Germany, together with her allies, i.e. Austria-Hungary and Turkey, lost the First World War to France, Britain, United States of America, Italy and their allies. They began the war very strongly, winning several battles, for instance, against Russia. However, the miscalculations of their generals and her allies’ weaknesses proved costly. Moreover, the United States of America join Britain and her allies against Germany. In the end, Germany lost and on 11th of November 1918 she signed an armistice to end the First World War. In 1933, when Adolf Hitler rose to the helm of the German leadership, Sir Winston Churchill, the British Prime Minister made the following remarks, “Thank God for the French Army.” During that period of time, the French army seemed so powerful that it was believed it could counter Nazi aggression towards other European countries. It was, therefore, unexpected that the French army could be defeated within six weeks, by the German army. That military campaign remains as one of the most remarkable in history.
In 1939, the possibility of a Second World War grew. Britain and France planned to make minimal changes to the strategy they used against Germany and her allies during World War One. France had lost many soldiers in the frontal attacks, in 1914. She, therefore, decided to adopt a defensive strategy in Western Europe. Meanwhile, she mobilized her military forces to fight a total war. She would, however, change to an offensive strategy after two or three years of battle. During the war, they would receive reinforcements from the British forces. A Maginot Line was built to replace the trenches that had been used during the First World War. It consisted of a series of fortresses that were to offer protection to the French frontiers against the German army. The Maginot Line failed to reach the France-Belgian frontier. In general, the tactics used by France and her allies in World War Two were greatly influenced by those they used in World War One. Seemingly, they hoped to repeat their success by relying on an almost similar method.
It is commonly believed that the Germans had more tanks than her enemies. However, they had 2500 tanks against her enemies’ 3500. The German tanks moved in Panzer or armored formations. On the other hand, the French tanks were dispersed. Manstein, through his plan, saw that the Panzers would strike ahead of the army’s main body, to disperse and confuse the enemy. Manstein’s plan was more daring than the one employed in Poland. The other generals were against it and tabled more conservative strategies. Nevertheless, it was approved by Adolf Hitler and was the attack strategy used by Germany.
The planned assault commenced on 10 May 1940. Germany conducted air raids on Holland and Belgium. They then dropped by parachute and then started ground attacks. Belgium and Holland were two neutral states that found themselves in the middle of a war between Germany and the France-Britain coalition. This occurrence, as it is believed, complicated the command and control arrangements of the French. At the end of the airborne operation, port Eban Emael, in Belgium, was captured. The German army advanced at a brutal speed making it almost impossible to counterattack. Holland surrendered to Germany on 14 May 1940. In response to the attack in Belgium, France chose the best of their forces and sent them to Belgium and Holland to confront the advancing German army. Britain also assisted by bringing in her best forces. Initially, they managed to hold the advancing army, but with time, the French force sent to Holland began to be pushed back by the German forces. Hitler’s plan of attacking through the neutral countries seemed to be working. On 13, May, the first German military force reached Ardennes, the side of River Meuse. It took two days of a fierce battle for the Panzers to cross the river successfully. It was reported German forces that the resistance they received from the second class French forces was surprising and unexpected. In addition, the French allies had sent suicidal aircrafts that almost proved costly.
The German Panzers, under the command of General Heinz, advanced towards the Channel coast. The German aircrafts were in control of the air, and they offered protection to the advancing Panzers. The Panzers encountered very little resistance as they moved into the French territory since the majority of the French army and her allies were busy fighting in Belgium. They arrived at the English Channel on 20th of May. On realizing that they were being surrounded by the German forces, France began to pull her forces away from Belgium. The also had to respond to the new threat of German forces attacking from their rear. Under the command of General Charles de Gaulle, the French army boldly counterattacked the Germans, revealing their vulnerability. On the 21st of May, the 7th Panzer division received a hostile reception from the British forces, in Arras. This was; however, ineffective since the German forces had succeeded to surround the French forces and her allies. Their army was pushing the French army from Belgium, and at the same time the Panzers were attacking from the south and west. On the 28th of May, the Belgian army threw in the towel. As a result, a gaping hole was left on the side of with the British forces. In an attempt to regain control of the battle, France appointed a new Commander-in-chief. General Gamelin was replaced by General Weygand. The British army commander, General Gort left the British and French counterattack and went to the Channel ports. His action was viewed by the French as betrayal; however, it saved the British forces. From 26, May, the British and French troops were evacuated from Dunkirk, by sea. The evacuation was completed by 4 June, with a total of 338,000 forces carried from Dunkirk. The French and the British forces managed to stage a grim defense, which kept the German forces away from attacking Dunkirk. The evacuation operation was given the name Operation Dynamo. It showed the role of the British forces in the war. The British Prime Minister, Churchill had insisted that Britain would not withdraw from the war. His words plus the Operation Dynamo influenced the United States of America, who held a neutral ground regarding the war.
