a first sub tier to be unlocked. When there is no 1st sub tier researched the second sub tiers are more expansive to prevent an early armored or “sniper rush”. When sub tiers are researched the prize for the remaining sub tiers will be adjusted. With the fact that base buildings are far more durable in CoH 3 the threat of tier nuking is less of a threat compared to CoH1 or 2. 

Special Tier

With the history of the free French forces in mind the addition to the French faction is the “so called” special tier; A “land lease dominated” tier that is adding a number of special weapons that boost French firepower and add durability to the faction pool.

When T1 and T2 are build the 1st unit unlocked is a classic heavy MG for suppressive fire. Depending on the preferred game style the cal.50 US MG Browning M2HB can be used to defend a more defensive or a more offensive gameplay. 

The first “push” is locked behind the Tier 1 sub tier 1 and Tier 2 sub tier 1; the US halftrack and french technicals. The GMC CCKW heavy truck was modified by free french mechanics by mounting a powerful 40mm Bofors anti air gun to the truck. The french were in need for a mobile heavy anit air defense so the men of the 2éme Division Blindé modified up to 20+ trucks with 40mm Bofors in a french technical. The heavy gun is ideal to defend the free French forces against air strikes and to deal with infantry blobs. The GMC CCKW 40mm is the primary anti air vehicle of the free French forces. The second option is the US T30 HMC; a light artillery self-propelled gun. The US T30 had a more potent gun compared to the 81mm mortar and a more modern shell and gun design compared to the Soixant-Quinze. Furthermore, the T30 is mobile and lightly armored allowing it to serve in a more mobile fire support role. By dropping an additional role the T30 is a true indirect fire support idea to create pressure against static enemies. 

The second “push” is locked behind the midgame tier techs of tier 1 and tier 2. With the subtiers unlocked the Special Tier will grant access to the land lease M4 Sherman and the M10 Wolverine. Sure. Both tanks are familiar and seen ingame. 

The M4A2 “diesel” Sherman is the standard tank of the free French forces and is a regular Sherman with all its advantages and disadvantages. The M10 is the “light” brother of the M18 Hellcat. With its older gun its weaker compared to the more modern Hellcat gun but the gun is still capable of make a dench into enemy’s armor. With the Sherman as allrounder tank the M10 is a tank killer for sure. With its T4 HVAP round it has a munition-based ability to boost its performance against heavy tanks.

With all sub tiers unlocked the Special tier is offering the needed weapons to get into the late game and to utilise the French arsenal, the land lease weapons and the elite buildable foreign legion men. 

The question of teching…

The biggest question for a French concept is the question of additional techs and a “tech center”. The US forces have a dedicated tech choice. The Wehrmacht has access to some tier linked techs. DAK has the tech center and the British have only unit locks. So in terms of design there is no real need for a tech center. With the sub techs the French have a complex but flexible tech system. By ignoring the Special Tier a French faction could rush to a Somua S35 tank or a allrounder Soixant-Quinze. On the other side the French can invest into the Special tier by using the subtiers to get specialised weapons for a mid-game peak. Thanks to the Foreign Legion unit the French have an unique feature to compensate the famous and feared late game infantry loses. 

Flaws in the faction – with intention

But the French flexibility has a “terrible” prize in terms of faction design; The French don’t have access to an infantry based AT weapon. With the emergency 4x4 Dodge M6 GMC, the French Canon de 25 SA mle 1934 and the Canon de 75 mle 1897 mod. 1938 the French have 3 AT options; none of them is perfect and all have advantages and disadvantages. With that in mind BG design and BG gameplay could be a way for some here to compensate the lack within the faction. On the other side with a fast Somua S35 rush a French faction wont have to be afraid of axis armor pushs in mid game. 

Free French battlegroups

Groupement Blinde

The first BG here is the Groupement Blinde.  The Groupement Blinde is built around French armored tradition and its famous Char B1. 

With the “tradition of the cuirassee” the French get access to more flexible repair options with a passive vehicle repair or a more active repair by all French infantry units. The first option is a slow but passive way to get armor back in battle. The second is a more flexible way in need for infantry always nearby to do the repairs. The mid game of the side is dominated by the choc unit; a French heavy Char B1bis. It’s a sort of brother to the British M3 Lee tank. The Char B1bis can deal sufficient damage to armor but its biggest threat is the fact that it has armor that can handle a hit by midgame AT units. With its 75mm assault gun like howitzer it’s a deadly threat for all soft targets that are stupide enough to try a frontal approach against the behemoth. With the Char B1bis dominated the mid game here the endgame choices are more related to boost the remaining French armor to get an advantage of the heavy choc. One way is a sort of improvised armor addition to reduce incoming AT damage. The other option is a boost to the French offensive potential by replacing vehicle’s ammunition with more modern shells that deal more damage to force away axis armor. These techs could come in handy with the M4A2 Sherman and M10 Wolverine. 

