Why Hitler occupied mighty France so easily. Why Hitler occupied mighty France so easily Ilya Kramnik, military observer RIA Novosti

This year, France celebrated a tragic anniversary - the 75th anniversary of the shameful surrender to Nazi Germany.

As a result of the offensive that began on May 10, 1940, the Germans defeated the French army in just a month. On June 14, German troops entered Paris without a fight, which had been declared an open city by the French government to avoid its destruction. On June 22, 1940, France capitulated on humiliating terms: 60% of its territory was occupied, part of the land was annexed by Germany and Italy, the rest of the territory was controlled by a puppet government. The French had to maintain the occupying German troops, the army and navy were disarmed, the French prisoners were supposed to be in camps (out of one and a half million French prisoners of war, about a million remained in camps until 1945).

I dedicate this photo collection to this tragic event for France.

1. Residents of Paris look at the German army entering the city. 06/14/1940

2. German soldiers on the armor of an abandoned French light tank Hotchkiss H35.

3. Captured wounded French officer from a hospital captured by German troops in Juvisy-sur-Orge.

4. Captured wounded French soldiers from a hospital captured by German troops in Juvisy-sur-Orge.

5. A column of French prisoners of war on a march along a country road.

6. A group of French prisoners of war follows a city street to a meeting place. In the photo: on the left are French sailors, on the right are Senegalese riflemen of the French colonial troops.

7. Captured French soldiers, among them several blacks from French colonial units.

8. German soldiers next to a French light tank Renault R35 abandoned on the road near Lahn.

9. German soldiers and an officer pose with a downed British Spitfire fighter (Supermarine Spitfire Mk.I) on the beach near Dunkirk.

10. Two French Renault R35 light tanks abandoned on the street of a populated area.

11. A column of French prisoners of war passes through the village.

12. Captured French soldiers walk along the line of German soldiers. The picture shows soldiers from various units defending the Maginot Line.

13. Captured soldiers of various units of the French colonial troops.

14. Captured French soldiers at the assembly point in Saint-Florentin.

15. Captured French soldiers guarded by a German sentry.

16. A column of French North African prisoners of war heading to the gathering place.

17. French artillery equipment abandoned on the side of the road near Brunhamel.

18. Helmets and equipment abandoned by French soldiers during the surrender on a city street.

19. A column of French prisoners of war on the road in the Moy-de-Aisne area.

20. A group of captured French soldiers in Amiens.

21. French soldiers with their hands raised surrender to German troops.

22. German mountain rangers near the captured 155-mm French cannon Canon de 155 mm L Mle 1877 de Bange, with a barrel made in 1916 (sometimes called Canon de 155 mm L Mle 1877/1916), captured near the Marne.

23. French prisoners of war on vacation in the Dieppe area. Judging by the characteristic elements of the uniform in the picture, the servicemen are from a cavalry unit.

24. German soldiers on the Place de la Concorde in Paris.

25. A group of captured Moroccan soldiers of French colonial troops in Amiens.

26. Line up of captured Senegalese riflemen of French colonial troops in Amiens.

27. French prisoners of war at the assembly point. Among the prisoners are members of the French North African colonial forces, presumably Senegalese.

28. Wounded French soldiers at the infirmary in the city of Rocroi.

29. French prisoners of war drink water during a halt.

30. Vehicles abandoned by the Allies on the beach near Dunkirk.

31. The commander of the 7th Panzer Division of the Wehrmacht, Major General Erwin Rommel, and his staff officers are crossing the river by boat.

32. A column of French prisoners of war is walking along the side of the road, escorted by German soldiers. Presumably the area around Rocroi.

33. A group of French prisoners of war on the march along the road. In the background is a flying German transport plane Ju-52.

34. German artillerymen transport a 37-mm PaK 35/36 anti-tank gun by boat across the Meuse.

35. A German military band marches along the streets of occupied Paris.

36. French prisoners of war follow the road to the gathering place. In the center of the photo are three prisoners of war from the Zouave regiment.

37. French prisoner of war in the field.

38. French Navy Loire-Nieuport LN-411 dive bomber made an emergency landing.

39. A German soldier near the crashed French fighter Bloch MB.152.

40. A group of French prisoners of war in formation.

41. German soldiers pose next to a broken French 25 mm Hotchkiss anti-tank gun (Canon de 25 mm antichar Modele 1934 Hotchkiss).

42. Black prisoners of French colonial units in formation.

43. Two German soldiers change position during a battle in a destroyed French town.

44. A German soldier examines a captured saber captured in France.

45. Captured French pilots talk with German soldiers near the tent.

46. ​​German soldiers next to a captured French 25-mm anti-tank gun of the 1934 model of the Hotchkiss system (Canon de 25-mm antichar Modele 1934 Hotchkiss).

47. A captured French infantryman (possibly an officer) shows something on the map to German officers. To the right and left in helmets are captured French tank crews.

