Battle of France
| (Picture) | |||||||||||||||||
| The Battle of France | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conflict | World War II | ||||||||||||||||
| Date | May 10, 1940 - June 22, 1940 | ||||||||||||||||
| Place | France | ||||||||||||||||
| Result | Decisive German victory | ||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
In World War II, Battle of France or Case Yellow (Fall Gelb in German) was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, executed 10 May, 1940 which ended the Phony War. German armored units punched through the Ardennes, outflanking the Maginot Line and unhinging the Allied defenders.
The final plan for Fall Gelb had been suggested by General Erich von Manstein, but had been rejected by the German General Staff. The crash in Belgium of a light plane carrying two German officers with a copy of the then current invasion plan (based on the German Schlieffen Plan of the First World War) led Hitler to ask about alternatives; Manstein's plan turned up. It had the virtue of being unlikely (from a defensive point of view) as the Ardennes was heavily wooded and implausible as a route for a mechanized invasion. It had the considerable virtues of not having been intercepted by the Allies (for no copies were being carried about) and of being dramatic, which seems to have appealed to Hitler.
France fell in less than a month. Much of the British army was able to escape by an evacuation from Dunkirk and other channel ports. The French Republic collapsed and was replaced by an "État Français" ("French State") headed by Marshal Henri Philippe Pétain. His government based in Vichy (hence the name, Vichy France) became a loyal partner of the Axis for the rest of the war. This campaign included Operation Rot.
Some of the suggested causes of the Allied defeat were:
- French overreliance on the Maginot Line, a chain of forts built along most of the French-German border,
- Neglect of tank warfare by the French.
- General Gamelan's decision to send his forces north to defend against invasion through the Low Countries,
- Hitler's decision, against the advice of the German General Staff, to adopt the Manstein plan after an aircraft with carrying a copy of the original invasion plan crashed outside French territory
- Quality and guidance of German troops in combat.
- more controversially, defeatism (or a lack of willingness to fight) among the French and particularly French leaders.
American journalists, being neutrals at the time, observed much of this on both sides.
Casualties
Many versions vary in the number of casualties in the Battle of France. Approximately 27,000 Germans were killed or wounded. In exchange, they had destroyed the French, Belgian, Dutch, and British armies. 1,900,000 Frenchmen had been made prisoner. Casualties were 300,000 French killed or wounded, 68,000 British, 23,000 Belgian, and 10,000 Dutch.
Further reading
Berlin Diary, William L. Shirer. In the period just before the surrender, Shirer worked for CBS News under Edward R Murrow, moving around Europe as events dictated. This is his written account of the period.
The Fall of France, Julian Jackson. A comprehensive history of the military campaign and France's sudden defeat, which includes an historical overview of the battle's continuing impact on French history.
See also
For the World War II campaign to liberate France in 1944 see Battle of Normandy.