The German forces launched a second attack against France on 5 June. This time they attacked from the River Somme, located southwards. The French army fought well and bravely; however, the German forces were tactically superior and managed to destroy the French forces and their allies. The 51st Highland Division was captured at St Valery-en-Caux. It had failed to group up with the British forces and was subdued on 12 June. The attack on Paris was launched on 9 June. By the 13th of June, Paris was declared an open city. The French government officials fled to Bordeaux. On 14, June, Paris witnessed the entrance of the first German forces. Britain sent fresh forces to Normandy to try and rejuvenate their efforts. However, they were immediately evacuated by the German forces. The Panzers moved across France to ensure that no French forces were left to offer any possible resistance. On 17, June, they crossed River Loire and a few days later, reached the Swiss frontier. On 22, June, the war came to an end after the French surrendered to the Germans. A capitulation document was signed, and Germany succeeded in humiliating France. Unlike the First World War, which took four years to come to an end, the humiliation of France took the Germans only six weeks. In addition, Germany had suffered approximately 1.3 million casualties during World War One compared to the 30,000 troops lost during the Second World War. Hitler had insisted that the signing if the armistice had to be done in the same railway carriage that Germany had used when she surrendered in 1918.
No one had imagined the fall of France. It was sudden and unexpected at the same time. The balance of power in Europe was shifted. Having removed France out of the way, Hitler’s next target was Britain. The war with Britain was conducted through the air, and in the Mediterranean. No confrontations took place on the Western Front. The British Army returned to France on 6 June 1944.
For many decades debates have emerged over the reasons that led to the victory of the Germans over the French. The French and her allies had superior military forces. They had better tanks, armored vehicles and army divisions. On the other hand, the major advantage to the Germans was their air force. They sent their aircrafts above and ahead of their armored ground divisions to enhance their assault. Furthermore, the German attack tactic, although very daring, proved vital in the victory. It was unexpected, catching the French and her allies unaware and making it difficult to counterattack. The dispersal of the Allies forces was their main undoing as it offered little resistance to the German forces who attacked as concentrated troops. The Ardennes was left with little forces since the majority of the French forces had been sent into Belgium and Holland to counter the advancing Germans. As a result, the German forces at Ardennes managed to cross River Meuse with little resistance. Many have argued that the military strategy employed by the British and the French was poor. Despite having more tanks and better military capabilities than the Germans, they failed to use them to their advantage. France released very many tanks at a go. Furthermore, they deployed their best forces on the frontier with Belgium. Their plan was to stage their defensive positions in Holland, Tilburg and Breda and assist the Belgian army, which was retreating from Brussels. They were joined by the British army. The Maginot Line secured the Franco-German frontier. France failed to secure the north-west part of the Maginot Line. The Germans attacked through this point using their Panzers and Ground forces. Another mistake made by the French was to base their tactic on time. The First World War had lasted for four years, and they expected the Second one to go on for a similar period of time. In their strategy, they planned to adopt an offensive strategy after two years of war. They thought that by then, the Germans would have exhausted their resources and worn out. The British also planned to increase their military aid to France with time. They had scheduled to deploy 32 army divisions by the end of 1940 and 55 divisions, in 1941. Hitler’s quick attack disrupted their plans making it impossible for them to reinforce their forces.
The speed at which the Germans advanced towards their enemies also proved crucial to their victory. They attacked recklessly and at a high tempo, and moved away even before the French forces could regroup to offer a solid resistance. The evacuations at Dunkirk were an advantage to the Germans. It was an indication that the French and their allies were retreating and motivated the Germans to launch their second and final attack against Paris that culminated with the humiliation of France. The Third Republic of France collapsed and was overthrown after the defeat of the French. Marshal Philipe Petain became the new Prime Minister. He was a World War One veteran. He readily submitted to the Germans. The armistice he signed allowed the Germans to occupy 60% of France. After a series of political deal makings, Petain formed a new French government at Vichy. His regime was described as anti-democratic and anti-Semitic and collaborated with Hitler.
The defeat of France in 1940 ended their reign as a “superpower.” In 1945, with the end of the Second World War, France joined the Security Council of the UN. This occurrence was credited to General Charles de Gaulle who fled to London in 1940, where he led a resistance against the armistice, and the Vichy regime. The politicians who supported Gaulle claimed that the defeat of France was due to their overreliance on foreign countries for its security. It negatively affected France’s relationship with Britain and also the USA who had refused to honor France’s request to join them on the War against Germany, in June 1940. The humiliation of France was seen beyond Europe. Her authority over her colonies was compromised. She lost control of some colonies in North Africa, Madagascar, Sub-Saharan African and Indochina.
References
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Kaufmann, H. W., & Kaufmann, J. E. (2007). Fortress France: The Maginot Line and French Defenses in World War II. Pennsylvania: Stackpole Books.
Sheffield, G. (2010, March 03). The Fall of France. Retrieved December 03, 2012, from BBC History: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/fall_france_01.shtml
Stolfi, R. H. (1993). Hitler's Panzers East: World War II Reinterpreted. Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press.
