Father of France

Chapter 190 Observer Koman

The current fighting on Java Island... is not very intense. Most Third World countries are unable to engage in positional warfare with the old-line European imperialist powers, and neither is the Viet Minh.

After much thought, Koeman could only think of one exception, but this exception had not yet taken office.

Indonesia is definitely not within this scope. The core of this operational plan is to sweep through rural areas from cities, using cities as strongholds.

If this were done in a country with vast depth and breadth, failure would almost certainly be the outcome.

But Indonesia's environment is worth a try. Although it is an absolute top-tier island in the world, Java, a long and narrow island of 0 square kilometers, essentially has little depth.

Koman found the term "reclaimed Java" laughable. He argued that only countries roughly the size of India could be considered reclaimed. While Indonesia claims a considerable land area, what does it have to do with Java?
Since this plan delves into areas with limited depth, its core target is the so-called inland Malays. Although the Chinese population in Indonesia is not small, they generally live in cities like Jakarta and Yogyakarta. If Chinese can be seen in rural areas at any time, wouldn't the country be taken over?

"Judge Coman, will this plan definitely succeed?" Just as the proposal was about to be approved by everyone, an army staff officer stood up and paused halfway through his sentence.

"A large-scale humanitarian disaster?" Seeing that his comrade couldn't find a suitable word right away, Koman took the initiative to help his comrade solve the problem. "Sometimes we can't find a perfect solution, especially when it comes to war. So forget about right and wrong on a moral level and let the Vietnamese National Army carry it out. Destroy the countryside, consolidate the cities, and disintegrate the Indonesian resistance."

After the army staff officer sat down, with everyone's tacit agreement, Koeman took the operational plan and left.

This was actually a kind of training exercise. Koeman remembered that there would be an uprising in Madagascar this year, and France would undoubtedly suppress it with heavy troops; there would be no other choice.

If it comes to such matters, France is ruthless. It can be said that France was the only colonial empire after World War II to be so harsh on its colonies.

Ending the military operations in Java sooner would also avoid the troop pressure that France would face during the uprising in Madagascar.

France needed to quickly crush the resistance on Java Island, so Coman naturally couldn't care less about moral issues and had to use every trick in the book.

The main offensive plan is to launch from Jakarta, with West Java as the core, and to sweep across an area of ​​approximately 30,000 square kilometers. If I'm not mistaken, the main targets of the resistance are the Malay Muslims in Indonesia.

The objective was to collect one million tons of rice, control the food and agricultural equipment, and starve the Indonesian resistance forces.

In addition to the main attack direction, there was also a feint attack direction. It was necessary to cut off the population migration on Java Island and prevent the population from escaping from the West Java sweep area. This required the cooperation of the Dutch army.

Koeman's subordinate in Jakarta, Lefebvre, soon received a coded telegram from Saigon and learned that Koeman would be coming to Jakarta at an appropriate time.

While Lefèvre was decoding the war plan for Saigon, Corman had already gone to visit the artisans he had painstakingly gathered, and he didn't know if these people had adapted to life here.

The military attaché of the Governor's Office, Maurice, accompanied Coman, partly out of curiosity and partly to see the living conditions of the Chinese. After all, under the agreement signed between China and France, France was obligated to take care of Chinese merchants, and the Chinese in Vietnam were mainly located in Cholon.

Then he saw Koman examining the forged knife, saying something to the Chinese knife maker. He didn't really say anything, just some things about the style of European cold weapons.

Bows and arrows don't need much intervention, but swords are different. Swords and other cold weapons have a strong regional character, and European cold weapons focused on a single function.

This was especially true after the advent of plate armor; in order to counter the sturdy armor, the weapon itself had to be strong enough.

Therefore, European weapons typically have very thick handles and extremely sturdy joints, aiming to incapacitate the enemy with a single strike.

Koman meant well by giving this reminder; otherwise, the craftsman's path in passing on the traditional forging techniques wouldn't be easy, and he might end up not being able to sell anything at all.

In fact, this characteristic of Europe is not only reflected in weapons. Koeman even suspects that the existence of so many different kitchen knives is also influenced by a single-function mindset. Chinese cooking is much simpler, with one kitchen knife doing everything.

After chatting for a while, Koeman didn't forget Morris and even took the time to explain his conversation, "Don't you think what I said makes sense?"

“It’s thought-provoking.” What could Morris say? But he still asked, “There aren’t many people who can use this kind of cold weapon anymore. Everyone’s busy with work. How big is the market?”