48. Column of French prisoners at the Palace of Versailles in Paris.

49. Abandoned French light tanks AMR-35.

50. An unknown prisoner of war soldier of one of the French North African (Moroccan) Spagi regiments on the march as part of a column of prisoners.

51. A column of French prisoners of war in Rocroi is moving towards the gathering place. There is a sign on the road showing the direction to Fume.

52. Line up of prisoners of war from the French North African spagi regiments in the joint camp in Etampes during assignment to work.

53. An unknown prisoner of war soldier from the French 9th Algerian Regiment of the 2nd Spagi Brigade. The remnants of the regiment surrendered on June 18, 1940 near the city of Besançon.

54. A column of French prisoners passes by a German convoy in the Avranches area.

55. German soldiers and French prisoners from colonial units in the camp at the Proto barracks in Cherbourg.

56. A German soldier distributes cigarettes to prisoners of French colonial units.

57. Column of the 6th German Panzer Division in a field in France. In the foreground is a Czech-made light tank LT vz.35 (German designation Pz.Kpfw. 35(t)), in the background are German Pz.Kpfw tanks. IV early modifications.

58. Black French prisoners of colonial units wash clothes in the Frontstalag 155 camp in the village of Lonvic, 5 km from the city of Dijon.

59. Black French prisoners in the Frontstalag 155 camp in the village of Lonvic, 5 km from the city of Dijon.

60. Two German soldiers walk along the street of the French village of Saint-Simon past dead cows.

61. Five French prisoners (four are black) stand by the railway.

62. Killed French soldier on the edge of a field in Normandy.

63. A group of French prisoners of war is walking along the road.

64. Representatives of France are sent to the “carriage of Marshal Foch” to negotiate an armistice with representatives of Germany. In this very place, in this very carriage, on November 11, 1918, the Compiegne Truce, humiliating for Germany, was signed, which recorded the shameful defeat of Germany in the First World War. The signing of the new Compiegne Truce in the same place, according to Hitler, was supposed to symbolize the historical revenge of Germany. In order to roll the carriage out into the clearing, the Germans destroyed the wall of the museum where it was stored and laid rails to the historical site.

65. A group of Wehrmacht soldiers take cover from fire in the French town of Sedan.

66. German soldiers smoke next to horses. From the photo album of a private driver of a Wehrmacht infantry division.

67. German soldiers settled down to rest next to their bicycles. From the photo album of a private driver of a Wehrmacht infantry division.

68. Artillery pieces captured by German troops during the French campaign. In the foreground are French 155-mm cannons of the 1917 model from Schneider. These guns in the Wehrmacht received the designation 15.5 cm gun K.416(f). In the background are French heavy 220-mm Schneider model 1917 cannons, barrels and carriages, which were transported separately. These guns were designated by the Wehrmacht as the 22 cm gun K.232(f).

69. A German soldier demonstrates trophies - captured weapons and ammunition of French troops. Photo from the photo album of a private driver of a Wehrmacht infantry division.

70. A team of donkeys as part of a German convoy. From the photo album of a private driver of a Wehrmacht infantry division.

71. German sappers are restoring a destroyed bridge. Photo from the personal album of a Wehrmacht engineer battalion soldier.

72. Two German officers and a non-commissioned officer look at the map.

73. German soldiers at the entrance to the military cemetery in honor of those killed in the First World War near Verdun in the French town of Duamont.

74. Wehrmacht soldiers “wash” awards received for the campaign in France. Photo from the personal album of a Wehrmacht Oberfeldwebel.

75. A French officer talks to a German officer during the surrender of the Nantes garrison.

76. German nurses at the monument to Marshal of France Ferdinand Foch in the Compiegne Forest. Very close to this place, the surrender of France in the war with Germany was signed (and in 1918, the surrender of Germany in the First World War).

77. A French bomber Amiot 143 captured by German troops on a field in the commune of Sombernon in Burgundy. The aircraft is from the 2nd Air Group of the 38th Bombardment Squadron. The 38th Bombardment Squadron was stationed near the city of Auxerre in Burgundy. The plane returning from a mission made an emergency landing on a field due to unfavorable weather conditions and was captured by German troops. Next to the plane are motorcycles of one of the units of the German troops.

78. Two French prisoners stand against the wall of the house.

79. Column of French prisoners on a village street.

80. Five non-commissioned officers of the 173rd Wehrmacht artillery regiment on vacation during the French campaign.

81. The French battleship Bretagne (commissioned in 1915) was sunk at Mers-El-Kebir during Operation Catapult by the British fleet. Operation Catapult was intended to capture and destroy French ships in English and colonial ports to prevent the ships from falling under German control after the surrender of France. The battleship "Brittany" was hit by the third salvo, hitting the base of the tripod mast, after which a strong fire began. The commander tried to run the ship aground, but the battleship was hit by another salvo from the English battleship Hood. Two minutes later, the old battleship began to capsize and suddenly exploded, taking the lives of 977 crew members. The photo was probably taken from the French seaplane Commandant Test, which miraculously avoided being hit during the entire battle, and subsequently took on board the surviving crew members of the dead battleship.

