June 16, 1940 offer of Franco-British Union?

What if the offer had been accepted and implemented, how would this have affected the outcome of WW2?

See: http://www.ibiblio.org/pha/policy/1940/400616a.html

 

That might have helped things with some French colonies only, Syria, Algeria, Senegal, Djibouti.

Also, if it did become effective, Mers-el-Kebir would have been avoided which by itself would be a good thing, but adding La Réale to the Royal Navy wouldn't unbalance things more against the Axis than it was already, although the extra manpower would be nice.

 

I could imagine the creation of the Vichy State would have been near impossible after this act, had it come to fruitition

CvM

 

The problem probably would have been whether France itself was in war with Germany or not if this union was made, and that made the situation awkward enough. By making the two nations as one I think it was meant to boost the morale yet what other effect it would have, positive that is, I cannot be sure. The "battle goes on" if they did it but what would the French gain in this deal? And the whole of France would be occupied. More reasons for the Germans to rob the country really.

The idea ws a desperate one, but considering the situation France had no other alternative, I think. Even if it meant Vichy France.

 

If the Vichy government had never been legitimised and France continued the war from its colonies, would this have prevented axis/Japanese forces from benefitting from french colonial assistance which it did (additional colonial theatres in Africa and Syria, use of French maritime resources to transport troops etc to north Africa, use of Indo China as a staging post to attack the Malay peninsula/Singapore, etc? Such thoughts must have been considered aside from the moral boosting effect of having a government /union government in exile. Also, the agreement to pay for post war reconstruction was also significant bearing in mind the previous issues raised at Versailles in 1919.