THE FALL OF FRANCE - By Yael Larios
World War II was a devastating event for both the Allies and Axis powers that cost millions of lives. Nazism was growing along with the tensions between the Allied and Axis powers. The Germans were trudging through battles, defeating large and strong French and Belgian resistance because the German army had developed a system called ‘Blitzkrieg’ which overwhelmed their opponents with heavy armor. This new concept eventually led to the Fall of France in the year 1940. The main debate of the Fall of France was whether it was caused by “strategic errors” or the “Nazi Blitzkrieg.” Before the Fall of France of 1940, France offered military support to Poland in event Germany attacked. France was trying to create
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Irvine who wrote “Domestic Politics and The Fall of France” agreed with one of these two. He agreed with the thesis that the Fall of France was due to the lack of strategy by France and the well thought out strategy by Germany called Blitzkrieg. He believed that the government of France and its problems prior to the fall of France and its decadence had nothing to do with the fall. It was all military related. The second author Julian Jackson, who wrote “The Fall of France” agreed with the thesis that the French, due to their inability to get out of their WWI thinking, which caused a breakdown in the political and the military system, were no match for the Germans. He said that the French weren’t strategically ready for Germany. It was strategic errors. When he wrote his book, he strongly expressed “antisemitism,” “procrastination” and how the administration did not understand the emergency of mobilizing every available resource. The French had the disadvantage at the time, considering they would not let the foreigner refugees fight in the war. For people who believed in the thesis that it was ‘surprise’ rather than ‘weaponry’ strongly felt that the French simply were not ready for the attacks coming from the Germans. But even after the …show more content…
After he published his book, “The Fall of France,” in 2003, he won The Wolfson History Prize award for it in 2004. His book contributed and strengthened the thesis stating “Consistent strategic errors was the main cause for the Fall of France.” For example, in his book, Mr. Jackson writes “The failure of the French to predict the locus of the German invasion must rank as a failure of intelligence.” (p. 219) He points out one person in particular, General Maurice Gamelin, a senior French officer who was especially remembered for his unsuccessful leadership in the Battle of France. He was an example of intelligence failure. He was hoping that the Belgians and the Dutch would come together to create strong allies. Also, Gamelin hoped that he could have an army between the British and the Sea. Julian Jackson added, that the problems of the French army went beyond Gamelin’s mistakes. It was strategic errors caused by the French army. In 1940, there was little time to coordinate, and everything was disorganized. For example, there were whole segments of regiments missing from the army ranks which caused even more of a drift within the French command. (p. 220) The French army had a hard time reading the “direction of the German attack.” (p. 221) The French were hoping that even after the German break through that it would get tired and collapse. However, the French fought with something
The comparison of German forces in France in 1943 versus 1944 provides a compelling argument that allied forces should have transitioned from defense to offense at a decisive point in Western France. Clausewitz states that, “A sudden powerful transition to the offensive - the flashing sword of vengeance - is the greatest moment for the defense” (Clausewitz, 370). Handel also emphasizes “timing is everything” in relation to the optimal transition from defense to offense (Handel, 190). The Americans and British did transition in 1943 to the offensive with the invasion of Sicily and the Italian campaign (Murray, 375). However, they did not capitalize on the opportunity in 1943 to attack the weaker German forces in France to brandish the “flashing sword of vengeance” that Clausewitz advocates.
1. Critique the German Army Group G Commander’s efforts to balance the operational factors in achieving assigned objective(s) and protecting the German operational COG against the dual threat of the FFI and the anticipated Allied amphibious assault.
A leading cause of this battle was the attack on Fort Douaumont. The French had a plan to reclaim their fort that was taken by the German Army. About 500,000 men were positioned into two forts, Fort Douaumont and Fort Vaux. The Germans did not have the advance in the war as they anticipated. Both armies believed that they were skilled enough to win this battle, but the French would soon take over and recover the territory that they had lost. On October 24, 1916, the French repossessed Fort Douaumont. Erich von Falkenhayn was not happy with the retrieval of the land because of the rank of the French Army at this point in the war.
During World War II, Germany’s military was superior to anyone else in the world, with far more advanced technology, tactics, and weaponry. They had a fearless leader who would stop at nothing to make his country great again. Their closest rival, the Soviet Union, was almost out of the picture with a death toll of over 26 million. On top of that, Germany had nothing to lose, and would not conceivably stop. So how then, with all odds against them, did the Allies win the war? A combination of factors affected Germany’s downfall, such as lack of morale, unwieldy weapons, and failure to work with its so-called allies.