82. A column of French captured colonial units on the march on the railway bridge.

83. A soldier of the 73rd Wehrmacht Infantry Division poses with a French prisoner.

84. Soldiers of the 73rd Wehrmacht Infantry Regiment interrogate a French prisoner of war.

85. Soldiers of the 73rd Wehrmacht Infantry Regiment interrogate a French prisoner of war.

86. The body of a British artilleryman near a 40 mm 2 pounder QF 2 pounder anti-tank gun.

87. French prisoners are standing near a tree.

88. Soldiers of the Royal Highlanders "Black Watch" buy dishes from a French woman. 10/16/1939

89. A column of French prisoners passes by a German convoy in the Avranches area.

90. German soldiers with horses on Stanislaus Square in the French city of Nancy at the monument to the Polish king Stanislaw Leszczynski.

91. German cars on Place Stanislas in the French city of Nancy. In the center of the square is a monument to the Polish king Stanislaw Leszczynski.

93. German 150-mm self-propelled howitzer "Bison" (15 cm sIG 33 Sfl. auf Pz.KpfW.I Ausf B ohne Aufbau; Sturmpanzer I) against the background of the explosion of its shell on the second floor of a corner building during fighting in France.

94. British soldiers captured by the Germans in Dunkirk, in the city square.

95. Oil storage tank fire in Dunkirk. The plane on the right is a Lockheed Hudson, owned by the British Royal Air Force.

96. A German soldier killed in battle during the French campaign of the Wehrmacht. On the parapet of the trench there is a German cap and parts of a belt.

97. Column of captured French soldiers. Among them are many Africans from French colonial units.

98. A French woman greets Canadian soldiers who landed in France 4 days before the surrender of French troops.

99. French soldiers take pictures on the street of the town during the “Phantom War”. 12/18/1939

100. German women, children and soldiers of the cordon in the Nazi salute at a mass event in Germany dedicated to the victory of German troops in France.

101. The sinking of the British troop transport RMS Lancastria on June 17, 1940. In the water and on the sides of the tilted ship, many people are visible trying to escape. On June 17, 1940, the English troop transport Lancastria (before the war, a passenger liner that cruised the Mediterranean Sea) with a displacement of 16,243 tons was sunk by German Ju-88 bombers off the coast of France. The transport evacuated English military units from France to Great Britain. There were also a large number of civilians on board, including women and children. The ship was sunk in a twenty-minute attack shortly after leaving the French port of Saint-Nazaire. As a result, about four thousand passengers died - drowned, died from bomb explosions, shelling, and suffocated in oil-contaminated water. 2,477 people were saved.

102. Bombing by British aircraft of a French airfield in the city of Abbeville, captured by the Germans. The picture shows falling British 500-pound (227 kg) aerial bombs.

103. The crew of the French tank Char B1 No. 350 “Fleurie” in front of their vehicle.

104. German dive bombers Junkers Ju 87 B-2 from the Immelmann squadron (StG2 Immelmann) in the skies of France.

105. Killed black French soldier.

106. During Operation Dynamo (the evacuation of Anglo-French troops from Dunkirk to England), the destroyer Bourrasque hit a mine on May 29, 1940 in the area of ​​Ostend (Belgium) and sank the next day.

107. Soldiers of the SS division “Totenkopf” in battle in France.

108. Motorcyclist of the SS division “Totenkopf” in France.

109. Soldiers of the SS division “Totenkopf” regulate traffic on the streets of a French city, accelerating the advance of lagging troops.

Journalist and aviation historian Vyacheslav Kondratyev published an article in which he cited statistics on aviation losses of the Western Allies and the Luftwaffe for May 10, 1940 - the first day of the German offensive. ( http://vikond65.livejournal.com/?skip=10 ) Particular attention in the article is paid to the “airfield losses” of the Allies.

The main source of information for writing this article was monographs by English historians Edward R. Hooten “Luftwaffe at War” (E. R. Hooten. Luftwaffe at War. Vol. 2. Blitzkrieg in the West 1939-1940. London, 2007) and Peter Cornwell “Battle of France then and now” (Battle of France then and now, Old Harlow, Essex, 2007). According to V. Kondratiev " Cornwell's book contains a very detailed description of the losses of aircraft and crew members during the Western campaign, right up to the signing of the armistice between Germany and France. Losses are systematized by dates, types (shot down, destroyed on the ground, crashed in an accident, abandoned at the airfield, etc.), vehicle types and part numbers .. . "

I personally have not seen these books, I do not undertake to evaluate them, the air war on the Western Front is not the subject of my research. But in any case, the statistics cited by Kondratiev deserve close attention. Next, I give a lengthy quotation from V. Kondratiev’s article, and in a greatly distorted form: I divided the text into paragraphs, for each airfield separately, numbered the resulting “strips” and in a number of cases repeatedly added the words “destroyed” and “damaged.” The literary style disappeared completely, but everything became very easy to reckon with.

