The Battle of France
Chapter 4
German troops on the march in the West
On the morning of May 10th the Wehrmacht was once again on the move, as over three million men began to execute Fall Gelb (Case Yellow), the offensive into Western Europe. Three German divisions crossed the border and entered Luxembourg, securing the tiny country by noon, although the Grand Duchess and the government were able to escape to France. As this occured, German paratroopers dropped in the Netherlands and Belgium, securing border crossings as the Luftwaffe annihilated the Dutch and Belgian air forces on the ground. Despite all of this, the Dutch were able to counterattack, driving the Germans away from The Hague, forcing the paratroopers to wait for the panzers to advance.
German paratroopers in Belgium
German paratroopers also notably attacked the major Belgian installation Fort Eben-Emael on the Albert Canal, landing in assault gliders on top of the imposing fortress. After a long fight, they were able to secure the fort, allowing the German forces invading by land to cross the canal unmolested. As the fighting continued here, the British Expeditionary Force as well as the French Army entered Belgium in accordance with the Allied defensive plan, which hinged on stopping a German attack along the river Dyle.
BEF troops cross the Belgian border
As the Allies moved to counter the Germans in Belgium, reports were beginning to trickle in of a major concentration in the Ardennes. This was seen as a mere feint, as the region was inconducive to the movement of a significant force, and did not distract Allied commander General Maurice Gamelin from the Dyle Plan. The bulk of their forces thus remained either in the Maginot Line on the Franco-German border, or on the march into Belgium.
Winston Churchill, the new Prime Minister of Britain
The failures of the Allies in Poland and Scandinavia had dealt a death blow to French Prime Minister Daladier’s administration in March, and the situation in the West was the last straw in Britain. Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, his image tainted by his public appeasement of Hitler during the lead-up to the war, was voted out of office, and replaced by Winston Churchill, a hardliner who promised a more aggressive stance in the war.
Refugees flee the advancing Germans in Belgium
By May 12th the Germans were advancing on the Dutch city of Arnhem, but were being held up by strong resistance from Dutch positions on a hill called the Grebbeberg. The Germans concentrated their forces there as well, hoping to break the back of the Dutch Army, while their forces continued to wear down the defenses elsewhere in the country, with SS troops breaking through to the top of the hill by the evening, but being contained by Dutch reinforcements. The next day, the Dutch government evacuated as it appeared that the country may soon fall. The situation in Belgium was little better, as the Belgians attempted to consolidate their forces along the Dyle, as the fortified area of Liege fell. Allied air support was limited, as the Luftwaffe was quickly taking complete control of the skies over the region. The movements of troops were also being hampered as throngs of refugees clogged roads trying to escape the fighting.
A German Panzer IV medium tank in France
In France itself, the Germans burst from the Ardennes on the 12th, driving across the Meuse and advancing on the French transportation hub at Sedan, which they entered by nightfall. The next day the Allies began to withdraw from the Dyle Line in Belgium, moving to a fallback line at Gembloux as the French fought a delaying battle at Hanut. Meanwhile in France, the Germans exploited their breakthrough at Sedan as French units panicked and fled, leaving bridges intact and the route for an armored German push north open.
A German column advances on Rotterdam, past the wreckage of a JU52 transport that had brought in Fallschirmjager at the opening of the campaign
The situation for the Dutch had become untenable by the 14th, as their Army collapsed and the Germans closed on their last bastions. The decision was made to surrender, but despite this a massive flight of German bombers attacked Rotterdam, having not received the stand-down orders transmitted to them. The city was largely destroyed, and organized Dutch Army resistance came to an end shortly afterward.
BEF troops advance past Belgian troops
In Belgium, the fighting along the Dyle Line continued, with the Germans making some gains, mainly due to their air support, against the Allied forces there. Meanwhile on the 14th the French launched an armored counterattack at Sedan, with heavy air support. This was a disaster, as the bulk of local Allied bomber strength was lost, and the French also lost a significant number of their tanks, as the Germans’ use of two way radios allowed better coordination for the technically inferior panzers, allowing them flank the French tanks and destroy them.
