Paris Temps

[The Rock Doctor]

Did the departed minister make the mile-high club or not?  It might be the silver lining in this tragedy.

[maddox]

2 reasons why Minister Marveuille didn't make the mile high club.

1) Commercial airships kept most of the time lower than a mile, having more lift in the denser air.
2) Never got out of the train coupe breathing.

[The Rock Doctor]

Ah, I misunderstood what the "coupe" was.

[P3D]

Le Monde
January 21, 1916

French Authorities resort to Habsburg mercenaries for policing Calcutta


A little more than a decade ago, the French military resorted to the help of the Habsburg Empire to quell the second Anahuac state formed in Brazil by the tacit agreement of the colonial authorities and Paris itself. As we know, this resulted Brazil seceding from the French Empire to join the Iberian one on their own will/ However, they had to pay for the Habsburg mercenaries with giving them the resource-rich Parana province, denying it from the people of Brazil, and which they are exploiting as we are speaking. The authorities are displacing the natives and Portuguese colonists from their land with tens of thousands of colonists of their own transported across the Atlantic - mostly comprising of oppressed ethnic and political minorities that are unwanted in their European holding and coerced to immigrate.

Conflicting news reached us from Bengal. The local population apparently got fed up with the yoke from Paris, and it can be concluded from the reports that now there is a general uprising in the region. Dozens of villages were put on fire and their whole populations massacred by troops wearing French uniform - and it is unclear if the troops were mutinied colonial troops, rebels dressed in French uniform or sanctioned by the colonial governor (as the local population might infer).

This foreboding precedent cannot be ignored when our sources disclosed that the Habsburgs unloaded several brigades of theirs in Calcutta with apparent approval from the colonial authorities. The same Habsburg Empire which get itself involved in every single military conflict in the last fifteen years. In the process they slaughtered innocent civilians across the globe. They destroyed the thriving port city of Aden killing or driving out its whole Muslim population (deemed undesirable by the Catholic overlords), massacring the Anahuac in their last holdouts of Brazil, and again killing thousands of civilians in Tasmania and the siege of Belgrade.

Considering the anti-European sentiment sweeping the subcontinent, the presence of several thousand foreign troops  is nothing but unwanted and allowing them on French soil speaks of the shortsightedness and political ineptitude of the French colonial government. Not as is the French military won't have more than a million troops in arms during peace, and troop transports to get reinforcements to anywhere on the globe. However, even as the first signs of unrest appeared several months ago, the government Paris failed to send any reinforcements into the region, meanwhile the situation just got worse and worse. Now add several thousands of religious fanatic foreign troops (the Catholic Habsburgs' foreign legion). They have no incentive to love the locals whatsoever with how the events are unfolding in Bharat. Nothing but a a receipt for disaster.

The government might even decide that they do not have the resources to keep it pacified and the locals content with enlightened French rule. All this is after investing more than 100 million francs to develop infrastructure in the region, writing off more than a hundred of years of French presence and investment. Eerie parallels with Brazil - we can only hope the situation won't follow the trends established - letting Bengal go free, or even ceded to the Habsburgs for their efforts.

[miketr]

OH WOW! That news story was a riot!

Michael

[P3D]

Well, a leftist rag like Le Monde should not have much love for either the French Government or the Reactionary Habsburgs. They might get another few weeks of ban for too loud criticism.

[maddox]

Paris, 22 january 1916
Premier Galpoux's private offices.

Minister Lebrun, monsieur Grange, any comments on the agitprop from Le Monde?
You liked it Premier? My writers had a lot of fun getting it concoted.

Ah, it's of your hand then Monsieur Grange. You realise it could be very damaging to my governement.

Actualy, if we sacrifice governer Duré, and put the blame on the Palpaté government it could very well be a good point. In any case, it makes the public opinion ready to accept a larger scale effort to keep Kolkata in the French fold. Minister Lebrun, in november you asked parliament to send more troops to Kolkata, but that was refused. Now parliament won't.

