2. . "The hour has come…The fight which begins today will decide the destiny of the German people for 1000 years. Now do your duty.” -Adolf Hitler

3. Presentation by: Elaine Kim, Emi Nakatsu, Riddhi Patel, Sabrina Loos, Serena Xiong

4.  After the fall of France, the Allied powers were disoriented because of the unexpected occupation of France, a presumed dominant country. This upset the balance of power in Europe, by granting Germany an advantage over the British during World War II, as well as the ability to manipulate France as a puppet state.

5.  September 1, 1939: start of WWII  Little to no fighting until...  “Phony War” ends on May 10 th, 1940  May 10 th, 1940: start of the Battle of France

6.  German invasion of Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and France  Hitler was eager to follow up his victory over Poland in 1939 by attacking in the west, but bad weather forced the planned offensive to be postponed  Then, in January 1940, a German plane crashed in neutral Belgium, with a copy of the attack orders on board  Hitler was forced to rethink plans, with the help of General Erich von Manstein

7.  The attack began on May 10, with German air raids on Belgium and Holland  German forces went through the Ardennes Forest, going around the Maginot Line and catching the Allies off guard  Breaking through the French border defenses took just two days  On May 20, German forces reached the English Channel and soon encircled the Allies

9.  May 27, 1940 – June 4, 1940  German invaded France and surrounded British forces  Evacuation of British Expeditionary Force (BEF) from Dunkirk, France  Hoped to extract 40,000 BEF members  Actually extracted 364,628 members

12.  Halt Order  Issued by German High Command  Approved by Adolf Hitler  German air force unsuccessfully attempts to destroy British forces on ground with dive-bombers  Not very effective

13.  British and French victory  Enough troops evacuated to continue fighting war  Germans could have ended the war on the spot  Moral victory  “Wars are not won by evacuation.” - Winston Churchill

14.  German troops: outflanked the Maginot Line  -attack the larger territory of France  German air superiority & armored mobility  Two sub-operations Preliminary:  June 5 th  Location: West  Fought over Somme River, towards Seine Main Offensive:  4 days later: June 9 th  Location: Central  Fought over Aisne River.

16.  Allied Armies quickly defeated  German Blitzkrieg tactic  Effectively supported by attack aircraft  Stukas  The German High command-Fall rot to proceed: Fall Gelb  Significant French losses  Material in the North  Line of almost 1000 km

17.  On June 10 th, the French government fled Paris and declared it an “open city”  The signing of the armistice took place in the forest of Compiègne, where, 22 years before, the Germans had surrendered to the French and signed the armistice of November 11, 1918  France was split into two: the northern half was occupied by the Germans and the southern half run by a French government answerable to the Germans

