WesWorld

1st Janurary, 1936:

The French government has issued a grant of corporation to a new company, which has committed itself to the development of France's lighter then air transport and commercial capability. The Le Dirigeable française Tranportation Entreprise or the French Airship Transportation Company, formed by the merger of the La Société de Santos-Dumont d'Albert, the Le Montgolfier la Société D'aéronautique, and the Le Dirigeable la Société Henri Giffard.

Alexandre Bethelot, is the newly appointed director of the DFTE, and has pooled the newly founded corporation's resources to commit to an ambitionous airship construction program of seven airships, capable of carrying passengers and cargo on six planned routes, the seven airship being reserved for crew training. The airship, on which construction begins the 2nd of Janurary, 1936, are to be completed in approximately six weeks, followed by a further two weeks of builders and owners trials.

Bethelot, announced that the airships, would run a regular Paris to Cleito and a Paris to Moscow service. Other routes would be added in due course, as other airships were added to the DFTE fleet. The seven airships are scheduled to be named Dixmunde , Méditerranée , Joseph Montgolfier , Etienne Montgolfier , Henri Giffard , Albert Santos-Dumont , and Jacques Charles.

Janurary 5th, 1935:

Concerns over the efficiency of the French military and it's ability to take care of it's day to day committments and the needs of it's duties within the FAR Alliance, President Albert François Lebrun has called for the formation of a special senatorial task force to make recommendations for future defense spending. The Navy is already being overhaulled, but doubts have been expressed about the army and air force, both of which have received only gradual moderizations and organization reforms in recent years.

Janurary 8th, 1935:

President Albert François Lebrun has announced that he will be making a state visit to both Altantis and Russia, sometime later this year. The President is expected to enter discussion with his fellow leaders in the FAR Alliance about reinforcing military, political and economic ties between France, Altantis and Russia in the face of world developments.

A rumour circulating in economic circles is that President Lebrun is going to push for the formation of a joint FAR industrial combine, to facilitate better economic management, particularly in aircraft production and design, and general tech sharing both in materials and construction but also between national design teams.

Hmmm.

Everybody suddenly seems to be doing military self-reviews these days...

Well we are living in interesting times at the moment.

Quoted

Everybody suddenly seems to be doing military self-reviews these days...

Its because everyone fears Mexican invasion.

...it all starts with them opening up Taco restaurants and flooding your borders with cheap labour and ends with endless beach stands selling cheap goods.

Nooo!!! My secret plan to take over the world has been discovered!

You've already sucked us in via the Coatzacoalcos Canal! Work is progressing slowly due to all those taco stands and 3 for 5 peso shirts.

Quoted

Originally posted by Brockpaine
Hmmm.

Everybody suddenly seems to be doing military self-reviews these days...

It's understandable. Not just for new players, but in light of the death of Cleito, the South American war, the reformatting of one large Alliance, the founding of two others, etc. Worlds spinning fast.

Quoted

Originally posted by Desertfox
Nooo!!! My secret plan to take over the world has been discovered!

The aussies are going to take over Wesworld with Taco stands??? *scratches head, looks dumb* - is wildly successful at achieving that look...

Feburary 1st, 1935:

A new corporation has appeared upon the French national economic scene, and perhaps onto the international one as well. Despite the fact that it's development has reportedly been nearly a year in the making, the sudden advent of the Transport Alliance Corporation has nevertheless taken many in economic and manufacturing circles in France by complete surprise.

Transall, as it rapidly being refered to - both internally and externally, is a curiously combined Franco-Atlantean-Russian industrial corporation. The primary corporate headquarters is being set up in Paris, France, to take advantage of a grant of corporation from the French Government. However separate regional corporate headquarters are also being set up in Brest, France, Eridanus, Atlantis, and Kharhkov, Russia.

According to Transall's Public Relations Department, the corporation is the result of the partial merger of several independent national companies into a joint subsidy company that will market their goods under a single corporate banner and making extensive use of the particular worker skills, design expertise and manufacturing capablility of its founding/parent companies.

