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{{Mediawiki:kindleoasis}}__NOTOC__[[File:French Prisoners 1940.jpg|thumbnail|300px|-left|French Prisoners,1940]] In September 1939, the Nazi War Machine invaded Poland and World War II began. The fall of France in 1940 was Allied with Britain against Nazi Germany in 1939sudden and shocking. The French army was in theory as strong as the Germans, it leaders believed that they had prepared for a vast Empire potential war with Germany and a sophisticated arms industrywere well prepared. It had established a series of fortifications in the east of the country, known as the Maginot LineTragically, which was designed to keep German forces out of Francethey were not. France looked more than capable Within months of matching the Germans and had a strong ally in Britain and its Empire. However, in a period of weeks in the late Spring and Early Summer of 1940German invasion, France was to suffer a humiliating defeat and was occupied by Nazi Germanycollapsed. Why did France surrender so quickly? The reasons for this include a divided French political elite, poor French military tactics and a superior German army with better tactics.

==Background==[[File:Stuka file.jpg|thumbnail|300px|-Stuka dive bomberIn September 1939, 1940]] France had been fearful of Germany ever since the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71. In this German warmachine invaded Poland, the Prussians had quickly defeated the French and occupied much of the country. In World War I, The Germans had come very close to defeating the French and without allied assistance the country would have once again been occupied by the GermansII began. Despite, being among the victors in WWI the French still dreaded the Germans France and they were vociferous Britain declared against Germany in their demands that Germany was neutralized during the negotiations on the Versailles Treaty1939. The French initially led by Prime Minister Clemenceau, adopted a hard line towards the Germans in 1918-1919. There army was a thaw in the Franco-German relationship in the mid-1920s and there was hope of a genuine rapprochement between the two greatest powers in continental Europe. However, the Great Depression and the rise of Hitler meant that the French were suddenly faced with a potentially aggressive regime in theory as strong as Germany's. The French adopted It had a diplomatic policy of appeasement and sought to placate Hitler by offering him concessions, such as allowing him to re-militarize the Rhineland. The French took no chances vast Empire and began to prepare their defences. [[File: Hochwald_historic_photo.jpg|thumbnail|300px|Anti-tank turret at the Ouvrage Hochwald fortification on the Maginot Line in 1940]]The French devoted a huge level of resources to the construction of the Maginot Line. This defensive line was named after a French Defence Ministersophisticated arms industry. The French constructed It had also established a long line series of fortifications along their the country's eastern border along with German. It stopped at the Belgian border. The French stationed all their forces behind the Maginot Line and adopted a defensive posture. In September 1939, the French with the British declared war on Germany. For a period of some months, there was little or no activity and this was the period known as the ‘Phoney War’Maginot Line. However, in the Spring of 1940, the Germans’ went on the offensive. The Battle of France lasted only 46 days, from the German invasion on the 10th of May to the surrender of France on the 25th of June 1940. Paris fell to the Germans on the 14th of June, after the virtual collapse of the French Army and the French Prime Minister Paul Reynaud, resigned on the 16 June. His successor, Marshal Philippe Pétain, began negotiations Line was designed to end the war. The keep German army approximately suffered 157,000 casualties in the invasion forces out of France. The Allies lost over twice as many men, with 360,000 casulaties. A further two million were captured. Some 300Initially,000 British and French troops escaped the Germans after being evacuated by naval forces at Dunkirk. The Germans occupied the majority of France – in the south of France, the Vichy Regime established a semi-autonomous political entity, and still controlled the majority of the French Colonies <ref>Bond, Brian Great Britain, France and Belgium, 1939–1940. (London, Brassey's, 1990), pappeared to be a match for Germany.178</ref>

==Superior German Army However, in weeks in the late spring and tactics==[[File: Eric Von Manstein.jpg|thumbnail|300px|-Eric Von Manstein.jpg early summer of 1940]]The German army developed the [[How Did , it became clear that France was woefully unprepared for the German Military Develop Blitzkrieg?|Blitzkrieg tactics]]onslaught. This was France suffered a tactic based on high-speed and mobile attacks on the enemy’s weak points humiliating defeat and it proved devastating in France<ref> Bond, p. 111</ref>. The German victory was founded on a plan developed quickly occupied by the great military strategies, General Erich von MansteinGermany. He adopted the Schlieffen Plan that Its failure was used so nearly successful in WW I <ref> Bond, p. 117 </ref>. However, rather than advance on a broad front through Belgium, the Germans focused two-thirds result of their forcesa hopelessly divided French political elite, including most a lack of their tanksquality military leadership, in the Ardennes region of Belgium. This area was weakly defended, as they believed that the terrain was unsuitable for tanks. When the Germans did attack through the Ardennes they caught the rudimentary French and their British allies by surprisemilitary tactics. French believed it was impassable to tanks. Having successfully made their way into On the battlefield, France, faced a vastly more prepared German forces then employed a tactic known as the ‘sickle stroke’. Sweeping across the northern plains of France at great speed, they divided the French army that utilized both more advanced weapons and British forces into two partssophisticated tactics. The British army It was left isolated in Belgium and the French were left to bear the brunt of the German forces <ref>Blatt, Joel, The French Defeat of 1940: Reassessments (Providence, RI, Berghahn, 1997), p. 111</ref>a mismatch.

