WesWorld

Summary
Saturday, July 1, 1944
The second L'Inflexible class destroyer (L'Inébranlable) and the experimental submarine Gymnote were laid down in La Rochelle.

Monday, July 3, 1944
French oil companies Régie Autonome des Pétroles, Société Nationale des Pétroles d'Aquitaine, and Bureau de Recherches de Pétroles announced their intentions to seek government approval to merge in order to increase their market share. Industry insiders noted the move is seen as necessary due to the rising fortunes of the rival Compagnie française des pétroles, which has garnished increasing clout due to its investments in the Algerian oil market.

Tuesday, July 4, 1944
The Republic of France extends its best wishes to the United States on the day of their declaration of independence. The French destroyer Forbin made the final visit of her long North American cruise by returning to dock in Philadelphia for local celebrations.

Wednesday, July 5, 1944 - Le Canard enchaîné
What the Bird Has to Say: In the editorials, French socialist party contributors derided the results of yesterday's meeting between Representative Nguyen Tang Viet and President Theisman, who spoke for four hours about the affairs of Indochina and South-East Asian affairs. "Nothing of consequence was said, nothing of consequence was achieved."

Friday, July 7, 1944
Voyage sans espoir (Eng. "Voyage Without Hope") directed and directed by Christian-Jaque, and starring Simone Renant and Jean Marais, opened in French cinemas.

Saturday, July 8, 1944
The research ship Ingénieur Elie Monnier, under Lieutenant de vaisseau Jacques Cousteau, departed Toulon today towing the research submersible CNRS-1, bound for the Alboran Sea to conduct explorations.

Monday, July 10, 1944
The Aéronavale signed an agreement today with the Latécoère company (part of the Breguet-Nord aviation group) to fund the company's development of a prototype jet-powered flying boat for military purposes.

Wednesday, July 12, 1944
Construction began on two twin skyscrapers in the La Défense business district of Paris. The buildings, to be named Tour Franklin and Tour Richelieu, will be 135 meters tall, and circular in construction. The two towers are anticipated to compete in mid-1948 if construction goes according to schedule.

Thursday, July 13, 1944
French President Paul Theisman and Indochinese representative Nguyen Tang Viet signed a memorandum of understanding today to transfer the Division du Tonkin, composed of Indochinese-native troops under French officers, to the control of the Autonomous State of Indochina. Under the terms of the agreement, the Division du Tonkin will remain under the command of the XIX Corps Coloniale, one of the two French army corps deployed in Indochina. The transfer, which will be completed by February 1945, will leave five French infantry divisions in Indochina alongside two Indochinese divisions.

Friday, July 14, 1944
France celebrates Bastille Day. In Paris, President Theisman participates in the Défilé militaire du 14 Juillet. Approximately nine thousand soldiers and four hundred vehicles participated in the parade.

Although the aerial column was lead, as is now traditional, by the Patrouille de France, a noteable addition this year were two VG.640 jet fighters, the first time jet-powered aircraft have been shown to the French public.

Saturday, July 15, 1944
The Carrousel de Saumur takes place at the Armoured Cavalry School in Saumer, France. This year's demonstrations included several displays of Great War era tanks, as well as one of the preproduction Char-13 Masséna medium tanks, which are expected to enter production sometime in the next year.

Monday, July 17th, 1944
The merchant liner Blaise Diagne was laid down today in St. Nazaire for the Messageries Maritimes. The new vessel is a modified version of the ships Calédonien and Tahitien, currently in service with MesMar in the Pacific. The Blaise Diagne shall replace obsolescent ships on the run between Dakar, Atlantis, Casablanca, and mainland France.

Wednesday, July 19th, 1944
The contre-torpillieur Duperré was launched today at the DCNS shipyards of La Rochelle.

Thursday, July 20th, 1944
The research ship Le Suroit arrived in the eastern Bay of Bengal in order to observe today's annular eclipse. The Le Suroit is returning from a cruise to the region of Indochina, where the ship was engaged in taking seabed depth measurements.

Friday, July 21st, 1944
The drama film Le Ciel est à vous, starring Madeleine Renaud and Charles Vanel, opened today in French cinemas.

Monday, July 24th, 1944
The Armee de l'Aire announced a series of orders for jet-engined fighter aircraft. Included in the order are forty Dewoitine D.800 Flèches, the first production French jet fighter, and two hundred more Arsenal VG.640 Graoully fighters, increasing the original order of seventy-six. Finally, an order for seventy-six Bf.262 aircraft are ordered from Germany. The Morane-Saulnier company shall conduct final assembly and installation of French turbojet engines.

Tuesday, July 25th, 1944
Laboratoires Expanscience is created by Paul Berthomé and Claude Guillon.

Wednesday, July 26th, 1944 - Le Canard enchaîné
What the Bird Has to Say (Editorial): "It befuddles us to imagine that, despite the corruption within the Italian government now being proven by countless arrests, that Tripolitania and Cyrenaica should willingly vote to become full members of such a dysfunctional enterprise. The regions declared independence not twenty-five years ago, and resisted Italian annexation with some vigour, yet now trade their national soul for the filthy lucre of Italian oil-hungry capitalists! It is not a state long to outlast the continual rise of Muslim religious bellicosity, we assure you, wise reader."