The ”French field workshops” are offering some needed upgrades to the French arsenal. The field optics allow more range and view range for French vehicles. The flares are a more generic but ammunition based “view range boost”; Both techs can be used in combination with French heavy weapons and or the mid game callin of the “Conus gun”. With the Conus gun the French get access to a multitool. Formed around the famous Soixant-Quinze the Conus gun can be used in direct AT fire or indirect HE fire missions. It’s a flexible but not astonishing midgame unit. With the weakness in terms of AT options the Conus gun can be a support here in the midgame before it will switch to a more indirect fire mission based gameplay for the lategame to keep the fragile gun alive. With the conus gun and the Char B1bis the French can skip any unit needed of the Tier 1 and 2 2nd sub tiers. They can use the units to focus on unlocking the late game Sherman and Wolverine. The tree side is closing with a direct ability to deal a deadly blow to the enemy by an active ammunition ability to kill units or with a way to keep firepower, units and strength alive. The M31 recovery tank here has the twist that it can repair axis armor too to replace all sort of vehicle loses. When used to the right “wrecks” the M31 could be more profitable in the long.

Groupement francaise de l’interieur

The Groupement francaise de l’interieur (FFI) is built around the famous and brave men of the French partisan forces.

With the “support from outside” the FFI the first choice is centred around weapon drops with LMGs and Bazookas to boost firepower of selected units. The second option with the FFI network is based on information and the ability to keep French men alive and in combat to keep up pressure to prevent the enemy to get into a position of strength. The midgame is represented by a choc callin “combat team”. With the M8 Greyhound and its canister shot the light armored car is a formidable harassment unit that can hunt down axis armored cars and halftracks plus being a threat to soft targets. The power spike here is a midgame drop of a Foreign Legion assault team that can force axis infantry to stay more in cover and to use a slower because of MG based gameplay. The end is dominated by indirect fire support; Either French aircraft will unleash hell to a selected by dropping bombs or the French will use indirect medium artillery firepower to soften position and break up strongpoints. 

The “support from inside” is built on French Freedom fighters. The FFI fighters are a dangerous threat by popping up at positions no one would expect. Their combat power plus their ability to harass the enemy with mines and demolition charges can be a problem for axis when they aren’t aware of the threat within their lines. With the ability to sabotage resource points the FFI fighters can hamper axis ress incoming causing a delay in axis armor. The FFI concept is “escalating” with the central decision of boosting French squad size or to drop the upkeep. In CoH both concepts have pros and cons. In terms of the squad size the additional man will add firepower, more hp and longer time to stay in battle. On the other side the squad is more expansive to reinforce and depending on the weapons and balance the 6th men wont do the trick to turn a losing battle into a winning battle. The upkeep on the other side is a liked story in CoH. We had seen faction centred around upkeep management. With the focus on upkeep boni and a boni on reinforcement prize it could be a better choice in the long run because it will save manpower and will allow to bring units faster for a power spike. The end of the tree side is dominated by ammunition abilities to boost infantry or vehicle combat. Depending on the focus or the development of the game and fielded units the choice can add the needed punch for a final and decisive action. 

To sum it up the FFI forces are created around harassment and power management. The BG doesn’t allow tech skip but is about power management by adjusting units and play tactics and economics. The stress of the BG is created by a powerful soft killer callin group and the harassment potential of potent FFI fighters. 

Groupement des Alpes

The Groupement des Alpes is another “light” BG that could be utilised for small pvp game modes. 

The “light armored support” is starting with infantry boost to compensate the lack of “armor” in the first phase of the game. The choice is made between mobility or cover gameplay. With the French weapons like Canon 37 or the Canon 75 (Soixant-Quinze) would favour a more static gameplay to utilise the heavy weapons. On the other side the aggressive moving concept will fit to a player who will try to prevent an axis power peak. The light armored support is focused to the midgame callin of the french Char léger modèle 1935 H modifié 1938 (H-39) light tank. With the MG and 37mm gun the tank is ideal against all sorts of midgame units. To boost the performance the H-39 can use a rapid-fire ability that will turn the H-39 into a formidable powerhouse. With the ability to cap points, boost speed by an upgrade the H-39 will retain some versatility for the lategame with capping and flanking manoeuvres. The late game BG choice is focused on vehicle gameplay. The BG can choose between a more static approach or a mobile approach. The static approach is forcing vehicles to stand still to get the boni. It can be a threat when the unit is forced to move negating the BGs boni. The counterpart is a mobile version favouring movement by reducing negative effects on accuracy and granting boni to received damage modifiers. The crews can protect the vehicle in its movement by using smoke.

The “Free French Mountain units” tree is starting with the French chasseurs, a long-range infantry unit. With the ability to sprint and build sandbags its an ideal long-range cover-based fire unit. With the rifle grenade launcher, the unit can fight enemies in cover and team weapons. The first choice must be made between a callin unit and a munition based rapid fire ability. The callin unit can be used to ignore the Tier 1 2nd sub tech because the Chasseur and the Canon de 75 would allow to replace the French “sniper team” and the soixant quinze. The biggest threat here is the missing AT potential. The option is the ability that would fit better to a tier 1 2nd sub tech tactic [Sidenote: I know; the pic I used isn’t the Canon de 75 mle 1928 but I didn’t find a working pic of the gun, so I took its older brother…]. The last BG choice is now focused on anti-tank combat to boost the French AT tactics. The 90mm gun here is listed as “callin” but it would be a structure similar to the Wehrmacht’s Luftwaffen BG 8,8cm Flak 36 emplacement – for that reason I wont see a rule breaking “4th callin unit” here in the BG. The 90mm gun would be a deadly but static AT killer. The other option is another ammunition-based ability to target armor and to add temporary benefits to French AT units. Compared to the static placed 90mm gun the anti-tank ability is more optimised for situational usage. 