The German army was much superior == What happened to the French and the BritishFrance after World War One? ==[[File:Stuka file. Hitler jpg|thumbnail|300px|left|Stuka dive bomber, 1940]] France had built up the been fearful of Germany army and in particular ever since the air force (Luftwaffe). The Germans had developed superior weaponsFranco-Prussian War of 1870-71. In particularthis war, they the Prussians had developed superior aircraft such as quickly defeated the Stuka dive bomber French and occupied much of the Messerschmitt ME fighter plane, that wreaked havoc on the allies <ref> Blattcountry. In World War I, p. 117</ref>. The Germans placed a great deal of emphasis on mobile and armoured warfare. They had superior tankscome very close to defeating the French, such as Panzer Mk ivand without allied assistance, which easily overcame the allies in almost every tank engagement country would have lost to Germany. Despite being among the victors in World War One, the Battle of FranceFrench still dreaded a conflict with Germany. It must be remembered that although During the German army was superior to Versailles treaty negotiations after the collapse of Germany during World War, French in many ways, that this did not mean that the Fall of France was inevitablenegotiators were adamant Germany's military had to be neutralized.

==The French Tactics and Equipment were Poor==[[File:Bundesarchiv_Bild_121-0412,_Frankreichled by Prime Minister Clemenceau,_Panzer_Somua_S35,_Geschützadopted a hard line towards the Germans in 1918-1919.jpg|thumbnail|300px|Captured French Somua S35 tanks being used by Germany There was a thaw in 1940.]]French military tactics were extremely outdated at the start of the war. They had failed to recognize that warfare had fundamentally changed since the First World War. They were overFranco-reliant upon the Maginot Line and they believed that this would stop any German invasion relationship in its track. Since they did not believe that could defeat Germany outright, they hoped that the Maginot would drive up casualties and Germany to the negotiating table. They relied on defensive tactics and failed to grasp the impact of modern tanks and aircraft. This overmid-reliance on the Maginot Line meant that they were too defensive. The Maginot Line also failed to protect the entire French border. Instead of attacking France directly1920s, Germany avoided the Maginot line by invading Belgium. French military planners has failed to plan for this contingency. The defensive line only partially defended France and indeed left there was the country open to an invasion via Belgium. The French High Command also failed to launch an offensive against Germany after the German attacked Poland. The French army simply hid behind the Maginot Line and waited for hope of a genuine rapprochement between the Germans to attack. When the Germans finally did attack through the Ardennes the French army was trapped two largest powers in bunkers and its fortifications were immediately outflanked. Even when the Germans invaded Belgium, the French General Staff continued with their cautious policy and were slow to respond to the German threat.<ref> Cooper, M. ''The German Army 1933–1945, Its Political and Military Failure''. Briarcliff Manor, NY: Stein and Day, 1978), pcontinental Europe. 201 </ref>

While However, the French army was large Great Depression and had been well resourced, it had not been modernized. It was still based on the idea rise of Hitler meant that the next war would resemble the Great War. As a result, the French did not believe that any war were suddenly faced with a potentially aggressive regime in Germany, would be a mobile one, but rather . The French adopted a war diplomatic policy of attrition. This meant that they failed appeasement and sought to develop tank tactics that took advantage of their tanks offensive capabilities.<ref> Copper, p, 137</ref> Even when the French did field effective equipmentplacate Hitler by offering him concessions, such as allowing him to re-militarize the SOMUA S35 tanksRhineland. Still, they were mismanaged by French calvary commandersFrance took no chances and began to prepare their defenses. The Somua S35 tanks did not realize their true potential until they were commandeered by German commanders and utilized on the Eastern Front[[File:Hochwald_historic_photo. During jpg|thumbnail|300px|left|Anti-tank turret at the invasion, German Panzer tanks quickly overcame Ouvrage Hochwald fortification on the Maginot Line in 1940]]The French defenses on devoted a considerable amount of resources and capital to the plains construction of Northern Francethe Maginot Line. This defensive line was named after a French Defence Minister. The French air forces were also not constructed a match for long line of fortifications along their eastern border with German. It stopped at the Germans in aerial combatBelgian border. The French army was unable to cope with stationed all their forces behind the German Blitzkrieg tactics Maginot Line and was quickly defeated after only six weeks of fightingadopted a defensive posture.<ref> Copper, p, 134</ref>