Friday, July 28th, 1944
The winning ships for this year's Prix ​​pour la haute Préparation de la flotte ("Award for High Preparation in the Fleet") were announced today. For the Atlantic Fleet, destroyer Navarin achieved the award for the first time in her career. The Mediterranean Fleet is represented by Le Triomphant. Amongst the remaining naval forces (Naval Forces Outre-Mer), the battlecruiser FS Lyon achieved the highest rating of readiness.

Monday, July 31, 1944
The Fédération Internationale des Échecs voted to establish formal rules to award the title "Grandmaster" to a chess champion, and named twenty-seven individuals to hold the title.

Tuesday, August 1, 1944 - Agence France-Presse
The recent German acquisition of the Nordish aircraft carrier Gassen, which shall be taken into service under the name Moltke, has silenced rumors about a reputed French offer to jointly operate one of the Marine Nationale's flattops as a training carrier with Germany. Marine Nationale spokesmen have denied such rumors in the past.

Thursday, August 3, 1944
President Theisman offered his congratulations to the people of Palestine following the successful election of the Fourth Assembly of Jewish Representatives in Palestine, and added his hope that there would someday be 'a miraculous return of the Jewish people to their ancient promised land'.

Friday, August 4, 1944
The Force Opérationnelle Atlantique departed Brest today with the objective of steaming to pay a port call upon the Russian Northern Fleet in Murmansk.

Saturday, August 5, 1944 - Agence France-Presse
Leading Italian Fascist and wanted international criminal Giuseppe Bottazzi committed suicide today in his hotel room in Lugano, Switzerland. The alleged mastermind of the Monaco Plot was spotted attempting to access funds held in a Swiss bank, and Swiss police attempted to arrest him in his hotel room. Bottazzi attempted to escape by throwing a hand-grenade at the Swiss police, but he fumbled the grenade and instead blew himself up. He remained conscious until shortly after he arrived at the Lugano hospital, where he died of blood loss associated with his injuries. None of the Swiss policemen were seriously injured during the arrest.

Tuesday, August 8, 1944
The fourth issue of Voisin et Hennequin released today. Lieutenant Claude Nicolas Hennequin, having escaped into the Er-Reg of Côte Rocheuse with the beautiful and dangerous Galila el-Hakim and her band of tribal rebels on his tail, is rescued in the nick of time by his friend Lieutenant Wenceslas Voisin. Returning to their airbase in their battered MS.315, they discover the base has been attacked by the tribal warlord Abdul el-Hakim and the mercenary pilots under Colonel Dirksen, and most of the French airplanes have been destroyed. Worse, Voisin discovers that his beau, Army nurse Joséphine Lalanne, has been captured by the rebels. The two pilots must reluctantly follow their orders to regroup with their squadron, where they receive powerful new Bloch MB.155 fighters, joining the Escadron de Lions, a new group arriving in Côte Rocheuse to hunt down Colonel Dirksen.

Wednesday, August 9, 1944 - Excerpt of Secret Report from the Director of Projet Quatrevingt-treize to President Theisman
"Direction des applications militaires requests further funding to increase production of heavy water at Mazingarbe to ten tonnes per year in order to meet project timelines."

Thursday, August 10, 1944
Ets Carriere Et Ses Gendres is established in Toulouse. The new company will engage in the import and export of fruits and legumes.

Friday, August 11, 1944
The FOA arrived today in the Russian port of Murmansk, where it will conduct a week and a half long port call on the Russian Northern Fleet.

Monday, August 14, 1944
The Armée des Île-de-France begins their summer maneuvers today. The forces, including six reserve divisions and three rapid-reaction brigades, shall exercise between the towns of Goussainville and Meaux.

Wednesday, August 16, 1944 - Le Canard enchaîné
What the Bird Has to Say (Editorial): The Socialist Left criticizes President Theisman for his statement of support for Jewish statehood in Palestine, linking his stance to the Lehi terrorist group's attempted assassination of British High Commissioner Sir Harold Alfred MacMichael.

Thursday, August 17, 1944
AMX and Panhard acknowledged the receipt of a Filipino order of Char-6D light tanks and VCI-41 infantry carriers. Shipments are scheduled to begin within the next few months.

Saturday, August 19, 1944
Summer military exercises wrapped up northeast of Paris today. The 3rd Brigade de Reaction Rapide completed the exercise with a march into Paris, where their armoured column was reviewed by President Theisman.

Tuesday, August 22, 1944
M. Auguste Calvel, the colonial governor of French Soudan, arrived in Paris today to discuss regional issues with Prime Minister Gaston Monnerville. High on Monsieur Calvel's priorities are discussions about instability in the Segou and Mopti Regions, where conversions to Islam have sparked a rise in armed bands. The Islamic gangs have taken up river piracy, attacking rice and salt shipments on the Inner Niger Delta.

Wednesday, August 23, 1944
The Force Opérationnelle Atlantique departed Murmansk today for their return to Brest.

Friday, August 25, 1944
The film Bonsoir mesdames, bonsoir messieurs debuted in Paris cinemas.

Monday, August 28, 1944
The St. Dionysus Theological Institute is founded in Paris.

Tuesday, August 29, 1944
Bulgarrenault, a subsidiary of the Renault company located in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, rolled out their first production 4CV sedan.

Wednesday, August 30, 1944
The French aircraft carrier Clemenceau lost her certification to land naval combat aircraft this week after inspections showed faults in her arresting gear. The Marine Nationale has indicated that the Clemenceau will continue to serve solely as an aircraft transport ship until sometime next year, when she is scheduled for decommissioning. Clemenceau's crew will likely be transferred over to the carriers Zélé or Héros, which are under construction for completion at the end of 1945. Observers expect the Marine Nationale shall decommission another carrier, possibly Suffren or Gambetta, at approximately the same time.