Groupement Chasseurs Parachutistes

The Groupement Chasseurs Parachutistes is separated into an aerial assault tree and a land lease support tree. 

The “land lease support” will start with an adjustment to French infantry. With the fire and move unlock French infantry will move slower but will deal more damage in enemy’s sectors. When they came under attack in their own territory, they are harder to supress. The adjustment will slow down French advancement, but it will help to prevent counterattacks. The charge and assault option will add a munition-based spring and flame nade ability to French infantry. In combination with close combat weapons units can now get into cqc faster and with flame nades they can deal with garrisons or units in cover. With the land lease M3 halftrack callin the French can skip the Special mid game tier by getting access to a multi-role unit. The base version can be used for infantry transport and infantry reinforcement. With the upgrades the French get access to a soft target killer and anti-air version with the quad cal.50 upgrade, or the French can get a 75mm long barrel light armored anit-tank version that can be used for a short emergency HE salvo when needed. The halftrack allows to adopt to situations, or it can be used to create pressure to the enemy.  With the last choice players can use different concepts for frontline support and combat strength regeneration. The medical drop will create a defensive aura effect. Nearby infantry can heal within the area of the drop. The drop is vulnerable to enemy’s fire but it can be used wherever needed. The other option is a forward HQ upgrade. With forward HQs French can recruit new units when needed and they can heal and reinforce here whenever needed. The HQs are way more resilient to incoming fire but they are limited to neutral buildings – and that could be a problem. The two abilities could have more or less advantages depending on the map.

With the “aerial assault” the French forces can air-drop a squad of Chasseurs Parachutistes. These men are close combat SMG armed assault experts. The role can be adopted with the De Lisle Commando Carbine turning the unit into a long range “semi sniper” (close to perfect accuracy) damage dealer unit that will bleed out the enemy. With demolition charges they can prepare ambushes and with Vet1 and the cloak ability they can make maximum usage of the carbine upgrades. With the callin unit French forces don’t need their base Tier 1 or 2 infantry because the paratroopers can be adopted for both game styles. With the air recon run and the aerial smoke screen the French have tools to skip recon and/or smoke units like the French sniper team or the mortar. Recon runs can be used to gain information and the smoke can be used to protect French forces or to blind the enemy. The last abilities are dominated by area damage. With the 155 GPF the French will get a heavy artillery piece that can be moved by truck. Its ideal to barrage enemies and to soften up strongpoints. The aerial fighter bomber strike on the other side is an answer to all sorts of targets. Unlike to the GPF the airstrike is a situational ability that can deal with all sorts of targets – even tanks. Depending on the match both ways could be used to turn the game in French favour. 

Groupement Tirailleurs Colonial

With the French colonial forces and captured reserves, the BG is ideal to skip the special tier units at all.

With the “French colonial forces” units can be trained in small arms fire or in sector movement. The fire barrage will boost fire speed and when enough units are focus-firing on selected units the French can pin down the target unit. With the sector movement cap speed will be enforced to allow a fast cap gameplay for high value ress and positions. When they have capped the sector they are rewarded with moderate boni to received damage and suppression rate to defend the conquered ground against counter attacks. With the Tirailleurs colonial the French can callin an upkeep and popcap efficient unit to boost the units in the field. With the upgrades the unit can be adjusted to fight soft or hard targets. With the Chauchat “LMG” the squad gets more fire power or they use the Boys AT rifle to support French units against armored targets. The end of the tree is marked by different types of area abilities. With the incendiary salvo the French can harm soft targets and garrisons. Furthermore, the burning effect will deny area access to all soft units blocking manoeuvres. On the other side the creeping barrage allows for a more precise approach to break through enemy’s lines. The barrage is more timed and can be used to follow nearby and to take advantage of the shock of the barrage. Unlike to the blocking barrage the creeping barrage is more offensive to allow an attack.

With the “captured reserves” the free French can callin a captured heavy MG42 to skip the Special tier units. The MG is ideal to suppress enemy’s infantry. With the next step the French can modify their vehicles and their performance. The commander upgrade will add a boost to view range and firepower and speed. With the defensive and automated smoke the French units can protect their vehicles against incoming fire. The spiciest decision will come with the last unlock; Here free French players can pick a captured Panther or Tiger callin. The deal is the more AT tuned Panther that could be called in whenever needed OR a single multirole hard hitting single callin Tiger. The deal is the more role dominated tank vs a one-shot-try. Players can try a save game by bet on the Panther’s performance or they go full risk by focus on a single tank that will be able to hit hard and deal a lot of damage. The concept is close to the British BG design with the Churchill and Black Prince callin. 