And what would you think more troops would achive?  More civilians dead? A war with Bharat? Possible conquering that plague ridden midden? No, all communication I get from Kolkata, and governer Duré, is not very pleasing. If I had my way, all French influences would be removed from there, and transfered to regions that appreciate the French rule. Ceylon, Djibouti Island, French Polynesia spring to mind.
The Kolkatan natives believe they have a civilisation for 1000's of years, even if they wallow in the Ganges mud, and drown or starve by the ten thousands, whatever the weather fancies over there.

Minister Lebrun, untill Parliament and I say otherwise, the Kolkatan natives are French citizens.
Monsieur Grange, I appreciate your effords for France, but this is overstepping your bounds. This article could have negative political repercusions.

[maddox]

Paris 23 january.

The stairs of parliament after an Emergency meeting.  The journalists are swarming the stairs like warrior ants. The cordon of burly agents of the Securité keeping a corridor free.
One can get close enough to Premier Galpoux to shout an recognizable and answerable question.

Premier Galpoux, you're the first Premier since 1876 to mobilise the French military forces, and get the approval of Parliament to suspend all public investments. How will the world react on such a a rash and hidiously barbaric action?

Premier Galpoux turns his head, and the tired , but fierce steel grey eyes flikker. A cold gaze pins the poor journalist. The cacaphony of shouted questions and outrage quells, as if an icebomb is dropped. One of the reasons why Premier Galpoux became premier, his magnetic charisma, at work.

Sir, if you call the protection of 18 milion of your fellow French citizens barbaric, I can see why your paymasters pay you.
Report this then.  No third rate country filled with Raving Lunatics, actualy, no country shall play with French citizens life for own profit without peril.

[The Rock Doctor]

Just to confirm - it is January?  Your other news thread is towards the end of February...

[maddox]

True, and that reflects this posting.

Our troops, with the first reinforcements from France, are able to hold rebel attacks at bay

It takes a normal merchant a month to travel from Marseilles to Kolkata.  Le Magnificent and Mercury can do the run in 10 days. And are capable together to carry half a French corps in 1 go.

So the date of 26 february mentioned in the Kolkata tread is accurate.  It takes time to get the French corps over.

[The Rock Doctor]

Okay, thanks.

[maddox]

January 27 1916

Premier, I'm glad we could escape Paris now. Those journalists are becoming obnoxious.

I agree minister Lebrun. And it's a year ago that our new battleships were assembled here for their inauguration. It's fitting that we see the lay down of the new battleship class for France.

Actualy Premier Galpoux, she's an entire new class of ship.  Albeit smaller than Masque she's bigger than any other battleship or those new fangled fast armored cruisers. Her size allows us to fit in the strongest engines deviced by man, propelling her to unimaginable speeds. The UNK is providing those, and we're setting up shop to build them ourselfs, with explicit agreement from the UNK, in exchange for our technology of 380mm guns.

So, what does it mean for Glorious France?

In effect, we'll have a class of warships faster than anything that can hurt her, and stronger than anything fast enough to catch her. Combined with the new technology of Fire Control we don't need a turret farm Like Masque anymore. Unfortunatly, we can't cancel her build now. She's not even 2 years from completion, and Montmedy won't be finished defore 1920.
I wish Admiral Geon wouldn't have forced us to build so many of those torpedo boat destroyers and protected cruisers, then we could have funding for at least 1 other Montmedy, maybe 2.

Admiral Geons reasoning was solid, and you have to admit, it was a great way to make every yard with military approval having well paying work. That is why I supported that build plan. And most of our parliament.

In any case Premier Galpoux, we'll have at least 2 quite days now.  We can use it before plunging back into the workload of a war in being.

[Carthaginian]

New York, New York
Pier 60, North River, Staten Island
0930H Local Time

All about the docks, things are chaos... the great liner Mercury has been pulled out of civilian service for weeks, and now the reason becomes apparent. Half a division of His Majesty's troops- dressed in full combat gear and carrying their weapons on their person- are boarding the massive vessel. There is no official word as to the reason for the activity, and thus the soldiers in her cabins feel free to 'speculate'...

"I's hewd that we's goin' ta take Scotland from Dutch!"

