France



France, officially the French Republic (French: République française), is a developed country in western Europe. Paris is the capital of France.

In the late 18th century, the monarchy and associated institutions were overthrown in the French Revolution, which forever changed France's history. The country was governed for a period as a Republic until the French Empire was declared by Napoleon Bonaparte. Following Napoleon's defeat in the Napoleonic Wars, France went through several further regime changes; being ruled as a monarchy, then briefly as a Second Republic, and then as a Second Empire, until a more lasting French Third Republic was established in 1870.

France was one of the Allied Powers in World War II, but was conquered by Nazi Germany within two months. The Third Republic was dismantled, and most of the country was controlled directly by the Axis Powers while the south was controlled by the collaborationist Vichy government.

Since World War II, France has been a leading member in the UN, the European Union, and NATO, and remains a strong economic, cultural, military and political influence in the 21st century.

Military Branches/Alliances

 * The Free French Forces (FFF) were a group of French fighters who fought alongside the Allies during World War II, after the capture of France by Germany. They appear in expansion pack Battlefield 1942: The Road To Rome.


 * The Groupe d'Intervention de la Gendarmerie Nationale (English: National Gendarmerie Intervention Group) is a special operations unit of the French Armed Forces. They are trained to perform counter-terrorist and hostage rescue missions in France or anywhere else in the world. They appear in Battlefield 3.


 * The Nationale Gendarmerie is a branch of the French armed forces, in charge of public safety, with police duties among the civilian population. They appear in Battlefield 3.


 * The European Union (EU) is an economic and political union of 27 member states which are located primarily in Europe. They appear in Battlefield 2: Euro Force, Battlefield 2: Modern Combat, and Battlefield 2142.


 * The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO, is an intergovernmental military alliance based on the North Atlantic Treaty which was signed on April 4, 1949. The organization constitutes a system of collective defense whereby its member states agree to mutual defense in response to an attack by any external party. They appear in the singleplayer of Battlefield 2: Modern Combat.

Battlefield 1942
In Battlefield 1942, maps such as Omaha Beach, Bocage, and Liberation of Caen take place in France with the US Army and Canadian Army engaging the Wehrmacht.

Battlefield 1942: The Road to Rome
In the expansion, the Free French Forces is a faction allied to the United States and United Kingdom. They fight the Wehrmacht on the maps Monte Cassino and Monte Santa Croce.

Battlefield 2
Being a part of the EU, the European Union uses French equipment such as the Tiger HAP and the FAMAS in the Battlefield 2: Euro Force expansion pack.

Battlefield 2142
Being a part of the EU, the European Union fights the Pan-Asian Coalition for the last habitable parts of Earth in the mid-22nd century. The maps Bridge at Remagen, Verdun, and Cerbere Landing take place in France.

Battlefield 3
The French Gendarmerie (Military Law Enforcement Agency) and the "Police Nationale" (National Police, Civil Law Enforcement Agency) appear as a non-playable factions during the mission Comrades, where they engage both PLR operatives as well as Dimitri Mayakovsky and the other GRU agents attempting to track down the carrier of the nuclear weapon.

In Co-op, the Gendarmerie and Police Nationale appear during the missions involving Paris. However, they are allies rather than enemies, and mostly serve only as a backdrop. In The Eleventh Hour, the GIGN appear, storming the Stock Exchange. Most of them are killed as soon as they enter the building or by an exploding van near the entrance.

The maps Operation Métro and Seine Crossing take place in Paris. However, neither the French Gendarmerie nor the National Police make an appearance in either of these maps.

Equipment Made

 * FAMAS
 * AS-665 Tiger
 * Eurocopter EC635

Trivia

 * Neither the paint jobs of the "police nationale" cars, nor the uniforms of its members, are close to the ones of the French police in reality (police officers at the beginning of the co-op mission Drop 'Em Like Liquid actually wear an NYPD badge). On the other hand, the paint jobs of the Gendarmerie and uniforms of the GIGN appears close to reality.


 * Pre-Alpha pictures of Battlefield 3 can be seen on the newspaper stands in the multiplayer maps located in France.