All in all it’s the most “simple” BG with a full special tier skipping and a late game tank choice.

Groupement France libre

The Groupement France libre is the last BG here.

With the “new French armored corps” the French can callin an anti-tank infantry specialist with the Chasseurs d’Afrique. The squad is a deadly but highly specialised tank hunter unit. With a munition-based speed boost and the ability to place AT mines they are experts for any axis armor that need to be cracked open. On the other side they are situational and wont be great in regular infantry engagements. To counter the early AT focus the next step will enforce infantry combat by adding a mortar strike munition-based ability to infantry or by adding advantages to earn veterancy to boost combat power in the long run. With the mortar strike a good hit can bring an immediate advantage over the more long-running vet based tactics that will help in the mid or late game. The end is marked again by a similar choice and an opportunity to ignore the special tier endgame units. The land lease Sherman 76W is a good answer to deal with axis armor. Better armed and armored to a regular Sherman the 76W is a hard hitting tank. On the other side when a player is confident to deal with axis armor with his M10s and Chasseurs d’Afrique the M12 GMC could be the better choice. It’s a Priest on steroids. The shells are heavy enough to damage tanks too. With the short salvo barrage they are suitable for weaken the enemy for an incoming attack or to destroy strongpoints. 

With the “lessons of the past” the French can chose between an unique French “Maginot like” armored cupola. With its twin MGs and its 360° fire angle but slow rotation it’s a formidable but expansive fortress ideal to defend a chosen point. The problem with such a bunker is the static gameplay and the high cost plus the fact that when the enemy knows where the bunker is they can find ways to ignore or neutralise the bunker. For that reason, the second option is more focused on classic defensive buildings by boosting its durability and allow all units to take advantage of the defensive objects. The special deal here is the heavy barbed wire wall that is strong enough to prevent light vehicle movement (e.g. Jeeps or Bikes).  The next unit in the tree is the Char lance-flammes B1. The germans have captured many B1 tanks and replaced the hull howitzer with a flamethrower. The French are lacking flamethrowers. The heavy Char B1 with its flamethrower is a deadly option and ideal for urban combat maps. Despite its combat power the Char lance-flammes B1 is sharing the same weak spots of the regular Char B1bis; its slow. With the Char B1 the last choice has to be made between munition-based abilities. The ability “Victory at all costs” will boost infantry in combat with the effect that casualties will enforce the effect. That could end in a deadly choice of stay in combat and risk a full squad wipe or to retreat and ignore the bonus to save the squad. The second option is a slower ability with the “situational awareness”. The ability will deal speed for damage and precision. To compensate the lack of movement casualties are replaced by a manpower refund. It’s a dangerous but more defensive ability compared to the aggressive choice. 

The French faction – a review

With the design now done its time to have a look at the proposal. With the faction here I want to show that a faction is possible to create.

The biggest problem would be the “need” for some allied content. I had thought about it but I think its better to add weapons like the Sherman or M10 here to the concept because the French were lacking anything that could fill the gap of a “main battle tank” (keep in mind I refer to the game role and not the historical term here).

The problem is that people will complain about the reuse of allied weapons within the faction, and I see why. On the other side I tried to keep as many French elements in the faction as possible. 

The faction is built around a low tier structure with a semi complicated tech system to keep the progress simple. The infantry has clear roles, and the faction has some intended weaknesses like the missing AT infantry and the dual role units like the Soixant-Quinze. 

With the sub tech system and the low tier number there is the question of a tech centre to add more tactics or faction upgrades into the design. Perhaps it could be useful to implement a tech centre to add techs to reduce unit’s upkeep or upgrade prizes ingame. 

Ingame the faction can be played with sub tiers unlocking weapons for infantry control and mobile support. Depending on the BG some of these Special tier units can be skipped. 

The 1st Tier pool is built around a more defensive approach with the infantry build for cover gameplay, a direct fire HE gun, recon elements and the multirole Soixant-Quinze. 

The 2nd Tier is dominated by a more aggressive gameplay with light and easy to move support weapons morphing into a mechanized gameplay.

Unlike to other factions the French have some unique features like retreating heavy weapons, a “sniper team” and multi-role concepts. 

With 18 units is still a massive load out buts its in line with the other CoH3 factions plus its adding all weapons needed for a full faction.

At the end the French faction is a highly adoptable faction with some hard hitting aggressive or more defensive approaches. The faction is built around battle management and control. 

[PART 2]

The History of the Free French Forces

A defeat…

The history of the free French forces starts with a horrible and catastrophic defeat of the “grande nation”. In May 1940 a smaller, less motorized army with smaller and weaker tanks started an assault against the great allied armies. With the german campaign in full swing the allies would name the german attack “Blitzkrieg” – a lightning war that was smashing down the “best army of the world”. Before the war France had spent many Frances into its defensive organisation and into the modernisation of its armed forces. The Maginot line, new French “FT infantry replacement tanks”, the B.C.R. (Battle, Combat, Reconnaissance) aircrafts, new artillery and new anti-tanks guns – with all the effort many people were convinced that the french armed forces were the best armed forces in the world. Unfortunately, the French armed forces and its officer corps was preparing for the last war.