19. DUT 6 2 7 1 16 12 4 9 RES BEFBELGRES 1 6 5 4 3 2 10 9 8 The French armies are deployed in three army groups. Army Group 1 comprises 1., 2., 7., 9. Armies and the British Expeditionary Force; its objective is to reinforce the retreating Dutch and Belgian Armies along the Dyle Line. Army Group 2 comprises 3., 4. and 5. Armies; its objective is to hold the Maginot Line. Army Group 3 comprises 8. Army; its objective is to defend against any outflanking of the Maginot Line through Switzerland. The German armies are deployed in three army groups. Army Group B comprises 6. and 18. Armies; its objective is to advance into the Low Countries, enticing French armies to rush in to meet it. Army Group A comprises 4., 12., 16. Armies and Panzer Group Kleist; its objective is to attack through the Ardennes, cutting off French armies in the north. Army Group C comprises 1. and 7. Armies; its objective is to tie down French armies on the Maginot Line. German bombers viciously terror-bomb major cities in the Low Countries. Army Group A easily pushes the Dutch and Belgian Armies back, aided by German airborne troops which seize key fortresses and panic rear services. Army Group 1 rushes to the Dyle Line to reinforce the retreating Belgian Army while the Dutch Army retreats into its own prepared lines. Unrealized by the French, Army Group A makes its way through the Ardennes with Panzer Group Kleist in the lead. Army Group C (Leeb) Army Group B (Bock) Army Group A (Rundstedt) Army Group 1 (Billotte) Army Group 3 (Besson) Army Group 2 (Pretelat) German 18. Army relentlessly attacks the Dutch Army, cutting it off from the French armies. French 7. Army advances into the Netherlands anyways to cover Antwerp. The rest of Army Group 1 reaches the Dyle Line and consolidates; German 6. Army probes this defensive line with little result. Meanwhile, Army Group A continues to advance; Panzer Group Kleist emerges from the Ardennes and drives towards Sedan where only the weakest elements of French 9. and 2. Armies defend. German 2. and 9. Armies’ headquarters are activated from the reserve. 9 2 Advanced elements of French 7. Army are shoved back by German 18. Army to reinforce the Dutch Army’s isolation. German bombers destroy an entire section of Rotterdam to make an example, forcing the Dutch to surrender. Gamelin begins shifting French 7. Army south. German 6. Army pins the BEF and French 1. Army while Panzer Group Kleist breaks through the hinge of French 2. and 9. Armies at Sedan, opening an 80-km gap between them. Gamelin activates French 6. Army with reserves and divisions from Army Groups 2 and 3 while German 4., 12. and 16. Armies advance to guard Kleist’s flanks against counterattack. Army Group B (Bock) Army Group 1 (Billotte) 6 7 KL Army Group B attacks the remains of Army Group 1 and succeeds in pushing them back. Panzer Group Kleist annihilates French 9. Army but is ordered to halt by Hitler to allow the infantry to catch up. This allows Gamelin to deploy 6. and 10. Armies. The halt order is eventually lifted and Panzer Group Kleist resumes its advance, brushing aside French 7. Army and reaching the Channel. German 4. Army follows closely behind, 12. and 16. Armies establish a front running east- west and 2. and 9. Armies approach the front lines. French 6. Army attacks north at Laon but is beaten back by German air attacks. Army Group A (Rundstedt) 18 10 The Germans seek to reduce the remnants of Army Group 1: German 6. Army splits the BEF from the Belgian Army, forcing a Belgian surrender while Panzer Group Kleist and 4. Army push north, encircling French 1. Army. The BEF launches a counterattack at Arras but it is repelled. French 7. and 10. Armies also launch counterattacks to cut off the German advance armies but the attacks are weak and German 9. Army arrives to fill the gaps anyways. The British Royal Navy arrives on the coast to begin an evacuation of remaining troops in the north. The evacuation of Dunkirk begins. Hitler is persuaded by Luftwaffe commander, Goerring, to allow his aircraft to complete the BEF’s destruction. British aircraft take off from the home islands to defend the evacuation armada in costly dogfights although Goering fails to destroy the BEF. German 4. and 18. Armies belatedly advance on Dunkirk while encircled French 1. Army heroically fights on to tie down German forces. French 1. Army surrenders only after the vast majority of the BEF is evacuated to Britain. French armies in the south however are in little position to affect fighting in the north. German Army & allies (Hitler/Brauchitsch) French Army & allies (Gamelin) Landmarks Subordinates Nations Subordinates French 5. Army (Bourret) 6 infantry divisions 3 fortress divisions 2 mountain divisions GERMANY NETHERLANDSBRITAIN SWITZERLANDFRANCEBELGIUM LUXEMBOURG 1.Army – BlanchardBelgian Army – Leopold 2.Army – HuntzingerBritish Expeditionary Force – Gort 3.Army – CondéDutch Army – Winkelman 4.Army – Requin 5.Army – Bourret 6.Army – Touchon 7.Army – Giraud 8.Army – Gorchery 9.Army – Corap 10. Army – Altmayer 1.Army – Witzleben 2.Army – Weichs 4. Army – Kluge 6. Army – Reichaneau 7. Army – Dollman 9. Army – Strauss 12. Army – List 16. Army – Busch 18. Army – Kuechler Panzer Group Kleist - Kleist Dutch Army (Winkelman) 10 infantry divisions French Reserve 16 infantry divisions 2 armoured divisions 1 motorized division 1 fortress division French 9. Army (Corap) 5 infantry divisions 2 cavalry divisions 1 motorized division 1 fortress division French 1. Army (Blanchard) 4 infantry divisions 3 motorized divisions 2 light mechanized divisions 2 fortress divisions 1 armoured division French 7. Army (Giraud) 5 infantry divisions 1 light mechanized division 1 fortress division British Expeditionary Force (Gort) 9 infantry divisions Belgian Army (Leopold) 16 infantry divisions 4 cavalry divisions French 10. Army (Altmayer) 0 divisions French 4. Army (Requin) 6 infantry divisions 2 fortress divisions French 2. Army (Huntzinger) 5 infantry divisions 2 cavalry divisions 1 fortress division French 6. Army (Touchon) 0 divisions French 8. Army (Gorchery) 5 fortress divisions 4 infantry divisions 1 mountain division French Army of the Alps (Olry) 5 fortress divisions 3 mountain divisions 2 infantry divisions Italian 1. Army (Pintor) 11 infantry divisions 2 mountain divisions German 7. Army (Dollman) 4 infantry divisions German 6. Army (Reichaneau) 16 infantry divisions 2 panzer divisions 1 motorized division German 4. Army (Kluge) 12 infantry divisions 2 panzer divisions German 2. Army (Weichs) 0 divisions German 1. Army (Witzleben) 10 infantry divisions German 16. Army (Busch) 13 infantry divisions German 12. Army (List) 10 infantry divisions 1 mountain division German 9. Army (Strauss) 0 divisions German 18. Army (Kuechler) 6 infantry divisions 1 panzer division 1 cavalry division 1 motorized division 1 air landing division 1 airborne division Italian 7. Army (Pistoia) 6 infantry divisions 2 armoured divisions 1 motorized division 1 cavalry division Italian 4. Army (Guzzoni) 7 infantry divisions 2 mountain divisions German Reserve 43 infantry divisions 2 motorized divisions French 3. Army (Condé) 13 infantry divisions 2 fortress divisions 1 cavalry division Opposing forces deployed south in Alps Panzer Group Kleist (Kleist) 5 panzer divisions 3 motorized divisions German Army & allies (Adolf Hitler/Walther von Brauchitsch) 135 German divisions 32 allied divisions 3,300,000 men 2,600 tanks 3,700 aircraft French Army & allies (Maurice Gamelin) 109 French divisions 40 allied divisions 3,000,000 men 2,700 tanks 2,000 aircraft Paris Calais Dunkirk Arras Rotterdam Verdun CologneBrussels Antwerp Sedan Namur London Maginot Line Luxembourg Amiens Ardennes Forest Rhine River Dyle River Marne River Somme River Meuse River Seine RiverOise River Maas River Aisne River Moselle River English Channel Symbol guide French & alliesGermans & alliesHeadquarters InfantryarmyInfantry army Armoured group

