French Quagmire

Joe · Post by **Joe** » 2003-12-02 04:25pm

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?click_id ... 2&set_id=1

Seriously, though, this isn't good.

Companion Cube · Post by **Companion Cube** » 2003-12-02 04:28pm

Well, the President there supports them, for what good that'll do.

Stuart Mackey · Post by **Stuart Mackey** » 2003-12-03 02:54am

Well the Frogs have a nasty dillema as there is no peace to keep and some of the locals do not seem to like them very much.

Knife · Post by **Knife** » 2003-12-03 03:54am

*raises hand* Oooo pick me, pick me.

Lets turn it over to the UN.

CaptainChewbacca · Post by **CaptainChewbacca** » 2003-12-03 04:12am

Oh please PLEASE can we support the French military in a colonial war in a jungle nation?

The last one turned out so well.

Post by **The Yosemite Bear** » 2003-12-03 04:26am

just so long as they don't fire up everyone's favorite french invention for the return of the "Reign of Terror"...

Stuart Mackey · Post by **Stuart Mackey** » 2003-12-03 05:44am

The Yosemite Bear wrote:just so long as they don't fire up everyone's favorite french invention for the return of the "Reign of Terror"...

What do Gestapo interrogations have to do with it

Darth Fanboy · Post by **Darth Fanboy** » 2003-12-03 06:19am

*Phone Rings*

Bush: Y'ello?

Chirac: Oh hoo hooo Mistahr Boosh, how ahr yew today!

Bush: what the hell? Speak English you damn frog!

Chirac: I was jahst theenking that you could help ahs een owr little prahblem if Ahfrika No?

Bush: Do What Now?

Chirac: Oh yew know, support ahr troops as we trah to keep ze peace in a Fahran Countray, allo?

*line is dead*

Col. Crackpot · Post by **Col. Crackpot** » 2003-12-03 08:53am

*the thought of a few thousand beaten, ragged French soldiers being airlifted by American blackhawks to a waiting American carrier under American air support crewed by laughing American crews oozing with distain for the poor silly French bastards fills my head. Giggles at the though of France getting a big heaping dose of humility.

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2003-12-03 09:00am

They'd likely send the Foreign Legion in, meaning a firm arse kicking for the sorry souls who oppose France.

Post by **Vympel** » 2003-12-03 09:04am

The Charles De Gaulle will do just fine for aircraft carrier support. At maximum capacity it carries almost as many aircraft as the current levels on American CVBGs (carry around ~40 aircraft, designed to carry about double that). Of course, there are only 7 Rafale Ms aboard (the rest being Super Etendards) but that's fine for Ivory Coast.

Post by **Colonel Olrik** » 2003-12-03 09:07am

Col. Crackpot wrote:*the thought of a few thousand beaten, ragged French soldiers being airlifted by American blackhawks to a waiting American carrier under American air support crewed by laughing American crews oozing with distain for the poor silly French bastards fills my head. Giggles at the though of France getting a big heaping dose of humility.

That won't happen. There are tens of thousands french nationals to be protected, that's one of the main reasons they went there in the first place. At the very least, I bet they have a really good evacuation plan if the worst happens.

And then you have the Charles de Gaulle and the rest of the French navy.

Col. Crackpot · Post by **Col. Crackpot** » 2003-12-03 09:13am

I thought the DeGaulle was in drydock for a major refit?

Post by **Vympel** » 2003-12-04 08:13am

Col. Crackpot wrote:I thought the DeGaulle was in drydock for a major refit?

*shrugs*

dunno

TrailerParkJawa · Post by **TrailerParkJawa** » 2003-12-04 01:54pm

Vympel wrote:
Col. Crackpot wrote:I thought the DeGaulle was in drydock for a major refit?
*shrugs*

dunno

I thought that carrier was problem plauged from the get go? Too small of a reactor, built in too small of a port, cost overuns, etc? Or am I thinking of a different one.

Post by **Colonel Olrik** » 2003-12-04 01:57pm

TrailerParkJawa wrote:
I thought that carrier was problem plauged from the get go? Too small of a reactor, built in too small of a port, cost overuns, etc? Or am I thinking of a different one.

There was some radiation leakage problems and one of the propellers got loose, but all those problems have been solved some years ago.

Axis Kast · Post by **Axis Kast** » 2003-12-05 11:04pm

At the risk of criticism, the French Army is one of the best in the world today, and their force-projection capabilities (in relation to small(er)-unit deployment is unfairly maligned. I'm sure they'd be fine even if the decision to pull out was made.

Joe · Post by **Joe** » 2003-12-05 11:08pm

Col. Crackpot wrote:I thought the DeGaulle was in drydock for a major refit?

Forget refitting, if this article is true they may be retiring it altogether. It's a damn wreck.

http://www.strategypage.com/fyeo/howtom ... TNAVAI.HTM

Post by **Vympel** » 2003-12-06 01:10am

Durran Korr wrote:
Col. Crackpot wrote:I thought the DeGaulle was in drydock for a major refit?
Forget refitting, if this article is true they may be retiring it altogether. It's a damn wreck.

http://www.strategypage.com/fyeo/howtom ... TNAVAI.HTM

Rarely for strategypage, the facts are somewhat correct but in typical strategypage style the interpretation is batshit insane. These are the fuckwits who think Syria has MiG-31s ...

Col. Crackpot · Post by **Col. Crackpot** » 2003-12-06 01:10pm

Colonel Olrik wrote:
TrailerParkJawa wrote:
I thought that carrier was problem plauged from the get go? Too small of a reactor, built in too small of a port, cost overuns, etc? Or am I thinking of a different one.
There was some radiation leakage problems and one of the propellers got loose, but all those problems have been solved some years ago.

got loose? it fell off! If that thing is as reliable as the 1985 Peugot sedan my Uncle had, then they are best to just scrap it .

Post by **Sea Skimmer** » 2003-12-06 03:43pm

Vympel wrote:
Rarely for strategypage, the facts are somewhat correct but in typical strategypage style the interpretation is batshit insane. These are the fuckwits who think Syria has MiG-31s ...

strategypage copied it word for word from the original source, which is this. The general consensus is the claim of a possibul retirement and the radiation issues are total politically driven bullshit, in addition to which both stories are recycled from several years ago. The propeller issue was real (top speed is 28 knots now) but the flight deck was easily fixed years ago.

Post by **Sea Skimmer** » 2003-12-06 03:49pm

Col. Crackpot wrote:
got loose? it fell off! If that thing is as reliable as the 1985 Peugot sedan my Uncle had, then they are best to just scrap it .

One of the propellers lost a blade, neither actually fell off. While the ship current does have propellers from Foch and can only make 28 knots with them new propellers are under design. As I recall there suppose to be ready for fitting by 2004.

Stormbringer · Post by **Stormbringer** » 2003-12-06 04:46pm

Ah, the futility of African interventions.

Post by **Vympel** » 2003-12-06 11:50pm

Col. Crackpot wrote:

got loose? it fell off! If that thing is as reliable as the 1985 Peugot sedan my Uncle had, then they are best to just scrap it .

*Noone* would be insane enough to scrap a brand new CVN purely because of a faulty propeller.

Lord Woodlouse · Post by **Lord Woodlouse** » 2003-12-07 05:06am

Ooooo.... yeah!

</Quagmire>