Ahh...sorry don't get it; If France decides to send most of of it's Army to e.g. Algeria and Tunesia in late Spring of 1940 and therefore has to abandon most of it's heavy gear - then who and with what are the remaining French forces in France to fight against the Wehrmacht? Since it would take weeks before to send and assemble them to Southern France.
Or is this "late Spring" supposed to be around the Dunkirk time-frame? - meaning France is already more or less beaten.
Which would in turn enable Hitler to install a Nazi friendly government (just as history) in southern France.
Seems to be pretty much on target.
Look at google maps, it is just about 470 miles from Marseille to Algiers or a good two days one way with an 8-9kt freighter. This is not an Dunkirk style evacuation with ships making multiple trips in one day or using small boats.
As has been already mentioned, getting the armies to the evacuation ports is going to be a problem. Especially with heavy weapons (you need trains and cranes).
It is around 1100 miles from the Bay of Biscay to French Morocco. You are closer to the front but now you have a 4-5 day one way trip with a sub 10kt ship.
The Dunkirk worked because the British were retreating to their point/s of supply. Troops that came ashore with little or no weapons could be resupplied with weapons from store or from factories in short order, short is a relative term. French troops evacuated to Morocco/Algeria have very little waiting for them in the way of heavy weapons and ammunition. Even food for troops in the tens of thousands is questionable. There are no factories to make new tanks, artillery, shells, aircraft, etc. Perhaps limited small arms production was possible.
However troops around 400 miles from the Spanish/French border are not a big threat to the Germans.
France in itself can do nothing. France as a possible manpower pool to be equipped with British (Commonwealth) and American weapons at a later date does have a possibility.
But how many months off is that?
Do the Germans delay or halt Barbarossa in 1941 because the French have 100,000-200,000 poorly equipped men in Algeria?
Do the British (and Commonwealth) tool up to make parts for French equipment and French ammunition or do they start sending British standard issue equipment to the French troops in NA? America is still tooling up.
A French attack on the Italians in Libya might be possible from Tunisia. As in much of the NA campaigns, much is dependent on supply. How reliable are the French vehicles in NA and how much supply do they have (including artillery ammunition). The British can supply them through Moroccan ports.
Supply of Malta is a lot easier, at least until the Germans show up in force. British can use airfields in Algeria and Tunisia?