Friday, September 1, 1944
A task force of ships from the Indochinese Patrouille Navale arrived at the Hoàng Sa Islands today to take possession of the territory, reverting at midnight from an Iberian League of Nations mandate to Indochinese ownership. The task force was led by the frigate Tran Nhat Duat, and included the aviso-drageur Chi Lang and salvage tugs Tam Sat and Hát Giang. The four ships, the largest vessels in the Patrouille Navale, rendered honors to the departing Iberian garrison, which has protected the islands against Chinese pirates. The small fleet carried a platoon of maritime defense troops who will form the island's garrison and lifesaving service, based on Phu Lam Island (aka Woody Island).

Indochinese Governor-General Truong Van Bao was present aboard the Tran Nhat Duat for the ceremonial handover, and extended his appreciation to the departing Iberian garrison in his speech.

Saturday, September 2, 1944
The Grand Prix des Nations cycling race opened today near Paris. This race is increasingly regarded as the unofficial time trial championship in the world.

Monday, September 4, 1944
The French Navy began Exercise Hercule today. This ten-day wargame is conducted individually by the Atlantic, Mediterranean, Pacific, and Indian Ocean fleets, each of which receive their own unique challenges. The Force de Action Navale, which composes much of the Marine Nationale's strength, shall not participate in Exercise Hercule, and will instead conduct its own fleet exercise, Spartiate, later this year.

Tuesday, September 5, 1944
The Casino chain of market stores announced its intention to reform as "Groupe Casino" in a move designed to broaden their market shares in the national and international markets.

Wednesday, September 6, 1944
The French military announced the formation of Groupement Scipion, a light infantry battlegroup which will move to French Soudan to police the Inner Niger Delta region against a rise in extremist Islamic bandits. Groupement Scipion is built around the recently-commissioned 1er Régiment étranger de parachutistes (1er REP) with 1,287 men, but includes a number of other supporting formations. The total initial strength of the Groupement shall be 2,800 men. Air support shall be provided by four Escadrilles de Police et de Surveillance, based out of Timbouctou. The Groupement shall be commanded by Colonel Joseph Levavasseur.

Friday, September 8, 1944 - Science et vie, news section.
"ONERA has approved an ambitious new rocketry program based on a vehicle proposed by LRBA, with a total mass of 1,100 kg and payload of 60 kg. The program will build on the lessons learned by the failed EA-1941 rocketry team."

Monday, September 11, 1944
The Office National de la Navigation announced that a major renovation project would begin on the Canal du Rhône au Rhin and the Canal de la Marne au Rhin, which have seen increased commercial and private traffic over the last three years. The renovation project will deepen parts of the canals to provide a uniform 2.0 meter depth and greater capacity for the locks, including the construction of several new locks of greater length. The modifications will be completed in four stages between December 1945 and April 1949, doubling the cargo capacity of the canal.

Tuesday, September 12, 1944
The Aeronavale unveiled a new program today establishing the Direction la sécurité des vols ("Flight Safety Directorate"). The DSV's objective is to reduce the accident rate to under three incidents per hundred thousand hours of flight time. The Directorate will have the authority to institute new flight rules, mandate and oversee safety training, and punish pilot infractions where guilt is proven. The Directorate will receive a staff of two hundred and sixty-five people to carry out its work.

Thursday, September 14, 1944
The Indochina Governing Council issued today a classified vote to the Indochinese Air Defense Force (GDPI) instructing collaboration with French aircraft manufacturers to purchase or otherwise acquire a squadron of turbojet-powered interceptor aircraft for the air defense of Hanoi. (OOC knowledge only.)

Friday, September 15, 1944
In the first action of the new parliamentary session, the Parlement français approved the creation of the Parc national des Pyrénées and the Parc national des Mont Nimba (in Guinea).

Saturday, September 16, 1944
Troops from Groupement Scipion began arriving by air in Tibouctou and Bamako today.

Monday, September 18, 1944
The Parlement français approved the next stage in the French national road network plan today. The bill substantially increased the number of route nationale and route 2+1 roads, but did not expand the current autoroutes. A section of the bill pushing for railway system upgrades was removed prior to the vote, and will be advanced sometime next week after further discussion.

Tuesday, September 19, 1944
The 2nd Composite Squadron departed Brest today to undertake Exercise Forger, a major deployment of naval forces to Cam Ranh Bay. The squadron will escort six troopships and one amphibious landing ship carrying military troops and equipment for delivery to Indochina.

Wednesday, September 20, 1944 - Le Canard enchaîné
What the Bird Has to Say (Gossip): "Prince Rainier of Monaco, continuing in the predations of his philandering father, has reportedly been seen keeping the company of French cinema star Madeleine Niel."

Saturday, September 23
The Lille Olympique Sporting Club (Lille OSC) association football club is founded in the city of Lille.

Monday, September 25, 1944
In an interview by the new French magazine L'Express, President Theisman reiterated his support for an independent Jewish state of Israel. In his comments to interviewer Gustave Poste, the president explained his belief that Biblical prophecy decrees a return of the Jewish people to Israel. "For eighteen hundred years this has been an almost unthinkable and laughable concept; especially to those bishops, cardinals and popes within the Catholic Church who argue that the Biblical blessings were transferred from the Jews to the Gentiles - in other words, the Catholic Church - at the time of the crucifixion. Yet a free-thinking student must see that this is not true." President Theisman continued to say "It now seems possible to contemplate a primarily Jewish state in their ancient land without stretching the imagination."