==Poor Military and Political LeadershipWhen Did Germany Invade France? ==In 1940 September 1939, the French general staff was led by General Maurice Gamelan, an officer widely respectedwith the British declared war on Germany after Hitler invaded Poland. A veteran and war hero of the First World WarFor several months, he there was credited developing the strategy that led to little or no activity on the decisive French victory at the Marne in 1914Western Front. He had also tried unsuccessfully, to modernize This period was known as the army'Phoney War. But Gamelin was suffering from a serious illness' However, whose symptoms included poor concentration levels, memory loss and other cognitive difficulties Gamelin’s own memoirs, published after in the war showed symptoms of paranoia and delusions of grandeur <ref> Jackson, Julian T. The Fall of France: The Nazi Invasion Spring of 1940. Oxford UP, 2003), p. 234</ref>.. The military leadership below Gamelin was generally poor. They were slow to respond to the Germans shifted their attention west and there was a marked reluctance to take the initiative and go went on the attack. The political leadership of France was also very poor. According to one French commentator during the war, they could not inspire the French people, they were more interested in fighting among themselves that the Germans<ref>Jackson, p 235</ref>offensive.

The Battle of France was bitterly divided between started on the left invasion on May 10th, 1940, and only lasted only 46 days. Paris fell to the right and this meant that there was a lack of unity in France at a critical juncture. MoreoverGermans on June 14th, after the military and political leadership virtual collapse of France was divided. The French Generals were rights wing and distrusted the left wing politicians and many French ministers did not trust the Generalsarmy. Many of the French officer corps were more worried about a Communist revolution than Prime Minister Paul Reynaud resigned on June 16th during the Germanscatastrophe. For exampleHis successor, General Weygand was more concerned with maintaining social stability in Marshal Philippe Pétain, began negotiations to end the wake of the German invasion that actually fighting the Germans. Many later accused some French Generals of being traitors. Perhaps the greatest weakness in the French leadership was that they did not have a true war leader, as one Frenchman stated in 1942, they ‘had no Churchill’. If France had a leader of the calibre of Clemenceau in 1940By June 25th, the outcome of the Battle of France could have been different <ref> Why Did the French Army Collapse So Quickly? – Omnibooks Magazine, (London July, 1942), p. 6</ref> was forced to surrender.

==Defeatism in France==France was a powerful country with a large The German army and a vast Empiresuffered 157, that stretched around 000 casualties during the globe. The country because invasion of political differences was not unified and many were more loyal to their political party that the country. Many on both the extreme Left such as France, but the Communists or the extreme right hated the French government so much, that they Allies' losses were only half-hearted in their response to the German invasionconsiderably worse. Many ordinary people were disgusted with the leaderS of the Third Republic, who were widely seen The Allies lost over twice as professional politicians who were venal many men and corrupt <ref>Jacksonoverall had 360, p000 casualties.117</ref>A further two million men were captured. FurthermoreSome 300, there was a general air of defeatism in 000 British and French troops escaped the air Germans after being evacuated by naval forces at Dunkirk. The Germans occupied the start majority of WW IIFrance. In the south of France had , the Vichy Regime established a low birth rate and many were convinced that semi-autonomous political entity. Vichy maintained control over the country was degenerating, based on ideas current at majority of the time French Colonies.<ref> BlochBond, Marc Strange Defeat: A Statement of Evidence Written in 1940 (New YorkBrian, NY"[https: Norton, 1946), p//www.amazon. 117<com/gp/product/0080377009/ref>. The cultural pessimism in =as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0080377009&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=8c2293a2e966ba28b14946a14239a02d Britain, France meant that many, in the political and military elite believed that France could not win against the Germans and that any efforts to resist the Germans were pointlessBelgium, 1939–1940]". Many believed that France was a nation in decline and that her greatest days had passed. This led to a spirit of defeatism in France in the Spring and Summer of 1940(London, Brassey's, that played an important role in the Fall of France. It must be noted that many French men and women were very patriotic and resisted the Germans with great bravery<ref>Copper1990), p, 144.178</ref>. {{Mediawiki:TabletAd1}}

