Cambodia to Form Parliament - Agence Havas, Monday, November 5, 1945
The Kingdom of Cambodia, scheduled to achieve independence in February of next year, will have elections on December 30th to elect the representatives for their first parliament. According to the plan, roughly half of the positions in the Chamber of Representatives, will be of two years duration, while the other half will be four years in duration; once the initial term is up, all terms will thereafter be four years long. The new Cambodian parliament will be seated for the first time on Independence Day, February 1st, and will vote to approve the proposed Cambodian constitution.
Government Admits Assistance to Dutch in Central Africa - Le Matin, Tuesday, November 6, 1945
In a press conference today at Palais d'Elysee, Foreign Minister Ducharme confirmed that the French government is providing assistance to Dutch forces trying to put down the uprising in Ubangi-Shari. Ducharme revealed that fifty-six Normandie transports of GAT II/67, based in Saint-Christol, have been engaged in transporting Dutch troops and supplies to central Africa, by means of airfields at Algiers and Niamey. According to the minister's brief, the assistance with airlift is provided to help restore a semblance of civil order to the troubled region, and the French government would evaluate in three months whether or not to extend the loan of aircraft. "French military personnel," Ducharme stated, "should not be actively engaged against coup combatants, but have nevertheless been authorized to defend themselves in the zone of operations using appropriate force." Assistance of other types, including an offer to train a cadre of Dutch parachute troops, has also been made available.
Ducharme additionally conversed at some length on security measures within French Africa, noting that despite many worries, the Ubangi-Shari Mutiny had not sparked any general anti-colonial uprising. The military did note a slight upswing in banditry activity in the Inner Niger Delta, where troops from the French Foreign Legion, operating as Groupement Scipion, are engaged with Islamicist river pirates.
Solemn Armistice Day Ceremonies - Sunday, November 11, 1945
Despite a cold front that brought freezing rain, sleet, and light snow across northern France, President Theisman and other senior French officials attended various Armistice Day ceremonies across the nation.
Ninth Issue of Voisin et Hennequin Released - L'Union, Tuesday, November 13, 1945
The ninth and final issue of popular comic Voisin et Hennequin, following two French ace aviators during a native revolt in the fictional colony of Côte Rocheuse, arrived in stores today. In this issue, the two pilots manage to rescue Voisin's girlfriend Joséphine, held as a prisoner at the mercenary airbase. While escaping, the two pilots run afoul of the chief mercenary fighter pilot, Colonel Abraham Dirksen, and their own treacherous senior officer, Capitaine Demange. In a final dogfight, Voisin shoots down Demange, while Hennequin rams Dirksen's plane to prevent him from shooting down his friend. Both Hennequin and Dirksen bail out in the desert and meet under the shade of a large rock, where they agree on a truce and share their last bit of water to survive the day before they are rescued by the Foreign Legion's camel troops.
This ninth issue ends the comic's Côte Rocheuse arc. The comic's creators have announced that an omnibus edition with all nine episodes will be published next year, and a new story arc will start reaching shelves soon afterward.
Destroyer Tartu Launched by DCNS La Rochelle - Monday, November 19, 1945
In La Rochelle, the DCNS shipyard launched the sixteenth Forbin-class destroyer, christened Tartu.
Balochistan Rocked by Earthquake - Paris-Soir, Thursday, November 29, 1945
A major earthquake rocked Balochistan yesterday and reportedly caused major damage in Mumbai and other regions of Bharat. The French government extended its condolences to the Indian poeple and indicated emergency supplies would be sent by air and sea to assist the recovery. The French frigate Sans Reproche and submarine tender Jules Verne were dispatched to the northeast Arabian Sea to help provide medical assistance as well as search and rescue.
Ramjet Test Goes Awry? - Science et Vie, Monday, December 3, 1945
According to aviation observers, the loss of a radio-controlled bomber belonging to the French Air Force may not have been the accident it first seemed. The aircraft, a retired Bloch MB.174 medium bomber, crashed on November 16th after the aircraft was struck by an unmanned Lioré et Olivier LeO-621 ramjet testbed. However, aviation observers believe the event was not an accident. The bomber lost in the event was designated by the Armee de l'Aire as a 'radio-controlled target aircraft' and was unmanned, being flown remotely by a mothership. The LeO-621 ramjet, on the other hand, is a variant of an earlier unmanned drone. This small drone is launched from the ground using a quartet of strap-on rockets, which boost the drone up to speed in order to start the main ramjet engine, which then propels the drone to a maximum altitude of six thousand meters. According to certain confidential sources, the LeO-621 is speculated to be the first French prototype of a guided aircraft interception missile, similar to those rumoured to be in service or development elsewhere in the world.
Indochina Expands Air, Ground Forces - Le Spectateur Militaire Weekly, Monday, December 10, 1945
The Indochinese Parliament voted 67-8 to approve and fund the Fourth Year Militarization Defense Proposal. This programme comprehensively addresses both the continuing evolution of the Indochinese armed forces, as well as the preparations for Cambodian independence.
Among the most immediately noted changes heralded by the bill's passage is the renaming of the Territorial Security Forces, the main ground forces branch, to become the Army of the Autonomous Republic of Indochina (ARI). As part of the transition from the Territorial Security Forces to the ARI, Indochina shall assume control of the third and final of the French Army's Colonial Infantry Divisions. A series of expansions, proposed and implemented in stages over the last two years, were similarly affirmed, setting the peacetime manpower of the ARI at 105,000 men.
Similarly, the Indochinese Air Defense Group will be substantially strengthened by the passage of the bill, effectively doubling in manpower over the coming year. The GDAI's anti-aircraft troops will be substantially increased from four battalions to nine, while the number of interceptor squadrons shall rise from four squadrons to two Groupes de Chasse. However, overall command of air forces in the Indochina region will still rest in the hands of the Armee de l'Aire, which still deploys over five times as many aircraft in the zone as the GDAI. This is due to the continuing weakness in recruiting, training, and retaining educated and skilled pilots from within Indochina itself.
Saint Louis Launches in La Rochelle - Friday, December 21, 1945
The new heavy cruiser Saint Louis was launched today in La Rochelle. This new cruiser, armed with nine 20cm main guns, should complete sometime in 1946.
Parliament Elections in Cambodia - Gia Dinh Bao, Sunday, December 30, 1945
Cambodians voted on candidates to fill the sixty seats in the planned parliament, expected to sit for the first time on February 1st of 1946. The election proceded without a hitch in most major cities, but suffered at least two major setbacks. In a number of rural sectors, sufficient ballots were not distributed to the polling centres. In at least three regions, a large number of voters were turned away from the polls since they only had identification papers from the Autonomous State of Indochina, rather than the newly-released identification papers with 'Kingdom of Cambodia' stamps. Election officials had previously declared the older Autonomous Indochina ID would be sufficient for voter identification, but it seems this decision was not communicated to all polling stations. The election officials indicated they may throw out the results in those three regions and hold another election in two weeks in order to rectify the situation.