So:

"Let's start our review with attacks on France.

According to Cornwell, the Germans attacked on May 10 45 airfields (emphasis mine - M.S.) on its territory.

1. The greatest success was achieved by the He 111 crews, who at 4.30 bombed the air base in Alprech with Vought 156F dive bombers recently received from the United States (an export version of the Vindicator bomber). 12 vehicles were destroyed immediately in the collapsed hangar, another 12 were written off after inspection as beyond repair. One Caudron 635 staff aircraft was also destroyed there.

At other airfields, losses were not so catastrophic, but also quite significant.

2. So, in St. Inglever e (St. Inglevert) the Germans destroyed at 5.00 2 twin-engine multi-role aircraft "Potez 63.11" and damaged four reconnaissance aircraft "Potez 39" from the GAO 516 squadron.

3. At Laon-Couvron airfield, GAO 518 squadron lost 1 destroyed reconnaissance "Muro 115".

4. At Troyes-Barbery, a bomb destroyed 1 twin-engine night bomber Amio 143 from the GB I/38 squadron.

5. Fighter squadron GC III/2 suffered heavy damage. At 4.30, Heinkels bombed over her Cambrai-Niergines airfield, resulting in destroyed ( burned down)8 Moran-Saulnier MS 406 fighters, five more aircraft were seriously damaged and 13 were more lightly damaged. Within a few minutes, the air unit completely lost its combat effectiveness, although it did not lose a single pilot.

6. 4 MS 406 fighters destroyed in squadron e GC II/7 at the airfield in Luxeuil,

7. 3 MS 406 fighters destroyed in squadron e GC III/7 at the airfield in Vitry-le-Francois.

8. Do 17 crews “worked” over the Athies-sous-Laon airfield, destroying 1 “Potez 63.11” and 1 “Block 174” bomber from the GR II/33 squadron, as well as seriously damaging two more “ Potez", which were subsequently abandoned during the retreat.

9. In Reims, two heavy four-engine night bombers Farman 222 from squadron GB II/15 were damaged,

10. In Altigny, the Potez 390 reconnaissance aircraft from the GAO 510 squadron was damaged.

11. on a airfield Neufchateau irrevocably 5 aircraft destroyed (three "Potes 63.11" and two "Block 174") and more five damaged in GR II/36 squadron

12. The list of first losses is completed by 2 destroyed and two damaged “Potes 63.11” from the GR II/52 group from the Laon-Couvzon airfield.

13. The Germans “visited” the Metz-Frescati airfield a little later. Diving Junkers Ju 87s attacked at about 0600, accurately placing bombs in two hangars and destroying 5 Amio 143s from GB II/34 squadron. These Amyos are not mentioned in Cornwell's book, perhaps because they were not assigned to Metz-Frescati, but flew to it just the night before from Roye-Amy airbase. However, they are in the third volume of the French edition les Ailes Francaises 1939-45 (La Campangne ​​de France: de la Meuse a la Somme (10 May - 3 June 1940).

14. The Germans made the first raid on the Dijon-Longvic airbase at 5.00, damaging the flight school building, barracks and several warehouses, and at 15.00 nine Heinkels from the Edelweiss squadron made a second visit and destroyed two hangars, in one of which were destroyed ( received fatal injuries)2 MS 406 fighters from GC III/3 squadron. Five people were killed by bomb fragments, including the commander of the air base, Colonel Lamont.

**************************************************************************

The British did not escape damage either.

15. At Metz, two Blenheim Mk IV bombers from the 53rd RAF Squadron were damaged, one of which remained at the airfield during the retreat.

16. Two Battle light bombers from the 142nd Squadron were damaged. After a raid carried out at 4.40 on the Berry-au-Bac airfield, they were considered repairable, but on May 16 they were abandoned during withdrawal.

17. In the 615th Fighter Squadron at le Touquet airfield, German bombs damaged three Hurricanes at 5.00, but they were restored.

18. Finally, at 5.35 at the Mourmelon-le-Grand airfield, 4 bombardiers were destroyed by bombs dropped from a Do-17"Battle" box from the 88th squadron"

End of quote.

******************************************************************

Now turn on the calculator and start counting.

Irretrievably destroyed during a strike on 44 airfields in France:

17 fighters (all "Moran-Saulnier" MS 406)

23 bombers and reconnaissance aircraft (different types)

A total of 40 aircraft, on average 0.8 aircraft per attacked airfield (or an average of 2.2 aircraft per one SUCCESSFULLY attacked airfield)

Something strange happened at the air base in Alprech, Where " in a collapsed hangar re"irretrievably lost 24" recently received X from the USA diving X bomber A ". There are generally accepted rules for processing statistical data, according to which data that sharply falls out of the general list should at least be examined and double-checked with special care. So, if in a hospital the body temperature of 100 patients is in the range of 36-38 degrees, and one patient is 18 degrees, then some special actions should be taken urgently.