==ConclusionHow did the German Army move so quickly through France? ==On [[File: Eric Von Manstein.jpg|thumbnail|300px|left|Eric Von Manstein 1940]]Between the world wars, the German army developed the [[What was Blitzkrieg and Who Created it|Blitzkrieg tactics]]. This strategy was based on high-speed and mobile attacks on the enemy’s weak points, and it proved devastating in France.<ref> Bond, p. 111</ref> The German victory was founded on a plan developed by the great military strategies, General Erich von Manstein. He adopted the Schlieffen Plan that was almost successful in WW I.<ref> Bond, p. 117 </ref>  However, rather than advance on a broad front through Belgium, the face Germans focused two-thirds of their forces, including most of their tanks, in the Ardennes region of Belgium. France and Belgium did reinforce the fortifications in this region because they assumed that the terrain was unsuitable for tanks. When the Germans attack came through the Ardennes, they caught the French and their British allies by surprise because the French believed it was impassable to tanks.  Having successfully made their way into France, German forces then employed a tactic known as the Fall ‘sickle stroke’. Sweeping across the northern plains of Franceat great speed, they divided the French and British forces into two parts. The British army was left isolated in so short a periodBelgium and the French were left to bear the brunt of the German forces. <ref>Blatt, Joel, <i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EDY69LI/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00EDY69LI&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=98a5e102ae32052fa58ceb0d44dbe87b The French Defeat of 1940: Reassessments]</i> (Providence, RI, Berghahn, 1997), p. 111</ref> The German army was remarkablesubstantially better than the French and the British. Hitler had built up the German army and, in particular, the air force (Luftwaffe). The country Germans had developed superior weapons. In particular, they had developed superior aircraft such as the Stuka dive bomber and the Messerschmitt ME fighter plane, which wreaked havoc on the allies.<ref> Blatt, p. 117</ref> The Germans placed a great deal of emphasis on mobile and armored warfare. They had superior tanks, such as Panzer Mk iv, which easily overcame the allies in almost every tank engagement in the Battle of France. Even though the German army was superior to the French in many ways the Fall of France was protected not inevitable. == Was France prepared for the German invasion? ==[[File:Bundesarchiv_Bild_121-0412,_Frankreich,_Panzer_Somua_S35,_Geschütz.jpg|left|thumbnail|300px|Captured French Somua S35 tanks being used by Germany in 1940 after the Fall of France.]]French military tactics were extremely outdated at the start of the war. They had failed to recognize that warfare had fundamentally changed since the First World War. They were over-reliant upon the Maginot Line , and they believed that this would stop any German invasion in its track. Since they did not believe that could defeat Germany outright, they hoped that the Maginot would drive up casualties and Germany to the negotiating table. They relied on defensive tactics and failed to grasp the impact of modern tanks and aircraft.  The over-reliance on the Maginot Line meant that they were too defensive. The Maginot Line also failed to protect the entire French border. Instead of attacking France directly, Germany avoided the Maginot line by invading Belgium. French military planners have failed to plan for this contingency. The defensive line only partially defended France and indeed left the country open to an invasion via Belgium. The French High Command also failed to launch an offensive against Germany after the German attacked Poland.  The French army simply hid behind the Maginot Line and waited for the Germans to attack. When the Germans finally did attack through the Ardennes, the French army was trapped in bunkers, and its fortifications were immediately outflanked. Even when the Germans invaded Belgium, the French General Staff continued with their cautious policy and were slow to respond to the German threat.<ref> Cooper, M. ''[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0517436108/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0517436108&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=089457e8c42c04ed8e9d351e9727ad63 The German Army 1933–1945, Its Political and Military Failure]''. (Briarcliff Manor, NY: Stein and Day, 1978), p. 201 </ref>  <dh-ad/> While the French army was large and had been well resourced, it had not been modernized. It was still based on the idea that the next war would resemble the Great War. As a large result, the French did not believe that any war with Germany, would be a mobile one, but rather a war of attrition. This meant that they failed to develop tank tactics that took advantage of their tanks offensive capabilities.<ref> Copper, p, 137</ref> Even when the French did effective field equipment, such as the SOMUA S35 tanks, they were mismanaged by French cavalry commanders. The Somua S35 tanks did not realize their true potential until German commanders commandeered them and utilized on the Eastern Front.  During the invasion, German Panzer tanks quickly overcame the French defenses on the plains of Northern France. The French air forces were also no match for the Germans in aerial combat. The French army was unable to cope with the German Blitzkrieg tactics and was quickly defeated after only six weeks of fighting.