On 22nd June 1940 the behemoth that was known as the French armed forces was on its knees. At the forest of Compiègne – in the old railway waggon where the germans had signed the armistice of 1918 – the French generals had now to sign a new armistice ending the 3rd French-german war. With the armistice the French army was neutralised… but in the defeat there was the nucleus of the French rebirth.

And a Rebirth

4 days before the armistice was signed a French general – unknown to many French men but well known by some german generals who have read his book “Vers l’armée de métier” – a young and charismatic man – held a speech via BBC radio. Within the speech Général de brigade Charles de Gaulle proclaimed the Free French Forces. 

With the free French forces formed de Gaulle started to organise the new armed forces. With Dunkirk and Norway many French men had escaped to Great Britain where they formed the first new units. In the African colonies the French still had a large number of colonial forces. Out of the pool of French men in England de Gaulle formed an adhoc brigade of 1.400 men. With the British starting to bomb “vichy French positions” more French men joined de Gaulle. It was a slow and painful process. 

The big blow came when French Equatorial Africa with its 16.000 colonial soldiers joined the Free French Forces. Thanks to the boost the free French army sent its 1st Brigade (now 2.000 men) to Africa to expand the success in the colonies. The new armed forces saw their baptism of fire against Vichy French soldiers. With the backup of the colonial forces the French started to participate in British battles in Africa. Equipped by the British the free French forces went into battle all over Africa. With the campaign in Syria and Lebanon the free French forces generated more men and gained more weapons. At Bir Hakeim the free French men fought italo-german tank forces for the first time after the bloody defeat in France. With the small successes and the stiffen resistance the free French men gain a reputation of battle-hardened veterans and experts in desert warfare. 

Turning tides

The big turn came when the USA joined the war and when the allies – here the British-American forces started their big African offensive with the Operation Torch. Here at the African costs of Morocco and Algeria US tank men and GI infantry soldiers saw their first combat – against French tanks and Vichy infantry.

With the rapid success of the allied forces in northern Africa and because of internal struggles and the german distrust the Vichy French army and state was now collapsing and vanishing. When the allied forces had reached the Tunisian boarders most the Vichy African Army had laid down their arms without firing a shot. It was the moment de Gaulle and his growing group of young and talented military officers used to start a large scale rebuild of the free French forces but before the Gaullist could start the rebuild, they had to get control over all French forces. Led by Admiral Darlan the former Vichy African army joined the allies and Darlan did his best to limit the influence of the Gaullist men. At Christmas eve Darlan was assassinated by a French student. Till today there are rumours and suggestions that the assassination was organised by de Gaulle and his men to get the control over all resources of the Vichy forces and to eliminate a potential rival who was preferred by the USA as new French allied leader. De Gaulle had turned into a ruthless politician by eliminating all sorts of danger for his now growing powers. He had a sort of talent to turn decision that were forced by the US-UK-command into an advantage for his position and his clique. With the battle of political power in the background the French army started to rebuild an army for the allied course. Led by the former Vichy general Juin – a compromise by the Gaullist men – 60.000 out of the roughly 700.000 men in the French Vichy colonial armed forces were now formed into the first generation of free French divisions. The core free French men were still sceptical, but they joined the new army to represent de Gaulle’s position in the now growing French forces. 

Général Juin utilised the position of his Vichy men. With the former “Divisione Tunis” and “Divisione Constantine” in frontal position to the advancing italo-german forces that were moving from the Tunisian bridgehead westwards to get better defensive positions the now “Free French Forces” of Général Juin met the axis forces. Organized into the 19th Military Region Command, renamed into 19th Corps and soon renamed French Corps, 4 french colonial division, a new formed brigade légère mécanique and some smaller special commands, take part in the battles of Tunisia. The first blood toll of the new French army was high; out of the 60.000 men 16.000 were listed KIA, WIA, MIA when the allied forces liberated Tunis, the capital of Tunisia, and ending the African battles in ww2.

Time to rebuild

With the axis capitulation in Africa the French army now got the time it needed to reorganise its forces. With the Casablanca conference the allied leaders discussed the rearming and reorganisation of a new French army. With the French Committee for National Liberation (CFLN) the French political parties now started to reorganise too. Within the months of June to December 1943 a new French army and organisation formed. 

The British and American units were now preparing for the next steps; the invasion of Italy. With the lessons learned from the African battles the British were forced to concentrate their efforts on their imperial forces. The Free French Forces that fought with the British were forced to give back British weapons. The US on their side started to take their lessons from the African campaign by reorganising their armed forces with the focus on the armored forces that had performed poorly in the African battles. Expecting more bloody battles the US army – and here led by General Eisenhower – demanded a french army of 7 infantry divisions and 4 armored division organised into 2 armies. 