Tuesday, September 26, 1944 - Science et Vie
"Ten years after her keel-laying, the Compagnie Générale Transatlantique's ocean liner SS Marianne remains an astounding achievement of French shipbuilding. The ship's unique underwater hull design, patented by the masterful naval architect Mons. V. Yourkevitch, achieves greater speed on less engine horsepower and fuel than virtually all of her competitors. With the ocean-liner business now challenged by the much faster transatlantic aircraft fleets of Air France and Lufthansa, Marianne shows the way forward to the liner industry: CGE's platform of 'economy, panache, comfort' triumphs over 'speed, speed, speed'. In the last eight years since the liner's debut, CGE has never failed to turn a profit, and company hopes to continue that winning formula with the replacement for SS Île de France, currently under construction in Le Havre for a 1945 entry into service."

Thursday, September 28, 1944
The weekly fashion magazine Elle is founded by Pierre Lazareff and Hélène Gordon.

Friday, September 29, 1944
The Dassault company officially opened the new construction shed at the Atelier Industriel de l'Aéronautique d'Indochine plant in Saigon, today. The new facility, modeled on some of the most modern aircraft production plants of Europe and North America, shall construct MB.1052 Milan fighter planes for use in Indochina. The new ten thousand square meter facility is believed capable of producing up to forty aircraft a month, although the exact number is currently classified due to security concerns about the ongoing war in Asia; this more than doubles AIAI's total production capacity. Construction of the new plant was first proposed in early 1943, but the project was massively accelerated due to fears about being drawn into the increasingly vicious war between China, Japan, and Korea.

Saturday, September 30, 1944
The heavy cruisers Jean Bart and Jeanne d'Arc departed La Rochelle today, bound for the Pacific Ocean by way of Lyra, Rio de Janeiro, Montevideo, Bahia Blanca, and Talcahuano. These two splendid cruisers, the newest in the Marine Nationale, made their first international appearance for King Edward's Birthday Review in June, where they contrasted extremely favorably with the most modern designs in the Royal Navy.

Nouvelle Technologie: New Power Plants for Warships of the Future
Article from Le Spectateur militaire. Nouvelle Technologie is a monthly feature which discusses technologies which may have an impact on warfare in the future.

For the last fifty years, the great navies of the world have depended upon the steam turbine to power their largest and fastest warships, ranging from the watershed Dreadnought and her descendants to the sleek destroyers and cruisers which patrol the oceans. But future warships may not be powered by steam at all, claim scientists and engineers working for DCNS Indret, responsible for developing powerplants used by the Marine Nationale.

Naval auxiliary ships, such as the replenishment ships and cargo-carriers of the fleet, have been powered by diesel engines for years, emulating developments in the civilian merchant ship field. Likewise, submarines have made extensive use of diesel propulsion. But only within the last fifteen years, however, have marine diesel engines started to appear in fast surface warships. Many German designs initiated in the early years of their rearmament had split powerplants - partly steam, partly diesel. The marine diesels would be used to provide economical propulsion for cruising speed, up to fifteen to eighteen knots, while steam plants would be brought online when full power was required, for instance in battle. In the late 1930s, the Marine Nationale adopted this sensible policy for several of the new combatants then in planning stages.

Authority was given to DCNS Indret, which also manufactures steam turbines for the Marine Nationale, to develop diesel propulsion systems for use aboard ship. Working with power industry leaders such as Alsthom, Sulzer, and Brown, Boveri & Cie (the latter two of Switzerland), DCNS Indret developed a series of marine diesels, the keystone of which eventually was placed aboard the Barfleur-class destroyers of the Marine Nationale. This introduced marine diesels to the fleet in a serious way. With success demonstrated by the Barfleur class, eight more destroyers with mixed power-plants were ordered to the same design in 1943 (Étendard subclass), along with six Forbin class destroyers. So far, experience has shown reductions in maintenance and operating costs, and no substantial alteration in fighting capability. The diesels additionally can provide electricity to operate equipment such as DEM and ASDIC units. Further use of marine diesels shall almost certainly occur in the future.

Earlier this year, DCNS Indret put the results of further experimentation to sea aboard the patrol ship Parséis. In 1943, the Parséis was sidelined following difficulties with her steam turbines, and DCNS Indret had the opportunity to turn the ship into a testbed for experimental propulsion. In her January 1944 refit, Parséis received a new prototype engine. While the centerpiece of this propulsion system is a standard high-compression marine diesel engine, the difference is in the details. A small power recovery turbine, powered by the recovered exhaust gases of the diesel engine, operates a blower which brings more air to power the diesel itself. This 'turbo-blown' diesel engine achieves higher operational performance than a standard marine diesel, and the engineers at DCNS Indret and Alsthom are looking at the possibility of placing a turbo-blown diesel engine into production in 1945 for use by motor torpedo boats.