Unfortunately, V. Kondratiev did not take any special actions, and as a result, I do not have a clear understanding of what kind of “hangar” this was, which could accommodate 24 bombers? What condition were these “recently received from the USA” bombers in? Simply put: are we talking about a strike on the airfield of a bomber regiment - or about a successfully bombed WAREHOUSE with BOXES in which planes disassembled for transportation across the Atlantic were packed? Until this issue is clarified * I think it is right to simply ignore an event that is so out of the general statistical series.

Along with irretrievably destroyed aircraft damaged:

21 fighter b(incl. 13 received minor damage)

20 bombers and reconnaissance aircraft

Now, for comparison, let us recall the traditional version of Soviet historiography (fully accepted by modern Russian). On June 22, 1941, the Luftwaffe attacked 66 Soviet Air Force airfields, allegedly destroying 800 aircraft. Average 12 aircraft per attacked airfield. Judging by the pathos of Mr. Kondratiev’s article, 12 or 0.8 (15 times less) is about the same thing...

To complete the picture, it is worth quoting the figures given by V. Kondratiev for losses in the air on May 10: " the French, according to their own data, lost on May 10 in air battles 19 , and the British - 20 aircraft, and the French suffered all their losses from fighters, while the British suffered most from bombers shot down over Holland ...

...According to the report of the 6th Service Department of the Luftwaffe Quartermaster General for May 10,German battle losses military aircraft for that day looked like this:

Shot down in air battles:

- French aircraft: 2 Bf 109E, 12 Do17, 9 He111, 1 Hs126; = 24

- British aircraft: 1 Bf 109E, 10 He 111, 5 Do 17, 1 Do18; = 17

- Dutch aircraft: 3 Bf 109E, 12 Do 17, 9 He 111; = 24

- Belgian aircraft: 1 Do 17, 2 He 111; = 3

Total 68.

Shot down by anti-aircraft artillery:

- over France: 1 Bf 109E, 1 Do17, 6 He 111, 2 Ju 88; = 10

- over Holland: 5 He 111, 1 Ju 88, 4 He 59; = 10

- over Belgium: 1 Ju 88, 7 Ju 87; = 8

Total 28.

Didn't return from a combat mission(reasons unknown): 2 Bf 109E, 3 Do17, 1 Do215, 4 He 115, 3 Ju 87, 1 Hs 126, total 14.

Thus, even if we assume that all missing vehicles were shot down by the enemy, the total losses will amount to 110 aircraft.

....According to data from Cornwell’s book, which describes literally every combat episode, on May 10 in air battles over Holland, Belgium and France 64 Germans shot down combat aircraft, and one of them mistakenly shot down a Messerschmitt Bf 109.

22 Luftwaffe aircraft were shot down by ground fire(one by German anti-aircraft gunners),

9 more cars,damaged by anti-aircraft guns, finished off by fighters.

Circumstances of death 6 aircraft(mostly long-range reconnaissance vehicles) the author was unable to identify.

The result of irretrievable combat losses is 101 aircraft, that is, even less than in the summary. The explanation is simple - some of the cars that are listed as downed in this report actually crashed in accidents."

End of quote. Important clarification: the list of Luftwaffe air losses does NOT include the huge losses of Junkers Ju-52 transport aircraft (a total of 125 vehicles were irretrievably lost; 29 of them were shot down by Dutch anti-aircraft guns and fighters, 37 crashed during landing, 59 were destroyed after landing during ground battles and artillery shelling and raids by Dutch and British bombers).

You can count in different ways. In principle, I am ready to agree that combat operations in the skies over Belgium and Holland are a separate story that should not be mixed “into the same pile” with the confrontation between the air forces of major powers (Germany, Great Britain and France). With this approach, the result of the first day of the operation (May 10, 1940) is as follows:

a) The Allies lost irretrievably 79 aircraft, including 39 (half of the total losses) in the air

b) The Germans lost order irrevocably (without taking into account the actions of Belgian and Dutch aviation and anti-aircraft gunners) 55-60 combat aircraft. The uncertainty is related to where to place the planes that did not return from a combat mission (who shot them down and where?)

For reference:

On June 22, 1941, the Luftwaffe lost on the Eastern Front (losses from enemy influence and for unknown reasons, damage equal to or more than 60%) 61 combat aircraft.

The losses in the air of the Soviet Air Force (including in this list all cases of forced landings outside the airfield) amounted to about 183-207 combat aircraft.

The latest information: the strength of the Soviet Air Force group in the theater of operations on June 22, 1941 is approximately 10 times more the number of combat units of the French Air Force and the British Expeditionary Force on May 10, 1940. The number of Luftwaffe groups on the Eastern Front on June 22, 1941 was 1.5 times less than on the Western Front on May 10, 1940.