“If our productivity… I mean development, remains stagnant, then life will naturally revolve around work. But I believe that one day people will be liberated from work, and then what I’m doing now will be very meaningful,” Koeman replied confidently. “You know, rich people actually have many hobbies.” Just like Koeman didn’t only feed Ava Gardner baguettes; he also had his own hobbies, but in his previous life, he was burdened by life and didn’t stick with many of them, so he had to make some choices. The eight-sided Han sword hanging on the wall was covered in dust.

As he answered, Coman walked over to the craftsmen at Guangyuan and handed a bow to Morris, saying, "Try drawing it. This is much better than the Scottish longbow. The English bows are made longer to increase their power, longer than the Englishman himself."

Morris tried to pull it open but couldn't, and looked a little embarrassed. "Maybe I don't have any particular interest in this. Besides, the era of cold weapons is over; it's guns that I should be practicing with."

"The era of cold weapons is indeed over, but the basic principles of weapon development have not changed." Koeman disagreed with Morris's view. "The basic principle of weapon development is to see farther and have a longer range. How can we be sure that we won't encounter similar problems in the future?"

Modern firearms are the same; they're simply radar and missiles, allowing them to see further and have a longer range. Isn't that how the Rafale was brought down?

This is also why carrier-based aircraft replaced battleships. While battleships could also install radar, the range would be unavoidable. Carrier-based aircraft combined with missiles are indeed something traditional artillery cannot counter.

In fact, given France's size, developing the Rafale is already an all-out effort; France's national strength can only support the aviation industry to this extent.

Dassault can be considered the pride of Europe. Apart from Dassault, no other country in Europe can achieve this on its own. Sweden's approach is purely importing and assembling.

Of course, Koeman's statement does not include the European countries of Schrödinger's cat, such as Russia. Even for Russia, it is clear that reaching the fifth generation is almost the limit for Russia.

For many countries, let alone a fourth-generation medium-sized fighter like the Rafale, even the MiG-21 is a huge obstacle.

Since its manufacture in the Soviet Union, the MiG-21 has served in more than 50 countries, including leaders of the Arab world, prominent major powers, traditional powers in Eastern Europe, and even powerful nations on the Korean Peninsula.

Of all the countries that have put the MiG-21 into service, only two countries were able to build it from scratch, starting with the very first screw, and get it flying: China and the Soviet Union.

Even a powerful nation like India cannot manufacture the MiG-21 from scratch; this is the general level of development among countries worldwide.

The great Eastern power not only has the world's best flankers, but also the best MiG and the best Tupolev even earlier. Although the models are a bit old, they are still usable.

What's wrong with the Soviet Union using the Tu-96, the United States using the B-52, and the H-6? Don't they all have bright futures?

India's Tejas MiG-21 was destined to fail. A powerful nation with a reputation for excellence couldn't even produce its own MiG-21 without relying on the Soviet Union, and had always depended on the Soviet Union for parts. How could it possibly take off from scratch?

“Materials are important.” Coman said to Maurice, his words carrying a double meaning as he stroked the bow. If France couldn’t hold onto its overseas territories, the future of the Rafale would also be the future of France.

Materials are no longer a weakness for this major Eastern power. Even if its engines cannot be said to have surpassed those of the United States and Russia, they are definitely in the first tier.

The fighter jets that put the most strain on materials during the Cold War were the generation of fighter jets with variable-slip rotors. If the materials were substandard, the failure rate would rise sharply.

The variable-swing fighter jet tormented countries including the US, the Soviet Union, and European nations, ultimately leading to its obsolescence.

The great Eastern power also has variable wings. In a broader sense, variable wings are not limited to just changing the rear wing. The J-20 is nicknamed the Eight-Winged Angel, and it can change quite a few wings, and we haven't heard of any problems with it.

This shows that in terms of materials, the great Eastern power is no less capable than any other country, and has even surpassed Dassault, with whom it once cooperated.

The J-10 taking down the Rafale is a dark joke. Back then, Sukhoi collaborated with Shenyang Aircraft Corporation, while Dassault Aviation of France collaborated with Chengdu Aircraft Corporation.

As the French forces on Java began a new military operation, sweeping through West Java, Empress Nam Phuong, the wife of Emperor Bau Dai, returned to French Indochina, where the two had been separated after Bau Dai's abdication.

Now that Emperor Bao Dai has been restored to the throne, Empress Nam Phuong has returned to Vietnam to reunite with him.

Koeman did not meet the Queen because Ava Gardner had returned to the United States to find someone to make a movie, and Koeman was once again left with nothing to do, so he applied to go to Jakarta to observe the effects of the military operation.

(End of this chapter)