Why france surrendered to germany

The French army had the equipment and personnel — five million men, more than they had in — to really take the Germans on. So the high command was far from inactive before the war. Both in France and internationally, the French army of is seen as lacking courage.

Do you think this image is accurate? But for the most part French soldiers fought with courage and tenacity. Statistics show just how brutal the fighting was. Around 60, French soldiers were killed between May and June.

The German military lost 30 percent of its tanks and planes during the Battle of France. Its death toll is estimated at 27, killed and missing in June and 21, in May. Well, as always, it was a multifaceted military campaign, and their degree of success was dependent on the terrain, the quality of leadership, the quality of the weaponry they had etc. There were some successful episodes, such as the defeat of the Italian army on the Alpine front in June The village was taken and taken back at least 17 times, but the French failed to break through.

Nevertheless, they inflicted significant damage on the Germans. Then, in January , a German plane crashed in neutral Belgium, with a copy of the attack orders on board. Hitler was forced to rethink, believing the plan compromised he turned for advice to General Erich von Manstein, who argued for a daring campaign. In effect, Manstein recognised that the Maginot Line was too formidable for a direct attack from Germany.

Instead, he proposed a subsidiary attack through neutral Holland and Belgium, with the main blow against France to be launched a little later through the Ardennes. This was a hilly and heavily forested area on the German-Belgian-French border, where the Allies would be unlikely to expect an attack.

The plan was to rely heavily on surprise blitzkrieg 'lightning war' techniques. Contrary to a generally held belief, the Germans had fewer tanks than the Allies 2, against 3, at this point.

However, the tanks were concentrated into Panzer armoured formations. The French had some equivalent formations that were of good quality, but they were dispersed rather than concentrated in the German fashion. Manstein's plan envisaged these Panzer divisions in a semi-independent role, striking ahead of the main body of the army, to disrupt and disorientate the Allies.

This was a very risky plan - much more ambitious than the strategy used in Poland - and was opposed by the more conservative-minded generals. Hitler, however, although not without some misgivings, gave his approval.

The attack began on 10 May , with German air raids on Belgium and Holland, followed by parachute drops and attacks by ground forces. The two beleaguered nations were hastily added to the anti-German ad-hoc coalition that included France and Britain, but this only served to further complicate Allied command and control arrangements. The Germans seized the initiative, capturing the key Belgian fort of Eban Emael with a daring airborne operation.

The speed of the German advance and the brutality of the air raids gave them a huge psychological advantage, and on 14 May the Dutch surrendered. The British and French had responded to the original attack by putting into operation a plan to advance to the River Dyle, in Belgium.

The Allies pushed their best forces, including the British, into Belgium. Although the initial stages went reasonably well, a French force advancing towards Breda, in Holland, was pushed back. It soon became clear that by advancing into the Low Countries the Allies were dancing to Hitler's tune.

In a two-day battle, the Panzers crossed the river, despite some surprisingly stiff resistance from the second-class French defenders, and near-suicidal attacks by Allied aircraft. Under the dynamic command of General Heinz Guderian, a pioneer of armoured warfare known euphemistically as 'Hurry-up Heinz', the German Panzers broke out of their bridgehead. They began to race towards the Channel coast, aided by the German aircraft that ruled the skies.

With the bulk of the Allied forces fighting in Belgium, there was little to stop the German forces as they sliced across the Allied supply-lines. The German spearheads reached the English Channel on 20 May. Lacking a centrally placed strategic reserve, the Allies tried to pull their armies out of Belgium to respond to the new threat emerging in their rear. And the Germans did not have it all their own way, as French forces under Charles de Gaulle showed how vulnerable the flanks of the German forces were to bold counterattacks.

Yet this was all too little, too late. Taken away like the other monuments, the carriage would suffer a bitter end. The Second World War was the costliest in human lives in all of history. It was also the first war in which civilians were targeted to such an extent. The delegation compositions changed between wars. The Armistice agreement comprised 24 articles that France was forced to accept. However, certain compromises were made, such as the colonies left under French control. Where the Armistice Carriage was burned following its removal to Berlin along with the other monuments.

Accueil » Understanding the history » The Armistice of