Part of the systems used in the turbo-blown diesel are also used for other, more sophisticated proposals. As outlined in a 1941 article in Popular Mechanics, ships of the future may be powered by gas turbines, a larger cousin of the turbojet engines used on several upcoming jet fighters. While no nation has yet tested a gas turbine engine at sea, DCNS Indret has acknowledged that they have built several units with the assistance of Brown, Boveri & Cie. BB&C produced the world's first gas turbine for civil power generation, a unit which DCNS copied in 1941 for use as an emergency power plant for the naval shipyards at La Rochelle. Since that time, three more gas turbines have been constructed in France through the partnership between BB&C and DCNS. In 1943, DCNS prepared to place two of the units into service aboard the destroyer Épée, but concerns about space, fuel, and engine reliability, as well as difficulties with power transmission to the shafts, scuppered this project, although a DCNS representative noted the shipbuilders were considering a number of possibilities for use over the next two or three years. One of the greatest difficulties with gas turbines may limit their usefulness, however: these engines tend to run best at a single design speed, and the power requirements of a destroyer-sized vessel, which may change from minute to minute, may not suit the gas turbine's strengths.

Other more radical systems may still be possible. Indret engineers have built an experimental engine for use in submarines, powered by hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). This may allow submarines to achieve high underwater speeds for long time periods, without requiring the use of electric batteries. Another proposal, apparently 'being taken seriously' according to DCNS insiders, is a system which causes the division of atoms (the smallest known units of matter) in order to produce heat, which could, in theory, power a modified steam turbine.

A highly interesting article. Britain is looking at some of these trends but not gotten quite as far as yet.

Saturday, July 1, 1944
The second L'Inflexible class destroyer (L'Inébranlable) and the experimental submarine Gymnote were laid down in La Rochelle.

Monday, July 3, 1944
French oil companies Régie Autonome des Pétroles, Société Nationale des Pétroles d'Aquitaine, and Bureau de Recherches de Pétroles announced their intentions to seek government approval to merge in order to increase their market share. Industry insiders noted the move is seen as necessary due to the rising fortunes of the rival Compagnie française des pétroles, which has garnished increasing clout due to its investments in the Algerian oil market.

Tuesday, July 4, 1944
The Republic of France extends its best wishes to the United States on the day of their declaration of independence. The French destroyer Forbin made the final visit of her long North American cruise by returning to dock in Philadelphia for local celebrations.

Wednesday, July 5, 1944 - Le Canard enchaîné
What the Bird Has to Say: In the editorials, French socialist party contributors derided the results of yesterday's meeting between Representative Nguyen Tang Viet and President Theisman, who spoke for four hours about the affairs of Indochina and South-East Asian affairs. "Nothing of consequence was said, nothing of consequence was achieved."

Friday, July 7, 1944
Voyage sans espoir (Eng. "Voyage Without Hope") directed and directed by Christian-Jaque, and starring Simone Renant and Jean Marais, opened in French cinemas.

Saturday, July 8, 1944
The research ship Ingénieur Elie Monnier, under Lieutenant de vaisseau Jacques Cousteau, departed Toulon today towing the research submersible CNRS-1, bound for the Alboran Sea to conduct explorations.

Monday, July 10, 1944
The Aéronavale signed an agreement today with the Latécoère company (part of the Breguet-Nord aviation group) to fund the company's development of a prototype jet-powered flying boat for military purposes.

Wednesday, July 12, 1944
Construction began on two twin skyscrapers in the La Défense business district of Paris. The buildings, to be named Tour Franklin and Tour Richelieu, will be 135 meters tall, and circular in construction. The two towers are anticipated to compete in mid-1948 if construction goes according to schedule.

Thursday, July 13, 1944
French President Paul Theisman and Indochinese representative Nguyen Tang Viet signed a memorandum of understanding today to transfer the Division du Tonkin, composed of Indochinese-native troops under French officers, to the control of the Autonomous State of Indochina. Under the terms of the agreement, the Division du Tonkin will remain under the command of the XIX Corps Coloniale, one of the two French army corps deployed in Indochina. The transfer, which will be completed by February 1945, will leave five French infantry divisions in Indochina alongside two Indochinese divisions.

Friday, July 14, 1944
France celebrates Bastille Day. In Paris, President Theisman participates in the Défilé militaire du 14 Juillet. Approximately nine thousand soldiers and four hundred vehicles participated in the parade.

Although the aerial column was lead, as is now traditional, by the Patrouille de France, a noteable addition this year were two VG.640 jet fighters, the first time jet-powered aircraft have been shown to the French public.

Saturday, July 15, 1944
The Carrousel de Saumur takes place at the Armoured Cavalry School in Saumer, France. This year's demonstrations included several displays of Great War era tanks, as well as one of the preproduction Char-13 Masséna medium tanks, which are expected to enter production sometime in the next year.

Monday, July 17th, 1944
The merchant liner Blaise Diagne was laid down today in St. Nazaire for the Messageries Maritimes. The new vessel is a modified version of the ships Calédonien and Tahitien, currently in service with MesMar in the Pacific. The Blaise Diagne shall replace obsolescent ships on the run between Dakar, Atlantis, Casablanca, and mainland France.

Wednesday, July 19th, 1944
The contre-torpillieur Duperré was launched today at the DCNS shipyards of La Rochelle.

Thursday, July 20th, 1944
The research ship Le Suroit arrived in the eastern Bay of Bengal in order to observe today's annular eclipse. The Le Suroit is returning from a cruise to the region of Indochina, where the ship was engaged in taking seabed depth measurements.

Friday, July 21st, 1944
The drama film Le Ciel est à vous, starring Madeleine Renaud and Charles Vanel, opened today in French cinemas.

