The Rise Of Australasia-Chapter 1197 - 895 Carrier Pigeon Helicopter

Chapter 1197: Chapter 895: Carrier Pigeon Helicopter

Chapter 1197: Chapter 895: Carrier Pigeon Helicopter

On August 7 at 12:31 p.m., all French government officials and members of Parliament in Paris were taken under military control.

Just over ten minutes later, under the watchful eyes of many Parisians and the military, the renowned General Wegang entered the French government and, after about an hour, came out and headed to the French Parliament.

At 2:30 p.m., a press and diplomatic conference was held in the French Parliament. The incumbent Deputy Minister of Defence, Ron, Brigadier de Gaulle, and General Wegang all attended the meeting.

As the meeting commenced, Wegang made a shocking announcement, declaring that he would abolish the current French government due to their treasonous acts and establish a provisional military government.

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Wegang stated that any attempt to surrender to Germany was a severe betrayal of France, and all members and officials who agreed to surrender to Germany would face sanctions from the Parliament.

In addition to establishing a provisional military government, Wegang also declared that the French Parliament would be dissolved until France won the war.

At the end of the meeting, Wegang also announced the appointments for the positions within the French provisional government.

Wegang himself took on the role of President of the French Provisional Military Government and retained his position as Commander-in-Chief. The former Deputy Minister of Defence, Ron, became the Minister of Defence and General Commander of the Army in the provisional military government.

de Gaulle was promoted to Chief of General Staff, Minister of the Army Department, and Commander-in-Chief of the Paris Defense Army.

Clearly, these three individuals were the triumvirate at the helm of the French provisional military government.

As France itself was a country with a disproportionately strong army, the army’s status far outweighed that of the navy and air force.

Especially after the army’s recent massive expansion, its influence had even surpassed the combined strength of both the navy and the air force.

Wegang’s own declaration caused an uproar, signaling that one of Europe’s most powerful nations, France, had undergone considerable upheaval in a short span of time.

Unexpectedly to the international media, both the United Kingdom and Australasian media expressed their support for Wegang’s statement during this press and diplomatic conference, even publicly stating that France was on the right path again.

More surprising to the international media was that two hours after France’s press conference, the United Kingdom and Australasia had respectively stated their recognition of the French provisional military government and announced that the relationship between France and the British-Australasian alliance would remain unaltered.

The astute could see that behind France’s military coup, the United Kingdom and Australasia’s involvement was undoubtedly significant.

After all, only if France stood on the front lines against Germany would the United Kingdom and Australasia be safer and sustain considerably less loss.

But whether people could see it or not was irrelevant; the situation in France had stabilized following the army, led by de Gaulle, taking complete control of the French government and Parliament, and after the swift endorsements from the British-Australasian governments.

After securing President Albert, Bellamy, Gamelin, Reval, and other key figures of the Dove faction, the remaining Doves could no longer stir any trouble.

Moreover, with recognition from the British-Australasian superpowers, the French provisional military government had effectively garnered acknowledgement from most of the countries and regions worldwide.

The opposition from the German-Italian alliance was futile because they were already at war with France.

Wegang, having become the President of the French Provisional Military Government, immediately declared the abolition of the plan to demilitarize Paris on the afternoon of his inauguration and began redeploying the military to the north of Paris to construct a more robust defense line.

Moreover, a directive from the Ministry of Defence was sent to the Maginot Line, ordering them to assemble 200,000 troops and march westward immediately to prepare to support Paris.

In the French Provisional Military Government’s public address “To All Frenchmen”, the determination to defend Paris at all costs was evident, pledging to fight to the death to protect the city.

With changes in the French government, the military was also mobilized anew.

The most awkward now must be the French diplomats who were still in contact with the German Army. They were attempting to communicate with the German forces, yet their home government had undergone tremendous changes.

Besides the imprisoned individuals such as President Albert, those feeling disheartened likely also included the governments of Germany and Italy.

They were mere steps from taking Paris without firing a shot, only to have the United Kingdom and Australasia beat them to the punch.

Compared to the former government, the French provisional military government proved to be a tougher opponent. Their steadfast attitude to the war was, to the Germans, not a welcoming development.

Although France’s thorny government issue was thoroughly resolved, the dire domestic situation was still worrisome.

To allow the current provisional military government to focus on resisting the Germans, Australasia decided to increase its support to France after consulting with Britain.

Firstly, the Australasia Expeditionary Force expanded from 600,000 to 800,000 troops, with Australasians making up about 30% of the total force, roughly 240,000 personnel.

Secondly, the Australasian Government pledged to provide France with 1,200 Airplanes, 550 Tanks, and 2,725 Cars within three months.

This batch of weapons and equipment would be sold to the French government at 30% below market price, ensuring the French Army had ample resources to combat Germany.