By 1943, then, it was clear that the French troops would be equipped, organised, and trained as part of US planning and arrangements. With the US starting help the French army formed the 1st Free French Division (sometimes with different names), 2nd Moroccan Infantry Division, 3rd Algerian Infantry Division, 4th Moroccan Mountain Division and 9th Colonial Infantry Division, and the 1st, 2nd and 5th Armoured Divisions. The French kept their traditional names of brigades, semi-brigades, and regiments but they adopted the new US doctrine of the combat commands. The biggest problem for the US forces was the fact that the French infantry was dominated by colonial soldiers. The US command was afraid that the colonial soldiers could revolt and turn the new formed army into chaos and disintegration.

The second biggest problem was the question of weapons, uniforms and equipment. After the fall of France the French men hadn’t been able to save much material. The Norwegian units had brought back some French AT guns and howitzers and 12 Hotchkiss H35 tanks. The men who escaped Dunkirk had nothing – they were lucky to save their lives. In Africa the French had some equipment stored. With the campaigns in Syria and Lebanon the free French forces were able to acquire men, guns and supplies. It was here in Syria were the free French got their Canon de 25 SA mle 1934 and Canon de 75 mle 1987 modifie 1938; weapons they reused in northern Africa to fight the italo-german army. When the battle of Africa came to an end the Vichy army depots came under the control of the new allied French forces these forces made good use of it. In these depots the French found many weapons ranging from old ww1 Canon d’infanterie de 37 mle 1916 TRP over improvised guns like the 37 mm de marine anti-char to guns like the Canon de 25 SA mle 1934 and Canon de 75 mle 1987 modifie 1938. The biggest gains were a number of tanks and heavy artillery guns. The north African colonies were reinforced by Char Renault D1, Somua S35, AMD Laffly 50 AM, AMC Schneider P 16 and AMR 33 and some old French 155 GPF howitzers and 90mm anti-air canons. Beside the heavy arms the Vichy depots were filled with small arms like carbines, machine guns and submachine guns. 

Because of the reinforcement the free French armed forces cant take part in the Sicilian battles. The French send a token force that was subordinated to the US forces. 

The big French return to the battlefields of ww2 came with the landing of the new formed Corps Expéditionnaire Français, CEF – the French Expeditionary Corps in italy. 

Corps Expéditionnaire Français

Led by Général Juin the new formed CEF landed in January 1944 with over 110.000 men in Italy. As part of the 5th US Army the CEF had landed 4 Divisions (1st Free French, 2nd Moroccan, 3rd Algerian and 4th Moroccan plus a number of support units like the Moroccan Goumiers (elite mountain troopers) and the Chasseurs d'Afrique)) in Italy. With the fresh forces at hands US-General Clark sent the reinforcement to the Monte Cassino frontlines. At Cassino the French units were placed at the central flank of the US II Corps. Here the French met the germans in a number of intense and ferocious battles. The French were kept in combat here until June 1944 when the combined effort of the American-british-indian-polish-french-italian allied forces were able to overwhelm the german forces at the Gustave line. With the germans collapsing the French joined the assault und moved on to the town of Siena 45km south of Florence. Here the French advance was hold. The US were already sceptical of the Italian campaign and the French were always hoping to play a critical part of the planed allied landings in France. In early 1944 the plans for the landing in France get more concrete and with the stalemate in Italy and the heavy blood toll the US army had paid for some meters of Italian ground the US Forces decided to remove units from Italy for the planned invasion of France. 

Within the 5~6 month of battle in Italy the CEF had lost 30.000 men (KIA, WIA, MIA) but the French men and their colonial soldiers had shown that they could fight and that they can be trusted. The Goumiers had earned a reputation of an effective and hard-hitting French formation. For that reason, General Clark wasn’t happy when the US command decided to remove forces from Italy – and the French joined the regrouping by hoping to be sent to France next, a hope that was well placed…

The landings in France

On 6th June 1944 the allies were starting the “great crusade” – against the germans. Operation Overload, the Normandy landings, had begun. 

Against de Gaulle’s hopes the French werent part of the first wave. The 2e Division Blindée, 2e DB, was subordindated to the 3rd US Army of General Patton and landed in the Normandy on 1st August 1944. Led by the famous General Leclerc, the 2e DB, was a veteran of the African campaign that was reformed into an armored division based on the US light armored division TOE. From here the 2e DB followed the route of the 3rd US Army and participated in the battles around the Falaise pocket. 

The 19th August marked a turn within the French history. The French Resistance proclaimed that they would start a revolt in Paris to liberate the city from the retreating germans. De Gaulle was afraid that Paris could turn into another Warsaw – a town that was revolting against the germans when liberating forces were nearby. De Gaulle ordered the 2e DB to move into the town to prevent the fate of Warsaw. Eisenhower who wasn’t happy about de Gaulle’s dicision decided to send the 4th US Division with the 2e DB to prevent a catastrophe. On 24th of August the day had come the French were dreaming for a long time; the first men of the 2e DB reached the Paris suburbs and entered the capital of France. On 25th of August the entire 2e DB and the 4th US Division had ended all german resistance around the city and joined the French spearhead that was in the town centre. The next day saw the great parade of the French men lead by General Leclerc and General and President of France De Gaulle.

