Time Slip Reiwa Japan

099 - The French Colonial Empire's Upheaval - 4

The independence struggle in French Indochina, which had begun in 1940, was on the verge of being suppressed after two years. France had stepped up its efforts significantly by deploying well-equipped and well-trained regular French troops, mainly from Africa. While inferior to Japan and the United States, these well-trained units possessed sufficient reliability in terms of armored and mobile capabilities for that era. The Vietnamese independence fighters, armed mostly with outdated rifles, hand grenades, and makeshift bombs, stood little chance against the formidable French forces.

To demonstrate its commitment to French Indochina, France even deployed its only operational aircraft carrier, the Painvé, despite its current state of disrepair. Although not extensively refitted based on the lessons learned from the Skagerrak Strait Incident suffered by the Joffre, minor modifications and operational adjustments had been made. France dispatched a fleet, including the flagship battleship Strasbourg and six escort vessels, under the name of the Oriental Squadron. *1

With these developments, the Vietnamese independence fighters were left with no choice but to be hunted down. Even if they hid among the people or submerged themselves in the sea, they would face annihilation if they attempted to resist with weapons. What put an end to this situation was the withdrawal of the Chinese volunteer soldiers—a significant blow to the Greater Asianism ideology. Repeated defeats and unfavorable conditions had dampened the morale of the Chinese volunteers. However, the emergence of the South China independence movement based on the Greater Asianism from their homeland intrigued them, somewhat unavoidably.

Nevertheless, for the Vietnamese independence fighters who were left behind, this was a considerable setback. Having lost the professional military group of Japanese officers who had been instrumental in their ranks, including mid-level commanders, the soldiers were also disheartened. Continuing armed struggle was no longer feasible.

Furthermore, France's efforts to track down the sources of funding for the Vietnamese independence movement and shut them down were significant. In particular, they encouraged mutual surveillance and reporting among ethnic capital holders in French Indochina and imposed heavy taxes if such measures failed. With diminishing leadership, loss of soldiers, and lack of funds, there was no way the independence movement could be sustained under such circumstances.

. . .

Vietnamese Independence Movement

Amid the difficulty of mounting large-scale military uprisings and resistance movements, the primary figures within the Vietnamese independence movement turned to political compromise. Realizing that independence was no longer feasible, their aim was to at least secure basic rights for the Vietnamese people from France. The problem lay in France's refusal to entertain their demands. The die had already been cast. There was no compelling reason for the victors to entertain the wishes of the defeated.

Yet still, the independence movement couldn't bear the thought that all the deaths and sacrifices they had endured thus far had been utterly in vain. As a result, they turned to reckless acts of terrorism. They demanded political concessions from France, and when these were not granted, they resorted to terrorism. Initially, they targeted French government facilities, but soon became too heavily fortified to achieve any results.

As a result, acts of terrorism began to take place in public spaces as the next best option. Naturally, this also involved innocent Vietnamese civilians. Contrary to the expectations of the Vietnamese independence movement, these actions began to alienate the hearts of ordinary Vietnamese people from the cause of Vietnamese independence.

. . .

France

While France succeeded in crushing the large-scale Vietnamese independence movement army and fully securing the border areas with China—South China, problems were piling up. Although they had annihilated the massive forces of the Vietnamese independence movement, now terrorism was rampant, and law and order were deteriorating rapidly. This would make it impossible for France to manage its Asian colony.