The Battle oF France
Introduction
By May 1940, the Allies started to believe Hitler had stalled and it was simply a "Phony" (American) or "Twilight" (Churchill) war. During this time, Hitler had solidified his hold on his empire and taken Denmark and Norway. He wished to invade France as they were a danger to his nation and its conquests, but the Maginot Line, an impressive fortification, was stopping his plans. At its strongest point, the border where Germany and France pressed up against each other, the defenses would be nearly impassable. However the Line was weaker on the border of Belgium and Luxembourg, which were weak and neutral nations. This region (the Ardennes) was also forested and consider impassable for tanks, but Hilter knew that was not true. Hitler decided he would break that neutrality by invading them to place his armies in the ideal location.
The Low Countries
Introduction
On May 10th, 1940, Germany's Army Group B invaded the "Low Countries" (named for their low altitude) to strike into France. An anti-Nazi German officer had warned the Netherlands, but they had neglected to mention to their neighbors or their allies and had not taken advantage of the time to prepare themselves.
The BAttle of THe NEtherlands
The Hague, Netherlands:
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Rotterdam, Netherlands
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On the day of the invasion, the Luftwaffe flew unhindered due to numerical superiority and German soldiers secured the routes to Rotterdam. However the Battle of The Hague (the Dutch capitol) devastated the German air and paratrooper forces. On the other hand, Rotterdam was approached by German infantry on May 13th and bombed successfully on the day later, forcing the surrender of the Dutch army (still in one piece for the most part).
The Invasion of Luxembourg
Luxembourg had a small, volunteer army and some police, which paled in comparison to the large, well trained German invasion force. Most of the government left, while the tiny army vainly delayed the Nazis. Luxembourg would passively resist throughout the war and the Luxembourg government would aid the Allies.
The BAttle of Belgium
During the invasion of Belgium Germany had air superiority as well, because nearly half of the Belgian air force was destroyed in the first day. The Belgian air force would not play a major role later in the campaign. Still, the Germans would have trouble breaching the Belgian defenses, particularly Fort Eben-Emael. They would take out this strong, modern fort with air assaults and the destruction of the guns. The shocking defeat forced the Belgian forces to withdraw ahead of schedule, losing time for the Allies to prepare a defense at Gembloux and Hannut.
Hannut, Belgium:
On May 12th through 13th, at Hannut the largest tank battle up to that time took place. After fighting for a day against the French, the Germans laid claim to the battlefield, driving back the French. Although many tanks were disabled or damaged, only 49 German tanks were irreparably destroyed out of a total 1,500 vehicles participating. The battle was a strategic victory for the French, because they had succeeded in stalling the German advance.
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Gembloux, Belgium:
On May 14th, in the Battle of the Gembloux Gap, the Germans tried to break the French line. It was repelled, as they had attempted to attack a highly fortified position. This did not happen again. On May 15th, the French tanks had to withdraw to the Dyle Line. The Belgian campaign had been successful in its main objective: to draw attention away from the real attack through the Ardennes.
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The Ardennes
Ardennes, Belgium:
"If the tanks succeed, then victory follows." ~Heinz Guderian
While Army Group B attacked the Low Countries, Group C threatened the Maginot Line and Group A prepared to punch through the fortifications in the Ardennes area, where defenses were the weakest. The French had neglected this area, because the Ardennes was hilly and forested, terrible for tanks, and buffered by the Low Countries. The threats to the north and south also probably withdrew soldiers from the already weak center, guarded by only 12 infantry and 4 cavalry divisions. On May 10th, tanks punched a hole and less than a day later infantry began to pour through the gap. Stuka dive-bombers and other air craft bombed the French army, breaking their lines. By the evening of May 12th, the German army overlooked the Meuse River, crossing it by 2:00 p.m the following day. The quick German advance had taken the French generals by surprise as they were still stuck in the ways of the First World War, where the Germans would have stopped and fortified before moving forward. On May 14th, when the Germans were the most vulnerable (their tanks had outreached their infantry support and supply lines), France was too demoralized to counterattack: they were already defeated.
"We have been defeated. We are beaten. We have lost the battle." ~French Prime Minister Paul Reynaud to British Prime Minister Winston Churchill
The Evacuation at Dunkirk
Now all that was left was to surrender in defeat or evacuate from the country. French ineptitude was obvious as the few counterattacks and defensives they attempted were disastrous. The only hope to salvage the armed forces was the port of Dunkirk, which was miraculously still open. On May 24th, for an unknown reason Hitler ordered the advance towards Calais and Dunkirk halted and actually ordered his troops to withdraw to a distance outside the city. The British Admirals commandeered boats of every shape and size and sent several large naval vessels a long with them. For the most part, the smaller vessels ferried soldiers to the larger ships, which crossed the channel to England. From May 26th to June 4th, about 200,000 British and 140,000 French soldiers were evacuated with nine destroyers, two hundred civilian ships, and 177 aircraft. Thousands of soldiers were killed by Luftwaffe bombers or were left behind to face death or capture. Over the next weeks, somewhere around 200,000 soldiers would be evacuated from other French ports by British ships.
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The Fall Of France
On June 5th, the Germans shifted southward, capturing Somme with a panzer attack. Five days later, the French government fled the endangered Paris for Bordeaux and after four days the Germans entered Paris. Negotiations for surrender began on June 22nd and concluded on the 25th under threat of renewed war. The capitulation was signed in the same railway car on the same spot as the one where Germany had signed its armistice in World War I, ingloriously surrendering. France was divided into two areas: an occupied area and 'Vichy' France under the Nazi-sympathizer Philippe Pétain. Vichy France was supposedly neutral, but the British did not trust Germany to keep its promise. In fact, Vichy France would passively aid Germany throughout the war. Another promise the Allies did not believe was the matter of the French navy. Hitler had said it would be neutral, but the British demanded the ship's turn themselves in. When they did not, the navy was bombed. However, the French would not simply bow to their occupying overlords. Throughout the war, French resistance organizations, including the "Free French," would sabotage German railroads, operations, and production.
"France has lost a battle, but France has not lost the war." ~Charles de Gaulle, leader of the "Free French"