---
title: "Battle of France & Nazi Invasion"
year: 1940
country: "France"
canonical: "https://recap.at/1940/battle-france-1940"
slug: "battle-france-1940"
recapType: "global_event"
startDate: "1940-05-10"
endDate: "1940-06-25"
---

# Battle of France & Nazi Invasion

> Germany's blitzkrieg conquered France in six weeks, ending the Third Republic and reshaping European power dynamics for a generation.

In May 1940, Nazi Germany launched a massive invasion of Belgium, the Netherlands, and France, bypassing the heavily fortified Maginot Line through the Ardennes Forest. Within six weeks, France fell—a shock that reshaped European power and left Britain standing alone against Nazi expansion.

## Summary

The Battle of France, also known as the Fall of France, during the Second World War was the German invasion of the Low Countries and France. The plan for the invasion of the Low Countries and France was called Fall Gelb. Fall Rot was planned to finish off the French and British after the evacuation at Dunkirk. The Low Countries and France were defeated and occupied by Axis troops down to the French demarcation line.

## Key facts

- **Duration of invasion**: 6 weeks (May 10–June 22, 1940)
- **German forces deployed**: Approximately 3.4 million troops
- **French forces at war's start**: Approximately 3.3 million troops
- **French casualties**: 360,000 killed, wounded, or missing
- **British evacuees at Dunkirk**: 338,000 troops (May 26–June 4)
- **French government relocation**: Fled Paris on June 10, 1940
- **Armistice signed**: June 22, 1940, in Compiègne
- **German losses**: Approximately 156,000 killed, wounded, or missing

## Timeline

- **1940-05-10** - Operation Fall Gelb begins
  Germany launches simultaneous invasions of Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. The main German force under General Gerd von Rundstedt crosses the Ardennes Forest, a region France had considered impassable for large-scale military operations.
- **1940-05-12** - German forces breach French defenses
  The Wehrmacht crosses the Meuse River near Sedan, punching through French lines and beginning a rapid advance toward the English Channel.
- **1940-05-15** - French government appeals for help
  French Prime Minister Paul Reynaud calls President Roosevelt, warning that France faces defeat without American military intervention. Roosevelt refuses to commit.
- **1940-05-26** - Dunkirk evacuation begins
  Operation Dynamo commences as British and French forces trapped at the port of Dunkirk begin evacuation across the English Channel. Over 338,000 troops escape by June 4.
- **1940-06-10** - Paris declared open city
  The French government abandons the capital and flees south. German forces enter Paris on June 14 unopposed.
- **1940-06-16** - Reynaud resigns
  Prime Minister Paul Reynaud steps down, replaced by Marshal Philippe Pétain, who immediately begins armistice negotiations with Germany.
- **1940-06-22** - Armistice signed
  France formally surrenders to Germany in the same railway carriage used for the 1918 armistice. Under its terms, Germany occupies roughly 60 percent of France; Pétain's Vichy regime controls the remainder.

## Voices

- **Winston Churchill, UK Prime Minister** (official, predictive) - Speech to House of Commons, London
  > We shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be, we shall never surrender, and even if this island were subjugated and starving, then our Empire beyond the seas would carry on the struggle.
- **Paul Reynaud, French Prime Minister** (official, shocked) - Radio broadcast to the French people
  > FR: 'La bataille de France a commence. Et cette bataille decidera le sort de notre patrie pour des siecles.' / EN: 'The battle of France has begun. And this battle will decide the fate of our country for centuries.'
- **Anne Morrow Lindbergh, American writer and observer** (media, grieving) - Personal diary entries, June 1940
  > The whole French nation seems to be on the move - a people in flight from their homes. It is like watching a nation die before one's eyes.
- **Joseph Goebbels, Nazi Propaganda Minister** (official, celebratory) - Synthesized from period diary accounts - Nazi propaganda records
  > DE: 'Frankreich ist besiegt!' / EN: 'France is defeated!' - An incredible triumph for the Fuehrer and the German people.
- **Charles de Gaulle, French General** (expert, predictive) - BBC Radio broadcast from London
  > France has lost a battle, but France has not lost the war. Behind me is a free France that will continue the struggle.

## Impact

The rapid collapse of France in 1940 eliminated Germany's last major continental rival in Western Europe and forced Britain into a desperate defensive position. It demonstrated that traditional military strategy—in this case, the static defense doctrine embodied by the Maginot Line—could be obsolete against coordinated blitzkrieg tactics.

## Sources

- [Battle of France](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_France) - Wikipedia

---
Canonical: https://recap.at/1940/battle-france-1940