<ref>Copper, p, 134</ref> == Why did France have Poor Military and Political Leadership? ==In 1940, the French general staff was led by General Maurice Gamelan, an officer widely respected. A veteran and war hero of the First World War, he was credited with developing the strategy that led to the decisive French victory at the Marne in 1914. He had also tried unsuccessfully, to modernize the army. It But Gamelin was suffering from a serious illness, whose symptoms included poor concentration levels, memory loss and other cognitive difficulties. Gamelin’s memoirs, published after the war, showed symptoms of paranoia and delusions of grandeur.<ref>Jackson, Julian T. <i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0192805509/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0192805509&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=aa6895f6029c163adf1d3e187d64e538 The Fall of France: The German Invasion of 1940]</i>. (Oxford UP, 2003), p. 234</ref> The military leadership below Gamelin was generally poor. They were slow to respond to the Germans, and there was a marked reluctance to take any initiative and go on the attack. The political leadership of France was allied also very poor. According to one French commentator during the Britishwar, they could not inspire the French people, they were more interested in fighting among themselves that the Germans.<ref>Jackson, p. 235</ref>  France was bitterly divided between the left and the right. This lack of unity in France was crippling at a crucial juncture in the war. The division also extended to the relationships between the military and political leadership of France. The French Generals were rights wing and distrusted the left-wing politicians who ran France. French ministers also did not trust the judgment of their generals. The French officer corps was more worried about a Communist revolution than a German invasion.  For example, General Weygand was more concerned with maintaining social stability in the wake of the German invasion than actually fighting the Germans. Many later accused some French Generals of being traitors. Perhaps the greatest weakness in the French leadership was that they did not have a true war leader; as one Frenchman stated in 1942 they ‘had no Churchill’. If France had a leader of the largest Empire caliber of Clemenceau in 1940, perhaps the outcome of the world Battle of France could have been different. <ref> Why Did the French Army Collapse So Quickly? – <i>Omnibooks Magazine</i>, (London July, 1942), p. 6</ref> == The Fall of France - What role did defeatism play? ==<div class="portal" style='float:right; width:35%'> ====Related DailyHistory.org Articles====*[[What were the goals of the Axis powers and the Soviet Union during World War Two?]]*[[What was Blitzkrieg and Who Created it]]*[[Why did Operation Market Garden in 1944 fail?]]*[[Why did Germany lose the Battle of Stalingrad?]]</div>France was a great industrial powerpowerful country with a large army and a vast Empire that stretched around the globe, but it was not cohesive. It had stark political conflicts, and many politicians were more loyal to their political party than their country. People on both the extreme Left such as the Communists or the extreme right hated the French government so virulently, their support of the French government could be best described as half-hearted after the German invasion.  Many ordinary people were disgusted with the leaders of the Third Republic, who were widely seen as professional politicians who were both venal and corrupt.<ref>Jackson, p.117</ref> Furthermore, defeatism was rampant at the start of WW II. However France had a low birth rate, and many were convinced that the country fell was degenerating, based on ideas current at the time. <ref> Bloch, Marc, ''[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0393319113/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0393319113&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=b9916b35c01e23b2ac59f9ebb5e33d42 Strange Defeat: A Statement of Evidence Written in 1940]'' (New York, NY: Norton, 1946), p. 117</ref> The cultural pessimism in France meant that many, in the political and military elite believed that France could not defeat Germany and that any efforts to resist the Germans were pointless. Many people believed that France was a nation in decline and that her greatest days had passed. This led to a matter spirit of defeatism in France in the Spring and Summer of 1940, that played an important role in the Fall of France. Despite the valiant efforts of many French men against the German invasion, the French government and military were ill-equipped both politically and militarily to meaningfully contest Germany. <ref>Copper, p, 144</ref> == Conclusion ==While France was protected by the Maginot Line and a fairly large army, it put up little resistance to Germany. It only took a few weeksfor the entire country to fall. The reasons for the sudden defeat of France in 1940 were variousnumerous and varied.  They included a failure of leadership, both at the military and the political level. The army of France was not only poor poorly led but had been equipped with inferior arms and equipment. Moreover, the Maginot Line not only failed to protect France, but it encouraged a defensive mentality that allowed the Germans to have take the initiative at crucial periodspoints during the invasion. The French were public was also bitterly divided between Many .  These political divisions and incompetent leadership convinced many French people were pessimistic about the citizens that their country and had no faith in their country’s ability to could not defeat the GermansGermany. All these factors combined to ensure that the country was swiftly defeated in ensured a swift between May-and June 1940. ====References====

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