France: World War III

Neutral at Heart (2055-2065)
France, at the onset of World War III, along with most of the European Union (EU) declared neutrality. It was threatened by both the Holy Islamic Empire (HIE) and the Communist Federated Republics (CFR), so fearing that its land could be turned into a hellscape, France vowed to stay out of the war, voting every time against war whenever it came up during Europe's seven years of neutrality. Decades of military cutbacks from the Second Great Depression and increasing hostility of the EU's neighboring countries grew instability and fear among the French public and government.

During the 2060's, France underwent violent revolts from its Muslim population, turning many cities into what could be described as war zones, mainly Paris, which suffered the worst of these revolts. It wasn't until 2062, however, that it was discovered that the HIE secretly funded all the revolts.

As the HIE and CFR accumulated forces around Europe, the French president denied their plans for invasion, assuring that the Hegemony wouldn't dare step on their land despite the fact that the war had already reached American soil. The future was foreseeable and as people braced for war, the French government kept a blind hope for peace. The French military, however, prepared for war, installing the Grenoble and Seville Lines along the Alps and Pyrenees Mountains in the case of Italy and Iberia falling to the Hegemony along with coastal defenses along the southern border, both to protect from the HIE.

In the spring of 2062, the European Union was invaded, and France was forced into a war it desperately didn't want to be caught in.

Invasion of Europe & the Hamburg Line
The CFR and HIE swept through the weaker nations of the EU, conquering everything east of the River Elbe in Germany within only months. The overseas colonies of New Caledonia and French Guiana were seized by China and Brazil respectively. But now fighting a war on its border with Italy with the HIE and loosing the island of Corsica, France's hopes for the war to stay off its soil withered in the mind of the government. In a desperate attempt for peace, France secretly approached the Hegemony for a settlement, taking advantage of the fact that the HIE and CFR were struggling to pass Germany's "Hamburg Line". Diplomats from both nations met in Paris, where it was agreed that the Hegemony would be granted safe passage through their territory so long as they respect French sovereignty. A pact was struck and the Hamburg Line was out flanked, leaving Germany, the Low Countries and most Denmark for pickings.

The Hegemony tried turning on Iberia, but was swiftly defeated at the Seville Line along the Pyrenees Mountains. To focus further attacks on the remaining Allies, the French northern and southern coasts were demanded. Spinelessly, France gave them up, again, not wanting war with the Hegemony to happen.

The decision to drop out of the war was horribly opposed by the people and military of France, as they had braced themselves for invasion and refused to see their nation humiliated. People took to the streets, protesting, but what was done was done and the Hegemony had an unmovable military presence in the region.

From the northern coast, the CFR launched an invasion of the United Kingdom, also bombing it in a series of attacks worse than the Blitz of World War II on it and Ireland and the north of France provided a vessel for those attacks. When the Red Army was forced off Britain in 2064, the CFR fortified the beaches, readying itself for the possibility of British invasion.

France, though, despite its neutrality, was still affected by the war, finding itself falling victim to nuclear radiation and constant revolts from Muslim radicals. The French Army had no room to expand and the war around it withered away at it.

Fall of France
The Holy Islamic Empire suddenly betrayed the CFR in 2064, declaring a holy war on the entire world. From its positions in Europe, the HIE invaded the CFR and its occupied lands. France's days of neutrality were numbered as the HIE quickly turned on it. From the southern coast, the HIE moved north in an unexpected invasion. France collapsed rapidly as Muslim hordes flooded in and the French Army was helpless. The Hegemony to the north pulled all troops from France proper, leaving it to fend for itself.

It soon surrendered as the HIE marched on Paris by mid-2065. The broken nation was split between the CFR and HIE, turning its ruins into a bitter war zone. The remnants of the French government fled to Spain and the UK, pleading for forgiveness by the EU for its betrayal. Knowing that France would have to be the first nation liberated if Europe was to be returned to the Allies, France rejoined the Allied Powers.

Operation Charlemagne
In 2066, after America liberated its territory from Chinese occupation, Operation Charlemagne was to begin with the amphibious invasion of CFR France from across the English Channel. They landed on the beaches of Normandy with the much needed assistance of the US and Mexico, which poured millions of troops into the campaign. Extensive casualties were suffered by the Allies while the Hegemony saw very little in comparison.

Despite this setback, the Allies managed to grab two small footholds. The next attack was carried out on Calais and Dunkirk, where the CFR forces were overwhelmed and forced to flee. Troops in the Low Countries were then diverted to France to which the HIE invaded. The front soon after collapsed for the CFR and most of its possessions in the region fell to the Allies and HIE.

Battle of Beauvais
The small French city of Beauvais was then liberated from the HIE, where it was discovered that they had been carrying the worst war crimes in all of human history as all the populous were found dead from crucifixion, decapitation and burning at the stake. The Allies then vowed to destroy the HIE first before making any major movement against the Hegemony.

The Seville Offensive
Allied forces stationed on the Seville Line in Spain, after seeing the success up north, move against the HIE, moving passed the Pyrenees Mountains and liberating much of southern France. Spain was the first country to be fully liberated from the HIE. At the Battle of Poitiers, Allied forces from Iberia and Britain linked up, creating a sizable enclave in western Europe against the HIE.

Battle of Paris
While the HIE continually moved against the weakened CFR, fighting a brutal struggle over the prize of New Stalingrad, the Allies in Europe and India made slow progress, with the Allies of Europe reaching the historic French capital. The HIE saw that Paris would be a losing battle, so to still bring on a decisive blow to the Allies, the HIE raised it. France's ancient relics were destroyed; Allied attempts to minimize collateral damage failed, as the Louvre was burned down, along with other famous staples of the city. The Allied Powers were victorious, but at a horrible cost.

Battle of Corsica & Sardinia
With mainland France and all of Belgium finally liberated, Allied Special Forces were sent to take back Corsica and Sardinia, doing so quite easily, and liberating the last piece of French soil under the HIE, as well as the first piece of Italian land.

France was a full fledged Allied Power again and its precious land was fully liberated, but at the horrible cost of millions of lives and countless historical trinkets and relics.

The War Away from France (2067-2077)
Although the war was no longer on French soil, it still suffered from it. In late-2067, the HIE unleashed the fearsome HAVA Virus, a genetically altered form of Ebola that killed billions of people and left France even more depopulated. What was left of France's once flourishing woodlands and fields were burned to the ground as the virus incubated in trees. Now a wasteland, for the remainder of the conflict, France would send troops to fight in Africa and Russia, also assisting in the Pacific War and eventual invasion of China.

Once the war was finished, France with the rest of the EU joined the new world government and over the next century would work to restore the world to a flourishing, clean and beautiful place, the place it once was.