A French tank destroyed at Sedan
With the deteriorating situation in France and the collapse of the Dutch, the Allies were forced to abandon the Dyle Line and move back to the Scheldt, with more forces repositioned to counter German penetrations from the Netherlands. French troops from the Maginot Line attempted to counterattack again at Stonne south of Sedan, but after a day of heavy fighting failed to push out the Germans, as further German troops began to advance northwards toward the Channel.
RAF Fairey Battle light bombers over France
As the Germans continued to advance northward the Allies began to withdraw from Belgium in order to prevent being cut off from France. The Germans pushed them further north while they did so, and on May 16th the Belgian government evacuated Brussels and moved toward the coast. In France, the German advance was so rapid that French encampments were being overrun by surprise, and General Erwin Rommel’s 7th Panzer Division had advanced more than 30 miles in a day. On the same day the Belgians evacuated Brussels, Churchill was in Paris, where he was informed by a distraught Paul Reynaud that the French Army was in danger of collapse.
Prime Minister Reynaud with General Weygand and Marshal Petain
The advance of the Germans from Sedan was so fast that the Fuhrer himself was becoming concerned, and ordered a halt. This resulted in a risk of loosing the initiative, and General Gerd von Rundstedt issued the order with wording allowing panzer forces to continue their advance regardless. By the 20th of May General Gamelin had been replaced by General Maxime Weygand, a defeatist who had little hope for the defense of France, and on the same day the Germans reached the Channel, cutting off the bulk of the mobile Allied Armies in Belgium.
British troops on the beaches of Dunkirk
An Allied attempt to break out of Belgium at Arras was stopped by German forces on May 21st, and soon the Allies had their backs to the channel, with Calais besieged and the Germans advancing on Dunkirk. By the 25th of May the British had begun a full scale retreat to Dunkirk, and orders for an evacuation were soon issued. Operation Dynamo was ordered on May 26th, and the Belgians collapsed the following day as King Leopold II surrendered, although his government fled to London to fight on, in defiance of his orders.
Dunkirk burns as seen from a British ship
The Luftwaffe began concentrated attacks against Dunkirk, as the French fought a rearguard action to keep the Germans away from the city. French counterattacks at Abbeville were repeatedly rebuffed, while the entire French First Army was surrounded at Lille, being destroyed by the Germans. Eventually the destruction of the docks at Dunkirk forced the British to enlist the help of a fleet of civilian boats, with any craft capable of crossing the channel operting under their civilian owners to assist in the evacuation. The First Army at Lille was destroyed on the 31st of May, allowing the Germans to concentrate all their forces against Dunkirk.
A British destroyer arrives at Dover, laden with BEF troops evacuated from Dunkirk
As June began, evacuation efforts were all but halted during daylight hours by massive Luftwaffe attacks, but the BEF was fully away by the 2nd. The French continued to be evacuated as other units fought a rear guard action to hold the beaches. They were being pushed back into the city itself as the panzers overran the perimeter, tightening the noose. There was considerable disquiet in Paris, as both the government and the military command viewed the evacuation as an abandonment of France.
French troops evacuated at Dunkirk disembark at Dover
On June 4th the evacuation ended, as German forces broke through the French perimeter and raised the swastika over the docks. 40.000 French troops were captured, with 18,000 killed defending the port. The same a French counterattack at Abbeville was broken with heavy losses, leaving the French unable to conduct further offensive operations in defense of their homeland.
British troops man the line in France, June 6 1940
On June 5th the Germans initiated Fall Rot (Case Red), commencing the invasion of France proper. French forces in the interior of the country had set up a defensive line along the Aisne and Somme rivers to stop this, but were severely depleted of men. The bulk of their mobile forces had been committed in Belgium, and were now either dead, in captivity or in Britain awaiting redeployment. The men evacuated to Britain, like most of the BEF, had no heavy equipment and were short on small arms and infantry kit. The French could muster 60 reserve divisions to defend their heartland, opposed by 150 veteran German divisions.
German DO17 bombers en route to targets in France
A single French bomber was able to penetrate German airspace and bomb Berlin, with no damage, on the 6th. This stood in stark contrast to the murderous air attacks being performed by the Luftwaffe across France, as the remnants of the French Army tried to hold the line on the Aisne and Somme. The next day the line collapsed, allowing the panzers to flood the French heartland.