Monday, July 24th, 1944
The Armee de l'Aire announced a series of orders for jet-engined fighter aircraft. Included in the order are forty Dewoitine D.800 Flèches, the first production French jet fighter, and two hundred more Arsenal VG.640 Graoully fighters, increasing the original order of seventy-six. Finally, an order for seventy-six Bf.262 aircraft are ordered from Germany. The Morane-Saulnier company shall conduct final assembly and installation of French turbojet engines. [1]

Tuesday, July 25th, 1944
Laboratoires Expanscience is created by Paul Berthomé and Claude Guillon.



Notes:
- Note [1]: This order is large, but it's going to take until probably the end of 1945 to match the airframes ordered to the engines they need - engines being in rather short supply. Particularly if anything else requires engines in the meantime.

Wednesday, July 26th, 1944 - Le Canard enchaîné
What the Bird Has to Say (Editorial): "It befuddles us to imagine that, despite the corruption within the Italian government now being proven by countless arrests, that Tripolitania and Cyrenaica should willingly vote to become full members of such a dysfunctional enterprise. The regions declared independence not twenty-five years ago, and resisted Italian annexation with some vigour, yet now trade their national soul for the filthy lucre of Italian oil-hungry capitalists! It is not a state long to outlast the continual rise of Muslim religious bellicosity, we assure you, wise reader."

Friday, July 28th, 1944
The winning ships for this year's Prix ​​pour la haute Préparation de la flotte ("Award for High Preparation in the Fleet") were announced today. For the Atlantic Fleet, destroyer Navarin achieved the award for the first time in her career. The Mediterranean Fleet is represented by Le Triomphant. Amongst the remaining naval forces (Naval Forces Outre-Mer), the battlecruiser FS Lyon achieved the highest rating of readiness.

Monday, July 31, 1944
The Fédération Internationale des Échecs voted to establish formal rules to award the title "Grandmaster" to a chess champion, and named twenty-seven individuals to hold the title. [1]

Tuesday, August 1, 1944 - Agence France-Presse
The recent German acquisition of the Nordish aircraft carrier Gassen, which shall be taken into service under the name Moltke, has silenced rumors about a reputed French offer to jointly operate one of the Marine Nationale's flattops as a training carrier with Germany. Marine Nationale spokesmen have denied such rumors in the past.

Thursday, August 3, 1944
President Theisman offered his congratulations to the people of Palestine following the successful election of the Fourth Assembly of Jewish Representatives in Palestine, and added his hope that there would someday be 'a miraculous return of the Jewish people to their ancient promised land'.



Notes
- Note [1]: The grandmasters named are: Isaac Boleslavsky, Igor Bondarevsky, David Bronstein, Max Euwe, Reuben Fine, Salo Flohr, Paul Keres, Alexander Kotov, Andor Lilienthal, Miguel Najdorf, Samuel Reshevsky, Vasily Smyslov, Gideon Ståhlberg, László Szabó, Ossip Bernstein, Oldřich Duras, Ernst Grünfeld, Borislav Kostić, Grigory Levenfish, Géza Maróczy, Jacques Mieses, Viacheslav Ragozin, Akiba Rubinstein, Friedrich Sämisch, Savielly Tartakower, and Milan Vidmar.

News and Rumors: August 1944
Article from Le Spectateur militaire.

Protée-class Submarines Receive Flapper Valves: The Marine Nationale announced today that all Protée-class submarines are receiving new valves designed to quickly close in order to prevent water from flooding into the main induction piping. The valves are designed to enhance safety of the boats when operating on the surface with their diesel engines. The Roland Morillot-class fleet submarines were fitted with this technology during their construction, and other French submarines will be fitted during their regular yard maintenance times.

Armee de l'Aire Displays VG.640 to Foreign Observers: Unsubstantiated rumors indicate that French Air Force chief Major-General Martial Valin was seen in the company of several Greek and Slavic air force officers at Orléans - Bricy Air Base, where the first half-squadron of VG.640 jet fighters are working up for activation.

Gnome-Rhone Promises Jet Engines to Armee de l'Aire: The Gnome-Rhone company reassured the French Air Force in a meeting on July 20th that the engine company would still be able to deliver at least one completed TRAC-1C Curtana turbojet engine per week through the end of October. Manufacture of these highly-sophisticated propulsion systems has proceeded much more slowly than was previously anticipated, due to the high manufacturing standards demanded for safe operation.

13th RDP Wins Inter-Regimental Triathlon: Soldiers representing the 13e Régiment de Dragons Parachutistes beat teams from a hundred and fifteen other French Army regiments to claim triumph in the ninth annual Inter-Regimental Triathlon.

No doubt they cheated by using their parachutes as sails.

Quoted from "Rooijen10"

No doubt they cheated by using their parachutes as sails. :D

Swimming, running, cycling? No sails involved...

Friday, August 4, 1944
The Force Opérationnelle Atlantique departed Brest today with the objective of steaming to pay a port call upon the Russian Northern Fleet in Murmansk.

Saturday, August 5, 1944 - Agence France-Presse
Leading Italian Fascist and wanted international criminal Giuseppe Bottazzi committed suicide today in his hotel room in Lugano, Switzerland. The alleged mastermind of the Monaco Plot was spotted attempting to access funds held in a Swiss bank, and Swiss police attempted to arrest him in his hotel room. Bottazzi attempted to escape by throwing a hand-grenade at the Swiss police, but he fumbled the grenade and instead blew himself up. He remained conscious until shortly after he arrived at the Lugano hospital, where he died of blood loss associated with his injuries. None of the Swiss policemen were seriously injured during the arrest.