The following companies are currently known to have made critical investments in the foundation of the Transport Alliance Corporation. The Kharhkov Locomotive Works (KhPZ) of Russia; the Altholtz Machine Works/La Machine d'Altholtz Travaille (MAT), the Mosse and Monvel Manufacturing Company/Mosse et Monvel l'Entreprise Industrielle (MMEI), and the Quelen Aeronautics Design Bureau/Quelen Bureau de Conception D'aéronautique (QBCD), all of France; Roth-Aero Motor & Aeronautics Corporation and Pullinger Automotive Corporation, both of Atlantis.

Feburary 2nd, 1936:

Shake ups in the French Ministeries of War, Marine and Colonies, are expected following recommendations by advisors to President Lebrun. The reform and modernization program originally initiated in 1931, and already well under way, for the French Armee de Terre and the Armee de l'Air is to be accelerated.

Particular emphasis is to be placed on the Army's armoured forces, as well as artillery establishments. Proposals for the reformation of several of the Army's existing divisions into other types are under consideration. Large scale recruitment is also being considered amoung the populous of France's colonial possessions to off set, problems with lowered recruitment possiblilities found in metropolitian France, due to the lingering effects of the Great War.

Similiar emphasis is being placed on the Armee de l'Air's aging fleet of planes, particularly it's bomber and fighter arms. Plans for a smaller reorganization of the Marine Nationale's own air arm, the Aeronavale, are also being considered.

Feburary 3rd, 1935:

The DFTE airship Dixmunde leaves it's construction hanger today, some weeks earlier then originally expected - amid much fanfare and ceremony, Alexandre Bethelot was on hand to help christen the newly built airship - builders' trials are scheduled for later this month. Some doubts have been entertained in certain circles as to the airship's structural integrity, due to the hurry in which the airship has been built. The earlier then expected launching of the airship has helped fuel these doubts.

DFTE engineers have angrily dismissed such doubts, as the slanders of rivel business companies, intent on discrediting the new corporation before it is ready for business. DFTE insists all efforts have been made to ensure, the Dixmunde and it's sisters are safe and reliable, and that no detail has been left unconsidered in their construction.

It has been speculated that the Dixmunde's construction was prioritized over it's sister ships, to make sure it was available to be used for President Albert Lebrun's planned trips to Atlantis and Russia, scheduled for sometime this year.

Quoted

Originally posted by Agent148
Feburary 2nd, 1936:

Particular emphasis is to be placed on the Army's armoured forces, as well as artillery establishments. Proposals for the reformation of several of the Army's existing divisions into other types are under consideration. Large scale recruitment is also being considered amoung the populous of France's colonial possessions to off set, problems with lowered recruitment possiblilities found in metropolitian France, due to the lingering effects of the Great War.

Similiar emphasis is being placed on the Armee de l'Air's aging fleet of planes, particularly it's bomber and fighter arms. Plans for a smaller reorganization of the Marine Nationale's own air arm, the Aeronavale, are also being considered.

The Belgians will be thrilled

Feburary 3rd, 1936:

The French Army has ordered the creation of a special Field Trials Corps to experiment with new tactics and weaponry provided by French Armaments industries.

The Les Armements et les Tactiques le Spéciales Corps (the Special Armaments & Tactics Corps), is to be used as not only an experiments unit, but also as a demonstration and training command. The best officers and men from across the Army are to be forwarded to this unit, as is the cream of the national military academies.

General de Brigade Charles Andre Joseph Marte de Gaulle, formally the Secretary-General of the National Defense Council, has been assigned to command the ATSC. A passionate advocate of armoured tactics and innovative thinking, it is felt he is the man for the job, to knock the new command into effective shape.

Feburary 4th, 1936:

The Unic and Citroen-Kregresse Companies with the premission of the French Government, have begun assemblying an production order, for the Royal Bulgarian Army, of their P.107 half-tracks, SOMUA is reported to also be contributing to the contract with their MCG5 half-tracks.

Both vehicles are in wide-spread use with the French Army as artillery prime movers, for pieces ranging from 75-mm cannons to 155-mm howitzers, each company is contributing approximately fifty vehicles to the production order.

