René Lyon
Actor: Frank Bruynbroek
Name: René Lyon*Nationality:* French*Affiliation:* Allied Forces / France / European Council*Rank:* General*Role:* Commander of the French forces*Organisation:* European Council*Allies:* President Michael Dugan, German Chancellor, British Prime Minister, Tanya Adams*Enemy:* Soviet Union*Conflict:* Third World War*Game:* Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2
Status: Unknown after the war.René Lyon is a French general and the Commander of the French armed forces during the Third World War, which pitted the Allied Forces against Alexander Romanov’s Soviet Union.
He also sits on the European Council, alongside the German Chancellor and the British Prime Minister, and thus represents France when the United States calls for military intervention by the European powers against the Soviet invasion.
The war reaches the United States
When the Soviet Union launched its surprise invasion of the United States, the Americans quickly found themselves in a catastrophic situation.
American defences were caught off guard and the Soviets advanced deep into US territory.
President Michael Dugan then sought assistance from the European powers.
He contacted the European Council, of which René Lyon was one of the representatives. This council comprises mainly the major Allied powers of Western Europe, notably France, Germany and Great Britain.
Dugan hopes that these countries will be able to provide the United States with additional troops, equipment and forces in order to turn the tide of the war.
René Lyon is not fundamentally opposed to this idea.
On the contrary, he wants France to take part in the war against the Soviet Union. But the strategic situation in Europe makes such an intervention extremely dangerous.
The Soviet nuclear threat
The main problem is the Soviet nuclear arsenal.
The Red Army possesses two Nuclear Missile Silos located near the German-Polish border. These weapons are close enough to the major European powers to pose a direct threat to their capitals and populations.
The French, German and British governments therefore fear that an intervention alongside the United States would immediately provoke nuclear retaliation.
This concern is far from theoretical.
The Soviets have already demonstrated their willingness to use nuclear weapons by striking Chicago. For Lyon and the other members of the European Council, there is no guarantee that Paris, London or any other major European city will not suffer the same fate.
The general therefore explains to Dugan that the geographical distance from the United States places Europeans in a very different situation.
However, this position should not be interpreted as indifference.
Lyon specifically tells the US President that Europeans are not indifferent to the situation in the United States, but that they must take into account the immediate threat to their own territory.
The European Council
René Lyon thus represents a fairly pragmatic position within the European Council.
France wants to help the Americans, but cannot reasonably commit all its forces as long as the Soviets retain the capability to launch a nuclear strike against Europe.
The Council is nevertheless prepared to provide considerable assistance.
The Europeans are offering troops, ammunition, aircraft and vehicles, but the issue of Soviet missiles must first be resolved.
A solution presents itself in the form of Tanya Adams.
The Europeans initially wish to enlist the services of the famous Allied Commando. Tanya, however, refuses to change command and insists on continuing to serve under the Allied Commander.
A special operation is then prepared against the Soviet nuclear facilities.
Operation: Dark Night
Tanya is sent to Europe with the aim of neutralising the two nuclear silos that are preventing the European powers from fully entering the war.
The mission is extremely delicate.
A conventional attack would risk triggering the launch of the missiles before they could be destroyed.
Tanya must therefore infiltrate the region with limited forces. She receives support from spies and GIs, as well as survivors of an Allied aircraft shot down near the Soviet facilities.
The operation is a success.
Both nuclear silos are destroyed. The threat that had hitherto paralysed European governments disappears immediately.
For René Lyon, the main obstacle to French intervention no longer exists.
Europe’s entry into the war
Following the destruction of the missiles,France, Germany and Great Britain fully joined the Allied war effort against the Soviet Union.
This decision marked a significant turning point in the Allied campaign.
Until then, the United States had borne the brunt of the Soviet offensive. The entry of the European powers into the war gradually transformed the conflict into a genuine international coalition against Romanov.
European forces now provided their own troops, vehicles and technology to the Allies.
In particular, France contributes one of the most distinctive defensive weapons in the Allied arsenal of Red Alert 2: the Grand Cannon. France is the only Allied nation to possess this specific technology in the game.
Lyon therefore indirectly plays an important role in transforming the American resistance into an international Allied counter-offensive.
France’s role
Once the nuclear threat has been eliminated, France takes an active part in the war.
However, the available information on René Lyon does not detail his personal command during these operations.
We must therefore avoid directly attributing battles or victories to him that are not explicitly associated with the character.
What can be stated is that Lyon commanded the French forces and that he contributed politically to enabling his country and the other European powers to enter the conflict.
His role was therefore different from that of a field commander such as the Allied Commander.
René Lyon represents, rather, the French high command and the political dimension of the European Alliance.
Soviet campaign: the fall of Paris
A distinction must also be made between the Soviet campaign in Red Alert 2, which constitutes an alternative branch of the story.
In this version of the conflict, the Red Army continues its offensive in Europe and attacks Paris directly.
The Soviets use Tesla Troopers to electrify the Eiffel Tower and transform it into a gigantic electric weapon.
The battle devastates a significant part of central Paris and France is ultimately eliminated from the war.
René Lyon is associated with the French forces defending the capital in this branch of the conflict. However, the French forces suffer heavy losses at the hands of the Soviet Commander.
His personal fate following the fall of Paris is not specified.