| Powers | England & France |
| Game stage | Early Game and beyond |
| Primary target | Germany |
| Alternative names | Anglo-French; Entente; Entente Cordiale |
The Anglo-French alliance has gained popularity in recent years, as it has proven to be a beneficial alliance for both powers to reach the Endgame.
The traditional name for the E/F alliance is the ‘Entente’ or ‘Entente Cordiale’, which is the name the alliance had pre-WWI. However, I like the name ‘Leviathan’, despite my penchant for historically accurate names. ‘Leviathan’ captures the idea of a ‘Juggernaut’-type alliance, but in the West.
An unsuitable alliance?
The E/F alliance might be said to be unpopular amongst Dip writers. Richard Sharp was particularly scathing towards it:
For years I could not see any realistic plan for Anglo-French co-operation. Every idea foundered on the simple facts: England must occupy the Mediterranean to win, he must go through the Mid-Atlantic to get there, and none of this is going to amuse France at all.
The Game of Diplomacy, Ch 4 “England”
A possible plan for an Anglo-French alliance is outlined in the English chapter, but this certainly favours England, and you should avoid it unless you feel England is so strong that you must accept second place (or so weak that you can break the stranglehold once he has established it). So: use him in the early stages by all means, to contain Russia and frighten Germany, but discard any thought of a permanent alliance except in the rarest circumstances.
The Game of Diplomacy, Ch 10 “France”
So, yeah, not one for Sharp.
Sharp, however, was writing in the 1970s. A great deal of what he says still holds water, although the book was a very subjective piece of work. Today, however, the E/F alliance has grown in popularity. Why? Well, there is a lot of arena Diplomacy played (leagues and tournaments) and, with the scoring systems used, the Leviathan often puts both powers in a strong position on the board and therefore to score well.
“The Western Juggernaut”
I mentioned above that the E/F alliance can be as successful as the Juggernaut, the infamous Russo-Turkish alliance from the East. The Juggernaut is so-called because it can trample across the rest of the board. The Leviathan alliance has similar properties.
The first target is always Germany, the unlucky odd-sod-out from the West. England concentrates on fleet builds, dominating the seas, at least early on. France concentrates on army builds, perhaps with the odd fleet in Marseilles to manage the western end of the Mediterranean waters. French armies concentrate on pushing through Burgundy and Ruhr, with Munich their initial target in Germany. English fleets attack the German North Sea coast, threatening Holland, Denmark and Sweden (after Norway).
Unlike the Juggernaut, however, the strength of the E/F alliance is that it is simply one of three possible 2-way alliance options in the West. When Germany is subdued, there is a good chance it will fall apart. After all, where else can England and France cooperate, and how are they going to coexist?
Well, if they’ve cooperated to take down Germany, then French armies will be in central Europe, and France will own Munich. Next? What’s to stop French armies heading further east, through Silesia and Prussia, to threaten Warsaw? And, if France can do this, with English fleets pressing against Scandinavia, Russia faces a double threat.
Here’s where France needs to be careful. England probably controls Holland, Kiel, Norway, Denmark and Sweden. France has Spain, Portugal, Belgium (if they’ve negotiated a swap with England) and Munich. Berlin will probably be English, allowing English fleets to pressure northern Russia from both coasts. Assuming St Petersburg becomes English, what of Moscow? England is probably the best placed to take the landlocked SC. England has 10 SCs, France has 7.
France’s best policy is to leave England to fight Russia, while they focus on the Mediterranean seas and the SCs around them. In other words, the more natural move for France and England is to agree and Non-Aggression Pact (NAP) at the point of Germany’s defeat, and for France to switch their focus to the southern part of the board, while England moves on Russia.
The view from London
Sharp and other commentators are correct: England’s biggest threat, once Germany is beaten, is France, their erstwhile ally.
England has to manage the French threat, which is little blue fleets slipping behind their defences. While Brest remains French, nothing is preventing a fleet or two from appearing there. If France also occupies the Mid-Atlantic Ocean, England can soon find French fleets in the North Atlantic, the Irish Sea, and/or la Manche (the space that was, once, the English Channel).