Reportedly, the vehicles are specialized variants with troop or weapons carrying capabilities, already being produced for testing by the French Army. which is understood to be taking a similar if larger order in hand for field trials. Wheather these trials lead to further contract orders from either the Bulgarian (which is known to be skeptical of half-track designs, and already is in possession of a large number of tractor units for it's artillery arm) or French Governments for SOMUA or Unic and Citroen-Kregesse remains to be seen.

This trials group is expected to arrive in Bulgaria sometime around the begining of March, 1936 all circumstances permitting.

Feburary 5th, 1936:

Following deliberations of the French Army General Staff and the French Government, orders have been proposed and accepted that that 80 current metropolitian divisions of the Armee de Terre, be reformed through the period of 1936-37 into the following:

44 x Infantry Divisions
4 x Heavy Armour Divisions
8 x Cavalry Divisions
10 x Mountain Divisions
14 x Light Infantry Divisions

Recruitment of support, auxiliary and local defense units from French Colonial sources is also now ordered and underway, both from French nationals and local populations in said colonial territories.

Further orders for replacement field artillery pieces - especially field cannons and howitzers - for French divisional artillery are to be placed with the Transall Corporation's armaments division, in the calibur of 75-mm and 120-mm, reports of Russian weaponry in rougly those caliburs having thoroughly impressed French Liason staffs in Russia and Lithuania. The need to replace ageing guns in the French arsenals being paramount.

Hmm, the Regio Esercito is outnumbered 4 to 1....

Well the French do have to worry about the Iberians and the Germans as well so its more like 1.35 to 1.

March 1st, 1936:

Representatives of the Republic of France and the Kingdom of Iberia met today in neutral Andorra to discuss long outstanding political and territorial differences. Both delegations are composed of individuals drawn from both the military and civil services of the two countries.

Marshal Henri Philippe Omer Petain, until recently France's senior ambassador to Iberia, has been recalled to head the delegation to the conference in Andorra. Petain has been an advocate of improved relations with Iberia for some years. Petain remarked early this year to the President.

"It is well past time we settled all this nonsense over past disputes with our Iberian neighbour, France can not afford enemies on it's borders."

Reportedly, President Albert Lebrun asked Marshal Petain to explore discretely the possible options with Iberian government, they responded that a series of informal meetings on neutral ground, might for the basis of a practical exchange of ideas and possible resolutions.

March 3rd, 1936:

Officals of the Iberian Ministry of War, have approached the Loire et Oliver and Breguet aviation companies, with the agreement of the French Ministry of War, after consultation with the Cabinet. An Iberian production order for some eighteen aircraft has been placed for the following aircraft: 6 Loire et Oliver LeO-45 medium bombers, 6 Breguet Br-693 light/attack bombers, and 6 Loire et Oliver LeO H-42 naval floatplanes.

Selected Iberian aviation personel are to be attached to Loire et Oliver and Breguet, to see how the aircraft are constructed and observe their corporate field trials before taking custody of them for the Iberian Air Force.

Expected and extensive Iberian Air Force trials of these aircraft may possibly result in further production orders for the two French manufacturers or equally possible Iberia may apply for a production licience for the aircraft, providing that the Iberian military authorities are satisfied with the results of the trials.

Yay, French news!

Bulgaria, Ireland, and Chile all note with pleasure the French and Iberian willingness to talk peacefully.

March 6th, 1936:

Le Dirigeable française Tranportation Entreprise (the French Airship Transportation), has readied its first airship the Dixmunde for its maiden voyage. The Dixmunde is to inaugurate the first round trip from Paris, France to Cleito, Atlantis. French President Albert Lebrun is expected to be one of the passengers aboard the French airship, to make a state visit to Atlantis, when the Dixmunde takes off tomorrow.

The Méditerranée is expected to take over the Paris - Cleito route, after the Dixmunde makes its historic first voyage. Company officals intend for the Dixmunde to be used as something of a trial blazer, or pathfinder, being the first French airship to fly and establish air routes to other countries, with her sisterships following in her wake.

The Joseph Montgolfier, which has just begun its own trials and working up, like it's sister the nearly completed Méditerranée expected to run the Paris to Moscow route, when it is establish sometime later this year.