*****************************************************

* The question still remains open. Mr. Kondratyev published a short note (http://vikond65.livejournal.com/11519.html?view=62207#t62207) in which he posted photographs of "Vouts", which, according to him, "not flattened by the collapsed hangar, but which had to be written off due to damage"

Dear users! If, while reading this material, you have a desire to ask Mark Solonin a question personally, we suggest using

On the eve of World War II, the French army was considered one of the most powerful in the world. But in a direct clash with Germany in May 1940, the French only had enough resistance for a few weeks.

Useless superiority

By the beginning of World War II, France had the 3rd largest army in the world in terms of the number of tanks and aircraft, second only to the USSR and Germany, as well as the 4th largest navy after Britain, the USA and Japan. The total number of French troops numbered more than 2 million people.
The superiority of the French army in manpower and equipment over the Wehrmacht forces on the Western Front was undeniable. For example, the French Air Force included about 3,300 aircraft, half of which were the latest combat vehicles. The Luftwaffe could only count on 1,186 aircraft.
With the arrival of reinforcements from the British Isles - an expeditionary force of 9 divisions, as well as air units, including 1,500 combat vehicles - the advantage over the German troops became more than obvious. However, in a matter of months, not a trace remained of the former superiority of the allied forces - the well-trained and tactically superior Wehrmacht army ultimately forced France to capitulate.

The line that didn't protect

The French command assumed that the German army would act as during the First World War - that is, it would launch an attack on France from the northeast from Belgium. The entire load in this case was supposed to fall on the defensive redoubts of the Maginot Line, which France began building in 1929 and improved until 1940.

The French spent a fabulous sum on the construction of the Maginot Line, which stretches 400 km - about 3 billion francs (or 1 billion dollars). Massive fortifications included multi-level underground forts with living quarters, ventilation units and elevators, electrical and telephone exchanges, hospitals and narrow-gauge railways. The gun casemates were supposed to be protected from aerial bombs by a 4-meter thick concrete wall.

The personnel of the French troops on the Maginot Line reached 300 thousand people.
According to military historians, the Maginot Line, in principle, coped with its task. There were no breakthroughs by German troops in its most fortified areas. But the German Army Group B, having bypassed the line of fortifications from the north, threw its main forces into its new sections, which were built in swampy areas, and where the construction of underground structures was difficult. There, the French were unable to hold back the onslaught of German troops.

Surrender in 10 minutes

On June 17, 1940, the first meeting of the collaborationist government of France, headed by Marshal Henri Petain, took place. It lasted only 10 minutes. During this time, the ministers unanimously voted for the decision to appeal to the German command and ask them to end the war on French territory.

For these purposes, the services of an intermediary were used. The new Minister of Foreign Affairs, P. Baudouin, through the Spanish Ambassador Lequeric, conveyed a note in which the French government asked Spain to appeal to the German leadership with a request to end hostilities in France, and also to find out the terms of the truce. At the same time, a proposal for a truce was sent to Italy through the papal nuncio. On the same day, Pétain addressed the people and the army on the radio, calling on them to “stop the fight.”

Last stronghold

When signing the armistice agreement (act of surrender) between Germany and France, Hitler looked warily at the latter's vast colonies, many of which were ready to continue resistance. This explains some of the relaxations in the treaty, in particular, the preservation of part of the French navy to maintain “order” in its colonies.

England was also vitally interested in the fate of the French colonies, since the threat of their capture by German forces was highly assessed. Churchill hatched plans to create an émigré government of France, which would give actual control over the French overseas possessions to Britain.
General Charles de Gaulle, who created a government in opposition to the Vichy regime, directed all his efforts towards taking possession of the colonies.

However, the North African administration rejected the offer to join the Free French. A completely different mood reigned in the colonies of Equatorial Africa - already in August 1940, Chad, Gabon and Cameroon joined de Gaulle, which created the conditions for the general to form a state apparatus.

Mussolini's Fury

Realizing that France's defeat by Germany was inevitable, Mussolini declared war on her on June 10, 1940. The Italian Army Group "West" of Prince Umberto of Savoy, with a force of over 300 thousand people, supported by 3 thousand guns, began an offensive in the Alps region. However, the opposing army of General Oldry successfully repelled these attacks.

By June 20, the offensive of the Italian divisions became more fierce, but they only managed to advance slightly in the Menton area. Mussolini was furious - his plans to seize a large piece of its territory by the time France surrendered failed. The Italian dictator had already begun preparing an airborne assault, but did not receive approval for this operation from the German command.
On June 22, an armistice was signed between France and Germany, and two days later France and Italy entered into the same agreement. Thus, with a “victorious embarrassment,” Italy entered the Second World War.

Victims

During the active phase of the war, which lasted from May 10 to June 21, 1940, the French army lost about 300 thousand people killed and wounded. One and a half million were captured. The French tank corps and air force were partially destroyed, the other part went to the German armed forces. At the same time, Britain liquidates the French fleet to avoid it falling into the hands of the Wehrmacht.