Sharp’s solution to this, the “Hey Bresto!” opening, is a good one… for England. In this opening, France agrees to England occupying and taking Brest in 1901 with a fleet. Whether or not England keeps the fleet there (probably counter-productive), for France to launch a maritime threat to England, they need to build in Marseilles, three moves away from the English coast. Or else, they recapture Brest. If England owns Brest, the French threat is minimised.
The problem, of course, is that it would be a very accommodating France that allowed England to own a French SC. What is to stop England from throwing fleets south, controlling the seas around France and Iberia, and taking control?
Assuming, then, that France isn’t going to meekly surrender Brest to you, what can England do to lessen the French threat? The solution, of course, is diplomacy.
The trick is to tie France down. To this point, England has been concentrating mainly on fleet builds, while France has been building mainly armies, perhaps with the odd fleet in Marseilles (if they’ve built in Brest, they’ve probably damaged the alliance!).
Should England switch focus? For me, no. England’s expansion is still fleet-based. England’s strength is that they control the northern seas, and this should be managed to take control of all the Norse countries (Norway, Sweden and Denmark), and St Petersburg. This allows England to threaten the Low Countries (Holland and Belgium) and potentially break into the Mid-Atlantic. Suddenly, Brest, Spain and Portugal are all under threat.
However, French armies can’t be challenged by the fleet-heavy England. So they need to be occupied elsewhere. In fact, if you’ve been clever, you’ll have made sure French armies are in Germany and away from French home SCs.
This makes France the main threat to the central powers – Italy and Austria – and to Turkey. At this stage, England should be tying France down to a land-based conflict. A stab on France is then a matter of time.
The view from Paris
This maritime threat from English fleets is something France has to manage carefully. Without building in Brest, the only option for a strong French naval presence is Marseilles. And, with England itching over the possibility of a French naval threat, building in Brest is going to give the game away.
Unsurprisingly, French efforts should be based on securing their security in the western end of the Med, while preparing Russia for an English attack. France should have an easier time of it.
Given the importance of the Mid-Atlantic Ocean, France should always have the upper hand over England when it comes to this space, by which I mean France shouldn’t allow England to occupy it. That friendly offer of an English fleet in MAO to help secure the western end of the Med isn’t needed.
If you’re France, the Leviathan is actually a good alliance for you. It means your enemies are all in front of you. The north is secure, and you control the south-west. And, while you may well have agreed to building armies rather than fleets, given the maritime threat in the Med, you’re likely to be able to justifiably get at least three fleets on the board if you want.
However, armies are the way for France to expand initially in this alliance. Let England have the northern seas, get an English army on the continent to help with Germany, and aim to take the Low Countries from England by agreement – as England spreads east, they can outstrip French growth otherwise.
One of the important things for France to do later in the game is to ensure that they activate a counter-alliance in the south. This is really the only way to free fleets to head north. And when you’re ready to move, don’t be afraid to build a fleet in Brest. It does telegraph your betrayal but there’s no way around it. It’s best, of course, to be in the position of getting a fleet into the NAO or Irish Sea.
Strong third-parties
Any alliance at the start of the game is best when it involves a third-party. For the Leviathan, there are possibly three options: Russia, Italy and – perhaps surprisingly – Germany.
The E/F/R alliance is known as the ‘Triple Entente’, again based on the name associated with this alliance prior to WWI. The advantage of Russia’s inclusion is that Germany faces pressure from the north, west and east.
The E/F/I alliance is often known as the ‘Spaghetti Western’. Well, you, Italy… and I’ll come to the ‘Western’ part below. Again, Germany has additional pressure, this time from the south. However, Italy needs to be free of threat from Austria.
The E/F/G is a well-known triple alliance, the ‘Western Triple’. This is seen as the boring option, which is a little unfair. There’s nothing wrong with this alliance, and it makes the West secure. What it doesn’t do is secure Germany – with France and England behind them, the threat is real.
THE DIPLOMATICON 
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