20.  In July 1940, the French National Assembly voted to suspend the constitution of the Third Republic and replaced it with the new “Vichy Regime”  The new Vichy France was led by Marshal Henri Philippe Pétain, a French hero during the Battle of Verdun in WW1.  The Germans ran the territory they had occupied during the Battle of France.  The French police willingly collaborated with the Germans to a high extent.

21.  Pétain, who was based in Vichy, ran the other half of France.  To many, Pétain seemed to be no more than a puppet of the Germans who did what he was expected to do.  For the next couple of years, Vichy France was on the side of the Axis powers because of the German occupation, causing a shift in the balance of power.  The liberation and legitimacy of French government occurred after Operation Overlord in October, 1944.

23.  Alexander, Martin, "After Dunkirk: The French Army's Performance Against 'Case Red', 25 May to 25 June 1940", War in History 14: 219–64  "Battle of France, 1940." The Art of Battle Animated Battle Maps RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2015.  BBC News. BBC, n.d. Web. 15 Mar. 2015.  "Current Directories:." Calvin College. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2015.  "The Fall of France - a Summary: History in an Hour." History in an Hour. N.p., 21 June 2012. Web. 18 Mar. 2015.  "Fall of France." HISTORY. N.p., 10 Apr. 2014. Web. 03 Mar. 2015.  Feldman, George. World War II: Almanac. Ed. Christine Slovey. Vol. 1. Detroit: U X L, 2000. Print.  "France." United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. United States Holocaust Memorial Council, 20 June 2014. Web. 18 Mar. 2015.  Grilli, David M., and Spencer C. Tucker. "Dunkerque Evacuation: World War II." World at War: Understanding Conflict and Society. ABC-CLIO, 2015. Web. 12 Mar. 2015.  "Marshal Philippe Pétain." Marshal Philippe Pétain. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2015.  Miller, Donald L., and Henry Steele Commager. The Story of World War II. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2001. Print.  "Operation Dynamo, the Evacuation from Dunkirk, 27 May-4 June 1940." Operation Dynamo, the Evacuation from Dunkirk, 27 May-4 June 1940. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2015.  "The Second World War - Battle Of France Fall Gelb Case Yellow Timeline - World War Two – Battle Of France." Battle Of France Fall Gelb Case Yellow Timeline. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2015.