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The Invasion of France

The Invasion of France. Source: http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/2WWfranceI.htm. The Invasion of France. The Manstein Plan In 1939, German Army officers devised a plan to inflict a major defeat on the French Army in northern France.

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The Invasion of France

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  1. The Invasion of France Source: http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/2WWfranceI.htm

  2. The Invasion of France • The Manstein Plan • In 1939, German Army officers devised a plan to inflict a major defeat on the French Army in northern France. • included an attack through southern Belgium that avoided the Maginot Line. • The ultimate objective was to reach the Channel coast and to force the French government to surrender.

  3. The Invasion of France • Hitler approved the Manstein Plan in February, 1940, but it was not activated until May. • the Luftwaffe bombed Dutch and Belgian airfields. • the German Army captured Moerdijk and Rotterdam. • using Blitzkreig strategy, Germany advanced into the Netherlands. • Belgium was also invaded and the French Army moved forward to help support the Dutch and Belgian forces.

  4. The Invasion of France • Erwin Rommel’s Army went through the heavily wooded and semi-mountainous area of the Ardennes, an area north of the Maginot Line. • The French military had wrongly believed that the Ardennes was impassable to tanks • German forces advanced towards the Channel. • Except for a counterattack by De Gaulle, at Montcornet (17th May) and Laon (27th-29th May) the German forces encountered very little resistance.

  5. http://www.maplandia.com/france/champagne-ardenne/ardennes/

  6. Britain’s Response • Winston Churchill ordered Operation Dynamo, a plan to evacuate troops and equipment from the French port of Dunkirk. • Between 27th May and 4th June, 1940, a total of 693 ships brought back 338,226 people back to Britain. • Of these 140,000 were members of the French Army. All heavy equipment was abandoned and left in France. • The French Army tried to hold the line but were outnumbered and the troops were forced to withdraw

  7. The German Occupation • On 14th June, the Germans occupied Paris. • France began negotiations with Hitler and on 22nd June signed an armistice with Germany • The terms of the agreement divided France into occupied and unoccupied zones • The Germans would control northern and western France and the entire Atlantic coast • The remaining section of the country would be administered by the French government at Vichy

  8. The German Occupation • Other Armistice terms • the surrender of all Jews living in France to the Germans. • The French Army was disbanded except for a force of 100,000 men to maintain domestic order. • The 1.5 million French soldiers captured by the Germans were to remain prisoners of war. • The French government also agreed to stop members of its armed forces from leaving the country and instructed its citizens not to fight against the Germans. • Finally, France had to pay the occupation costs of the German troops.

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