In the 1950s, French insecurity feelings forced the state to strengthen its military and presumed Germany as their potential enemy. The state decided not to join the European Defence Community (EDC); where Britain and United States excluded, to stay away from its former archenemy. In other hand, the members of North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO); particularly the hegemons US and Britain provided guarantees as the security providers to European in against potential German aggression. The guarantee triggered the French National Assembly to...
middle of paper ... ... It was easy for him to threaten, and hard for him to conciliate.” (pg. 216) Finally, Taylor explains, after Britain’s failure to help reach an agreement, the aggression dragged both France and Britain into war with Germany. Taylor’s perspective on the origins of the Second World War, although controversial, is not one so easily dismissed.
The French Revolution evokes many different emotions and controversial issues in that some believe it was worth the cost and some don't. There is no doubt that the French Revolution did have major significance in history. Not only did the French gain their independence, but an industrial revolution also took place. One of the main issues of the Revolution was it's human costs. Two writers, the first, Peter Kropotkin who was a Russian prince, and the other Simon Schama, a history professor, both had very opposing views on whether the wars fought by France during the Revolution were worth it's human costs. Krapotkin believed that the French Revolution was the main turning point for not only France but for most other countries as well. On the other hand, Schama viewed the French Revolution as unproductive and excessively violent.
Works Cited Horne, Alistair. A.S.A. & Co. To Lose a Battle: France, 1940. New York: Penguin, 1990. Jackson, Julian.
During the early stages of World War II, Germany won a series of swift victories over Poland, Denmark, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Belgium, Norway, and France. Then attempted to bomb Great Britain into surrendering, but to no avail. After Hitler took over Czechoslovakia he began to demand land from Poland. Britain and France pledged to help Poland if Germany was to attack. Unfortunately helping Poland would include the invasion of Germany, which neither country was willing to do. Great Britain and France had hoped the Soviet Union would help protect Poland. But Hitler and Stalin shocked the world when they became allies. On August 23, 1939, Germany and the Soviet Union signed a nonaggression pact; in which both agreed not to attack each other. They secretly decided to divide Poland between them. On September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland and began Wo...
Robinson-Dunn "The French Resistance and World War II" S.U.N.Y. at Stony Brook University. April 13, 2000.
During the early stages of the war, most of Germany’s victories were because of the success of blitzkrieg, or lightening war. Blitzkrieg tactics emphasised mobility and the concentrated use of armour and air power to overwhelm an enemy. Blitzkrieg was especially successful in flat, open countryside and was supremely suited for the Polish campaign in 1939. It was with blitzkrieg, as well as Germany’s superior tactics, effective use of armour, airpower and modern equipment, plus with the support of the USSR that the Germans used to overwhelm Poland in only 5 weeks. Two days after the German troops entered Poland, Britain and France declared war on Germany. Hitler did not want this because it was a distraction from his main aim, to attack the USSR.
The coalitions brought by the Versailles Treaty contributed greatly to starting WWII. The Treaty was responsible for the formation of the Allies. However, when made, these alliances were based on promises from the superpowers, particularly France. This ensured that Germany would not have support from the smaller countries in Europe (Document B). Belgium had aligned itself with France previously, and it continued to do so, but Czechoslovakia and Poland...
During the eighteenth century, France was one of the most richest and prosperous countries in Europe, but many of the peasants were not happy with the way France was being ruled. On July 14, 1789, peasants and soldiers stormed the Bastille and initiated the French Revolution. This essay will analyze the main causes of the French Revolution, specifically, the ineffectiveness of King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, the dissatisfaction of the Third Estate, and the Enlightenment. It will also be argued that the most significant factor that caused the French Revolution is the ineffective leadership of King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette.
th, 1940, Europe was a very large battleground. The Nazi party of Germany had declared war on France and Britain, and was spreading throughout the continent like wildfire. They appeared to
France aimed to get revenge on Germany for the Franco - Prussian war of 1970 - 1971 where France were disastrously defeated, Germany aimed to stay free from an invasion from France and keep Austria-Hungary happy as France and Austria- Hungary were on either side of German, and Russia wanted an ally so it could feel safe form Germany.