French civilians flee from the German advance
The French Air Force, already battered, began to collapse as their bases and supply points were overrun by the advancing Germans, further opening the way for the Luftwaffe to devastate the retreating Allied ground forces. Even the arrival of the BEF again at Brest and Normandy was not looking to change the situation, as the RAF began to consider withdrawing what it had on the continent back to defend Britain herself.
Mussolini declares war on France, June 10, 1940
As the situation in the north collapsed, the French received another blow, as Mussolini declared war on June 10th. On the same day the Germans were moving to take Paris, causing Reynaud and the government to evacuate to Bordeaux, burning documents in the streets in their haste, spreading yet more panic. The BEF also began to withdraw toward La Havre and Cherbourg for a final evacuation.
A French barricade on a Paris street
By June 11th the Germans had crossed the Marne and were bearing down on Paris, where the sound of distant German guns could be heard in the streets as the population jammed the roads to flee the doomed capitol. The next day the government ordered all military forces to abandon the city, hoping to spear Paris the fate of Rotterdam. The German spearheads entered the City of Light on the morning of the 13th, as Churchill landed in Tours to meet with the French government, finding the airport deserted and a state of general collapse.
The Wehrmacht parades past the Arc de Triomphe as they celebrate the fall of Paris
On June 14th Paris fell to the Germans, who organized a parade down the Champs Élysées, as the swastika flew from the Eiffel Tower. The BEF was ordered to disregard any further orders from Allied Command, essentially abandoning the collapsing French as thoughts in London turned toward home defense. Soon after the fall of Paris, the last RAF units were recalled to Britain, and the BEF evacuation continued. I n Bordeaux, elements of the French government made an unauthorized attempt to request an armistice through the neutral US embassy, as in the east the Maginot Line, now surrounded, began to collapse.
German troops escort French POWs
On June 16th Prime Minster Reynaud resigned, replaced with Marshal Petain, who immediately sought German surrender terms.
“At the call of Mr. President of the Republic, I assume from today the leadership of the government of France. Sure of the affection of our admirable army which fights, with a heroism worthy of its long military traditions, against an enemy superior in number and in arms; sure that, by its magnificent resistance, it has fulfilled its duties towards our allies; certain of the support of the veterans whom I had the pride of commanding, certain of the confidence of the whole people, I make France the gift of my person to alleviate its misfortune. In these painful hours, I think of the unfortunate refugees who crisscross our roads. I express my compassion and concern for them.
It is with a heavy heart that I tell you today that we must stop fighting. I addressed myself to the adversary this night to ask him if he is ready to seek with me, between soldiers, after the fight and in honor, the means to put an end to hostilities. Let all the French group themselves around the government that I preside over these hard trials and silence their anxiety so as to obey only their faith in the destiny of the fatherland.”
Not all were ready to surrender, however, as Colonel Charles de Gaulle, who had commanded counterattack attempts in late May, left France for Britain with a stock of gold Francs, possibly (although still unconfirmed) under the orders of Reynaud to start a Free French Movement to continue the fight. de Gaulle took to the radio, broadcasting a call for Frenchmen to come to Britain and continue the fight, on the same day that Winston Churchill gave his own speech, remarking on how Britain was about to enter “Her Finest Hour”.
In the same train car that Germany surrendered in 1918, the French sign their own capitulation to Germany.
The collapse was essentially complete. On June 22, 1940, a French delegation traveled to Compiegne, the site of the German surrender in 1918. The Germans had even gone so far as to blast the walls of the armistice museum and drag the very train car of that signing back into position. The French delegation passed by their victory monument, now draped in swastika banners, to sign the instrument of their capitulation to Germany. The Fall of France was complete.
General Charles Huntziger reviews Vichy troops, who display the Nazi salute
The Third Republic came to an end thus. In defeat, Prime Minister Petain and a cadre of other officials used the collapse to create a pro-Nazi government based in Vichy, which although officially neutral, was no friend to Britain and the exiled governments of Europe. The Free French forces began to organize under de Gaulle, and in London Churchill along with the rest of Britain prepared for what may well be their final stand.
Timeline
May 10, 1940
German forces invade The Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg.