Despite the fact that the capture of France occurred in a short time, its armed forces gave a worthy rebuff to German and Italian troops. During the month and a half of the war, the Wehrmacht lost more than 45 thousand people killed and missing, and about 11 thousand were wounded.
The French victims of German aggression could not have been in vain if the French government had accepted a number of concessions put forward by Britain in exchange for the entry of the royal armed forces into the war. But France chose to capitulate.

Paris – a place of convergence

According to the armistice agreement, Germany occupied only the western coast of France and the northern regions of the country, where Paris was located. The capital was a kind of place for “French-German” rapprochement. German soldiers and Parisians lived peacefully here: they went to the movies together, visited museums, or just sat in a cafe. After the occupation, theaters also revived - their box office revenue tripled compared to the pre-war years.

Paris very quickly became the cultural center of occupied Europe. France lived as before, as if there had been no months of desperate resistance and unfulfilled hopes. German propaganda managed to convince many French that capitulation was not a shame for the country, but the road to a “bright future” for a renewed Europe.

On November 30, 1939, the Soviet Union began war with Finland. Having started the war, the Soviet leadership counted on a quick victory and the creation of the so-called People's Republic of Finland. But these plans did not materialize.

The war was preceded by unsuccessful negotiations on the territorial issue. The USSR, in exchange for part of the territory of Karelia, wanted to receive the Karelian Isthmus in order to move the border away from Leningrad (it was located 30 km from the city). The Finnish government did not agree.

The fighting lasted three and a half months. Suffering huge losses, the Red Army units managed to overcome the Finnish defensive fortifications - the Mannerheim Line. On March 12, 1940, a peace treaty was signed between Finland and the USSR. The Karelian Isthmus with the cities of Vyborg and Kexholm (Korela, Priozersk) passed to the USSR. A Soviet military base was located on the leased Hanko Peninsula. The sixteenth republic was formed in the Soviet Union - the Karelo-Finnish SSR, which existed until 1956. Finland defended its independence. In the fall of 1940, Hitler's troops were brought into its territory.

Losses of the parties

Soldiers and commanders paid with their lives for the mistakes of the political leadership. The losses of the Red Army in the Soviet-Finnish war amounted to about 300 thousand people, including about 100 thousand dead. Finnish losses were an order of magnitude smaller, but in proportion to the population they were equal to the US losses in the war of 2.5 million soldiers.

While the important events of the Second World War were developing in the East of Europe, in the West "strange war", as one French journalist called it. The strange thing was that here, against 4.5 million French soldiers, there were 800 thousand German soldiers, and half of the latter were just beginning to concentrate. The Anglo-French troops actually did not take any decisive action. The German military leadership was aware of the risk that Hitler was taking, but he psychologically calculated everything accurately.

• April 1940 - capture of Denmark by German troops and occupation of Norway.
• May 10, 1940 - German troops attack France, the beginning of Hitler's Western campaign.
• May 14, 1940 - Dutch surrender.
• May 28, 1940 - surrender of Belgium, encirclement of Anglo-French troops in the area of ​​the city of Dunkirk.
• June 22, 1940 - signing of the Franco-German truce in the Compiegne Forest. Occupation by Germany of two-thirds of the territory of France, including Paris, and the formation of the pro-fascist regime of General Petain on the remaining territory.

Under the conditions of the “Phantom War,” the importance of Swedish ore, Romanian oil, Norwegian ports and unhindered access to them increased for the Nazi government. The British, realizing this, are making an attempt to mine the approaches to the Norwegian port of Narvik. In reply April 9, 1940 German troops occupy all the most important points in Denmark and Norway by sea and airborne landings.

Norway finds itself under the control of the German occupation administration, Denmark becomes a German protectorate. After Denmark surrendered, British troops occupied its overseas territories (Faroe Islands, Iceland and Greenland) to prevent the Germans from getting there.

On May 10, under the impression of the failure of the British in Norway, the cabinet of N. Chamberlain was sent into retirement. It was replaced by a coalition government led by Winston Churchill.

In June 1940, pro-communist forces in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, relying on the support of Soviet troops, took power into their own hands. In August 1940, these countries became part of the USSR. A significant part of the population initially reacted positively to what was happening. They were primarily confused by the growing aggressiveness of Nazi Germany. But soon thousands of citizens of the Baltic republics were repressed, a significant part were exiled. All this gave rise to deep dissatisfaction with the Soviet order.

In June 1940, the USSR presented Romania with a demand to transfer to it the former province of the Russian Empire, Bessarabia, captured by Romania in 1918, and Northern Bukovina, which was part of Austria-Hungary. Two months later, the Moldavian SSR was formed, and Northern Bukovina became part of Ukraine.

