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The invasion of France and the Low Countries by Germany quickly turned into a stunning rout. Begun on May 10, 1940, the German army had traversed the “impenetrable” Ardennes Forest and reached the Meuse River in just two days. And elsewhere along the massive front, the invading forces had encountered poorly-prepared troops in too small numbers with old-fashioned leadership trying to fight a World War I-style war against an emeny that didn’t fight like that anymore.
The French and Belgian troops were simply overwhelmed by the Blitzkrieg tactics the Germans used. Previously, tanks and artillery had been used as infantry support. But that was no longer the case. Tanks were now being used as fast-moving mobile spearheads, planes (particularly Stuka dive-bombers) were being used as pinpoint artillery pieces, and troops were now massed in mobile brigades, sweeping past their bewildered and shattered Allied foes.
There had been bright spots for the Allied troops. Indivdiuals and smaller units had fought with tenacity, and some British counterattacks had achieved modest success. The evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force at Dunkirk (less than four weeks after the hostilities began) had been a marvel of improvisation and organization. But when the biggest highlight was how the British exited the French field of play, it’s easy to see that this was Germany’s hour…in total.
With Dunkirk out of the picture after June 4th, the German army turned back to the south and headed for Paris. With the French army in shambles (more than 2 million men were now prisoners) and unable to offer anything but the weakest defense, the sweep to the capital was accomplished in relatively short order.
The French government, realizing the end was at hand, and wishing to avoid the destruction of Paris, declared it an open city. And on June 14, 1940, the German army entered the capital and took control of France and the rest of Western Europe. And then there was one…Great Britain.
Recommended Reading: Lightning War – Blitzkrieg in the West, 1940 – I’m nearly finished with this book, and Powaski has done a great job with it.