Luxembourg falls
British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain resigns and is replaced by Winston Churchill
May 11, 1940
French relief force enters The Netherlands but is repelled by the Germans
Dutch forces contain German Fallschirmjagers near Rotterdam and The Hague
BEF enters Belgium and advances to planned positions along the Dyle River
BEF and Belgian forces engage each other in a friendly fire incident near the Dyle
German reconnaissance units are spotted in the Ardennes, but not considered a major threat to local French troops.
May 12, 1940
Dutch forces stop the Germans at the Grebbeberg near Arnhem
German forces engage the BEF and Belgians along the Dyle in force
French and German armored forces engage at Hanut
German forces swarm out of the Ardennes and take Sedan
May 13, 1940
The Dutch Royal Family evacuates to Britain as the Germans advance
The Dutch Air Force, already crippled, is destroyed
The Grebbeberg falls, the Dutch Army begins to collapse
Fighting continues at Hanut in Belgium
The Germans begin to advance from Sedan, against disorganized French forces
Churchill gives a speach to the House of Commons, declaring he has “nothing to offer by blood, toil, tears and sweat”
May 14, 1940
Rotterdam surrenders, but is still destroyed by a massive German air attack
General Henri Winkelmann orders the surrender of the Dutch Army
Allied forces along the Dyle continue to hold in Belgium, as the Germans reach the fortified city of Namur
The French counterattack the German penetrations near Boulson, but this fails
In Britain, the raising of emergency militia, the Local Defense Volunteerts (LDV), or Home Guard, is ordered
May 15, 1940
With the Fall of the Netherlands, the Allies are forced to withdraw from the Dyle Line and consolidate their eastern flank
Major French counterattacks at Stonne fail to break the German bridgeheads from Sedan
May 16, 1940
German forces reach Antwerp
Allied forces begin to attempt to turn and prevent the Germans from cutting them off from France proper
The Belgian government evacuates Brussels
French counterattacks at Stonne cease
The Germans begin a rapid drive north from Sedan, destroying refitting French units in the process
Churchill meets with Reynaud in France
BEF forces retreat to the Scheldt
May 17, 1940
The Allies move to abandon Belgium as the risk of encirclement becomes acute
Colonel Charles de Gaulle leads a counterattack at Montcornet, but despite success is forced to retreat as no infantry or artillery support is available
Hitler orders the advance to stop, but is sidestepped by his generals
BEF forces retreat from the Scheldt to the Dendre
May 18, 1940
Antwerp falls to the Germans
King Leopold in Belgium vetoes any proposed retreat into France
The French 9th Army has been effectively destroyed
Reynaud recalls General Maxime Weygand to replace General Gamelin as French Commander
May 19, 1940
de Gaulle leads another counterattack at Laon, but is again forced to withdraw due to lack of support
The BEF prepares to retreat to Calais and Dunkirk for evacuation
May 20, 1940
Germans reach the English Channel at Abbeville
Weygand officially takes command, but spends the day with the politicians in Paris
Churchill orders London to be fortified
May 21, 1940
The Belgians retreat to the Yser
Allied forces attack the Germans at Arras, but fail
Allied forces begin to fortify Calais and Dunkirk
The Germans halt to allow support troops to catch up and consolidate their positions
May 22, 1940
The Germans resume their advance on Calais, Boulogne and Dunkirk
Allied counterattack at Cambrai ends with no contact
The last RAF aircraft are evacuated from the continent
May 23, 1940
The Germans take Ghent from the Belgians
The Germans enter Boulogne
Churchill informs King George VI that the BEF may need to be evacuated
Allied forces are besieged behind the medieval walls of Calais
May 24, 1940
The Belgians are cut off from the Allies
King Leopold announces his intention to surrender
Fighting continues in Calais and Boulogne
May 25, 1940
The BEF is ordered to withdraw all remaining forces to Dunkirk for evacuation
King Leopold informs King George VI that he intends to surrender soon
Boulogne falls
Fighting continues in Calais, a British breakout attempt is destroyed
May 26, 1940
Calais falls
Churchill authorizes the evacuation of the BEF from Dunkirk
May 27, 1940
Belgian lines begin to collapse
Evacuation from Dunkirk begins, the French moving to fight a rearguard action against the advancing Germans
Allied counterattack at Abbeville is repulsed by Germans
A request goes out for civilian boat owners in Britain to join in the evacuation from Dunkirk
May 28, 1940
Belgium surrenders, but the Prime Minister denounces the King and sets up a government in exile.
