Fall of France

Setting the scene

France fell to Germany in six weeks from May 10 to June 22, 1940, one of the most stunning military collapses in history. Germany invaded France and the Low Countries on May 10, 1940, using blitzkrieg tactics. The main German attack came through the Ardennes Forest, which French commanders thought impassable for tanks. German panzer divisions under Guderian and Rommel broke through at Sedan on May 13-14, then raced to the English Channel, encircling Allied forces in Belgium.

What happened

The British Expeditionary Force and French troops were trapped at Dunkirk, where 338,000 were evacuated to Britain from May 26-June 4 in Operation Dynamo, using civilian boats. Paris fell on June 14, and France surrendered on June 22, signing an armistice in the same railway carriage used in 1918. France was divided—Germany occupied the north and west, while a collaborationist regime under Marshal Pétain governed the south from Vichy. Charles de Gaulle fled to London and called for resistance.

Why it still matters

The fall of France shocked the world—France had the world's largest army and the Maginot Line fortifications, and had held Germany for four years in WWI. The defeat was caused by outdated French tactics, poor leadership, low morale, and German innovation. The fall left Britain alone against Germany and gave Hitler control of Western Europe. It also created the Vichy regime that collaborated in the Holocaust. France's rapid collapse remains a subject of historical debate and a cautionary tale about military overconfidence and the need to adapt to new forms of warfare.

Background

Petains regime collaborated in the south.