Tuesday, August 8, 1944
The fourth issue of Voisin et Hennequin released today. Lieutenant Claude Nicolas Hennequin, having escaped into the Er-Reg of Côte Rocheuse with the beautiful and dangerous Galila el-Hakim and her band of tribal rebels on his tail, is rescued in the nick of time by his friend Lieutenant Wenceslas Voisin. Returning to their airbase in their battered MS.315, they discover the base has been attacked by the tribal warlord Abdul el-Hakim and the mercenary pilots under Colonel Dirksen, and most of the French airplanes have been destroyed. Worse, Voisin discovers that his beau, Army nurse Joséphine Lalanne, has been captured by the rebels. The two pilots must reluctantly follow their orders to regroup with their squadron, where they receive powerful new Bloch MB.155 fighters, joining the Escadron de Lions, a new group arriving in Côte Rocheuse to hunt down Colonel Dirksen.

Wednesday, August 9, 1944 - Excerpt of Secret Report from the Director of Projet Quatrevingt-treize to President Theisman
"Direction des applications militaires requests further funding to increase production of heavy water at Mazingarbe to ten tonnes per year in order to meet project timelines."

OOC REMINDER: France is not going to be the first country to build nuclear weapons, but as soon as someone else does, France will follow. When that happens, I'll go back and write up my timeline. If nobody develops nuclear weapons, then I'll just keep most everything on the civilian side until the 1950s.

Thursday, August 10, 1944
Ets Carriere Et Ses Gendres is established in Toulouse. The new company will engage in the import and export of fruits and legumes.

Friday, August 11, 1944
The Force Opérationnelle Atlantique arrived today in the Russian port of Murmansk, where it will conduct a week and a half long port call on the Russian Northern Fleet.

Monday, August 14, 1944
The Armée des Île-de-France begins their summer maneuvers today. The forces, including six reserve divisions and three rapid-reaction brigades, shall exercise between the towns of Goussainville and Meaux.

Wednesday, August 16, 1944 - Le Canard enchaîné
What the Bird Has to Say (Editorial): The Socialist Left criticizes President Theisman for his statement of support for Jewish statehood in Palestine, linking his stance to the Lehi terrorist group's attempted assassination of British High Commissioner Sir Harold Alfred MacMichael.

Thursday, August 17, 1944
AMX and Panhard acknowledged the receipt of a Filipino order of Char-6D light tanks and VCI-41 infantry carriers. Shipments are scheduled to begin within the next few months.

Saturday, August 19, 1944
Summer military exercises wrapped up northeast of Paris today. The 3rd Brigade de Reaction Rapide completed the exercise with a march into Paris, where their armoured column was reviewed by President Theisman.

Tuesday, August 22, 1944
M. Auguste Calvel, the colonial governor of French Soudan [1], arrived in Paris today to discuss regional issues with Prime Minister Gaston Monnerville. High on Monsieur Calvel's priorities are discussions about instability in the Segou and Mopti Regions, where conversions to Islam have sparked a rise in armed bands. The Islamic gangs have taken up river piracy, attacking rice and salt shipments on the Inner Niger Delta.

Wednesday, August 23, 1944
The Force Opérationnelle Atlantique departed Murmansk today for their return to Brest.

Friday, August 25, 1944
The film Bonsoir mesdames, bonsoir messieurs debuted in Paris cinemas.

Monday, August 28, 1944
The St. Dionysus Theological Institute is founded in Paris.

Tuesday, August 29, 1944
Bulgarrenault, a subsidiary of the Renault company located in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, rolled out their first production 4CV sedan.

Wednesday, August 30, 1944
The French aircraft carrier Clemenceau lost her certification to land naval combat aircraft this week after inspections showed faults in her arresting gear. The Marine Nationale has indicated that the Clemenceau will continue to serve solely as an aircraft transport ship until sometime next year, when she is scheduled for decommissioning. Clemenceau's crew will likely be transferred over to the carriers Zélé or Héros, which are under construction for completion at the end of 1945. Observers expect the Marine Nationale shall decommission another carrier, possibly Suffren or Gambetta, at approximately the same time.



Notes
Note [1]: French Soudan is the current name for Mali.

Literature Review: Marée haute
Article from Le Spectateur militaire. Literature Review is a monthly feature which reviews literary works of interest to military readers.

Marée haute (Eng. "Flood Tide"), the fourth and final book of wargaming umpire Pierre Michaux's quartet about a fictional war between the United States and the South African Empire, decisively closes off the account. In the previous three volumes, the combatants have fought a seesaw war through southern and central Brazil, and after a year and a half of conflict, American industrial production appears to be overcoming the skill and valour of South Africa's commanding general, Nicolaas Blomkamp. In a hard-fought campaign, Blomkamp successfully salvages his battered armies and retreats into Santa Catarina, where a narrower front and longer supply lines negate many of the advantages of the American and Brazilian armies. The situation on land becomes a stalemate; if Blomkamp can receive reinforcements and fuel from across the Atlantic quickly enough, then he believes he can successfully defend southern Brazil while the diplomats make peace.

At sea, Vice Admiral Michael 'Iron Mike' Phillips returns to the forefront of the story, tasked with halting the flow of supplies into Gran Uruguay. Phillips' use of submarines and cruisers to attack Dutch tankers transporting oil into South American ports results in the Netherlands abandoning their 'neutrality'. Nevertheless, Phillips' Task Force Seventeen successfully closes the Atlantic trade lanes for long enough that the defensive line in southern Brazil is broken, and Blomkamp finally convinces his political masters to negotiate terms. The book closes as the negotiating parties sit down to write a treaty to end the war.