With Paris liberated the 2e DB got some rest and time to refresh. The French command was already looking to another front in France that saw many more French units in faction…

On August 15 the Allies started the second invasion by landing 2 armies – the 7th US Army and the new formed “Armée B” of Général d'armée Jean de Lattre de Tassigny – in southern France. The June and July battles in Normandy had shown that the allies would need way longer to get in control of sufficient ports to supply their armies and land more men. For that reason, the US forces revived the old idea of US General Marshall to land in southern France and captured the big French Mediterranean ports to advance into France from the south. With Overlord in the north and Dragoon in the south the US command was convinced that the germans wont be able to defeat allied forces and defend France against the allies. Unlike to the Normandy landings the US forces in the south were weaker. Furthermore, with the CEF and the still reorganising elements of the former French African army the French had way more units in the theatre compared to the Normandy landings. 

The “Armée B” landed with the 2eme Corps d’armée that was formed out of the 1st Free French Division, the 1st Armored Division, the 3rd Algerian Division, the 9th Colonial Division and a number of support units. The germans in the south couldn’t resist the onslaught of the new arriving allied forces but against all allied hopes a brilliant General Blaskowitz managed to retreat his men without serious loses and casualties to the north into the Metz-Belfort fortified defensive perimeter to prepare a foothold in the Alsace-Lorraine region.  

An united French command

Now with the allied forces from the north and south meeting the germans had retreat to new defensive lines. Between late August and early September the allied forces had stopped the attacks along the frontline. Supply issues had forced the allies to reorganise the supplies and to concentrate on a single thrust before the entire allied front could restart the general offensive against the remaining german forces in France and northern Europe. 

For the French it was time to centralise their armed forces. With the majority of France liberated the former partisan movement – the francaise de l’interieur (FFI) – that had successfully harassed and weakened the germans was dissolved. The FFI turned into a manpower pool the French needed to replace casualties and to form new units. Now with the Ile de France liberated many men joined the French army to help to liberate the remaining pieces that were in germans hands.

With the FFI the now renamed “1re Armée France libre” started to expand. Organised into 2 corps and part of the newly formed 6th US (Allied) Army group the French men took position in Alsace and Lorraine. The army had grown to 10 divisions now. The old 1st Free French, 1st Armored, 2nd Armored, 5th Armored, 2nd Moroccan, 3rd Algerian, 4th Moroccan and 9th Colonial were now reinforced by the 10th and 14th Infantry division that were formed from former FFI fighters. 

With the now strengthened force the French took part in the serious german counter attacks in Lorraine that met the allies by surprise. In late 1944 the 1er Armée was able to reach the former Maginot line and liberate the town of Strasbourg. With positions at the Rhine and besieging the town of Colmar that was still under german control the French army met the german new year offensive called Operation Nordwind. It took the allies until march to eliminate the german footholds that were created by the last german offensive in the west. Colmar or the “Gambsheim cancer” were eliminated. In March the army was ordered to break through the weak german positions at the Siegfried line – the Westwall. With the offensive the French started to advance into Germany and conquered towns like Karlsruhe and Stuttgart. Some French units like the 4th Moroccan division advanced as far as the Austrian border when the war ended. 

With the german capitulation on 8th May 1945 the war ended with a French victorious army on german soil. Defeated in 1940 the French had now helped to smash down the german armed forces and they have managed to liberate France from the german occupation. The next years It would be French units that would occupy parts of southwest german.

Now many years after the war the French and Germans had become friends. The enemies of the past are now a beacon of hope for freedom and peace in Europe. 

Forgotten battles

With the allied campaigns in Northern and Southern France and with battles like Operation Market Garden or the Battle of the Bulge many people have forgotten that there were a number of other battles the French forces were involved. 

When the allied war machine was racing to the german boarder the question arose what the allies should do with the French harbour towns that were transformed into fortresses by the german forces that were cut off by the allied landings. The battle of Brest and St Malo that had raged from early August to late September had shown the allies that it would need a lot of men and material to liberate fortified towns. On the other side with the allied liberation of the southern French ports and the Normandy the allies were hoping to keep up the offensive without the need of paying more blood for more harbours. 

Towns like Royan, La Rochelle, St. Nazaire and Lorient were under german control. The US army wasn’t interested in pin down vital US units in a number of siege operations. For that reason the allies made use of the FFI, other French partisan forces and the new free French armed forces. The French were ordered to lay siege to all the remaining german fortresses. The French should guard the germans within their selfmade “prison camps” and when possible, the French should try to connive the germans to surrender whenever possible. The allies were looking for saving men and material but guarding the germans at the same time. The problem of these missions was the fact that the French were lacking heavy weapons and the allies couldn’t spent many heavy guns to the French to siege the cities. 

