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Lieutenant, over here, cowards die a coward's death. Keep that in mind and you will do well.
Jean-Baptiste Sabatier to Parker

Jean-Baptiste Sabatier was a Commandant in the French Army and a Liaison Officer for NATO. He fought during the Invasion of France at the outbreak of World War III in 1989. His callsign was "Foxtrot-Six".[1]

Biography[]

Commandant Sabatier has served in the French Army for several years and as of 1989, was one of the top commanders of French Forces stationed on the Southern coastline. He is a close supporter of NATO and harbors a deep hatred for the Soviet Union. He takes great pride of his country and has initally shown that he does not have the highest regard for the United States, stating that the US was so arrogant that he even once proclaimed that the US was acting as if they were ruling the world.

Commandant Sabatier was a married man, but sometime before the war's outbreak, he fell in love with a young woman; Colette, whom Sabatier would have an affair with and was soon pregnant with his child. When the war broke out, Sabatier promised that he would come back alive and that they would reunite as soon as he had dealt with his estranged wife. Colette stayed in Paris in the meantime and feared for her lover's life.

World War III[]

Commandant Sabatier became the commanding officer of the Southern French Forces when the Soviet Union attempted to invade France during the opening stages of World War III. Overwhelmed by the Soviet invaders, the French had no choice but to request American reinforcements. Colonel Jeremiah Sawyer arrived with the 5th Battalion to reinforce Sabatier's army. Second Lieutenant Parker and Captain Mark Bannon also arrived to take command. Sawyer ordered Parker to assume command of one of Sabatier's units after its commander was killed in a mine blast. Sabatier protested this, stating that American officers commanding French forces was "unheard of". Sawyer shut him down by stating that he would fight the war as he saw fit, angering Sabatier.

Despite their obvious disagreements, Sabatier cooperated with Sawyer in leading the assault on a Soviet fire base established near a small harbor town. Sabatier's forces sustained heavy losses due to Soviet artillery and anti-air defenses, but Lieutenant Parker was successful in removing this pressure from Sabatier's men. The town was successfully recaptured and Sabatier commended his American allies. He later told Collette that Sawyer's tactics were crazy, but they worked.

In the days that followed, Sabatier and Sawyer's forces were successful in driving back the Soviets to the coast and eventually discovered their headquarters near the French-Italian border. While Parker and Sawyer were charged with capturing the town the Soviets were occupying, Sabatier was charged with preventing Russian reinforcements from reaching the town. He did this in conjunction with Captain Bannon, who preferred to assist in the attack on the town rather than guard Sabatier. After Parker liberated the town, the Soviets counterattacked, but Sabatier lacked the manpower to stop them. Against direct orders from Sawyer, Bannon ordered his company to reinforce Parker outside the town, forcing Sabatier to fend for himself.

Although Bannon and Parker successfully repelled the Soviets, Sabatier was not so lucky. His units were ambushed by a far superior force and Sabatier was caught in a blast just as he called for reinforcements. By the time Captain Bannon returned to Sabatier's position, the Commandant and most of his forces were dead.

Bannon was held accountable for Sabatier's death, as he had left the Commandant open to attack. Sawyer reprimanded him for his recklessness, and this became one of many incidents in Bannon's career that left him on bad terms with Sawyer.

France was successfully liberated despite Sabatier's death. He is survived by his estranged wife; whom he never had children with, and his unborn child with Colette.

References[]

  1. Massive Entertainment, Sierra Entertainment, World in Conflict. September 18, 2007.
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