Counterattacks commence again at Abbeville, but the Allies again fail to break through
The French First Army is surrounded at Lille
May 29, 1940
The French make a significant advance at Abbeville, but loose almost all of their available tanks
May 30 1940
German counterattacks push the French back at Abbeville
Almost 50% of the 1st Army has broken out to join the evacuation of Dunkirk
All BEF troops are now within the Dunkirk perimeter
May 31, 1940
The encircled French 1st Army at Lille surrenders
Churchill meets with French leadership in Paris
The Germans almost penetrate the Dunkirk perimeter, but are stopped by tenacious British defenders
Lord Gort, commander of the BEF, is evacuated from Dunkirk
June 1, 1940
Three British and one French destroyer are lost to the Luftwaffe while evacuating troops from Dunkirk
Evacuation from Dunkirk is halted until nightfall
June 2, 1940
Hitler arrives in France and tours the WW1 Canadian Memorial at Vimy Ridge
The last BEF troops are evacuated from Dunkirk. Operations continue to evacuate the French troops there
June 3, 1940
German forces enter Dunkirk, facing determined French resistance
The British begin to evacuate Norway
June 4, 1940
Large Allied counterattacks are stopped by the Germans at Abbeville
The last major French armored forces are destroyed
The Germans seize the docks at Dunkirk, and the evacuation ends with the surrender of the remaining 40,000 French troops. 18,000 French soldiers had been killed during the defense.
Churchill makes his famous “We shall fight them on the beaches” speech
June 5, 1940
German forces turn to engage the Allied defense of the Weygand Line along the Aisne and Somme Rivers
June 7, 1940
The Weygand Line collapses, and the Germans begin to flood the French interior
BEF forces begin to land at Brest to reinforce the French
June 8, 1940
Rouen falls
The British reject a request by Reynaud for more RAF aircraft
June 10, 1940
Italy enters the war in support of the Germans
The French government hastily evacuates Paris for Bordeaux
June 11, 1940
The Italians invade southern France, but are stopped by strong resistance
Churchill meets Reynaud and Weygand at Briare
RAF commences air raids against Italy
German forces cross the Marne
June 12, 1940
The British begin to evacuate from Normandy as the region is cutt off by German forces advancing on La Havre
Paris is declared an open city
June 13, 1940
Churchill meets with French officials at Tours, noting the the general state of collapse of the French government there
The French Navy sorties to bombard the Italian coast
June 14, 1940
Paris falls to the Germans
Rouge elements of the French government attempt to request and armistice
The BEF receives orders to disregard all further commands from the French
June 15, 1940
The Germans move to destroy the Maginot Line
Verdun falls
Reynaud attempts to resign, but is rebuffed by President Albert Lebrun
June 16, 1940
Reynaud resigns, and is replaced by Marshal Philippe Petain
Petain requests an armistice from the Germans
June 17, 1940
Mussolini and Hitler meet in Munich to discuss the French request for an armistice
Charles de Gaulle leaves France to start the Free French Movement in Britain
Petain takes to the radio to broadcast his intent to surrender France
June 18, 1940
Churchill gives his “Finest Hour” speech
de Gaulle issues a plea for continued resistance by France over the BBC
Petain begins to move against political enemies
The cadets of the Cavalry School at Samur defy the orders of Petain and engage the Germans
June 19, 1940
Lorient and Brest fall
de Gaulle declares the Petain Government illegitimate
The cadets at Samur continue to hold the line against the Germans
June 20, 1940
Samur falls as the cadets are overwhelmed
Italian offensives continue to accomplish little
Lyon falls
The French cross German lines to surrender
June 21, 1940
French and British warships bombard Italian Libya
The Italians break through into the French Riviera
The French meet at Compiegne to formally capitulate
Hitler refuses to hear any French terms and leaves the negotiations, just as Marshal Foch had done in 1918
June 22, 1940
The French surrender to the Germans, leaving only a rump state controlled by Petain in the south as a German puppet
June 23, 1940
Hitler makes a rapid suprose tour of Paris
June 24, 1940
The French surrender to the Italians in Rome