The sieges were one reason why French officers were starting to race though France in summer and autumn of 1944. De Gaulle know that he was dependent on allied war material. He knows that there was a chance that the US could stop delivering material like the British had done after the axis capitulation in Africa. For that reason, de Gaulle ordered to search for weapons in the liberated French territories and to restart arms production as fast as possible. Against all odds the French had some success. Everywhere in France the French man recovered tanks, guns and ammunition. Some small workshops started to build weapons like improvised armored cars or mortars. It was here where French men e.g. mounted a French H35 turret to a captured SdKfz 251. The French industry was joining the effort too. In autumn 1944 french factories started to produce ammunition, some small arms like mortars and other needed equipment. Factories helped to repair recovered French and german tanks and guns. Some French factories were able to develop and start to build the first gen of new French weapons like the ARL-44 tank or the EBR armored car. 

With these efforts, improvisation, and creativity the French managed to solve the task to guard the remaining german positions in France and help the French army to advance to the eastern French boarders.

Battle of northern Italy – or in French: deuxième bataille des Alpes

Unknown to many there was still one frontline that was often ignored. With the CEF leaving Italy in summer 1944 many people think that the French Italian adventure had ended but it hasn’t. De Gaulle thought with all eyes north he could use the chance the realise an old French dream of capturing and annexing from Italian territories in northwestern Italy. His biggest dream was a French push to Torino in Italy and the chance to annex Torino and Genoa for France. De Gaulle was looking for his chance to take revenge for the Italian attack in 1940 and the Italian occupation of parts of southern France. 

Covered by the French “Armée B” the French army started to organise a new “army” called “Détachement d'Armées des Alpes”. Part of the new army was the new formed 27th Alpine division that was formed out of Veterans of the 1940 Alps battles and FFI members of the Département Isère, the region around the French town of Grenoble. The French even revived some of the former elite ski troops of the section d’éclaireurs-skieurs (SES). All in all, de Gaulle had concentrated 40.000 men for his trust into Italy. 

On 23rd March De Gaulle ordered the attack. Covered by the argument to “help” the allied push to the river Po de Gaulle’s men started to attack the axis lines. In 1944 the French-italian boarder was manned by an axis token force but when the Italian recon patrols noticed the French concentrations the axis reacted. With the creation of the Army Liguria the LXXV. Armeekorps (z.b.V.) – 75. Special purpose army corps – was formed to defend the Genoa region. The italo-french boarder was part of the corps area. In October 1944 the corps had the 34. Infanterie-Division, the 5. Gebirgs-Division and the 157. (Reserve-)Gebirgs-Division plus the 2 elite “Hochgebirgs-Jäger-Bataillon” 3 and 4 under its command. The Hochgebirgs-Jäger-Bataillone were under the command of the 5. Gebirgs-Division that kept its main forces in reserve. In November 1944 the Hochgebirgs-Jäger-Bataillone were redeployed. Alarmed by the Italian reports the Italian army command was now reacting and replaced the german removals with RSI soldiers. The Italians send parts of the 2ª Divisione granatieri "Littorio" and the 4ª Divisione alpina "Monterosa". Both divisions had Italian Aplini men in their ranks. Together with the weakened german division the 75. Armeekorps could send 4 division with up to 20.000 men to the boarder. The battles in the alps were brutal. The French men opened the attack on 23rd March against the Alpine fortresses. In the next 8 days battle raged at the St. Bernard pass. The battle had a high prize for both sides. On the 8th day the Italian Alpini commander decided to abandon the frontline forts to retreat to new positions. With the French and Italian alpine units fighting at the St. Bernard pass the 1st Free French Division launched an assault on the Mont Cenis and its passes on the 5th April. Here they met the 5. Gebirgs-Division and the Italian parachute regiment Folgore. The first days saw French successes but against all odds the Italians and germans launched a counterattack on the 7th day of the battle. The Italian men charged the French lines and at the end of the day all positions that were lost in the days before were retaken by italo-german units. With the failed attacks at Mon Cenis and the slow progress at the St. Bernard pass the US command started to have doubts about the French mission targets. With the US supplies stopped the Armée des Alpes changed the main attack again. The French concentrated men of the 27th Alpine and 1st Free French division for a final thrust into the direction of the Col de Larche. Things started to change. With the allies advancing to the river Po the german forces got nervous and were looking for their last chance to get back to german soil before they were cut of by the Allies in northern Italy. On 26 April the axis defence had collapsed and suddenly the route was open for the French men. With the now incoming French reports of their advancement Field Marshall Alexander realised that he had to react. Alexander allowed the French to move 30km deep into Italian territory before they had to stop but the set line wasn’t accepted by de Gaulle and so he ordered Général Doyen, commander of the Armée des Alpes, to advance deeper. With the French ignoring allied orders get nervous. Soon a political crisis was developing by the question where the French would stop and what would happen when the French men annexed parts of Italy. Reports were sent to US president Truman who contacted de Gaulle. Truman now used the card de Gaulle was always afraid of. Truman informed de Gaulle that he had to retreat from Italy or the US would stop all supplies and retake all US material from the French. With such a threat de Gaulle had to accept and at the end of May the crisis had ended by a French retreat and a reestablished italo-french prewar boarder. 

With that story I will end the wild ride of the free French military history. It is just a short overview but I think it will help to understand that the French were a vital part of the allied war effort and that their forces had some impact on the war.

[PART 3]

The arsenal of the FFF

-soon-