"Are ye daft, man... as much as I'd love te see the home of me fathers again, I dout that serrously. T'would be tha beginnin' of somethin' far fiercer than we'd care ta tangle with- I'm bettin that we're sent to Sierra Leone- tha Orangeman are gettin' mighty tight with the Zionites, and that's trouble for It'ly, so i'tis."

"Yer all outta yer minds... yessir, yabetcha. There's only a single reason that we'd be gettin all this jungle gear- it's war with Southern Cross! 'N drop the fake accent Scotty, yer embarassn us."

"How you white men took my people's land away unable to think better than that never ceases to amaze me. No, have been given jungle gear- but because of heat alone, for we are shipping water- and large amounts... where we are going is dry, not wet. We are many- too many to be bound for Africa unless open conflict was on... we do not go there, either. We sail with a Confederate escort in addition to our own ships... and stop first in France. I say we are bound for Kolkata."

"All of you- SILENCE... you'll find out where you're going soon enough!"
*muttering, curses, and frantic scrambling to attention*
Of'cer on tha..."
"Stow it, Mac."
"Sir... yessir"
"I don't give a damn where you THINK this ship is going. In fact, I don't give a damn if you THINK AT ALL. You're soldiers, and not supposed to be long on THINKING. You're long suit is supposed to be DOING... so isn't there something you should all be DOING now? GET ON DECK AND HELP FINISH LOADING SUPPLIES!"

[maddox]

Mid february 1916.


So minister Lebrun, we got the first JaC base agreed upon?

Yes Premier Galpoux.  The terrain northeast of Calais was the best spot we could find. Nice and flat, acces to a waterway what gives defensive options. And of course, the old abandoned fortress of Gravelines could be reconstructed as it is only 2km away.
The UNK offered additional funding, what means we can start earlier on this joint endeavor.

When do you expect the base to able to recieve the first French build craft?

That's a good question, even if monsieur Dunne s craft are approved, they don't have the right capacity yet to be usefull.

Oh well, that would mean we're dependent on Italia, the CSA or the UNK for the tools of that trade.Shouldn't be a big problem.

It isn't.

[maddox]

End March.
Ministry of Defence

Minister Lebrun. The demand on sandbags is bigger than our capacity to make them. Especialy with the Kolkata capacity diverted fully to Kolkatan needs.

I know Marcel, that is why mademoiselle Durone has searched for outside suppliers.

But minister, we need those sandbags on the JAC site at Gravelines, the works are slowing down because we're exhausting our stockpile further away, we're now transporting the bags from the depot at fortress DeCreme IV .

Yes Marcel. I'm aware.  And the order for 1.5 milion sandbags is send.

*******************************************************************************************
Beveren, nearby Antwerp.
(partialy translated from Dutch)

Meneer Adolf, we got an order , a large order. An unbelievable huge order.

Ja Marieke? What order?

You know sir, that friendly letter in French from 2 weeks ago asking for the green cloth to be remade into a kind of large pillow tyke.

Care to refresh my memory.

Yes meneer Adolf,  a young lady , Louise Durond , wrote us a letter with the question if we could supply a large quantity of green linen sacks with the size of 35*70 cm, with a drawstring on the open end.  And if so,what would be the pricetag.

Oh, that one. I tought that we didn't want that order, and put the pricetag a "tad" high on those pillow tykes.

Yes , that is that order. She ordered 1 500 000 of them as a first order. If the timetable is kept, another order of 6 milion will come.
It seems, that she made a personal request, and that the dark green specified would be mixed with a jade green in a geometrical pattern.

LUK, maak dat je telraam bepotelende reet hier is, en kom eens de winstmarges uitrekenen.
Translated
Luke, get your abacus fondling ass over here, and calculate the profit margines on this one.

yes meneer Sioen.
Oh my, if we get this order, we'll have to expand, and expand fast. But it will be paid for, more than paid for.


OOC info on this.

A sandbag empty size 70*35 cm  will be 60*30 cm filled with a hight of 18 cm, weight 20 kg.
Adolf Sioen was a Flemish cloth manufactorer who started in 1907.
The physical distance between Beveren and  Gravelines is 140 km
Between Fortress DeCreme IV and Gravelines 840 km.