The book also includes a short novella, L'hiver arrive ("Winter is Coming") about the diplomatic and intelligence games played between the two combatants in neutral Argentina.

As with the three prior volumes, Michaux exercises great care in dealing with the soldiers and politicians of both sides. Michaux acknowledges the assistance of several officers from both the Royal South African Army and the US Army who contributed to the completion of the final volume. This volume completes the character arcs established in previous books, and the pace continues building throughout the novel.

With the completion of the series, Michaux indicated that he would continue writing military fiction, and has a number of ideas he is currently developing.

Friday, September 1, 1944
A task force of ships from the Indochinese Patrouille Navale arrived at the Hoàng Sa Islands today to take possession of the territory, reverting at midnight from an Iberian League of Nations mandate to Indochinese ownership. The task force was led by the frigate Tran Nhat Duat, and included the aviso-drageur Chi Lang and salvage tugs Tam Sat and Hát Giang. The four ships, the largest vessels in the Patrouille Navale, rendered honors to the departing Iberian garrison, which has protected the islands against Chinese pirates. The small fleet carried a platoon of maritime defense troops who will form the island's garrison and lifesaving service, based on Phu Lam Island (aka Woody Island).

Indochinese Governor-General Truong Van Bao was present aboard the Tran Nhat Duat for the ceremonial handover, and extended his appreciation to the departing Iberian garrison in his speech.

Saturday, September 2, 1944
The Grand Prix des Nations cycling race opened today near Paris. This race is increasingly regarded as the unofficial time trial championship in the world.

Monday, September 4, 1944
The French Navy began Exercise Hercule today. This ten-day wargame is conducted individually by the Atlantic, Mediterranean, Pacific, and Indian Ocean fleets, each of which receive their own unique challenges. The Force de Action Navale, which composes much of the Marine Nationale's strength, shall not participate in Exercise Hercule, and will instead conduct its own fleet exercise, Spartiate, later this year.

The Government of the Philippines applauds the peaceful settlement of the mutual claims of the Iberian Federation and Indochina in respect to the Hoàng Sa Islands, and looks forward to the increasing stability of the region resulting from the end of long-standing disagreements.

Tuesday, September 5, 1944
The Casino chain of market stores announced its intention to reform as "Groupe Casino" in a move designed to broaden their market shares in the national and international markets.

Wednesday, September 6, 1944
The French military announced the formation of Groupement Scipion, a light infantry battlegroup which will move to French Soudan to police the Inner Niger Delta region against a rise in extremist Islamic bandits. Groupement Scipion is built around the recently-commissioned 1er Régiment étranger de parachutistes (1er REP) with 1,287 men, but includes a number of other supporting formations. The total initial strength of the Groupement shall be 2,800 men. Air support shall be provided by four Escadrilles de Police et de Surveillance, based out of Timbouctou. The Groupement shall be commanded by Colonel Joseph Levavasseur.

Friday, September 8, 1944 - Science et vie, news section.
"ONERA has approved an ambitious new rocketry program based on a vehicle proposed by LRBA, with a total mass of 1,100 kg and payload of 60 kg. The program will build on the lessons learned by the failed EA-1941 rocketry team."

Groupement Scipion

• 1er Régiment étranger de parachutistes: A small Legion étranger regiment composed of one parachute dragoons battalion, a mortar company, a sapper company, a groupement francs company, and a regimental staff and defense company. Total manpower, 1,287 men.
  
• 1er Régiment étranger de génie (elements): A battalion-sized engineers force with two of the three combat engineering companies are deployed; a supplies and logistics company substitutes for the third combat engineering company, while the reserve company is replaced by a specialized bridging platoon. Total manpower, 945 men.
  
• Support Company: A support company from the Senegalaise Tirailleurs, with four machine-gun platoons and a heavy weapons platoon. Total manpower, 201 men. To be employed as a static base-protection force.
  
• Command and Control Company: A heterogenous unit incorporating a radio-telegraphy section, an intelligence section, a supplies and logistics section, and a command section. Total manpower, 189 men.
  
• Medical Field Hospital: A medical unit drawn from an Algerian Colonial Infantry Division. Total manpower, 204 men.
  

2,826 men total

Monday, September 11, 1944
The Office National de la Navigation announced that a major renovation project would begin on the Canal du Rhône au Rhin and the Canal de la Marne au Rhin, which have seen increased commercial and private traffic over the last three years. The renovation project will deepen parts of the canals to provide a uniform 2.0 meter depth and greater capacity for the locks, including the construction of several new locks of greater length. The modifications will be completed in four stages between December 1945 and April 1949, doubling the cargo capacity of the canal.

Tuesday, September 12, 1944
The Aeronavale unveiled a new program today establishing the Direction la sécurité des vols ("Flight Safety Directorate"). The DSV's objective is to reduce the accident rate to under three incidents per hundred thousand hours of flight time. The Directorate will have the authority to institute new flight rules, mandate and oversee safety training, and punish pilot infractions where guilt is proven. The Directorate will receive a staff of two hundred and sixty-five people to carry out its work.

Thursday, September 14, 1944
The Indochina Governing Council issued today a classified vote to the Indochinese Air Defense Force (GDPI) instructing collaboration with French aircraft manufacturers to purchase or otherwise acquire a squadron of turbojet-powered interceptor aircraft for the air defense of Hanoi. (OOC knowledge only.)