On June 10, 1940, Mussolini, contrary to the opinion of the military, entered the war against France and Great Britain. It seemed to the Italian dictator that his dream of a “Roman Mediterranean Empire” was about to become a reality. Italy's territorial claims were large: Nice, Corsica, Tunisia, French Somalia, Algeria, Morocco. Mussolini believed that Italy's leading role in the Mediterranean would be emphasized by the annexation of part of the Yugoslav lands.

As a result, in 1941, Rommel achieved, although resounding, partial success. Germany was involved in another "outsider" (given Hitler's main goal) campaign.

Capture of Romania

The plan for the Italian “parallel war” included striking Greece and Yugoslavia, but in August 1940 Hitler informed Mussolini that an invasion of the Balkans was not advisable at the moment because Great Britain had to be defeated first.

The exact history is the calendar dates May 10th.

• The horoscope symbol of people who were born on May 10, 1940 is ››› Taurus (from April 21 to May 21).
• 1940 according to the eastern animal calendar = ››› White Metal Dragon.
• Element of the horoscope sign Taurus, with date of birth 10.5.40. >> Earth.
• The patron planet of people who were born on this day of the year is Venus.
• This date fell on week 19.
• According to the calendar, this month of May has 31 days.
• Length of daylight on May 10 – 15 hours 54 minutes(the length of daylight hours is indicated according to the Central European latitude of Moscow, Minsk, Kyiv.).
• Church holiday, Easter was > April 28th.
• According to the calendar, the period is spring.
• According to the Gregorian calendar ~ Leap year.
• Colors suitable for the horoscope, for people born on the day May 10, 1940› Aquamarine, Dark chartreuse and Dark yellow.
• Trees suitable for the combination of the horoscope sign Taurus and 1940 according to the eastern animal calendar > Beech, Spruce and Ebony.
• Stones are protective amulets for people who were born today #› Cat's Eye, Jet, Chalcedony.
• Unusually suitable numbers for people with a birthday May 10, 40 ››› Four.
• The luckiest days of the week for people born on May 10, 1940 are ›››› Wednesday, Tuesday and Saturday.
• The exact qualities of the essence, the horoscope sign of Taurus, who were born on this number ››› diplomatic and arrogant.

Astrological description of men born on May 10th.

A man whose zodiac sign is 05/10/1940 birth - Taurus, ideal husband, his love is simple and pure. You don't have to act out anything in front of him, just be yourself. Usually well-developed physically, this is part of his charm. This man is extremely patient, but cannot stand betrayal. He needs money not for the sake of money itself, but for the pleasures that flow from possessing it.
Man by calendar for May 10, 1940 by month and birthdays, will convince you that you are beautiful. He is quite romantic, but cautious. Most conflict situations with him can always be resolved peacefully. He tends to take better care of himself than guys of other signs. He doesn't understand women well, he has a false idea about them. If your relationship is over, he will try to maintain friendly relations. He wants everything he owns to be his only. This man does not mind female individuality, but he is intrigued and balanced by his own stability of nature. Designed for those who know a lot about values. Only by choice is a man born in 10-05-1940 according to the horoscope– Taurus is able to part with money, it is impossible to force him. His goals are mostly earthly and ordinary. Although the ruling planet is the most romantic of all - Venus, he is far from being a dreamer with his head in the clouds, but a pragmatist who stands firmly and confidently on his feet.

Who are the women born today, May 10, 1940, Eastern year according to the animal calendar.

A woman whose 05/10/1940 birth, zodiac sign - Taurus, belongs to the element Earth, this is strongly felt in her character. She demands appropriate respect. The Taurus girl has the ability to literally attract people, she is even and friendly with everyone. He strives to live a harmonious life, and not waste his own strength on conquering illusory peaks.
Woman 05/10/1940 birth, dresses with good taste, but without luxury. If it were not for the superintuition that is characteristic of them, they would have to endlessly discourage the unworthy from themselves. Take her to expensive restaurants, she has developed a love for good food and drinks. Her inner voice tells you who you should continue communicating with and who you should turn away from.
When a woman born on the tenth of May 1940 calendar is confident in herself and feels at ease and comfortable with you, she becomes lazy, dresses sloppily, and is late for dates. The Taurus girl has all the qualities that men are looking for in her character. Characteristics of a Taurus girl - if she believes that she is being neglected, she will not insist on her own with the help of deception. True love with her will not flow smoothly.

Under the horoscope sign of Taurus, famous people were born:

Emperor Paul I, writer Honore de Balzac, composer Johannes Brahms, Harry Cooper, scientist Sigmund Freud, Jean Gabin, actor Fernandel, Adolf Hitler, composer Prokofiev, composer Tchaikovsky, Yehudi Menuhin, writer William Shakespeare, Orson Welles, politician Vladimir Lenin, Duke Ellington, politician Niccolo Machiavelli, scientist Karl Marx, writer Henryk Sienkiewicz, politician Maximilien Robespierre, Roberto Rossellini.