Dear All,
Suppose for just a moment that it was Britain and not France that was the colonial power in what eventually came to be known as French Indochina. Perhaps France looked elsewhere to expand her Empire (there's a thought - France takes a hand in South Africa resulting in a potential Gallic Rourke's Drift / Zulu War
)
So, bearing in mind Britain's experience gained in pacifying India (and getting a bloody nose in Afghanistan which itself gives her army experience of defeat and how to learn from it - accentuate the positive, eh?), how would an Indochina as part of the British Empire thrive (or not)?
Suppose again that British Royal Marines subdue Chinese Black Flag Pirates, neuter the Mandarins and integrate the region, how would subsequent events play out, especially post WWII? Would Britain attempt to reassert her authority over the region as the French did, sparking the First Indochina War and if they did would Britain be any more successful than France? Would the RC4/Na San/ Dien Bien Phu battles etc ever happen or would another tack be tried by British Generals? What rules of engagement would British politicians oblige her armed services to fight under? Would there even BE a conflict, would we bow out of the region in similar fashion to the way India was given independence? Would American fears concerning the spread of communism come to the fore earlier and prevent such an outcome?
What does anybody else think - food for thought and an interesting 'what if' or a pile of smelly Guano?
Suppose for just a moment that it was Britain and not France that was the colonial power in what eventually came to be known as French Indochina. Perhaps France looked elsewhere to expand her Empire (there's a thought - France takes a hand in South Africa resulting in a potential Gallic Rourke's Drift / Zulu War

So, bearing in mind Britain's experience gained in pacifying India (and getting a bloody nose in Afghanistan which itself gives her army experience of defeat and how to learn from it - accentuate the positive, eh?), how would an Indochina as part of the British Empire thrive (or not)?
Suppose again that British Royal Marines subdue Chinese Black Flag Pirates, neuter the Mandarins and integrate the region, how would subsequent events play out, especially post WWII? Would Britain attempt to reassert her authority over the region as the French did, sparking the First Indochina War and if they did would Britain be any more successful than France? Would the RC4/Na San/ Dien Bien Phu battles etc ever happen or would another tack be tried by British Generals? What rules of engagement would British politicians oblige her armed services to fight under? Would there even BE a conflict, would we bow out of the region in similar fashion to the way India was given independence? Would American fears concerning the spread of communism come to the fore earlier and prevent such an outcome?
What does anybody else think - food for thought and an interesting 'what if' or a pile of smelly Guano?
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