Talk:French Stalemate

FYI - What I'm trying to do here is portray how France could have been a battlefield for much of the length of GW2 (at least eight years) and not emerge a wasteland. My inspiration was the US civil war's eastern theatre, which was generally the most vital area of that war but generally did not suffer the worst battles (those, such as Shiloh, tended to be in the West) until the end. Individual battles were often terrible--Gettysburg and Antitiem come to mind--but wholesale devastation of entire regions didn't happen until the final series of offensives under Grant (Sherman's "March to the Sea" etc.).

I realize this part of things pretty much requires Christophe's approval, which is why I'm only going to develop this a tiny bit more--mostly regarding blitzkrieg tactics adapted for airships.

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Zahir 10:07, 3 November 2005 (PST)

This article is up for de-proposalizing. Zahir 08:23, 4 May 2006 (PDT)

Tanks

Would they be called tanks? Or Barrels? Or something else? I know they're called Barrels in Harry Turtledove's alt-history series...and given the different make-up of the world of IB, would they be called something in Kerno? Or something else? BoArthur 08:47, 4 May 2006 (PDT)

They are named as such because they wanted to hide what they really were, even from their own troops (keep the info secret incase of a push or capture). Tanks are drums that contain liquid and whatnot, but so are barrels, so they just adopted these names as their true ones. Seth 21:50, 4 May 2006 (PST)

Yes, and I understood as much. What I wonder is if these creations would have the name of Tanks *there* or if they would have a name in French, or Brithenig, or even German? BoArthur

*here*, the french word is "char d'assaut" or more generaly "blindé" ("armoured vehicles"). I would assume the same hold true *there*. --Marc Pasquin 17:52, 4 May 2006 (PDT)

French Countryside Intact?

Why do you suggest that Hessler's Empire wanted the French Countryside intact? I think this comes down to a motives line. Was Hessler from the "Old School" where you harass your victim until they beg for peace and give you the concessions you want, and then you give back the land you took (if that's not the concession you want already?) Or was Hessler just looking to conquer, conquer, conquer? I've never fully understood his motives. Please tell me what you think, David. BoArthur 08:50, 4 May 2006 (PDT)

Essentially, my image of Adolf von Hessler is that he was extremely ambitious for himself and his nation. He was an ardent nationalist, one who saw the Holy Roman Empire (with Prussia's leadership) as potentially the true heir of its namesake--farmoreso than the FK, than Russia or the SR. Or perhaps more accurately, he saw the HRE as the successor to the Western Empire. Like Hitler, part of his goal was liebestraum but unlike Hitler he wasn't looking for it to the East. Hessler wanted terrority to the West! Alsace-Lorraine was only the beginning. He wanted Burgundie and the Low Countries as Imperial vassals, both heavily defended. Perhaps this wasn't his original, planned goal, but when the war broke out, that was the glittering prize dangling in his imagination--to make the Kaiser the ruler of an empire that would include much of Charlamagne's! And towards that end, being in fact very shrewd, he wanted: (1) To take northern France as intact as he could manage, and (2) To make a draconian peace with Prussia as palatable as possible to the French. I suspect the waste and useless expenditure of resources of total war appalled him, which made him see warfare more in terms of surgical thrusts than broad campaigns. This has its advantages, but did lead him to myopia when he finally attacked a member of the SR. Does that make sense? Zahir 19:20, 4 May 2006 (PDT)

Lines

What did you have in mind for the "lines" of the battles? BoArthur 08:52, 4 May 2006 (PDT)

Hopefully, the map I've uploaded answers your question? Zahir 09:10, 14 May 2006 (PDT)

Expansion of the Article?

I think that, should you want to expand on this somewhat, Marc and I are more-or-less the regents of France in Christophe's absence, so I wouldn't stand against development of this. Marc, what say you? BoArthur 08:52, 4 May 2006 (PDT)

Okay, so now that Bo and Marc are officially caretakers of France until Christophe's return, what say you to this article? I didn't want to go into huge detail about what happened in France during GW2, but just give an overview that would take into account the known (and implied) facts. Comments? Questions? Suggestions? Zahir 15:25, 22 August 2006 (PDT)

I think it could be useful to visit the major thrusts during the stalemate, the results, the change in posturing, etc. BoArthur

I was thinking perhaps our newest member Schlock junkie might want to make some specific contributions to this article? Myself, I wasn't interesting in describing this military campaign in terribly huge detail (although I've no objections to same). He has already mentioned this article on the list. Any specific suggestions, including any further ones from Bo or Marc? Zahir 06:40, 3 August 2007 (PDT)

None come to mind right now; at least for me. I'm fine to see what creative ideas schlock has. BoArthur 16:33, 3 August 2007 (PDT)

Maginot Line

Given that GWI was a bit bloodier, and longer lasting, I suspect highly that a similar "Maginot Line" was erected *there*. I'm sure that it was just as quickly over-run, but at the same time, I think that it would be useful to note how it differed *there*, given that most of the border that was shared *here* is changed *there* with a larger Luxemburg, the existence of Jervaine and the larger Batavian Kingdom.

Thoughts? BoArthur 18:33, 26 November 2008 (UTC)

Probably the strongest part of the line would be the zigzag where France meets Rhineland and Luxemburg. That part of France is a salient that would be difficult to defend, so there would be some sort of buildup on the Batavian border, as well. France is jointly in control of a third of Jervaine, so would the line be built inside the condominium, or outside? Another thing to consider is that Helvetia *there* was not the forever neutral nation it was *here*, and that just before the war it became German territory. (EDIT) It says on the GW2 Outline page that in France, "Proposals for a series of elaborate static fortresses were tabled in favor of mobile force capable of delivering powerful counterthrusts at the enemy. That may have saved France in the end." Benkarnell 10:31, 30 November 2011 (PST)